Monday, December 22, 2008

Best of the Best (Modestly Speaking)

Now that I've challenged each of you sailing bloggers to select from all of the posts that you have written on your blog this year the one that is Simply The Best, I suppose I'm going to have to set an example by choosing the best post on Proper Course this year.

This is no time for the modesty for which I am justly famous. This is a time to go down to the cellar of my archives and taste once again the many fine vintages and cheeky little numbers stacked away on the dusty racks down there. But what is "best" when there are so many superb posts written in my trademark meek, humble, and unpretentious style?

Should I choose a post about when I sailed the best? Or the post that attracted the most interest? Or the funniest? Or one that my readers found inspiring and uplifting? (Hmmm, that last one would be hard.)

Let's see...

I could select one of those totally pointless posts so typical of Proper Course such as Sock Fetish. I don't suppose anyone else is going to have a best post that starts, "I love my socks..."

Or perhaps I could choose the tale about the day when I finally met the young woman known previously in my family as "Granddad's Internet Girlfriend", actually a story about when I spent an afternoon introducing Polyphony to Laser sailing.

Or I could pick an account that includes two of the regular characters on Proper Course, my perpetual nemesis and my granddaughter. One of them says I'm their Best Friend.

Then their was the day that I actually won a regatta. The post has a suitably modest title... Just One of Those Days.

Or one of those rare regattas where I actually beat my nemesis, described in the very modestly written Not Throwing in the Towel.


Or one of those quirky posts about a more laid-back sailing day such as Just Six Laser Dudes Racing Round a Sausage.

Or the story about a morning spent blasting around in the waves off Third Beach Newport with my son, followed by a delicious lunch. Fat Boy and Little Man.

Or perhaps I should choose the post about the day I experienced a Sailor's High, a.k.a. Cannabinoid Moment.

No. I think I will choose Never Failed to Fail, a story about the last day of racing in the Laser Masters Worlds in Australia, a day when I was reminded that, as a Laser sailor, I have much to be modest about. Regular readers of Proper Course may remember this post as the one where I was dragged underwater with a noose around my neck. This post is simply the best because it combines
the three underlying themes of my blog... bad sailing, humor and an expression of my passion for the sport.

Now it's your turn. What was the best post about sailing on your blog this year? Full details of how to participate at Simply The Best.

Full Disclosure. This idea for a Simply the Best writing project was shamelessly stolen by Tillerman from Joanna Young of Confident Writing who was the original author of Simply the Best:Group Writing Project.

8 comments:

The O'Sheas said...

What? No wonky post in your top nine? As it should be!

;)

Captain John said...

Was the contest 'Simply the best', or was it 'Simply the best and the eight runner ups?

Seriously, I think all ten are ‘marvelous’ (including ‘Simply the best’ – Stealing an idea, just goes to show how valuable it is)

Tillerman said...

John - The contest is "Simply The Best". To enter you only need to choose one post from your blog. Being a shameless self-promoter, and also because I tend to expose my rambling thought process in many of my posts, I chose to mention a few other worthy contenders.

Greg and Kris (both, each or either), I could have chosen a wonky post but I also entered this post in Joanna's group writing project of the same name and I didn't want to come across to non-sailing readers on her blog as a total geek. I guess I could have another retrospective post on Best Wonky Posts of the Year... Hmmm.

PeconicPuffin said...

Oy. My blog is about quantity, not quality. I guess I'll run a strainer throught it and look for the biggest chunks.

The O'Sheas said...

Whoops put my foot in it, or hers, or both.

JP said...

Nearly drowning always makes a good post.

I've posted something but have got it down to three possibles and hard to choose one - do we have to?

EVK4 said...

Alright! I loved this post and not just because you were wearing the exceptional PDR t-shirt.

Anonymous said...

All great posts T-man. Along the same theme of "noosed out of boat" did anybody see this video?

http://www.t2p.tv/guide/freeviewers/cb081b.php

Nobody can say that Laser sailing is dull.

Seasons Greetings to all,
Mirage

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