This post is from George Wurtzel, a former camp Tuhsmeheta leader and board member. <\/p>\n
Serenity; Webster defines it as: The absence of mental stress or anxiety.<\/p>\n
I define it as: Night watch aboard the schooner, Inland Seas.
\nTwenty-four folks from Camp T also experienced this during our July
\n2007 Adventure Sailing Trip on Lake Michigan. A week of hard work,
\nexercise, and careful planning made us all anxious. Our anxieties
\nturned to joy the moment that Captain Tom Kelley cried out \u201ccast off
\nlines\u201d.<\/p>\n
Three days of bliss was ahead. The Inland Seas slowly slipped away
\nfrom the dock and began transporting us to a place somewhere between
\nreality, dreams, and expectations.<\/p>\n
For those who do not really know me, I am blind, tall, and passionate,
\nsomeone who will persevere and believe that the more experiences you
\nhave in life, the richer your character will be and the more
\ninteresting you will be to others. I grew up in Traverse City and
\nspent many enjoyable days sailing and playing on Grand Traverse Bay.<\/p>\n
I am determined to make sure that Camp T creates opportunities which
\nwill expand every blind or sighted person\u2019s perception of what one can
\nachieve.<\/p>\n
You cannot know what you love until you have experienced it. We set
\nout on an adventure to instill a love of the outdoors, science, and
\nsailing; an experience that would stimulate the young minds and souls
\nof the Camp T campers, staff and the crew of the Inland Seas.<\/p>\n
Our home for the next three days was a ship; 77 ft from stem to stern
\nwith a beam of 19 ft which carried a ballast of 22 tons and had 2
\nmasts with a sail area of over 1700 square ft. It would supply our
\nevery need. (It also had a little John Deer 6 cylinder diesel engine
\njust in case.)<\/p>\n
How do you navigate a sailing ship? How do you know how slimy a Goby
\nfish is until you hold one? Is the bottom of Lake Michigan, 400 feet
\ndown, sandy or satiny smooth when you run a sample between your
\nfingers? If you filter 1000 gallons of bay water, how many Zoo or
\nPhyto plankton will you get? How fast is the boat going if 5 knots on
\nthe chip log line passes through your fingers in 28 seconds? How many
\nmidge flies must be flying at once for you to think you are hearing
\nalien space ships? These are just a few of the science questions that
\nwe found the answers to while on our voyage.<\/p>\n
Was it serenity or nirvana?<\/p>\n
We took turns each night on deck, anchored off-shore of Power Island,
\nin the middle of Grand Traverse Bay. Our job was to take note of wind
\ndirection and speed, whether the anchor is secure, check water depth,
\nwave height, whether there was water in the bilge, check the battery
\nstatus, and make sure all things ship shape, and then enter the
\nfindings into the ships log book.<\/p>\n
Then the time was ours to contemplate the Heavens, listen to the waves
\nrolling on shore, the rigging creaking in the wind, the occasional
\nsurfacing of a fish feeding on bugs, and to let the gentle lull of the
\nboat massage your brain, stimulating dreams and desires. Anything is
\npossible; you could be a movie star, a marine biologist, a teacher, a
\ncomputer programmer, a doctor, an astronaut, a wife, a husband. The
\npossibilities seem endless, the same way it has been for mariners for
\nthousands of years.<\/p>\n
In our hustle bustle world there is always an underlying cacophony of
\nambient noise. Here at our anchorage, we were just far enough from the
\nfray of normal life so that the only sounds were of our ship and the
\nsounds of nature. Morning brought a slow but perceptible change from
\nnight sounds to day, the low din of crickets and insects on the island
\ngiving way to song birds and the first cry of sea gulls winging to
\nflight, the change of dense night air transitioning to the lighter
\nfeel of day, the sun warming the side of your face, the ship coming to
\nlife with smells of fresh coffee and baking muffins, a new day, like
\nno other, had begun. We would experience things that would shape our
\nhearts, spirits and open our minds to unfathomable possibilities.<\/p>\n
Please join us to experience a world of change that Camp Tuhsmeheta
\ncan bring to you and the rest of the universe during one of the many
\ndifferent fun, exciting, and challenging programs that we hold each
\nyear. Don\u2019t ever accept that you can\u2019t do something because you are
\nblind, but accept it as a challenge to find a new way. Remember
\nachievement is not given; it is obtained through perseverance and lots
\nof hard work.<\/p>\n
Happy sailing whatever ship you are on!<\/p>\n
George Wurtzel
\nTo learn more about what we do at camp Tuhsmeheta go to WWW.campt.org<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This post is from George Wurtzel, a former camp Tuhsmeheta leader and board member. Serenity; Webster defines it as: The absence of mental stress or anxiety. I define it as: Night watch aboard the schooner, Inland Seas. Twenty-four folks from Camp T also experienced this during our July 2007 Adventure Sailing Trip on Lake Michigan. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[239],"tags":[190,191,192,176,175],"class_list":["post-214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-camp-tuhsmeheta","tag-canp-t","tag-george-wurtzel","tag-jeff-thompson","tag-visually-impaired"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-3s","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3383,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=3383","url_meta":{"origin":214,"position":0},"title":"Seeing the World, Sometimes in Ways We Never Imagined. George Wurtzel Talks about His Star Role in the Subaru Commercial","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"March 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"George Wurtzel gives us a inside look and his philosophical approach to his involvement with the New Subaru TV commercial. We are including an audio described version of the audio from the Subaru commercial. George is George and nothing Hollywood about him as he explains the process and the experience\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_8154-2-e1494873500249.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2573,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=2573","url_meta":{"origin":214,"position":1},"title":"Register Now! 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Wood Workers for the Blind Summer Sessions Filling Fast!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Woodworking for the Blind Sixth Annual Summer Workshop Now Two Separate Sessions All Members Invited Advanced Woodworking Session Monday, August 21, thru Saturday August 26, 2017 Welcoming Dinner Monday evening August 21 Woodworking Fundamentals Session Saturday, August 26, thru August 31, 2017 Welcoming Dinner Saturday evening August 26 Each Session\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Career"","block_context":{"text":"Career","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=373"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=61","url_meta":{"origin":214,"position":4},"title":"BA Presents: Blindness, Manure, Stevie Wonder — And Interview with George Wurtzel","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Interview with George Wurtzel. George has traveled , created businesses, lived, explored and has done many of activities that most people only dream of doing. From the Olympics, Cross Country Skiing across Northern Europe, starting his own businesses, teaching, George has done most anything he set his mind to doing.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=98","url_meta":{"origin":214,"position":5},"title":"Craftsman’s blindness doesn’t hinder his woodworking vision.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"July 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Blind Abilities Presents: A BA Teen Cast And today we have George Wurtzel a former resident of Minnesota who now resides in the Napa Valley area of California and is a leader at a camp for youth and Parents of Blind children.","rel":"","context":"In "BlindAbilities Presents"","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2307,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions\/2307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}