Messing About In Sailboats

Songs For Friday: ARETHA FRANKLIN & TOM JONES - SPIRIT IN THE DARK

Not sure about the outfits and the dancing's a little dodgy but the voices... Oh, my lawd!

How to sail a Volvo 70 in the Southern Ocean

Liveline Explained - Making Sailing Compelling For the TV Masses

Last week, I blogged my interview with Gary Jobson where he spoke about the new graphics technology - Liveline-  that will be used during the AC coverage on NBC. These videos shows Liveline in action and explain how it works.

The guy behind, Liveline, Stan Honey is a God. Among a long list of achievements, he created the yellow line in football and was ISAF Rolex Yachtsman of the Year for his navigation accomplishments.

It's worth watching all three of these. It's going to be cool to see in action.

 

Sailing Photos Of The Day - Loro Piana Caribbean Superyacht Regatta

Photos: CARLOBORLENGHI

 

 

Winning words with maritime limerick competition | News | Pbo

he swell, and the towering wave,
Cover many a seafarer's grave.
So to land Britain's dish,
(What are chips, without fish?),
A man must be strong, skilled and brave.

Mr McMillan said: 'Maggie's limerick actually covers a number of emotions which is hard to do in five lines:  it rhymes, it's got rhythm, it's a proper limerick.'

Runners-up:

A shipping forecaster called Gough,
Found Forties and Forth made her cough;
Her throat went quite tight,
With Fastnet, German Bight;
And Finisterre finished her off.
by Bob Turvey from Bristol.

A young man signed up for the sea
and soon was as sick as could be.
The First Mate said "Jack,
it's sea legs you lack
we're sadly still tied to the quay".
The Landlubber's Lament by Les Penrose, from East Yorkshire.

An honorary mention went to a 6-year-old schoolboy from Cornwall.
There was a surfer from London
who went to tea in a dungeon
he had some coffee
and plenty of toffee
and said 'I wish I was a penguin.'

via www.pbo.co.uk

The winner and runner-up

Song for St Patrick's Day: The Dubliners and The Pogues - The Irish Rover

I play this every year on St Paddy's Day 'cos I bloody love this. Sing along me beauties. Where's my Guinness.

 

On the fourth of July eighteen hundred and six
We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the grand city hall in New York
'Twas a wonderful craft, she was rigged fore-and-aft
And oh, how the wild winds drove her.
She'd got several blasts, she'd twenty-seven masts
And we called her the Irish Rover.

We had one million bales of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stones
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides,
We had four million barrels of bones.
We had five million hogs, we had six million dogs,
Seven million barrels of porter.
We had eight million bails of old nanny goats' tails,
In the hold of the Irish Rover.

There was awl Mickey Coote who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for his set
He was tootin' with skill for each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
With his sparse witty talk he was cock of the walk
As he rolled the dames under and over
They all knew at a glance when he took up his stance
And he sailed in the Irish Rover

There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee,
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Jimmy McGurk who was scarred stiff of work
And a man from Westmeath called Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracey from Dover
And your man Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover

We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And the ship lost it's way in a fog.
And that whale of the crew was reduced down to two,
Just meself and the captain's old dog.
Then the ship struck a rock, oh Lord what a shock
The bulkhead was turned right over
Turned nine times around, and the poor dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover

 

Shipwrecked Mariners' Society Limerick Competition

The poet and professional Yorkshireman, the Bard of Barnsley, Ian McMillan talks about the Shipwrecked Mariner's Society Limerick Competition. You can see entries on their FB wall here.

 

Sailing Photo Of The Day - Off The Hook - Pictures from a Kite While Under Sail

The Most Controversial Article of the Week : 10 tips for spotting a charter boat

In addition to the obvious clues, such as the company name and logo printed which would typically be painted obtrusively on the sailcover or hull, and the red roller furling which I wrote about before, the following is a tongue-in-cheek look at 10 other telltales that the vessel making their way along side you is a charter boat:

via www.zerotocruising.com

One of my favorite blogs these days is Zero To Cruising. Looks like blogger, Mike really put the cat among the pigeons (pun intended).

Oyvay, you have to read the comments. Go Mike!

Carlo Borlenghi Exhibition in Paris

One more reason to love Paris in the Springtime! Wish I could go.