Recent content by Salty

As a Belgian resident I get stopped quite regularly, certainly 3-4 times a year. Random road blocks, all cars pulled over, a courteous check of papers (you need car reg and insurance docs in the car, and your ID card), quick blow in a breathalyser, and on your way sir. When we moved house, the...

No. Doesn't change the fact they loved it as a one-off and would go again if someone would take them. We've not been able to as both hubbies have set holidays and they never coincide.

Go for it! We took non-sailing friends on a bareboat charter to the Ionian many years ago. Before-hand they were very worried about the whole comfort thing and I had endless phone calls from them asking about everything from sleeping and washing arrangements to what they should pack. Ten years...

Riddle of the Sands - Erskine Childers. Cracking good story, and hugely evocative of time and place - and a boaty novel makes a pleasant change from biographies and accounts of real-world voyages.

Lymington would be a good base. A couple of marinas, the town quay, pretty Georgian town with lots of pub and restaurant options, and the New Forest, Beaulieu etc nearby for visits, or hop on as a foot passenger for the Yarmouth ferry.

+1 Forex markets are the most liquid in the world and the rates and commissions charged by standard retail outlets is nothing short of daylight robbery. Specialist brokers like XE go someway to correcting for that, and are commonly used by expats for regular transfers between accounts as well...

Fractional rig gives you more options for tuning the mainsail through mastbend and allows for smaller, more efficient (and more easily handled) headsails. Downside is that all else being equal you should move the mast forward relative to a masthead, and that may involve major surgery and you'll...

I noticed that on the discount-code ticket I bought online, the ticket was valid on the preview day as well as the 'regular' days of the show. If this was the case across the board for discounted tickets then probably accounts for it being busier than usual. I went with a couple of small items...

I have a vested interest admittedly, but I do think the abuse has gone too far. I work in financial services and am a long way from receiving seven-figure bonuses (any bonus for that matter), or working in any of the areas that were associated with the recent problems, and I have been astonished...

Probably more to the point of why they're sponsoring the boat show, the CEO is in the process of launching a fund management business (low cost ISAs and unit trusts), for which they're trying to drum up at interest at the show (I've already had a couple of emails about it, I guess as I booked...

Newhaven Marina has a webcam: http://www.newhavenmarina.co.uk/webcam.html Living a few miles along the coast, there were 4-6 inches of fresh snow last night and although main roads aren't too bad, the moment you leave onto a minor road you'd want some pretty heavy duty 4-wheel drive / winter...

Sunn Fizz A friend's experience with his Sun Fizz on which he has done some very serious distance sailing (cruising and racing) makes me very well disposed towards that particular boat, especially as you can pick them up for a song now.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/8032396/Sailor-crashes-boat-for-13th-time.html On the one hand, I quite admire his 'I can do what I damn well like' attitude...

Lifeguarding I don't have first hand experience of the lifeboats thankfully, but last summer was surprised to be told by RNLI life-guards shutting up shop at the end of the day that we couldn't swim from the beach as it would be un-guarded after they went home. The weather was benign and it was...

Last couple of times I've been through the Looe, there've been dolphins which have made it more fun for everyone as well as quicker. As someone noted above it's a pretty easy/safe shortcut, I'd skip it in questionable weather at night though. Aside from the shorter distance you do get the...