Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 19: Anafi - Santorini / September 7, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today was a big day. We set course for the legendary Samtorini, also known as Thira. Both the sea and the wind continued to be rough and virtually the entire journey was against the wind. Lisa and Maurizio steered the whole way voluntarily, they knew we were on treacherous grounds (sea, really). We had lots of what we began to call "salty showers" from waves breaking on board for the first half of the trip, luckily Neptune showed a bit more mercy in the second half of the journey. We originally intended to moor in the harbour on the southern tip of Santorini, but the wind was too strong for us to find good shelter there and the harbour was overcrowded anyway. So, instead we decided to go a bit further west, find a sheltered bay, swim and wait for the wind to calm down and then assess our options. We shall see what happens!

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 18: Astypalaia - Anafi / August 31, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

I woke up at 9am and noticed--probably at least in part due to being still half-asleep--that the sea in this harbour sounded like a river: waves were very small and frequent and hit the pier almost constantly, giving me an illusion that there was a stream nearby. Once I pondered that thought for a bit more, I had a quick breakfast and grabbed a book as Maurizio and Lisa went for a walk around Astypalaia. We left at about midday and set course to Anafi. The wind was strong for most of the journey and the sea was quite rough. The good news was that we kept on making very good progress, the high of the day was 9.7kn under my stewardship. My dad came at a close second with 9.3 kn. It seems our family has high wind in favour!

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 17: Kalimnos - Astypalaia / August 25, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

I woke up at 7:30 just as I heard the roar of the boat's engine--it was time to move. I rushed on board to help with the fenders and maneuvering and we were soon out of the port. Sadly, our enthusiasm was not matched by that of the wind; soon after leaving the port we hit a patch of no wind and so we had to turn the engine on for a few more miles to get us through to an area with more wind. As a side note--we rarely ever used our engine during navigation. Dull as it was at times to be stuck with no or little wind in the middle of the journey, we usually weathered it and slowly made our way to an area with more wind--we only ever really used the engine for the absolute final approach to ports as the engine made the ship more easier to maneuver. But today was an exception, we really had to make progress and could not have afforded to waste precious hours standing still.

You'd be fools if you didn't follow this blog / August 21, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Will Dierenfield, as dear a friend as one can have, just launched his own blog. Knowing him the way I do, he will come up with stories filled to the brim with wit, humour and food for thought. He's the top of the tops, but just getting started, so spread the word and read, read, read.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 16: Leros - Kalimnos / August 17, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today was yet another day when me and my dad woke up early to go sightseeing before we sail off--this time our destination was the Platanos castle. We caught the 7:43 bus, which was on time! Amusingly, the bus driver kept on honking throughout the whole trip, frequently but irregularly enough to catch you off-guard and make you yank instinctively each time. You see, there are many reasons to honk in Greece: a vehicular 'hello' to a car--any car--passing you in the opposite direction, a warning to pedestrians, or an alert to general traffic when the bus was approaching a turn; the streets were often quite narrow and cars could easily crash into the bus if they didn't know it was right around the corner. Noble and sociable as the reasons were, the constant fanfare from the bus must have been greatly enjoyed by anybody who lived by the street at such wee hours of the day.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 15: Lipso - Leros / August 11, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

I was woken by a very strong gust of wind that got through a small ventilation opening in my cabin--made a huge squeek! Once we all got a bite to eat for breakfast, we went for a long walk around the south-east part of the island--a bay on the other side of the island was our ultimate destination. Once we stepped off the boat, my dad my day lost a hat in a particularly powerful gust of wind. Not the best way to start the walk! In Greece, you do really want to do your best to hold on to a hat; it's often the only thing saving you from being burned alive under the ever-beating sun. But it was not lost for good: It turned out that Lisa had lost a shoe last night as it fell into the sea, but she managed to find a corner in the harbour where the currents and waves converged, waited for the shoe to do-si-do there and simply fished it out. We decided to do the same--by the time we're back from the walk the hat should be ready to be salvaged!

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 14: Patmos - Lipso / July 27, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today was an exciting day. We woke up early to catch the 7:40 bus to the Chora (generic name for the main village on a Greek island, usually also the one placed at the highest altitude of other settlements) and the monastery. The bus was on time (early, actually!) and dropped us off close to the monastery in about 15 minutes. The entrance was closed even though the monastery was supposed to open at 8am--not everybody in Patmos was quite as punctual as our bus driver! It took the warden 25 minutes to come open it--it looks like late night partying in bars that we see everywhere finally caught up with somebody.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 13: Fournoi - Patmos / July 22, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today we woke up exceptionally early, at 7:30, just as the wash of waves from Lisa's ferry rocked the boat. Once aboard, Lisa joined us for a walk around the town. We went on the top of a nearby hill where we found--surprise, surprise--a church! Then we bought some bread (fresh from the oven, yum!) and paid for moorage at the harbour, which was €11 for the night.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 12: Samos - Fournoi / July 14, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today we woke up at around 9am and followed through on our plan from last night--first order of business was to walk up to the church on the top of the hill dominating over the port. The walk only took about 15 minutes and most of the path was made of newly-restored cobbles and steps. Even though it was still quite early in the day, the temperature began to rise regardless and sweat soon kicked in. But it was all worth it--the view was gorgeous.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 11: Ikaria - Samos / July 7, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

As per usual, we went for a second walk around Kalomeria in the morning. I found a post office, posted a whole bunch of postcards that I had written so far and then we bought some groceries. Our meals so far have been very simple--Maurizio is a vegetarian and only eats fresh ingredients--none of the canned stuff! So our shopping consisted of spaghetti, fresh tomatoes--you haven't eaten tomatoes until you've eaten fresh Greek tomatoes--and garlic. Mix it with some olive oil and you've got a lunch!

"Am I Human?" : The Case of Shin Dong-Hyuk / June 29, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

In this essay I explore Erich Fromm’s framework that is constructed on the premise that human beings are governed simultaneously by their instincts and their character. Fromm, together with Philip Zimbardo, will provide distinct tools in the analysis of North Korean Political Prison Camps, which have long been the primary tool of oppression for the totalitarian regime in North Korea. The extraordinary life of Shin Dong-Hyuk, who was born in Camp 14, “Kaechon,” serves as a case study in this essay. While both theorists shed valuable light on Shin’s story, the purpose of this case study is to test their fundamental assumptions. None of them pass the test and the case study thus reveals significant shortcomings of both theories.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 10: Ikaria / June 23, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Today we woke up quite late, but then again we didn't get to sleep until quite late last night. After a light breakfast and a quick swim in the bay, we headed out--we had more schlepping to do! The destination was Kalomeria, a town on the north-east coast of the island. The sea was calm and the sail went by fast, but then again there were three of us to share the load, so one figures!

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 9: Mykonos - Delos - Ikaria / June 14, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

So this was quite eventful! My dad and I woke up early, at around 7:40, in order to catch the first ferry ferry to Delos (cost €17 return). Now why do people with a sailboat need a ferry to get to an island? Because the authorities decided to declare Delos a no-mooring zone, probably due to the fact that the entire island is basically an archeological site--it used to be a mighty island! Legend has it that Leto, a titaness and a mistress to Zeus, was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis, but Herq, Zeus's wife, cursed Leto and said that she could give birth nowhere on Earth. Leto prayed to Zeus, who intervened and requested Poseidon to anchor Delos, which used to be a wandering underwater island, with chains and bring it above the water. Finally, Leto was able to birth Artemis and Apollo, the God of Sun. And sun there was! There was only one tree on the whole island--a tree where, according to same legend, the anointed birth happened.

McAllister Olivarius Photos / June 4, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

McAllister Olivarius just launched their new website and guess what--I took most of the pictures on it! Have a browse, look at some mightily intelligent people, good causes and oh so easy-on-the-eye pictures.

Le Nozze di Figaro: Tonal Drama in Act II Finale / April 27, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

Composers face significant challenges in tying together the action of the story with music. In this essay, I look at one tool available, that of key structure, which Mozart used to present a structured narrative to the ever-changing power-balance on the stage. Two primary power sources are in conflict during the finale: on one side, we have the Count, who at the very end is aided by Marcellina, Don Basilio and Bartolo, and on the other side we have the Countess, who receives support from Susanna and Figaro. Entrances and exits of singers constantly interrupt the finale and characters bring new information that tips the scales to one end or the other. I will now proceed by analyzing how tonality is used to express the changing power balance in order to provide the finale with a sense of structure.

Show Trials in the Czech Republic / April 19, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

In this essay I will first offer an overview of the transitional methods used in Czechoslovakia after the fall of Communism and present some key theories on show trials in a transitional justice setting. I then apply the theories to two specific cases, the trial of Milada Horáková in 1950 and a recent trial of Ludmila Brožová-Polednová. I conclude that while the trial with Horáková was clearly a show trial, the trial with Brožová-Polednová occurred in a “gray area,” with characteristics of both just and show trials, and is best classified as a liberal show trial.

Academic Essays / April 19, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

It is now almost a year since I graduated from Macalester College. I recently went through some of the papers that I wrote over those busy four years and felt that some of them were ripe for publishing on this blog. I hope you will find them thought-provoking.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 8: Tinos - Mykonos / March 31, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

First I will tell you a bit more about Tinos, because we went for another walk around the town in the morning. We woke up at 9am, just in time for the regular weather forecast over the VHF (Very High Frequency) radio (it's every day at 9am, 1pm, 7pm, 9pm and 1am). The conditions continued to be pretty rough and Maurizio said that we better leave in the afternoon, hoping that the sea would calm later in the day. Luckily the sail from Tinos to Mykonos was only about 10 miles--one of the shortest distances during the whole trip--so we would not be at the mercy of the elements for too long anyway.

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 7: Andros - Tinos / March 8, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

We woke up early again, had a quick breakfast and left the harbour at around 9am. We turned south once we left the bay in order to cross the Dhísvaton Strait between Andros and Tinos, which brought us to the western side of Tinos. Our good friend Meltemi was quite strong and we resorted to only using the main sail--even then we had to use the second reef and then further shorten it. Our wind meter gave us a reading between 30-38 knots, so Meltemi was in full swing; this was a rough sail. Once we crossed the strait things turned for the worse. We faced regular and strong gusts of wind and, about 6 nm from Tinos, we were hit by yet stronger Meltemi coming from North-East (our left). The sea was very rough with razor-sharp, choppy waves and I was at the helm for most of the journey taking on the elements alone!

Greek Sailing Odyssey Day 6: Andros / February 28, 2014 by Honza Cervenka

The sixth day of our Sailing Odyssey was in fact sailing-less; we decided to spend the whole day in Andros and explore the nearby town of Kastron. The good news for you is that there will be tons of pictures in this post! You will recall from my previous post that we arrived here at night and initially moored stern-to, but the first thing we did in the morning was to re-moor, this time sideways. All in all, this took us about 40 minutes. I do not recall now what the reason behind the manoeuvre was, but, as with all things that have to do with mooring, the direction and strength of the wind must have been the decisive factor. Once safely affixed, we had a quick breakfast and went to the Kastron, which was a short walk from the port.