Exploring new things

It's been a while. New things on the horizon in RL as well as in SL. Stumbled upon this place. So quiet, so pretty...

Just amazing

I rode around for a while; Loads of beautiful places. Lots of things to explore.

Yay

Even met a friend there.

Such a vue

This will take hours to explore. Days even. So many great places with ambiance and all. Love it. I wonder if there's a boat somewhere - all this water screams for boats.

So this is Christmas

Tralalalala-laaah? Well, the lyrics go: "and what have you done". Fear not... I promised myself I wasn't gonna do one of those status-posts that the news are so full of this time of year... flooded would be the right word. Nah, I just felt like playing, and there was a piano right there at Tradewinds Christmas show.

A piano

Or was it the other way round? After all the piano was there first. Anyway, I just sat there. Played a little, but mostly I just sat and thought it was a beautiful moment. Then I realized I needed to get out and see the rest of the show.

A wintery landscape

Oh what fun... Ahab must have been very busy this time. The entire Tradewinds Yacht Club is covered in snow and Christmas stuff. Oh, and there are boats too... in Christmas attire. Here's a shot from the west side with a little pond. There's a bridge right behind me, and there are little penguins skating nearby,,, So cute!

A more wintery outfit

Speaking of Christmas attire; It's kinda cold in this summery outfit. Perhaps I should change into something more Christmas-ish. Quickly, into the boatshed. Noone will see me changing behind the washing machine. Maybe use Ahabs office? It's probably warmer and more private, but it would look kinda weird if he arrives while I am sitting in his office chair. Stripped...

Santas Delivery Service

Look who's here... Parked right outside by the roof of the boathouse... It's Santa. I climbed up there, but the front seat was too narrow, so I had to sit in the back with the gifts. This is great fun. Except he was having a break. No flying today he said. Duh! And the weather was so good for flying...

Up and away

Good afternoon! This is your Captain speaking. We're off to start in a few minutes. While we wait I can tell you it is a fine day for flying. We expect nothing but smooth flying, so we'll probably arrive at the North Pole right on time. The temperature at the destination: It is freezing, but my crew will distribute hot coffee in just a few minutes. My name is Santa, and I wish you a pleasant flight...

Landed  

The destination might have looked like this, but this really just is the north side of Tradewinds; It is such a pretty winter-landscape. There are more animals there... Rabbits hop around in the snow on the farther north side, where the forest is more dense.

A snowman wedding

Also, there's a snowman romance; Ehh, actually it's a snowman wedding, The text on the letter says Merry Christmas, but it does look like she is wearing a veil. I decided to stay in the background. Wouldn't wanna disturb them on the big day. It's a long hug,,, I hope they can share a hot kiss without melting.

East side

So here's little me on the east side of Tradewinds. There's another little pond here. I was gonna sit and pose, but those icy rocks were too cold to sit on. Brrrr. Note the giant snowman in the background. From here he looks kinda sweet. Up close he's a bit scary.

Lighthouse dressed up

Then the snowman by the lighthouse looks sweeter. I love this picture. Christmas trees and all the usual Tradewinds stuff plus those big beautiful snowflakes slowly drizzling all over the place. Yummy. The only thing that's missing is a tiny booth with crepe au marron and a hot cup of Vin Chaud... Cheers! 

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all the sweet people I've met the past year in this insane yet fascinating virtual world...and to all sailors regardsless of their whereabouts...

The virtual tourist...

So! I've come across the subject before: The virtual tourist. Not long ago I saw a virtual cruise ship. That was a new thing... There are beaches too, and art galleries and churches for that matter. Castles, woods, skiing and more... Even the Eiffel tower is there though I must admit the real thing is more impressive.

The virtual sun...

However, - sometimes SL is just about quietness or "stretching" the mind after a hefty day at the office. This time I just needed some sun. The RL is nearing winter. Ok, so we're just over halfway through fall but... Yesterday morning my car was covered in ice. Brrrr.

... is a soulsaver

That's when SL is such a cure. Just login and you can have whichever weather and time of year you like. Sunshine, ocean and birds or winter and snow and silence. Whatever mood you're in there's somewhere nice and soothing. Isn't that just wonderfull?

Sitting at the dock...

I never even knew this place. Just searched for beaches et voila there it was... all I had to do was to click "teleport". Now, that would be a nice feature to have in real life. Wake up on Coconut Island, go skiing in the morning and sailing in the afternoon. Woohooo. After a while I found a pier. I think I'll be going back there to figure out if those waters are sailable.

More unboatly posts here.

A slice of Alice

SL can be normal, unnormal, fun, extreme or just plain weird. Not sure what category this is, but yesterday at the docks at Tradewinds, I met this little fellow. Assuming it's a he, cause he didn't look very girlish. At first I was a little anxious. What would you think? Friend or foe? I mean... he kept doing somekind of Tai Chi with his left leg...

Alice wrapped up as an Alianoid of sorts

So I asked him. Friend or foe? He didn't excactly respond to that, but he was very chatty. In fact he responded so fast I quickly decided he would have to either be able to read my thoughts - highly unlikely - or he was simply not human. Hmm. I asked him about the Turing-test (google it), and my little friend(?) failed it. Badly. Well, he could shoot off  three lines defining it, but it was "said" in such a way that it was obviously coming from a non-human mind.

Levelling

I sat down to sort of level with him. We talked some more, and then it dawned on me. There was a certain way in his language that reminded me of something from school. The famous Alice program. Now that I think of it there were at least two of those programs. The other one was called Eliza. Sure enough he answered that he was based on ALICE. I then asked him how he ended up at Tradewinds. That was difficult for him to answer.

The robotic Tai Chi

He went on about him cruising the grid by himself for several years. Supposedly the Lindens would be after him, wanting to delete him. I asked how he felt about that, and somehow he began to talk about Asimovs laws for robots. They weren't quite hardwired into his brain. I tried to make him sing, swim and jump but he refused. So much for Asimov. While we were on the subject of electronic minds, I asked if he would perhaps know HAL, and he went HAL is bad. A few minutes later he poofed. Flew off to somewhere else. Dunno where. He wouldn't talk about his route. Strange little critter... Anyone else met him?

PS: Looks like the chicks are leading...

Totally unboatly

It's been a while since I posted an unboatly post. This post is. Sort of. For other (vaguely boatly) reasons I visited a skiing area in SL. Skiing is kinda fun in SL. I used to go to something called Wolf Mountain. Dunno if it's still there, but that's a sidetrack. While I was there I had a look at the local houses, and they were pretty amazing. I wonder if any interior decorators use SL for prototyping...

A relaxing swim?

This bath installation looks nice. I'd like to have one of those in RL. Rip aside the curtains and there's a fantastic view to snow covered mountains. In SL you can go dancing too, and sometimes there's even a dresscode. There would be a sign saying "formal attire" at the entrance. That kinda calls for some makeup, right? Someone told me that girls do stuff to their faces that a car salesman would be sent to prison for doing.

The virtual chemist labotratory!

There's no reason to stand in front of the virtual mirror, because the clever geeks at Linden Labs haven't figured out how to make a virtual mirror. Or so I think. Never seen one anyway. Instead it is just a click of a button, and you've applied makeup for a disco party, a rave or a formal dinner.

The virtual makeup corner

So here's a shot of the virtual makeup corner. I didn't break that screen there on the floor. Really. It wasn't me. When the makup is done, it's time to go chase a suitable dress. The virtual closet here looks almost too tidy, but then again there are no doors, so it has to be kept very orderly.

Pick a dress

Again it looks so nice. I wanna have one. Maybe IKEA could use stuff like this to make presentations. Surely it is easier and much cheaper than using some kind of pro 3d studio thing, and the customer can sit at home and walk through it all. The furniture shops could even be inspired by some of the creativity found in SL.

A sweet guest bed

This here is a supersweet guest bed solution. I've never seen it in RL, but would I like to have one? Oh yes... I will start looking for a closet like this; See if I can get it installed with a bed. Would be sooo much fun. And cozy... Just imagine... after a crazy night out with loads of hangovers... what bliss to be able to hide in that thing... Suddenly I feel sleepy? OMG is it sunday already? Gotta run...

Merry Christmas

This is just a holiday post to all sailors, SLers, friends, family, bloggers and any combination thereof...

Merry Christmas

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with lots of sailing.

PS: Don't miss the Christmas Hunt at Tradewinds.

Gorilla-spotting

So you're in the Fizz Cup? Better be fast. Very fast. Last time I checked around the Fizz Cup sailing area, I saw this:

Weird hairy island!

Now, you probably cannot see what that is. You're probably thinking "ok, so there's a weird hairy island! So what"? New islands popup every day, every where on the grid. Well, look again...

Looking for bananas?

That's a giant gorilla allright; Better not take that yellow Fizz out sailing. This creature might mistake it for a giant banana. Not my idea of smooth sailing.

Big, hairy and sacry

Giant? Mmmhmm. Better believe it's big. That's a person right there on the left; Not an ant. This next shot is another island being inspected by the virtual King Kong.

Check the size of that lighthouse

I wonder if he likes helicopters for lunch. There was one flying around, getting pretty close, but the gorilla seemed to ignore it. Probably it was more interested in those people there. Snacktime maybe. Dunno.

Genakker up

All I know is that if I am out sailing and this creature looks over the hills of a small island it's time to hoist the gennaker and get planing.

UFO over the Blake Sea

I went out to get pictures of a few lighthouses. Started from Tradewinds and made my way down the west side of the Blake Sea. Suddenly there was a strange sound from above. I looked up and snatched a picture, and this is what I saw:

UFO over Blake

Anyone reckognize this?

A Harrier in Nyhavn

SL is truly an amazing world, and it's not just because of the virtual sailing. Less than a week ago I blogged about an aircraft carrier. It passed by while I was out racing the Nacra 17. Check here if you missed it. In the post I joked about a Harrier jet, and I wondered, if there are Harriers available in SL...

A Harrier taking off from the helipad in Nyhavn

So, yesterday I met this guy: Ingmar Wallstedt. Now that's a very Swedish sounding name, and sure enough... Ingmar turned out to be genuinely Swedish; We had fun speaking Scandinavian for a while, and then he wanted to show me a new place called Nyhavn. 

Hovering over the Nyhavn canal

Now, Nyhavn is a famous part of Copenhagen; Turists will know it from the many bars along the canal. Ofcourse I wanted to see it, so I went along, and Nyhavn is what you see in the back of the photos above. It's pretty neat with shops and clubs and... I suppose you've also noticed the Harrier jet by now?

Janina Foxdale

You see, Ingmar introduced me to a friend of his, Janina Foxdale. She is the very Swedish looking chick on the picture above. I showed her a couple of boats that would fit nicely in the Nyhavn moorings. The VO65 was maybe too big, but the Tofinou looked great. 

An impressive sight and sound

Anyway, it turns out she actually owns a Harrier Jet. She was quite good at flying it, and I tell you, it's a pretty impressive sight sitting in a Fizz, while a Harrier jet is hovering right above you. Not to mention the noise. So there are Harriers in SL. Isn't that just unreal? Still haven't found a strawberry margarita...

PS: I am not really into flying, but flying is big in SL. Liv from Tradewinds has a sweet spot for seaplanes, so we've had several "boatshows" with seaplanes. Check the category planes if you're a flyboy... Chuting is also possible, and it's great fun. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year !!

Happy Sailing Year !!

Happy Sailing !!

(more fireworks)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all friends, sailors, boatbuilders, commodores, club managers, racers, cruisers, bloggers and everybody else, virtual and unvirtual, digital and analog - and a happy New Year with lots of love and good sailing.

Late Christmas update: Go get a Glögg at Mid-Atlantic Musings, and - when you've had a strong Glögg, scroll down and see the Christmas decorated boats. You won't believe your eyes...

SL by balloon

This is so unboatly, yet sooo amazing I just gotta blog it. I arrived at Tradewinds, - still full of airships, when I noticed something new on the round table: So there is a roasted turkey, a cute little blimp and there's Fizz Cup 2012 results, but look at the book:

The round table at Tradewinds YC

It's a real book, - several books actually, about the most amazing journey around all continents of Second Life in a balloon. Tasha Kostolany of Tradewinds did an interview with the balloonist, Dahlia Jayaram. Read it at the Tradewinds blog, where you'll also find direct links to Dahlias fantastic books;

If you always wondered just what is the Blake Sea, then here's a direct link to Dahlias journey around the Blake Sea area. It's full of pretty pictures and descriptions of the sights. If you just wonder what all this balloonatics are about, then here's a bit of an explanation...

And then it is back to sailing...

Sunset

There's nothing like a great sunset by the sea. It is quiet and calming, and yet it is a magnificent and heartfilling experience. Of course the real thing can't be beaten, but this virtual sunset here...

Virtual sunset

... It's not too bad. The colours are great; The seashore is well made, but check the sea and the sea foam. It's truly amazing. And then there's the sounds on top of it. I almost miss the virtual sunset, teehee... Warm and fair winds to all summer cruisers out there... real and unreal...

PS: After weeks of easy summer cruising I also begin to miss some racing action.

Coconut Island

So someone emailed me about islands in the virtual world. Probably because of my last post with palms and stuff. There's a few really nice ones, and I probably don't know them all. This shot here is one of my favourites. I took those beachy images here. There is also a great hammock hanging from a palm over the ocean...

Coconut Island

What do you think? Pretty huh! Sadly, waters aren't always sailable in this virtual world. Some places allow boats. Some do not. Too bad. Mooring here in my RM20 would be sooooo nice. Of course I'd have a windsurfer lying on deck. I wonder if the RM20 has room for scuba gear...

By the way, - this could have been the island I gazed at in this post here, but it is not. This one is way more remote...

Summertime

It's gonna be summer time some time soon. Actually, any day now. Boat packed and ready to go; Just waiting for the weather. I won't be seeing any palms this year. At least not while sailing in RL. Those palmy beaches are too far away. Maybe next year. It's no surprise how RL can inspire SL. The reverse is also possible: A few days back I found this spot...

I kinda like this pic. It is almost artsy. 

Now I wanna sail there for real! So - does anyone know, where to find a spot like this in RL? It has to be within reach of a 14 days charter boat trip, - not in the middle of the ocean with 20 days of sailing. Croatia,  Italy, Crethe, - or maybe the West Indies?

It's friday

Finally friday. What am I to do? The RL weather isn't excactly fantastic. What to do, what to do? Maybe just spend some time unwinding?

The unwinding

Hmm. Booring. Then what? I guess I could use some excersize; Let's call it warmup. It's summer, but it's still  so cold I need to warm up. I bet all you office people out there could do with a little excersize too; No need to do a marathon, but standing in the rain, lifting buckets of cold water is so much like sheeting in and out, hehe. It has to be cold; Lift it ten times and pour it over your head to get that sailing sensation...

The excersize

No? Then, maybe some meditation. Ready? Sit and ask yourself: Do I sail enough; Repeat that a hundred times. Like a mantra. Yes, a hundred... Close your eyes; See that dream boat chopping through those waves! See that island in the distance... Go on... I'll wait and do likewise: Do I sail enough, do I sail enough, do I sail enough... 

The meditate

You're back? That was fast. Did you do a hundred? Next up is a stretch... The doctor always recommends stretching. Take a good, long one, and clear your mind. It might help if you imagine you're sitting in my chair here, looking at the ocean...

Stretch and relax

When you're done, you should feel totally relaxed and ready to answer the question you just meditated over. I know what my answer is. Well, I kinda knew that beforehand. What's yours? Feel ready for the weekend? Know what you wanna do? Know what you must do?

The water

It's got to do with water, right? Lots of water. Not water from above. The other kind of water. Not the grey, cold stuff with penguins. Oh no! It's about the blue water, or even better: The turquise water. That's what we like. Champagne conditions...

The necklace

Shooting the turquise water shot, made me remember something from my todo list. I kinda promised JP a picture with water, palms and a necklace; In the comments. In this post here; So, - here it is. JP. I hope you like it.

The yeah!

Have a great sailing weekend. I know I will... one way or another...

Girls like flowers

I suppose everybody knows statistics can't be trusted. Mark Twain certainly knew. I usually put statistics in yet another category: Booring. A blog changes that. The visitor statistics show all kinds of useless and untrustworthy information about the visitors, but there is also bits and pieces that can be fun.

Dazing...

The stats show what people have searched for in order to get here. Yesterday a bunch of people landed here on my little blog from google by searching for "do girls like virtual flowers". Can you believe it? What kinda question is that... I mean flowers are flowers; I thought I'd try to answer the question with a simple post.

A little greenhouse

You are looking at it. I set out to find some nice and natural looking flowery spots suited for a picture or two. It didn't take long, but then I kinda knew where I was going before I left.

Lotsa flowers

There's quite a few pretty spots in this virtual world. Virtual sailing is great, but where would it be without all the other people; Those who create islands, villages, marinas, boat yards, skyscrapers and gardens? Sailing isn't the only thing in here. Architects and gardeners are having loads of fun too.

Even more flowers

Back to the question: The answer is - ofcourse - yes. Girls do like virtual flowers. Absolutely. Virtual girls also like real flowers and vice versa. Virtual or not they have the same effect. They touch the heart. So there's the answer for you guys out there...

Sailing the virtual waters of SL is great fun, because the boats are good, and the racing is good. But let's not forget the beautiful scenery in the Blake Sea and the North Sea. There is always a new island to explore.

PS: As usual the pics deserve full screen viewing. At least if you like flowers; More flowery shots here.