- Look at the pictures of my cute little kittie.
- I don't find Laser sailing exciting enough any more so I am going to sell my Laser and buy a Force 5.
- Thank you Jesus for making me so awesome.
- Look at the pictures of my cute little doggie.
- As expected, this weekend I won the New England Laser Masters/ Buzzards Bay Regatta/ Hyannis Regatta.
- I didn't write anything on the blog last week because my cute little kittie puked all over my computer and ruined the keyboard.
- This weekend I ran a marathon in 2:30.
- Today was a perfect day for sailing but I preferred to stay inside and watch football on the TV.
- I really miss George Bush.
- Please don't leave any comments on this post. It's already perfect and you couldn't possibly add anything else of interest.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Ten Things I Will Never Write on this Blog
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
So You Want to Start a Sailing Blog?
I received an email today from a guy I met sailing around here. In fact he has even featured in a couple of my posts under one of those dopey pseudonyms which I use to protect the innocent when I make fun of them in Proper Course. Apparently he is thinking of starting a sailing blog and he is asking me for advice on how to go about it. Being a smart guy he started off with some excessive flattery of my blog so I will be motivated to help him. Here's what he wrote...
How could I resist a request like that?
Basically I have five pieces of advice...
1. Use Blogger. It's easy and it's free. Some people will give you the opposite advice and tell you that if you use Blogger you are placing yourself at the mercy of the big bad evil Google empire, or that you won't be able to have the snazziest sharpest blog design, or that you can't customize it, or that it's not cool. Whatever. I like easy and free.
2. Participate in the sailing blogging community. One thing non-bloggers often don't understand is that bloggers are (usually) not lonely nerds living in their parents' basements beaming messages to Alpha Centauri that nobody will ever read. The way to help people find your sailing blog is to interact with other sailing bloggers. Leave interesting comments on other sailing blogs (using your ID that links back to your own blog of course). Respond positively to any folk that leave comments on your blog. Place links to other blogs that you like on your own blog; with a bit of luck the writers of those other blogs will reciprocate. Participate in those group writing projects that some blogs (like this one) run from time to time. After a while the readers of those other sailing blogs will start reading yours too.
3. Be yourself. Let your own personality shine through in your blog. Express opinions. Rant. Do something different from the herd. There are about a million new blog posts written every day, so you had better give folk a reason to want to keep coming back to read your posts.
4. Write regularly. If you want readers to keep coming back, then you don't want to be one of those bloggers who writes every day for a few weeks and then goes silent for three months. I've not been very good at following this advice myself the last few weeks. But there are several well-known ways to overcome the dreaded "bloggers block", one of which is to answer a reader's question. Hmmm.
5. Encourage readers to give you feedback. Ask questions such as, "Does anybody else have any different advice to someone who wants to start a sailing blog?" Seriously, do you?
Tillerman,
[Another local sailing dude] recently turned me on to Proper Course, which I have been reading diligently to catch up on lost years. It's very entertaining, and sometimes insightful, and I think you are a terrific writer! As a former English teacher this compliment should carry some hefty weight. Note the exclamation point.
I have been talking to [the other sailing dude] about starting a blog to discuss our experiences, express enthusiasm for sailing, and rant against the local Killjoys who thwart, rather than promote out efforts.
Have you any advice in a nutshell?
How do you get any readers as you project out into the universe? It seems like beaming a message to Alpha Centauri, reporting on how things are going here on earth.
How could I resist a request like that?
Basically I have five pieces of advice...
1. Use Blogger. It's easy and it's free. Some people will give you the opposite advice and tell you that if you use Blogger you are placing yourself at the mercy of the big bad evil Google empire, or that you won't be able to have the snazziest sharpest blog design, or that you can't customize it, or that it's not cool. Whatever. I like easy and free.
2. Participate in the sailing blogging community. One thing non-bloggers often don't understand is that bloggers are (usually) not lonely nerds living in their parents' basements beaming messages to Alpha Centauri that nobody will ever read. The way to help people find your sailing blog is to interact with other sailing bloggers. Leave interesting comments on other sailing blogs (using your ID that links back to your own blog of course). Respond positively to any folk that leave comments on your blog. Place links to other blogs that you like on your own blog; with a bit of luck the writers of those other blogs will reciprocate. Participate in those group writing projects that some blogs (like this one) run from time to time. After a while the readers of those other sailing blogs will start reading yours too.
3. Be yourself. Let your own personality shine through in your blog. Express opinions. Rant. Do something different from the herd. There are about a million new blog posts written every day, so you had better give folk a reason to want to keep coming back to read your posts.
4. Write regularly. If you want readers to keep coming back, then you don't want to be one of those bloggers who writes every day for a few weeks and then goes silent for three months. I've not been very good at following this advice myself the last few weeks. But there are several well-known ways to overcome the dreaded "bloggers block", one of which is to answer a reader's question. Hmmm.
5. Encourage readers to give you feedback. Ask questions such as, "Does anybody else have any different advice to someone who wants to start a sailing blog?" Seriously, do you?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Random Ripples and Reflections
1. Mommy Boats
Regular readers of this blog -- that is to say Tim, Tim and that guy in Belarus -- will remember that back in June 2007 I wrote a rant about Mommy Boats, the increasingly common practice of having swarms of so-called "coach boats" buzzing around at every sailing regatta to mother the poor little sailors who aren't able to race all day without their mommy boats to help them.
Later that year, Mommy Boats was a hot topic both on Sailing Anarchy and the Laser Forum, and I wrote about that in Mommy Boats Redux.
Now, at last, there is some action. The Star class has voted to adopt a new rule which prohibits all contacts between athletes and coaches after leaving the harbour till the end of the last day race of the day. Good for them. I wonder if other classes will follow suit and ban these dratted Mommy Boats too.
2. Bottleport
Then in October of last year I wrote about the Bottleport, Greg Little's fantastically clever device for carrying a drink bottle on small boats, so perfectly suited for the purpose that it's amazing nobody has thought if it before.
Not so fast Greg. Some dude in Australia decided to ask the Big Chief Imperial Measurer of the Galactic Laser Class if the Bottleport is legal under Laser class rules. And the aforementioned BCIMGLC rendered his judgment that it is not legal. Oops.
The Laser Forum has been buzzing today with reaction to the ruling of the BCIMGLC focusing on the usual rules minutiae such as "what is the definition of a cover?" and "just because the rules say you may store stuff under a cover does that mean you can't store stuff inside a cover?" Great stuff.
But the amusing thing for me is that this discussion is proceeding in a forum thread that Greg (the inventor) started which is titled Bottleport reviewed by Tillerman. So all the rules freaks and sea lawyers are clicking over here to see who the hell this Tillerman dude is and whether he has any views on such vital topics as "what is the meaning of bag?"
3. North Sails Victory List
From today's Scuttlebutt...
Whaaat? As far as I can see there's not a single Laser regatta on the list, and even more amazingly they haven't even included my stunning victory in the Lake Whippersnapper First Annual Sunfish/Laser Regatta. How dare they? Don't they know who I am?
This is particularly ironic as every Laser sailor in North America is essentially forced to use sails from North in official regattas (unless you want to import an even more expensive but identical sail made by Hyde.) And they don't even include Laser regattas on their frigging list.
Well we can soon fix that. There's a form on the North website to add yourself to the victory list. Looks like you can add yourself to the list if you came first, second or third in any regatta in North America last year. So if you qualify I suggest you add yourself to the list too, even if it's only for the world-famous speed run from slip J106 to the breakwater.
Regular readers of this blog -- that is to say Tim, Tim and that guy in Belarus -- will remember that back in June 2007 I wrote a rant about Mommy Boats, the increasingly common practice of having swarms of so-called "coach boats" buzzing around at every sailing regatta to mother the poor little sailors who aren't able to race all day without their mommy boats to help them.
Later that year, Mommy Boats was a hot topic both on Sailing Anarchy and the Laser Forum, and I wrote about that in Mommy Boats Redux.
Now, at last, there is some action. The Star class has voted to adopt a new rule which prohibits all contacts between athletes and coaches after leaving the harbour till the end of the last day race of the day. Good for them. I wonder if other classes will follow suit and ban these dratted Mommy Boats too.
2. Bottleport
Then in October of last year I wrote about the Bottleport, Greg Little's fantastically clever device for carrying a drink bottle on small boats, so perfectly suited for the purpose that it's amazing nobody has thought if it before.
Not so fast Greg. Some dude in Australia decided to ask the Big Chief Imperial Measurer of the Galactic Laser Class if the Bottleport is legal under Laser class rules. And the aforementioned BCIMGLC rendered his judgment that it is not legal. Oops.
The Laser Forum has been buzzing today with reaction to the ruling of the BCIMGLC focusing on the usual rules minutiae such as "what is the definition of a cover?" and "just because the rules say you may store stuff under a cover does that mean you can't store stuff inside a cover?" Great stuff.
But the amusing thing for me is that this discussion is proceeding in a forum thread that Greg (the inventor) started which is titled Bottleport reviewed by Tillerman. So all the rules freaks and sea lawyers are clicking over here to see who the hell this Tillerman dude is and whether he has any views on such vital topics as "what is the meaning of bag?"
3. North Sails Victory List
From today's Scuttlebutt...
As a small token of appreciation to our clients, North Sails is offering a FREE NORTH RACER HAT to those who finished in the top three in ANY regatta in North America during 2008! Simply find your name on our online Victory List (please send us your name if we missed you) and register for your free North Sails Racer Hat! One hat per customer, please. Offer available in North America only and expires April 1, 2009. If you don't currently race with North sails, check out this list & you might change your mind...!Hmmm. I went to check out the list at http://na.northsails.com/NewsEvents/VictoryList2008/tabid/8871/Default.aspx.
Whaaat? As far as I can see there's not a single Laser regatta on the list, and even more amazingly they haven't even included my stunning victory in the Lake Whippersnapper First Annual Sunfish/Laser Regatta. How dare they? Don't they know who I am?
This is particularly ironic as every Laser sailor in North America is essentially forced to use sails from North in official regattas (unless you want to import an even more expensive but identical sail made by Hyde.) And they don't even include Laser regattas on their frigging list.
Well we can soon fix that. There's a form on the North website to add yourself to the victory list. Looks like you can add yourself to the list if you came first, second or third in any regatta in North America last year. So if you qualify I suggest you add yourself to the list too, even if it's only for the world-famous speed run from slip J106 to the breakwater.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A couple of weeks ago I started using Facebook to see if it's any use for old farts like me.
My sons and their ladies had been using it for a while and so I was wondering what I was missing. When I asked them why they used it they said it was the main way they keep in touch with their old high school and college friends.
Hmmm. Even supposing that I actually wanted to re-establish contact with those annoying people that I knew at school and university, they are all part of the baby boomer generation, a.k.a. old farts, so I suspect most of them don't use the Bookface anyway. I mean, if a smart, hip, IT savvy dude like me doesn't use it yet there's no chance for them others.
But occasionally I would receive an email, usually from another blogger, asking me to be their "friend" on Facebook. And I had actually responded in the past and had somehow accumulated a couple of IDs on the Facebook Machine, one as Tillerman Tillerman (don't ask) and one under my real name. But until a couple of weeks ago I had never really looked at the Book of Faces.
So I went on to The Facebook and started looking around. What is it for? Why should I use it? Is it any use?
I soon found several ex-colleagues from work, some family members, and various random people that I had sailed with. I invited them to be my "friends" and I was up and running.
I joined some groups and a network or two. These seemed particularly pointless exercises. It was really quite depressing to find out that "there are 19,603 people in the Newport, RI network" and that NOT ONE of them is my "friend". Bummer. What a loser I am.
But what is a "friend"? In Facebook it seems you can ask anyone to be a "friend" and indeed the Facebook Machine even suggests people I might like to make my friends. These are people I might have heard of... cousins of my son's in-laws, folk who know people who know people I have sailed with... But I resisted the temptation to go around grabbing friends willy nilly. Basically I applied the "would this person recognize me if they saw me in the street and if so would I admit that I knew them?" test.
But maybe I'm doing this wrong. A few days later I read that some of the candidates for chair of the Republican National Committee were competing for that coveted and prestigious post by boasting about how many Friends on Facebook each of them had, and/or how many Twits they had on Twitter. (I may have got that last bit wrong. I don't Tweet. At least not yet.) "Nah, nah, nah, nah I've got 40,000 friends on the Facebook Machine so vote for me." Yeah, right.
When he was a little whippersnapper, my younger son had an imaginary friend called Flash. We often had long chats about Flash, what Flash was doing today, where Flash was, what Flash looked like etc. etc. Facebook is a bit like that. All these imaginary friends whom you barely know tell you the most mundane details of their lives and show you embarrassing photos of their other imaginary friends. It's amazing. And strangely addictive.
It was good to connect with people I had lost touch with years ago. Most of the people I worked with seem to have gone on to lead rewarding, challenging lives... competing in Olympic triathlons, climbing in the Himalayas, starting their own companies, becoming VPs of cool-sounding business. Makes me feel quite inadequate. Of course they could all be lying through their teeth. I haven't quite worked out the etiquette about lying on the Facebook yet.
I was able to share photos with various family members and have a good laugh about how different everyone looked thirty years ago. That was good.
But I am still wondering, "what's the point?" Apart from distracting me from doing any blogging for a couple of weeks, how is thing going to make my life better? On the other hand, perhaps preventing me from blogging for two weeks has already made the world a better place.
I guess I'm starting to see some benefits. One of my new "friends" (in truth someone I have never met in real life, whom I didn't even know existed before) and I did have a long on-line chat about some news relating to my old employer that was vaguely interesting. And when I mentioned on the Bookface that I was planning a sailing trip in March, one of my Bookface sailing "friends" inquired about it and is actually going to join us for part of the adventure. So that's good too.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and write on a wall.
My sons and their ladies had been using it for a while and so I was wondering what I was missing. When I asked them why they used it they said it was the main way they keep in touch with their old high school and college friends.
Hmmm. Even supposing that I actually wanted to re-establish contact with those annoying people that I knew at school and university, they are all part of the baby boomer generation, a.k.a. old farts, so I suspect most of them don't use the Bookface anyway. I mean, if a smart, hip, IT savvy dude like me doesn't use it yet there's no chance for them others.
But occasionally I would receive an email, usually from another blogger, asking me to be their "friend" on Facebook. And I had actually responded in the past and had somehow accumulated a couple of IDs on the Facebook Machine, one as Tillerman Tillerman (don't ask) and one under my real name. But until a couple of weeks ago I had never really looked at the Book of Faces.
So I went on to The Facebook and started looking around. What is it for? Why should I use it? Is it any use?
I soon found several ex-colleagues from work, some family members, and various random people that I had sailed with. I invited them to be my "friends" and I was up and running.
I joined some groups and a network or two. These seemed particularly pointless exercises. It was really quite depressing to find out that "there are 19,603 people in the Newport, RI network" and that NOT ONE of them is my "friend". Bummer. What a loser I am.
But what is a "friend"? In Facebook it seems you can ask anyone to be a "friend" and indeed the Facebook Machine even suggests people I might like to make my friends. These are people I might have heard of... cousins of my son's in-laws, folk who know people who know people I have sailed with... But I resisted the temptation to go around grabbing friends willy nilly. Basically I applied the "would this person recognize me if they saw me in the street and if so would I admit that I knew them?" test.
But maybe I'm doing this wrong. A few days later I read that some of the candidates for chair of the Republican National Committee were competing for that coveted and prestigious post by boasting about how many Friends on Facebook each of them had, and/or how many Twits they had on Twitter. (I may have got that last bit wrong. I don't Tweet. At least not yet.) "Nah, nah, nah, nah I've got 40,000 friends on the Facebook Machine so vote for me." Yeah, right.
When he was a little whippersnapper, my younger son had an imaginary friend called Flash. We often had long chats about Flash, what Flash was doing today, where Flash was, what Flash looked like etc. etc. Facebook is a bit like that. All these imaginary friends whom you barely know tell you the most mundane details of their lives and show you embarrassing photos of their other imaginary friends. It's amazing. And strangely addictive.
It was good to connect with people I had lost touch with years ago. Most of the people I worked with seem to have gone on to lead rewarding, challenging lives... competing in Olympic triathlons, climbing in the Himalayas, starting their own companies, becoming VPs of cool-sounding business. Makes me feel quite inadequate. Of course they could all be lying through their teeth. I haven't quite worked out the etiquette about lying on the Facebook yet.
I was able to share photos with various family members and have a good laugh about how different everyone looked thirty years ago. That was good.
But I am still wondering, "what's the point?" Apart from distracting me from doing any blogging for a couple of weeks, how is thing going to make my life better? On the other hand, perhaps preventing me from blogging for two weeks has already made the world a better place.
I guess I'm starting to see some benefits. One of my new "friends" (in truth someone I have never met in real life, whom I didn't even know existed before) and I did have a long on-line chat about some news relating to my old employer that was vaguely interesting. And when I mentioned on the Bookface that I was planning a sailing trip in March, one of my Bookface sailing "friends" inquired about it and is actually going to join us for part of the adventure. So that's good too.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and write on a wall.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Simply the Best Sailing Posts of 2008
I asked sailing bloggers to look through their archives and to each select their best post of 2008. The additional challenge was to complete the sentence "this post is simply the best because…" in 30 words or less.
15 bloggers responded to my request. Thanks to all and especially to the ones participating on one of these group writing projects for the first time. Once again you have blown me away with your creativity and the variety of different ways in which you write about sailing and related subjects.
In no particular order...
1. The grim grandeur of South Georgia
This post is simply the best because it connects us to the past, draws attention to important but little-known boat-related information, was the development of a series and showed intheboatshed.net readers contributing from across the world.
from Gavin Atkin at intheboatshed.net.
2. September 18, 1953
This post is simply the best because it is the beginning of something special, and I enjoy the start of something huge.
from Captain John at Ayala Sandbox.
3. A Peak Experience with Team Zorro, parts 1, 2, and 3.
This post is simply the best because it captures the complete elation that comes from sailing well, with a wonderfully coordinated crew and a fantastic skipper. It makes me happy every time I reread it and remember.
from Carol Anne at Five O'Clock Somewhere.
4. Christmas Eve off Maeda Point
This post is simply the best because because it's the first blog entry I've actually tried to make interesting.
from Adam Johnston at Scarlette, the adventures of a 24-foot sailboat in Okinawa, Japan.
5. Zen & Sailing... resolving conflicts to the Tao
This post is simply the best because…it generated the most response. I usually do not get many comments, this post, got me called an idiot, wise, and a large amount of flack in the real world for me.
from Zen at Zensekai ll By Sea.
6. Finally, A Motor Round the Rina
This post is simply the best because it makes me smile.
from Edward at EVK4 SuperBlog.
7. Don't Think Twice
The path to find this story is slightly convoluted as Andrew has moved his blog. Just follow the instructions.
This post is simply the best because I'm going to be out there on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings in my old Laser, surrounded by old Laser sailors, doing what I have rediscovered to be the one thing I enjoy doing most of all.
by Andrew Sadler of Sadler Bootwerk.
8. I Need A Shrink
This post is simply the best because it reminds me how ridiculous a day of windsurfing (for me) can be.
by Michael at The Peconic Puffin.
9. DR-1
This post was simply the best because you'll find it all in this post: damsels in distress, river rescue swimmers, fishermen, helicopter command centers, swashbuckling firemen, and some sailing.
by Greg and Kris of Love & Coconuts.
10. Hooray for Team La Vita!
This post is simply the best because it provides a snapshot of this season that includes all the components of a perfect sail: great company, a stiff breeze, and a crew that just 'clicks.'
by Christy of Central Air.
11.Ulua progress: off the molds!
This post is simply the best because it demonstrates the most significant achieved milestone in the Ulua canoe-building project, and has a great pic my girls and the hull off the molds.
by David of Never Sea Land.
12. Boat Show 2008
This post is simply the best because of the variety of elements that fit into it and make it an interesting story; from meeting a fellow Enty to walking the decks of a warship, admiring a vintage Hornet, snapping some shots of the racing and just spending a day out with my eldest daughter doing nothing in particular, just messing about with boats.
by Tim of All Day I Dream About Sailing.
13. A little detective work
This post is simply the best because it appeals to our inner Sherlock Holmes. Or at least it shows what some boat builders think about while they’re building. Oh, and it was fun to write.
by Tom of the Museum of Yachting in Newport Cherokee Blog.
14. Richard Branson Answers My Questions About Adventure Sailing And Business
This post is simply the best because it brought together all of my passions: sailing, leadership and social media. Sir Richard Branson answered my Twittered questions about sailing and leadership via audio and that was pretty cool!
by Peter A. Mello of Sea Fever Blog.
15. Sisters? Sopranino & Thunderbird
This post was simply the best because it featured two exquisite small, light displacement boats, one of which, I feel sure, influenced the other. Both great achievers, both by brilliant designers.
by Thomas Armstrong of 70.8%.
16. Never Failed to Fail
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.
by me from here.
Update 2 Jan 2009: One more late entry...
17. Haul-out Day at Raritan Yacht Club
This post is simply the best because the events of the day and the characters involved inspired me and, as ever, my wife comes out of this as my greatest source of inspiration.
by Adam Turinas of Messing About in Sailboats.
Update 3 Jan 2009: One more that I missed before. Mea culpa.
18. US Elections
These posts are Simply the Best because they were always a lot of fun to write and I haven't seen other sailing fictional posts out there so feel I am actually bringing something new to the community. The top three were sailing and US election related. They say the heart of a good story are the combination of great characters and plot, and boy did the election have both. You really really couldn't have made it up.
US Candidates Speak out on Sailing
US Election Update
US Candidates Top Five
As to which is the best, that's hard!
by Captain JP of Captain JP's Log.
15 bloggers responded to my request. Thanks to all and especially to the ones participating on one of these group writing projects for the first time. Once again you have blown me away with your creativity and the variety of different ways in which you write about sailing and related subjects.
In no particular order...
1. The grim grandeur of South Georgia
This post is simply the best because it connects us to the past, draws attention to important but little-known boat-related information, was the development of a series and showed intheboatshed.net readers contributing from across the world.
from Gavin Atkin at intheboatshed.net.
2. September 18, 1953
This post is simply the best because it is the beginning of something special, and I enjoy the start of something huge.
from Captain John at Ayala Sandbox.
3. A Peak Experience with Team Zorro, parts 1, 2, and 3.
This post is simply the best because it captures the complete elation that comes from sailing well, with a wonderfully coordinated crew and a fantastic skipper. It makes me happy every time I reread it and remember.
from Carol Anne at Five O'Clock Somewhere.
4. Christmas Eve off Maeda Point
This post is simply the best because because it's the first blog entry I've actually tried to make interesting.
from Adam Johnston at Scarlette, the adventures of a 24-foot sailboat in Okinawa, Japan.
5. Zen & Sailing... resolving conflicts to the Tao
This post is simply the best because…it generated the most response. I usually do not get many comments, this post, got me called an idiot, wise, and a large amount of flack in the real world for me.
from Zen at Zensekai ll By Sea.
6. Finally, A Motor Round the Rina
This post is simply the best because it makes me smile.
from Edward at EVK4 SuperBlog.
7. Don't Think Twice
The path to find this story is slightly convoluted as Andrew has moved his blog. Just follow the instructions.
This post is simply the best because I'm going to be out there on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings in my old Laser, surrounded by old Laser sailors, doing what I have rediscovered to be the one thing I enjoy doing most of all.
by Andrew Sadler of Sadler Bootwerk.
8. I Need A Shrink
This post is simply the best because it reminds me how ridiculous a day of windsurfing (for me) can be.
by Michael at The Peconic Puffin.
9. DR-1
This post was simply the best because you'll find it all in this post: damsels in distress, river rescue swimmers, fishermen, helicopter command centers, swashbuckling firemen, and some sailing.
by Greg and Kris of Love & Coconuts.
10. Hooray for Team La Vita!
This post is simply the best because it provides a snapshot of this season that includes all the components of a perfect sail: great company, a stiff breeze, and a crew that just 'clicks.'
by Christy of Central Air.
11.Ulua progress: off the molds!
This post is simply the best because it demonstrates the most significant achieved milestone in the Ulua canoe-building project, and has a great pic my girls and the hull off the molds.
by David of Never Sea Land.
12. Boat Show 2008
This post is simply the best because of the variety of elements that fit into it and make it an interesting story; from meeting a fellow Enty to walking the decks of a warship, admiring a vintage Hornet, snapping some shots of the racing and just spending a day out with my eldest daughter doing nothing in particular, just messing about with boats.
by Tim of All Day I Dream About Sailing.
13. A little detective work
This post is simply the best because it appeals to our inner Sherlock Holmes. Or at least it shows what some boat builders think about while they’re building. Oh, and it was fun to write.
by Tom of the Museum of Yachting in Newport Cherokee Blog.
14. Richard Branson Answers My Questions About Adventure Sailing And Business
This post is simply the best because it brought together all of my passions: sailing, leadership and social media. Sir Richard Branson answered my Twittered questions about sailing and leadership via audio and that was pretty cool!
by Peter A. Mello of Sea Fever Blog.
15. Sisters? Sopranino & Thunderbird
This post was simply the best because it featured two exquisite small, light displacement boats, one of which, I feel sure, influenced the other. Both great achievers, both by brilliant designers.
by Thomas Armstrong of 70.8%.
16. Never Failed to Fail
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.
by me from here.
Update 2 Jan 2009: One more late entry...
17. Haul-out Day at Raritan Yacht Club
This post is simply the best because the events of the day and the characters involved inspired me and, as ever, my wife comes out of this as my greatest source of inspiration.
by Adam Turinas of Messing About in Sailboats.
Update 3 Jan 2009: One more that I missed before. Mea culpa.
18. US Elections
These posts are Simply the Best because they were always a lot of fun to write and I haven't seen other sailing fictional posts out there so feel I am actually bringing something new to the community. The top three were sailing and US election related. They say the heart of a good story are the combination of great characters and plot, and boy did the election have both. You really really couldn't have made it up.
US Candidates Speak out on Sailing
US Election Update
US Candidates Top Five
As to which is the best, that's hard!
by Captain JP of Captain JP's Log.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Random Thoughts on the Number Ninety Four
It's the last day of the year and as I look out of my office window at another big snow storm with a gale warning in effect this afternoon, it's pretty clear that there will be no more sailing for me in 2008.
So I failed to make my target of 100 days of Laser sailing in the year. I only made it to 94.
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me along the way in my quest for 100. There were many helpful suggestions, most of which I ignored. Sorry about that.
The 100 day thing started because I noticed, when I read in the Laser sailing class magazine about some of the top Laser sailors, that many of them sailed at least that many days in a year. So I wanted to see what it would be like to make that kind of commitment to Lasering and whether it would make me a better sailor in the process. And even though 94 is not 100 I think I sailed enough days to learn something on both counts.
I did get a feel for what I need to do to prioritize sailing to the point where I could come close to 100 days in a year, how to fit it in with other activities in my life, how to choose the days to sail.
In not achieving the target I learned something about how to plan my sailing through the year, realizing now that I should have done more in the "good weather" months.
I'm going to do an analysis in another post about the kind of sailing that made up the 94 days... solo practice, group practice, club sailing, regattas etc. I suspect I will learn that I ought to make some adjustments in that mix in 2009.
I learned that when you set yourself a target it can become an end in its own right, sometimes to the detriment of the underlying reason for setting that target. I have to admit that some of the sails were short sessions simply to tick off another day. Not that I didn't enjoy them but from the perspective of training I ought to focus on quality of each session as well as sheer number of sessions.
I think I did become a (slightly) better Laser sailor by sailing so many days. I fixed some of the faults in my technique. I won a Laser regatta in a bigger fleet than I have ever done before (still not huge and still not against top competition but it's a step in the right direction). I took second place in my age group in one of the toughest regional Laser Masters regattas. A solid year to build on.
I also learned that I am a wuss. I learned that, being retired and able to choose almost any day to sail, I tend to choose to go solo sailing on sunny days with winds between 5 and 15 knots. I don't sail on my own when it's raining, or a drifter, or 20 gusting 30. But race committees run races on days like that so I really ought to bite the bullet and go and practice on days like that too.
I learned that 100 days is not too tough a target and I'm going to have another shot at it in 2009.
So I failed to make my target of 100 days of Laser sailing in the year. I only made it to 94.
Thanks to everyone who encouraged me along the way in my quest for 100. There were many helpful suggestions, most of which I ignored. Sorry about that.
The 100 day thing started because I noticed, when I read in the Laser sailing class magazine about some of the top Laser sailors, that many of them sailed at least that many days in a year. So I wanted to see what it would be like to make that kind of commitment to Lasering and whether it would make me a better sailor in the process. And even though 94 is not 100 I think I sailed enough days to learn something on both counts.
I did get a feel for what I need to do to prioritize sailing to the point where I could come close to 100 days in a year, how to fit it in with other activities in my life, how to choose the days to sail.
In not achieving the target I learned something about how to plan my sailing through the year, realizing now that I should have done more in the "good weather" months.
I'm going to do an analysis in another post about the kind of sailing that made up the 94 days... solo practice, group practice, club sailing, regattas etc. I suspect I will learn that I ought to make some adjustments in that mix in 2009.
I learned that when you set yourself a target it can become an end in its own right, sometimes to the detriment of the underlying reason for setting that target. I have to admit that some of the sails were short sessions simply to tick off another day. Not that I didn't enjoy them but from the perspective of training I ought to focus on quality of each session as well as sheer number of sessions.
I think I did become a (slightly) better Laser sailor by sailing so many days. I fixed some of the faults in my technique. I won a Laser regatta in a bigger fleet than I have ever done before (still not huge and still not against top competition but it's a step in the right direction). I took second place in my age group in one of the toughest regional Laser Masters regattas. A solid year to build on.
I also learned that I am a wuss. I learned that, being retired and able to choose almost any day to sail, I tend to choose to go solo sailing on sunny days with winds between 5 and 15 knots. I don't sail on my own when it's raining, or a drifter, or 20 gusting 30. But race committees run races on days like that so I really ought to bite the bullet and go and practice on days like that too.
I learned that 100 days is not too tough a target and I'm going to have another shot at it in 2009.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
BX
Do you remember the Sunday before Xmas, before those days spent buying last minute presents for the man or woman that has everything, and racking your brain to remember if you bought them the same thing last year, and driving through bad weather to get to the party, and feasting and drinking and hanging out with all your relatives, and playing silly games, and watching too much TV, and giving each other presents, and telling each other, "It's just what I wanted," whether it was or not, and eating too much and drinking too much, and waking up with a hangover or worse, and driving through bad weather to get home from the party, and standing in line at the mall to return the presents because they gave you the same thing last year?
Of course you don't remember. Sunday December 21 was in another reality. BX. Before Xmas.
So you don't remember that on that day I posted Simply The Best, a very simple request from me asking all you sailing bloggers to tell us what was the best post on your blog in 2008. But never mind. I forgive you for forgetting me. And the good news is that you still have two days to write that post on your blog about the best post of the year.
If you need an incentive, consider this. While you were enjoying yourselves over Xmas the dedicated hard-working judges of the 2008 Best Sailing Blogs of the Year panel were meeting and scoring all the sailing blogs of the year against a gazillion selection criteria. A massive spreadsheet was constructed. Points were awarded in every imaginable category from visual impact to veracity, originality to obtuseness, participation to pomposity, community awareness to complexity, believability to bullshitness.... And still the judges couldn't make the final cut. It's entirely possible that a good entry in the Simply The Best group writing project could sway their decision.
Go for it.
Full details at Simply The Best.
Of course you don't remember. Sunday December 21 was in another reality. BX. Before Xmas.
So you don't remember that on that day I posted Simply The Best, a very simple request from me asking all you sailing bloggers to tell us what was the best post on your blog in 2008. But never mind. I forgive you for forgetting me. And the good news is that you still have two days to write that post on your blog about the best post of the year.
If you need an incentive, consider this. While you were enjoying yourselves over Xmas the dedicated hard-working judges of the 2008 Best Sailing Blogs of the Year panel were meeting and scoring all the sailing blogs of the year against a gazillion selection criteria. A massive spreadsheet was constructed. Points were awarded in every imaginable category from visual impact to veracity, originality to obtuseness, participation to pomposity, community awareness to complexity, believability to bullshitness.... And still the judges couldn't make the final cut. It's entirely possible that a good entry in the Simply The Best group writing project could sway their decision.
Go for it.
Full details at Simply The Best.
Monday, December 29, 2008
What I Learned From Sailing in 2008
Anyone who sails a good deal knows that sailing teaches you a lot more than the differences between a rolling hitch and a carrick bend, a ketch and a kedge, or a barnacle and a baggywrinkle. Sailing is an arena where you learn such vital life skills as teamwork, leadership, decision making, discipline... and how to avoid the club bore.
So, in that spirit, I thought I would look back on 2008 and contemplate what lessons I learned from sailing that have relevance in everyday life...
In January, in Airline Paranoia I learned that it's good to be paranoid. And in Airline Paranoia Revisited I discovered that just because you are not paranoid it doesn't mean that they are not out to get you.
In February, I discovered in Fear Factor that I know seven different ways to overcome fear... most of which I forget when I really need them.
In March I learned from an Olympic sailor a lesson that applies to many walks of life, Don't Get Burned Out by Practice. Good job there's no chance of me making that mistake in any pursuit.
In April I learned that I should be careful what I wish for in Ironman No More.
In May I learned in Polyphony that if you strike up a relationship on the Internet with a member of the opposite sex half your age, there may be unexpected consequences.
In June I learned in Tiverton Tilling that sharing your spouse's passion can also have unexpected consequences.
In July I learned in And Now For Something Completely Different that sometimes it's a good idea to respond to one of those unsolicited emails from total strangers. Unless it's from Nigeria of course.
In August I learned in Hidden Law of the Universe that it's pointless to try and apply my logical brain to some aspects of life. Some phenomena are just not amenable to logic.
In September the US Stock market experienced a total Meltdown, and I learned that the best response to the end of capitalism is simply to go sailing.
In October I learned in Fat Boy and Little Man that contrary to what Harry Chapin sang in Cat's In the Cradle, it can be a good thing if my son grows up "just like me".
In November I learned in Gonna Need a Bigger Boat that grandkids trump a bigger boat any day.
And finally, in December I learned in If I Had a Boat that, when it comes to experiences, quality is more important than quantity; and that if you have a dream then you should be more like Tonto.
So, in that spirit, I thought I would look back on 2008 and contemplate what lessons I learned from sailing that have relevance in everyday life...
In January, in Airline Paranoia I learned that it's good to be paranoid. And in Airline Paranoia Revisited I discovered that just because you are not paranoid it doesn't mean that they are not out to get you.
In February, I discovered in Fear Factor that I know seven different ways to overcome fear... most of which I forget when I really need them.
In March I learned from an Olympic sailor a lesson that applies to many walks of life, Don't Get Burned Out by Practice. Good job there's no chance of me making that mistake in any pursuit.
In April I learned that I should be careful what I wish for in Ironman No More.
In May I learned in Polyphony that if you strike up a relationship on the Internet with a member of the opposite sex half your age, there may be unexpected consequences.
In June I learned in Tiverton Tilling that sharing your spouse's passion can also have unexpected consequences.
In July I learned in And Now For Something Completely Different that sometimes it's a good idea to respond to one of those unsolicited emails from total strangers. Unless it's from Nigeria of course.
In August I learned in Hidden Law of the Universe that it's pointless to try and apply my logical brain to some aspects of life. Some phenomena are just not amenable to logic.
In September the US Stock market experienced a total Meltdown, and I learned that the best response to the end of capitalism is simply to go sailing.
In October I learned in Fat Boy and Little Man that contrary to what Harry Chapin sang in Cat's In the Cradle, it can be a good thing if my son grows up "just like me".
In November I learned in Gonna Need a Bigger Boat that grandkids trump a bigger boat any day.
And finally, in December I learned in If I Had a Boat that, when it comes to experiences, quality is more important than quantity; and that if you have a dream then you should be more like Tonto.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas Traditions
Over the Christmas holiday all eight members of the Tillerman US clan gathered at our house for traditional Christmas fare and merry times together.
Eight! How did that happen. All of a sudden I'm the patriarch of a family of eight. Me and the beautiful Tillerwoman, two handsome sons, two sons' gorgeous partners, and two adorable grandchildren. OK, my younger son's fiancee doesn't have the same last name as the rest of us until that wedding by the water planned for next September but as far as I am concerned they are all family.
In my new role as patriarch (I like that word) I feel it's important that I establish some family Christmas traditions.
Eight! How did that happen. All of a sudden I'm the patriarch of a family of eight. Me and the beautiful Tillerwoman, two handsome sons, two sons' gorgeous partners, and two adorable grandchildren. OK, my younger son's fiancee doesn't have the same last name as the rest of us until that wedding by the water planned for next September but as far as I am concerned they are all family.
In my new role as patriarch (I like that word) I feel it's important that I establish some family Christmas traditions.
- All the family, however large it grows (and we wouldn't complain about a few more grandchildren in the coming years) should gather together under the same roof at Christmas for at least one night. Yeah, I know there are the in-law families to consider too, but with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and Boxing Day, not to mention weekends before and after, I don't think it's too much to ask that we find a way to synchronize plans so that we can all gather together once at Christmas. Hey, if one of the eight of us ever becomes rich and famous (or just filthy rich for that matter) we could even have our family Christmas get-together at some resort in the BVI at his or her expense.
- Granddad should always receive some sailing-related presents. This year I receive two real doozies. The C-Vane and Dave Perry's Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012.
- The C-Vane is the very last word in wind indicators for Lasers. At least, until someone else comes up with a new last word. My current wind indicator is Web 1.0 to the C-Vane's Web 3.0. My current instrument was even laughed at this year by a certain Laser Sailing God. When the gods laugh at you it's time for a change.
- And Dave Perry's book is the last word on interpreting the Racing Rules. At least until they change the rules again in four years and poor old Dave has to write a new version of his book and every serious racing sailor has to buy the new edition. Poor old Dave.
It's fantastic to have a world-class Racing Rules expert like Dave to explain the new rules to me. I'm hoping I can find material in the book which will be an inspiration for some more wonky posts here in the same vein as Both Leeward and Both Starboard where I can show off my truly awesome understanding of the Rules.
So on Christmas Day I found a quiet corner and sat down with the book and, with my usual arrogant attitude, after only thirty minutes had discovered one definite mistake and one area where Dave's interpretation of a rule didn't make a lot of sense for Laser sailing. Should I write poor old Dave a polite note or should I write a scathing review of the book on the blog in a series of increasingly wonkish, impenetrable, argumentative posts?
Hmmm. Tough one.
- The C-Vane is the very last word in wind indicators for Lasers. At least, until someone else comes up with a new last word. My current wind indicator is Web 1.0 to the C-Vane's Web 3.0. My current instrument was even laughed at this year by a certain Laser Sailing God. When the gods laugh at you it's time for a change.
- My final new Christmas family tradition is that everyone in the family should share their aspirations for sailing for the coming years. This one is a bit of a stretch as the only confirmed sailors in the family are myself and my two sons... and son #2 hasn't done much sailing since high school. But in the last few days I made some good progress in establishing this tradition.
- Son #2 volunteered, out of the blue, that he and his fiancee plan to take some sailing lessons next year with a view to chartering a yacht during their honeymoon in September.
- Aforementioned fiancee expressed her approval of this plan. Wow.
- When I mentioned their plans to Tiller-daughter-in-law the next day she said that she planned to take sailing lessons when her daughter Emily (currently three years old) learns to sail. Double wow.
- Son #2 also expressed an interest in getting involved in some big boat racing series.
- Son #1 a.k.a. The Whippersnapper was dreaming about buying a Flying Scot and teaching his kids to sail in it, and also racing it competitively on the local circuit. He even had me checking The Google on The Internet Machine to find out the prices of new Flying Scots.
So that just leaves Tillerwoman (a lost cause as far as sailing is concerned I fear) and Aidan who is too young to have an opinion on the matter, and everyone in the Tillerman clan has expressed (or had expressed for them) some kind of aspiration to do some sailing at some (not always well defined) date in the future.
Hmmm. A tradition has started. - Son #2 volunteered, out of the blue, that he and his fiancee plan to take some sailing lessons next year with a view to chartering a yacht during their honeymoon in September.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to Sir Isaac Newton, born on December 25th 1642 (Julian calendar) in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth in the county of Lincolnshire in England, only a few miles from my own place of birth. Indeed Isaac and I went to the same school, The King's School in Grantham. Not at the same time I must point out.
By all accounts our Isaac was a bit of a weird old stick, a recluse, and given to feuding with some of the lesser geniuses of his time. But it probably wasn't an easy gig being the founder of classical physics. I mean, can you imagine just dreaming up mechanics and gravity and the nature of light out of thin air, and by the way inventing calculus on the side to help you do the math? Enough to make anyone a bit eccentric. Or perhaps it was sniffing all those mercury fumes when he was dabbling in alchemy? On the other hand, he was a solid enough chap that he was later put in charge of the Royal Mint, improving the coinage and hanging those dastardly counterfeiters.
Sadly his birthday is not as widely celebrated as it should be. After all this guy was arguably the greatest scientist of all time. Just his luck to be born on the day that the followers of Baby Jesus arbitrarily (and almost certainly incorrectly) chose as the day to mark aforementioned baby's birth, and then one thing led to another until the whole Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho thing gave an excuse to those bastards at Jordans Furniture to run a TV ad yesterday afternoon informing my wife that if we had only bought those leather chairs that she was coveting a few weeks back they would also have given her a free Blu-Ray Player for Baby Jesus Day. Damn them. What's a free Blu-Ray Player got to do with Baby Jesus?
Where was I? Where am I? Oh yes, Merry Newton Day.
Thanks to Olivia Judson for filling us in on some of the facts about Newton in The Ten Days of Newton on her blog The Wild Side. And if you care to celebrate my old schoolmate's birthday today, Ms Judson offers this song...
By all accounts our Isaac was a bit of a weird old stick, a recluse, and given to feuding with some of the lesser geniuses of his time. But it probably wasn't an easy gig being the founder of classical physics. I mean, can you imagine just dreaming up mechanics and gravity and the nature of light out of thin air, and by the way inventing calculus on the side to help you do the math? Enough to make anyone a bit eccentric. Or perhaps it was sniffing all those mercury fumes when he was dabbling in alchemy? On the other hand, he was a solid enough chap that he was later put in charge of the Royal Mint, improving the coinage and hanging those dastardly counterfeiters.
Sadly his birthday is not as widely celebrated as it should be. After all this guy was arguably the greatest scientist of all time. Just his luck to be born on the day that the followers of Baby Jesus arbitrarily (and almost certainly incorrectly) chose as the day to mark aforementioned baby's birth, and then one thing led to another until the whole Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho thing gave an excuse to those bastards at Jordans Furniture to run a TV ad yesterday afternoon informing my wife that if we had only bought those leather chairs that she was coveting a few weeks back they would also have given her a free Blu-Ray Player for Baby Jesus Day. Damn them. What's a free Blu-Ray Player got to do with Baby Jesus?
Where was I? Where am I? Oh yes, Merry Newton Day.
Thanks to Olivia Judson for filling us in on some of the facts about Newton in The Ten Days of Newton on her blog The Wild Side. And if you care to celebrate my old schoolmate's birthday today, Ms Judson offers this song...
On the tenth day of Newton
My true love gave to me
Ten drops of genius
Nine silver co-oins
Eight circling planets
Seven shades of li-ight
Six counterfeiters
Cal-Cu-Lus!
Four telescopes
Three Laws of Motion,
Two awful feuds
And the discovery of gravity!
My true love gave to me
Ten drops of genius
Nine silver co-oins
Eight circling planets
Seven shades of li-ight
Six counterfeiters
Cal-Cu-Lus!
Four telescopes
Three Laws of Motion,
Two awful feuds
And the discovery of gravity!
Cheers.
Hic.
Hic.
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