What about the sailors?

Everybody seems overly concerned that sailing will die. I am pretty sure that won't ever happen. Not in SL. Not in RL. Nevertheless, here's an interesting piece from the hand of Jonas Høgh-Christensen. It's about how we develop sailing into a sport for TV - or - how we consider what we the sailors like to do.

Dreaming of summer

To put it differently: Should sailing develop into something worth watching for non-sailors or should it first and foremost develop into something that the sailors like to be part of?

Good food for thought as I lay here, - anchored somewhere south of the Blake Sea.

Me, I think it's gone to far with both the AC boats and to some degree the flying Nacra. Obviously, I reckognize the Nacra as a true athletes boat. By all means go sail it; However, some people promote changes in sailing that will favour only sailors of certain specifik physics. Like 185 and a narrow spectrum of weight. That seems unneccessary. To me it makes sense to widen our sport, not narrow it down to a few induhviduals.

No, I don't look forward to Olympics with only one type of sailors in super-athletic boats. I'd like to see several kinds of sailing, including the Finn, the Soling and other classics. They are all physically demanding, but let's not forget the tactics and all that! It might be hard to capture on TV, but it remains nonetheless the most interesting part of our sport.

Read it all over at Sailing Anarchy: Link

What's your take on it?

49er champs woohoo

You go girls...

Jena & Katja

World Champs in 49erFX is definately an achievement to be proud of. Fantastic sailing. A million congrats...

Paul is gone

Sad times. Paul Elvstrøm has left us for good, and he is now cruising elsewhere. Can't believe it's true. Ever since I was a little kid splashing around in my Opti, Paul Elvstrøm was the master of the sport, the legend of all times, the super-sailor every kid wanted to meet...

Paul as most of us remember him

Despite his busy schedule Paul took time to teach us kids about trim and tactics. We might not have picked it all up; I mean, how much tactics and theory can a 10 year old brain absorb? What I do remember though is his preaching of keen awareness in everything you do. Leave nothing to chance...

Paul won four Olympic golds in succession from 1948 to 1960 plus 13 world championships in 8 different boat classes. The list goes on and on... as he was in the Olympics eight times. The most recent one was in 1988, aged 60, when he sailed the Tornado with his daughter, Trine.

A much younger Paul

Paul took sailboat racing to a whole new level in so many ways. He trained hard - physically - even during winter. He invented the bailer, and he was the first to put hiking straps in his boat enabling him to keep the boat levelled and sail faster in stronger winds. Apart from that he was also able to keep his head out of the boat, - meaning... finding the fastest path around the course.

A true legend has left us, but legends never really die... R.I.P. and see you on the other side, eventually.

Is that so?

I read other blogs... Some of my favourites are in my blogroll further down the page. They are - for the most part - salty in one way or another. Plus they either make me think or smile - or both. Yesterday I found this story on John Vigors Blog.

A quiet place to sit and think

That particular post made me smile a bit... Funny how ppl think sailors are different, but we are. The ocean does something to us. Now, I dunno John, but he (also) seems to have a bit of sailing experience; There's at least a handful of posts over there that makes me think a bit... I like that. Great weekend readings...

Whats' that sail up front?

This morning I found a strange picture in my mail... It's very much about sailtrim and how you help guests and newbies to find their way around the boat.

Labels are always helpful

I suspect these labels here were made by a couple of witty teenagers. Question is: Are all these hauls really for the fock? Have a great weekend out there.

Sailing today

Something is happening in sailing today. It's changing. Sailing is changing. It used to be a gentleman sport. Being in the game and sailing by the rules was the most important thing. Much more important than winning. When I was a kid, we always took our penalty turns with no quarrel, no questions. Today, it seems grown men have problems admitting they made a mistake.

It's a beautiful day out there

It's happening everywhere. Local races, Nationals, Worlds, Olympics. Ofcource the socalled "showcase of sailing" has the problem too. Right now the entire AC circus is in Limbo, because the Oracle team is awaiting a rule 69 investigation. Yes, it's about rule 69. Gross misconduct. This rule is becoming the single rule of sailing the crowd understands. It was there in Perth 2011. It was murmured at the Olympics 2012, and now it's in the AC circus 2013. What's on peoples mind, what's in their memory, is sailors quarreling about who's being unfair. Not good for sailing.

A perfect spot for contemplation

The reality would - under normal conditions - be the defending team looking at a two year ban from sailing. Isn't that a laugh? Team Oracle unable to defend the title! The AC circus isn't normal. It is a freakshow, and the show must go on. I am guessing they will end up picking a scape goat and carry on with business as usual. After all, - it is Larry's show. Question is: Who will want to be in that show when the host is - hmm - not entirely trustworthy? How can trust be restored? Can trust be restored?

Virtual or real

What seems to be the problem is grown men with too much testoterone. Is there too much at stake? Would it be unbearable to loose? Unaffordable even? Is that what's causing the problems? Are the stakes so high that the participants cannot see clearly and determine what's right and wrong? Has sailing become about winning at any cost? Pathetic, don't you think? Grown men outgrown by their own game? Even if this is just about 2.5kg there is no excuse. Cheating is cheating. The real problem is - what happens at the big games is copied by our kids and junior sailors in those smalltime races and nationals, because their socalled "heroes" are doing it. Now that's bad for sailing.

I think I'll chant Elvtrøms famous sailing philosophy and go sailing in RL. The AC sailors need to chant it too, or they might as well shut it all down. 

Back to virtual sailing

Coming up: Loads of snow these next five days. First life is gonna be a true wintery landscape. Almost Christmas-like if you like! Less dark but still. Where can I catch a few sunrays then?

That relaxing sound inside a moored boat

That's right. The virtual sun is always shining. Yeah! But... it's not the real thing. There's really no vitamins there. Even if I max out the brightness there's no vitamins, no tan.

Virtual sunshine is better than no sunshine

Still, the virtual sun is - somehow - able to trick the mind into - hmm - that summery mood. A mood I so miss this time of year. Especially when the weatherboy talks about a blizzard.

Virtual island life

That's when that virtual island life becomes so very interesting. Blue water all the way from where ever to the horizon and beyond. Thousands of little islands and blue lagoons to explore.

Is that a surfboard back there? 

Marinas, boatyards, lighthouses, surfboards, sandy beaches... so much summer. It's all over the place. Well, except those sims where the owner chooses to have snow. Let's avoid those...