What is your sailing fantasy?

[Raggi_Thor]

Sailing from Trondheim and north through the Lofoten into the midnight sun one summer. Or going south and west, passing the Faeroe Islands, Shetland and through the Caledonian canal, visiting the Isles and fill the tanks with whiskey, down the Irish sea to Spain, Portugal, maybe have a look at Dakar, water and food from Canary Islands, short stop in Cap Verde Islands, straight west to some Caribbean island, up the US east coast visiting all ports from Long Island and north, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket off season(!), maybe some inland waters through Canada (always wanted to see Montreal), Greenland and Iceland next summer, back home, go to work.

[safewalrus]

Naw Jack, just that when you get to my age (?) the merangue looks nicer? god has the awld bugger lost it? or what?

[yotphix]

Ok...if it's a sailing fantasy, then for me it's not about girls (I can and have had that as sailing reality How bout a 100' steel hull schooner on a never ending south pacific cruise with a small professional crew teaching poor urban kids from all over the world self respect teamwork and self reliance while showing them some of the absolutely astonishing things that the world and its oceans have to offer? It has been done and it is still being done inmany shapes and forms but I think nothing beats the magic of kids discovering the power of the wind and how to tame it!

[Frosty]

Ive already done my fantasy once but ive changed my mind and i want to have another go.
Ok --Forget the merangue pie,-- just give me a bar with loads of girls with long legs in high heels and they all think I am a millionare, even though im not but they dont believe it. Errrr the bar is open 24 hours a day and its raining outside, so I cant go home, and I can sit and dream of never having to go to sea or owning a boat again.

I dont really like merangue but potato is Ok.

[Toot]

You are an odd one, jack frost.

[Frosty]

Thank you Toot --one try's one best. But is that fantasy so strange?

Its 11 pm and your looking at wind increasing and weather getting worse. The waves are now serious and on your beam. The auto pilot is starting to struggle. You didnt make fast all the stuff down stairs and pots and pans are starting to clunk and clang onto the floor. You now need to go up and reef the main but you have not yet got your weather gear on and you cant leave the helm. You tie on bungy cords trying to assist the auto pilot. You consider running with the sea s but you are only 10 miles off shore and your destination is 100 miles in front of you. You are now getting 45 degree knock overs.Thats when you say to yourself " sometimes I think my wife is right --this is stupid"

Its then that I think of the bar above.

[marshmat]

And I can't blame you for that, Jack
In my case though it's often the opposite.... stuck in one of the bars or dance clubs near the university (unfortunately they close by three, though), wishing I had a bigger/fancier/faster boat to battle Lake Ontario with.....

[MikeJohns]

Originally Posted by Raggi_Thor

Sailing from Trondheim and north through the Lofoten into the midnight sun one summer. Or going south and west, passing the Faeroe Islands, Shetland and through the Caledonian canal, visiting the Isles and fill the tanks with whiskey, down the Irish sea to Spain, Portugal, maybe have a look at Dakar, water and food from Canary Islands, short stop in Cap Verde Islands, straight west to some Caribbean island, up the US east coast visiting all ports from Long Island and north, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket off season(!), maybe some inland waters through Canada (always wanted to see Montreal), Greenland and Iceland next summer, back home, go to work.

Thats the sort of thing.
Some friends a boat that is nice to be aboard some interesting destinations and some fair winds reliable gear.

As for girls ....we had fifteen 17 year old girls aboard for 3 days ... you can keep them, (they don't look so cute when seasick either..) and when you get out of mobile phone range they have panic attacks
They scream very loudly when when dolphins "buzz" them in the water (and they cry for hours afterwards)....

We were the stars of the radio scheds for a few days and I got some good natured ragging on the radio with offers of help... funny too how the fisherman hang around and bring you gifts from the catch of the day when you've bikini clad girls swinging off your halyards.

No... one good middle aged woman is equal to any number of girlies aboard a boat.

Cheers

[Raggi_Thor]

Originally Posted by MikeJohns

..
No... one good middle aged woman is equal to any number of girlies aboard a boat..

What's middle aged?
Me and all my firends (and wifes) are getting 40 this year.
I have been mildly depressed for one year now, after I turned 39 and realised that life is pretty short, too short.

[MikeJohns]

Ragnar
Thats one major thing about life that you have to come to terms with; that it is finite. Ultimately you never know your alloted time...... be happy you have made it to 40 I buried a very close friend last year and she was only 46, from happy energetic pretty and healthy to death was around 3 months (from cancer).
When I was flying 25 years ago I had a parachutist fall close by on the runway apron (without his parachute open) I watched him fall for a long time before he hit the ground I learnt then,.... life is a lottery,... pack your own parachute ..........and reserve shutes dont always open.

Live for today but still plan for tommorow. Be happy.. there is nothing wrong with being half way except the sore joints and the heart and the back, and the tiredness and the pot belly etc etc.......................

You'll look very dignified with grey hair

[Raggi_Thor]

Thanks Mike, I try :-)

[safewalrus]

Hey Jack whats this potatoe merangue pie? now that is fantasy - or too much grog - there again with too much grog you wouldn't notice anyway!