The esteemed National Geographic Society has, for the last 10 years, selected candidates for the title of Adventurer of the Year. Candidates are chosen based on "his or her remarkable achievement in exploration, adventure sports, conservation and humanitarianism." According to the Society, this year’s honorees "embody the spirit of adventure in diverse ways — an exploratory surfer seeking the world’s most remote waves; paragliders pushing the boundaries of their sport; an activist challenging the status quo; filmmakers using art to drive conservation; blind kayakers redefining what’s possible; and five other feats."

The "exploratory surfer" who was selected as a candidate is none other than Liz Clark of the Santa Barbara-based Cal 40 Swell. Nine years ago, we met Liz, now 34, just before she took off for Mexico, Central America, the Galapagos, the Society Islands and Kiribati. During the last five or six years she’s been sailing mostly singlehanded and often surfing alone in French Polynesia. Liz frequently contributed to Latitude 38, particularly during the early years of her adventure. We even have a report from her in this month’s Changes.

While we personally think it’s crass and contrary to the very spirit of adventure, the Society encourages readers and interested people to vote — maybe even stuff the ballot box — for the person they think "most embodies the spirit of adventure." It seems to us that you either have the spirit of adventure or you don’t, and the spirit of anything is something that can’t — and shouldn’t — be ranked, let alone voted on. What next, the general public asked to vote for the Buddhist they think best exemplifies the spirit of Zen?

Our objections notwithstanding, the voting ends on January 31, 2015. You can read about all 10 of the candidates by Googling ‘National Geographic Adventurers of the Year 2015.’ While we hope you vote for our friend Liz for her sake, we also hope you encourage the Society to rethink this contest of ‘adventureness’. In our opinion it would be far better to simply recognize all 10 as being among the more noteworthy adventurers of the year. What do you think?

Here’s some good news for South Bay boaters: The Port of Redwood City has begun dredging operations at the guest dock in the Redwood City Marina. In addition, the shoreside park is being updated with new landscaping and improvements to the picnic area adjacent to the dock.

According to harbormaster Rich Ferrari, the 200-foot-long guest dock will now be able to accommodate boats with a draft of 14 feet. Hopefully, the improvements being made to the guest dock and adjacent park will make the South Bay port a more desirable destination for sailors who crave a little local adventure. After all, a trip down to the South Bay is a good way to hone one’s navigational skills, and a weekend in Redwood City can be a welcome relief from the cold wind and fog of the Central Bay. If you decide to make the trip, bring along a kayak or another small boat. There are plenty of sloughs to explore nearby, and this is an excellent area for both bird-watching and small-boat sailing. In addition, the Redwood City Marina is home to the Sequoia Yacht Club.

Dredging operations are scheduled to be completed by December 1. For more information contact the Port of Redwood City at 650-306-4150. The Redwood City Marina harbormaster can be reached at 650-363-1390. Info about Sequoia Yacht Club and its events can be found at sequoiayc.org.