Anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that's invented between when you're fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Douglas Adams
Does this explain your attitude to different boats?
For example, I find the Laser to be the perfect boat for me. It was invented when I was 22.
I can't imagine wanting to sail a Star (designed in 1910, way before I was born), and I think that foiling Moths are totally against the natural order of things.
Discuss. Do not write on both sides of the paper at once. Points will be awarded for pointlessness and deducted for historical accuracy.
10 comments:
I want all three:
I love the classic beauty of the older designs, and three stand out as boats I want to sail: Thistle, Lightning, and Star.
Familiar is comfortable, so I think there will always be room in my quiver for a Laser-type boat. To this end, I recently bought a Megabyte. Similar to the Laser, but with a much roomier cockpit, and one-third more sail to propel my large(r) carcass around the buoys.
I have also looked with great interest at the new (?) skiff and skiff-like boats, the foiling Moths, and others. My dream is to get, at some near point in the future, a skiff-type boat and go blasting around the lake on the trap... at least when there is enough wind to do such a thing.
Maybe getting back to sailing after twenty-three years away gives me a different perspective than I might otherwise have. After all, I still take notes with a fountain pen and paper, and steadfastly refuse to get any features other than "phone" on my mobile phone.
Well said Joe. As usual I wrote a post just to be provocative and see how folk react.
I suspect that we do divide boats into three groups in our minds: classic, interesting and wild say, based on roughly the time periods in the quote and our ages. But that doesn't mean we can't sail all three types.
I'd agree with that!
As far as exciting boats to sail go, I'd place lasers under ordinary.
I would also place a skiff moth under exciting and revolutionary!
I'd agree with that. I'd definitely say lasers are normal and ordinary (for the most part)
I find skiff moths incredibly revolutionary and exciting.
(Ooops... posted it under anonymous first)
So was the Laser "in the world when you were born" johnsee? If so your feelings would be in line with the Adams-Tillerman Theory of Boat Love.
As much as I am a huge fan of Douglas Adams, I can't relate to the quote. Maybe it's a anti-old foginess but I am over the 35 year old threshold and I love new stuff as well as old stuff. I am as happy on a laser born when I was wee lad, a Herreshoff S-boat, 100 years old, a Hoby or Vareo. I would give parts of my body to sail a moth (and probably would do so in the process)
I guess the not-invented-when dimension would resonate with some people and not with others. And, there's no such thing as the one and only perfect boat.
Were I feeling daring and athletic, I'd love to be up for the challenge of a foiler Moth.
If someone else would take care of the maintenance expertise, time, and money, I'd love to spend time on one of the old classic beauties.
Now, can I just have beauty, symmetry, grace, artistry, speed, responsiveness, comfort, competitive domination, ease of maintenance, portability, ease of tuning and adjustment, light weight, strength, safety, intuitive operation, and affordability in one package? Maybe four out of sixteen if I'm lucky?
When I was a teenager, I used to sail 16-foot skiff upon Sydney Harbour. Now I stop and think about it, and look back thru our old photos from back then, I wonder what I was thinking! They seem totally crazy, unstable, almost uncontrollable!
So... how do I find myself sitting in a Laser in a hooting sou-easter? Probably exactly the same - and hanging on by the seat of my pants! hahahahaa
Yeah... I've seen some YouTubes of those foiled moths... they just seem... WRONG! The whole thought of being that far up off the water at those speeds kinda...[shudders slightly]
He heh. I'm a whimp! So sue me! hahahaa
Either that or I'm starting to get old myself! Viva middle age :)
Cyalayta
Mal :)
Apologies in advance, but I tagged you via the NaBloPoMo randomiser. I fulfilled a meme this morning to make a speedy post, but then took all day in completing it because I wanted to link only to blogs that I enjoyed. I thought you might appreciate a certain pointlessness in the endeavor:) Anyhowsie, based on what reading I did here today, I thought your answers could be interesting. Have at, if you will.
http://hismonthlyobligation.blogspot.com
Hmmm suspect blogging was invented after you were 35 (or not, you might be a very young grandfather) so less Adam's rule than Adam's wild statement down the pub after a few pints!
But seriously, that rule assumes you're too fixed in your ways to love new things like boats, and don't think thats true.
Go on, try that foiling Moth (I would at a shot)
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