Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
We're all different, but as sailors we have some things in common......I think one of them is the desire for some peace and quiet, away from the madness. I'm an extreme case....the only way I get through a busy terminal is in my costume, hat down over the eyes, steel faced.....equivalent to blasting down the left lane in a Crown Vic.....people get out of the way. And it's getting worse as I get older......I just don't do crowds anymore, concerts no. We have a small listening club in town, can do. (Saw Roy Bookbinder there last night, sweet!)
So imagine the panick attack this morning when the Admiral, in her sweetest voice, said. Honey (WHAT, WHAT DO YOU WANT...) Mimi, the maternal outlaw, the children and I were going to the mall to have their picture taken.....but it's been pouring and the roads are flooded....I really don't want to drive in this weather.......OK, OK I"LL DO IT!!!!
Yes, and not just any mall......KING OF PRUSSIA, the biggest, meanest baddest mother mall of 'em all.......45 miles away, over flooded roads...(waves 2-4, I ain't kidding).
TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE.... I dropped them off at Nordies, (she knows better than to make me go IN THERE.....she'll call me on the cell phone when they're done. I circumnavigated the fort and re-entered at Borders.......now I'm sitting in the coffee shop with my laptop hooked into the WIFI hot spot. Downloaded some music I had coming, checked the mail, dropping you guys a line, surf over to some other forums.....and I HAVEN"T HAD TO TALK TO ANYONE YET, not as good as being 100 miles off shore, but survivable at least......
So, Oscar, where do you hide when we're all de-planing and everyone's saying "bu-bye"? That's got to be your favorite time.
Now, regarding differences... Ask some of these guys what they look for on the water, and I suspect you'll hear "room at the favored end of the line", "a good spin-set", and "a Hunter running lower and slower"!
I have raced, and, admit to the fact that if there's another boat going the same direction......But they're usually far enough away not to cramp my style.....
As far as "bye-bye", unless I planted the thing (or the first officer, but they still look at me as if I did it), I am a good little captain and stand there in full costume and smile and say "thank you......" There was a memo out encouraging this... And for a moment I actually like all these people, because a small percentage of their airfare goes directly to funding my sailing pleasure..... Then I get off and go back into scrooge mode.
Years ago when boarding, I used to offer to fly this thing as I shuffled past the flight crew. I quit doing that four years ago. People like me make Captains like Oscar pull their caps down and head out. Working on my humor. Todd Frye
I'm not sure but think my days, nights, and long quiet evenings with family aboard the C250 has made me more patient, not less, with the old fellow-man. Time on water is either reflective (good) active (better) or a combination of the two (best); when all's going well with my wife and sons -- and, aboard, it invariably is -- there are few who can effectively annoy me when on land. This testimony from a true introvert who cannot see smoke from his nearest neighbor's chimney. Best to you all --
I panicked once in my life: Back in the mid 90's we spent two weeks on a bare boat in the BVI in December. Perfect in every way. In fact there was a 6 day period where we didn't set foot off the boat except to swim and snorkel. Got back to NJ and friends had left a message they had two extra tickects for a show in NYC. Still on a sailing vacation "high", we thought "what the hay", so we took the train into Penn Station. When we emerged from the bowels of the city onto the streets, with Christmas in full swing....lights everywhere, crowds of people pushing and shoving, car horns, music, shouting, bells, noise, noise, noise.....I freaked. Never thought it could happen to me, always been in complete control. I cowered in a doorway until I could get my breath back and stop shaking, then we carefully timed our moves on the sidewalk to get back to the bowels and the train. Now I just don't go there.
For those seeking Inner Peace forthe Holidays: _____________________________________________________________________
By following the simple advice I heard on a Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace.
Dr. Phil proclaimed that the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see things I started and hadn't finished; and, before leaving the house this morning I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of both Prozac and Valium prescriptions, the rest of the Cheesecake, some Saltines and a box of Chocolates.
You have no idea how freaking good I feel.
Please pass this on to those you feel are in need of inner peace. ______________________________________________________________________
Stve When I started your post and read that you were going to leave some wisdom from Dr Phil I almost didnt finish. but I did and I just wanted to thank you for my first real belly laugh of the week.
Inner Peace hell, if I started trying to finish everything I've started I wouldn't have any peace for years! (Especially that failed second marrage!)
(edit) Oscar I'm with you on the crowds. If I have to go to a mall, which is once a year and coming up soon for Christmas, I only go to the barrier stores and I know exactly what I want before I go in!
I once spent a week on a 31 ft cutter with a Philosophy professor who did not use the engine for the entire week as an experiment to do thingds the old fashioned way, When I got back in the car it took me about an hour to stop feeling that all the people on the road were crazy and intent on killing me and themselves. It was a real eyeopener, even to a guy who has been alone in the woods for day-trips. Sailing is the only way to travel, god bless, ron srsk Orion SWFL
Can I print out your letter and post it on the wall in our anesthesia lounge at work? (You wouldn't believe how busy we get at the end of the year with all of the folks trying to beat next year's co-pay)
I must be a scrooge, but this year I was burned out on Christmas way before Thanksgiving.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I must be a scrooge, but this year I was burned out on Christmas way before Thanksgiving.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hey Ebe, join the club....heck I'm still burnt out from last year! Read Drew Carey's book, how he "dropped out of Christmas" a long time ago......
Time to go sailing, In fact I will, Next month, right before x-mas for five days, with the Admiral and the kiddies! Don your snorkels! Fruits of my labor...(the repositioning) And then I'm sure my employer has a nice dump of a hotel in mind for me for x-mas (they have 4 out of 5 the last 18 years).....but in a way it's better that way.
Oscar C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618) Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL "Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."
Sorry guys but I love Christmas music and will always spend all of December singing along. It is true that at my age I no longer give or get presents that matter. I lack the money for anything that would make a difference to anyone, and the family pyramid beneath me is too large to track the lives of the youngsters well enough to give them something they would really want. I do love the trappings though, it is hard not to smile when you see an unexpected Angel. As for the malls, I went to our big one with my wife and daughter; they were shopping in a lady's store so I stood out in the promenade area. During the 45 minutes I stood there I did not observe a single person who I would want to speak to, and the majority I would not trust to walk past in the parking lot. Christmas makes me dream of the potential of humanity while the reality bums me out pretty bad.
We just got back from a week of sailing a Gemini 105 catamaran in the Florida Keys. It took me until mid-week to really begin to get into the sailing pace of life. Then we stopped at Key West and crawled Duval Street! Talk about a contrast !! The multitudinous bars and restaurants were packed. The street was full of every kind of vehicle from rickshaws to '47 Studebakers. Most of the entertainment comes from watching the crowds. By 9:30 we were beat from the noise and excitement and happy to catch a cab back to the quiet of the marina.
Overall enjoyed the whole trip anyway. We chose the Gemini because we are looking to try out boats that we may actually buy in a few years for retirement sailing. Sailing the catamaran was certainly a different experience from our 250s, like being one step removed from the whole thing. No wheel feedback, almost no feeling for the wind direction or strength behind the cabin, no heeling.
However the cockpit is comfortable, the full galley is great, and the head is roomy. Also, the Gemini has a solid foredeck instead of trampolines so anchor handling was easy.
Oscar C42 # 76 "Lady Kay" (Ex. C250 WB #618) Georgetown MD/Fort Lauderdale FL "Hindsight is 20/20, if I knew then what I know now, I would now be living on a small wooden sailboat, making a few bucks here and there playing a guitar and singing songs in bars."
Yes, Ben... We need that! We need to hold on to that!
And Frank--I'm betting you'll get one.
Things are looking up here--more on that shortly. Here's hoping this is a great holiday season for all who lurk, chatter, and even offer salient information here!
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.