One of the greatest threads of all time is happening over at Sailing Anarchy about the 1000 days non-stop at sea journey. I am totally all for the journey; I think it's fantastic that someone is trying this. The man's writings at his blog are hilarious, though some would say unintentionally.
Anyway, one of the recurring themes at the SA thread is that it would be fine going to sea completely unprepared and in a leaking boat if it weren't for his passenger, a novice sailor who seems completely unaware of the danger and in awe of the captain. Shouldn't she know how dangerous this is?
But then I realized that I went to sea with only a cursory knowledge of the dangers. Of course, I knew how to sail and knew the basics (watch out for whales, don't go too far north, tankers get bonus pay for hitting sailboats, etc) but I didn't really know the specifics. I had no idea what would happen when the boat gets to the top of a 20 foot wave, I had no idea how far north you could safely go, I didn't realize that Bermuda was encircled by reefs.
Then again I had my Dad. He wasn't about to go to sea with barnacles on the bottom (I know, he had me scrub them off) or a leaking hull or not checking the desalinator (because we didn't have one?!?). Heck, we even double-checked the liferaft, had modifications done and repacked. I feel that I made a safe choice putting trust in my Dad, the Captain.
This brings me back to my own sailing. On a much smaller scale, a lot of people put trust in me every time we go sailing. I go through a small safety talk when people get on the boat for the first time, I assure them that I can singlehand the boat if all else fails, and I show them where channel 16 is.
So, I can see why this girl trusted her captain, I had that blind trust once, and others do every time they sail with me. But any of my future crew can be certain that even for just for daysailing, I think my boat is pretty darned seaworthy. Trust me.
10 comments:
I was actually thinking of posting a post congratulating them on their 1000th message in the main thread - but I forgot to pay attention for a week & I missed it. I liked the symmetry of 1000 posts on a 1000 days at sea thread. The moment is gone, alas.
I'm just blown away but the sheer hours of their lives that the sailing anarchists have now donated, devoted, yea tithed to this guy they hate so much. 1200 posts, and now a spoof blog...is it possible that ridicule of that intensity could almost be looked upon as homage?
I mean - he's clearly inspired them. Right?
:D
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Trying again. Click here for fish.
The safety talk is really important. When "it" hits the fan, it's important that everyone follows the skipper's orders, know how to operate the radio, etc. It also helps, on windier days, if there's at least one other sailor with some experience, in case of MOB.
I've have to peruse the SA thread when I need the stress-relief.
I love the 1,000 days site. It gets me through my week.
I read the 1000 regular. Interesting, He must have more going for him than it would seem from the surface...
If people at SA put that much energy not bad mouthing him, makes you wounder how much jelousy factors into this...
As for trusting you as catpn... hmmm I would be somewhat unsure if a captain made me wear a pirates's hat on my first trip :-)
crap I hate when that happens.
ok, should be: putting that much energy into bad mouthing him...
OK, I see I'm somewhere in between the SA vitriol and my readers' love for the Reidster. Does anyone else find it to be the height of unintentional comedy?
Oh, I don't know. I'm squarely in the "This is nuts but god bless 'em for trying, and I'd truly love it if they pull it off" school. And my tongue was firmly in cheek when I started The Ballad of the Schooner Anne" - which should have gone on for about 47 more verses, enough to make everyone in the pub pray for the singer to come down with spontaneous & permanent laryngitis...
But the sailing anarchy thread is just so appalling, it's hard to look past that & admit to being entertained by things like the wheat berry question. Having that many people so obsessively focused on taking a collective dump on Reid & Soanya in every way & venue they can figure out has just taken all the fun out of it.
I also do actually care about them personally as they were part of the wonderfully odd cast of characters at the old Pier 63. The Anne scene was a little too new-agey for me to want to get very involved, I'm not into that stuff myself, but the people who were involved were so excited about being part of it, it was just fun to watch 'em, and it was all part of the atmosphere at a place I loved that's now pretty much gone.
I'd be a lot more convinced that the SA crew was actually concerned about Soanya's well being if so many of the comments didn't include lines like "yeast infection - wait 'til her forties get roaring" - that no one else ever seems to have any problems with, probably because they are all too delighted with their game.
Sorry. Venting. That thread is a really good sample of my least favorite aspect of the internet - the feeling that somehow it's OK to just anonymously rip people to shreds for yuck.
For yucks. Anonymously rip people to shreds for yucks.
I just read some of the stuff over at SA. those guys are brutal. some are funny...but Dayam , they are sitting at there computers talking smack about this guy who is out there, doing his dream. Most of them are still talking about one day.
Even if they both are nuts, & everyone is normal until you know them, so what, they are doing what most of those clowns at SA will only ever talk about.
over 2000 posts...
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