Stuff that makes us laugh
Adrift, with Dan and Dave
An irreverent look at boating life with Dan Houston and Dave Selby
How to survive a Tall Ship
Guy Venables finds out that turning up in posh foulies is all wrong, but on the other hand attempting to ‘fit in’ with the crew is also fraught with hazards, both social and physical... and... the only useful tool on a Tall Ship is an axe, so throw away your shaving kit. So we can [...]
Instructors’ tales: Tea’s Up
In which Bob Hammond discovers that, as the instructor aboard, his novice crew are likely to take him, very precisely, at his word… “Just try making it in the sink mate,” I suggested It is a fact that the human brain feeds off new ideas, and, when placed in an alien environment, is happy to [...]
Jetski is a Russian Word
By Sam Llewellyn It is a little-known fact that the jetski, like the tractor and the iron lung, was invented by Stalin - though on closer inspection the roots of these machines in a Communist dictatorship are easily discernible. Jetniks, as their riders were originally called, claimed that access to the seas was free to [...]
Online forums – their kind of advice…
Thread: Sea Knives Sam Llewellyn Asking an online forum for some simple advice? What’s that like then? Asks Sam Llewellyn 8th January 0855 Seasailor McDodder. Mudd. Original Poster I am off to the Boat Show, and I expect boat knife manufacturers will be there in force. I need a knife for cutting, cooking, [...]
Instructors’ Tales: Freckles at Sea
In which Richard Howell discovers that students don’t always understand why you should jettison cargo to leeward... For many years I used to provide an annual weekend corporate sailing event in the Solent for a large, Yorkshire-based, construction company. We usually took out three Bavaria 38 yachts, and, with me as lead skipper, the crew [...]
I’ll never forget whatsisname – Quirky
In which Quirky's sailing companion name-drops about how he forgot a name... In a previous lifetime, when we lived in NY, we enjoyed the delights of keeping a 25 foot sloop on Long Island Sound. As two of my crew were in nappies at the time, we always asked able-bodied guests to join [...]
Andrew Bray: Running aground
I’m a bit stuck right now. Running aground comes to us all at some time. It’s how we get off that makes the difference It’s a rite of passage. Anyone who sails, whether cruising or racing, will run aground at some point. The manner of that grounding will say a great deal about the [...]
Andrew Bray: Where the closest contact is above in space
Can you hear me, over? Sometimes it’s easier for a mariner to call up the International Space Station than his wife at home In February 2005 Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier were half way across the Southern Ocean, mid-way between New Zealand and Cape Horn when they decided that they would like to talk [...]