I wrote a couple of posts, Three Laser Classes and Messy, six months ago about the battle currently raging in LaserWorld between some of the boat builders, the class and the designer. I won't bore you with all the details but things haven't gotten any better since then.
To try and extricate itself from the mess, the class leadership proposed to change our Fundamental Rule which, depending on who you believe, was necessary to prevent the end of Laser sailing as we now know it... or would actually cause the end of Laser sailing as we now know it. The debate raged on and off for months in various forums. From my perspective we poor Laser class members were never told enough to know what the hell was really going on, and what we were told often later proved to be wrong or in conflict with other information. One of our number (a chap who is usually well informed and sure of his opinions) posted on the Laser Forum in exasperation a few days ago...
That which I thought was going on, that which I currently believe is going on, and that which is actually going on are almost certainly three different scenarios.
My sentiments entirely.
The designer of the boat, Bruce Kirby, had a letter published on Scuttlebutt a few days ago to argue his position on the issues in which he announced, totally out of the blue...
The official name for the Laser is the KIRBY SAILBOAT.
What? What the hell does that mean? Our boat has been sailing under the wrong name for the last forty years? Or you have just decided to rename it? And, if so why? No doubt it's all tied up with this complicated dispute about who owns what rights, and who owes who what, and whether a Laser by any other name would smell as sweet... or something.
Then someone posted...
We are all mushroom sailors.
Kept in the dark and fed on bullshit for anyone who doesn't get the allusion.
We sure are. So on Thursday this mushroom took his Kirby Sailboat over to Bristol Harbor and went sailing. The wind was blowing out of the SW at 10-15 knots and the water temperature was... ummm... refreshing. The spray definitely stings a bit more in November than it does in August. I played in the waves for an hour or so and tried to forget about the disaster that is happening in LaserWorld. Worst case, if the sky really does fall and Lasering as we know it dies an ugly death, I can always buy an RS100.
And so home to Tillerwoman and a steaming bowl of clam chowder. Life is good.
8 comments:
Finally, another food post! My stomach was growling.
There are more comments about this post in the comments thread to the previous post. Apparently my friend O Docker can see the future and has started writing comments before I actually write the post he's commenting about.
By my calculations, this was my 42nd day of sailing this year. And regular readers will know what's coming next....
Great post on clam chowder!
There's certainly nothing as warming as a nice, hot, bowl of soup after a chilling day of sailing. And we all know how chilling sailing can be when the temperature plunges into the 50s.
I imagine you're writing this post to remind us that Manhattan clam chowder was actually first created and named in Rhode Island.
So, this post must really be about regional squabbling, who's chowder is the real chowder, and what the proper name for chowder actually is.
According to Wikipedia, "Manhattan" clam chowder was invented by Portuguese immigrants in Rhode Island, and it was so-called as an insult because it's an insult in Rhode Island to call someone a "New-Yorker."
Rhode Island clam chowder is clear, unlike New England clam chowder which is creamy. If you order it in a restaurant around here (or at least if you order it with an English accent) the waitress will warn you that is clear because most tourists prefer the creamy New England chowder.
I can see the problems that would cause.
If you just say 'clam chowder', no one is really certain what you mean. There are different recipes for the different kinds of chowder. If there were a chowder competition, chefs would have to first decide which kind of chowder they want to compete with. Is the best Manhattan clam chowder chef better than the best Rhode Island clam chowder chef?
Wait, this is your post. Aren't you supposed to be making the extended metaphors?
Metaphor? What's the chowder a metaphor for?
Talking of which is the best chowder, every year in Newport they hold the Great Chowder Cook-Off when chefs from restaurants all over America (yes, even San Francisco) come to compete in various chowder categories. The public sample all the chowders and vote on their favorites. If you are a fan of chowder you should come to Newport one year for the Great Chowder Cook-Off.
Maybe Cold Clam Chowder is a metaphor for how Mushroom, aka Tillerman, feels like and maybe even looks like after a day out frostbiting.
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