Recent content by ranga

It seems that as long as the amount of downwind racing is limited, then the older boats have a chance. Love and War, a Sparksman and Stevens 47 built in 1973 won on IRC in the 2006 Sydney to Hobart. I race my old design (Nicholson 45) on IRC and find that we are quite competitive in the longer...

We sailed that route from UK to Australia. Five weeks from Cape Town to Perth was a long time - and going to New Zealand is further still. As far as passage making goes though - it was all downwind - we tacked just twice between the Canaries and Perth - lots of gybes though.

Re: Where\'s Twister Ken got to? Fray Bentos Pies are going on sale at one of the supermarkets in Plymouth. Sale starts Feb 1 - Twister Ken was camped out the front to beat the rush - he sends his apologies but he won't be around for another couple of weeks.

Positive replies all round then - thanks for that everyone. I must try this canal boating myself sometime by the sounds of it.

They all live in Australia and are travelling to the UK via Canada so are well catered for with warm clothes. I think it will be the darkness descending upon them at around 4pm that will be the worst - or that is what I remember of my years in the UK in winter. Summers are the opposite - loved...

My sister, her husband and two young children (with my mother in tow) are hiring a canal boat from near Manchester for 7 nights in early January. Apparently it has a coal fire but I'm thinking it is going to be a damp, dark and cold 7 days. Am I wrong? Do many go canal boating in January?

I concur - one of the best places we have been as well. These quizzes are most unfair on us downunder cos by the time I get up in the morning and into Scuttlebutt some northerner has already won it! Especially when I knew the answer.

I am continually amazed at all this technology. The other day I discovered the Ruler function on Google Earth and then immediately zoomed into the boat to measure it and couldn't believe the accuracy - 13.7m exact!

I wonder if he will arrange for mine to be picked up..from Melbourne.

World Cup? What world cup?

As with most others I leave the cockpit drain seacocks open all the time but turn off all others when not on board.

It's mainly kiwis giving the Swiss the opportunity of winning and defending the cup. Hopefully if the Swiss pi$$ you kiwis off enough then you might all just concentrate on working for your own country and not against it. Being passionate about the AC was so much more enjoyable when aussies...

Having an Iridium phone does allow the skipper to actually talk regularly with a weather expert, which in these extreme situations might have given a hint of what was coming (but not necessarily) compared to using grib files. I am lucky enough to have an old uni mate who as a meteorologist works...

In the name of the Lord, we demand entrance to this sacred castle! Isn't that the castle where the holy grail was meant to be, only to have some Frenchman telling you a few home truths? "No chance, English bed-wetting types. I burst my pimples at you and call your door-opening request a silly...

You're right about the red tape - can't f%$t without filling in a form and paying stamp duty.