I returned from Sri Lanka on Monday. Yes, it has taken this long to wake up
enough from jet lag and the emotional drain of the trip to be able to catch
up on my fun groups.

The damage is every bit as bad as the TV made it out. There are boats
everywhere that are damaged or destroyed. No, they don't need designers to
help them with new hull designs. Most of the local fishermen use something
like a dugout with an outrigger. The hulls that I saw are mostly fiberglass
now although I did see a few wood hulls. The bulwarks are stitch and tarred
on. The mast is stepped to the keel and lashed in place. The outrigger is
lashed in place as well. Almost all the boats have a small outboard. They
launch through the surf, make a quick turn and paddle to deep water then
start the outboard. Most of the fishing is done 3-5 miles off shore using
nets. Some fishermen work nights and use lights to attract the fish.

In the more devastated areas the fishermen are just now starting to return
to the sea. They had been hearing a hum from the sea at night and took that
as a warning not to go out.

Darning my travels (I went from Colombo to Batticaloa and then followed the
coastline back to Colombo) there were also large boats on the beach with
significant damage as well as some that were sunk off the beach. Many of
these boats will never be re-floated and many are not easily repaired. Some
were several hundred yards inshore.

Many of the people are trying to go about some kind of daily life but they
go to the remains of their home (if there are any remains, and in some areas
even the foundation was washed away) and just stand trying to come to grips
with their loss. In the coastal areas every body either lost a family
member or friend. Every family on the island was effected. This is just
Sri Lanka.

The other side of this is that I found the people to be open and friendly.
The fishermen took me to their boat while they readied for the launch. They
are careful and use dual fuel filters. They go over the motor completely
before they even think of going out. My only regret is that I didn't go out
with them.

I know that this is a little one sided but that is also the way I am feeling
right now.

Brian