Attacking the CG...

Seajet said:
Not too sure about " My Jesters " but otherwise EST seems spot on to me...
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It is ironic. IMHO the whole point of the Haslar's Ostar was to prove to doubters one could sail massive distances in smallish boats, safely and in comfort.

These events would mean less if 'the man' wasn't there telling everyone they shouldn't be doing it.

Just goes to show the world is as it should be. People are saying you can't. Other people are *showing* you can.
 
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I don't think a 25' Folkboat is 'tiny', see the book ' Very Willing Griffiin ' about David Blagden sailing a Hunter 19 across the Atlantic, and people have managed it in much smaller boats.

Compared to the sea, any boat or even ship is small; as shown by the 46' heavily built 'Tzu Hang' trying to get around Cape Horn - twice ! - the story relayed in the excellent book 'Once Is Enough'.
 
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Seajet said:
I don't think a 25' Folkboat is 'tiny', see the book ' Very Willing Griffiin ' about David Blagden sailing a Hunter 19 across the Atlantic, and people have managed it in much smaller boats..
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Leisure 17, single handed.

I have no facts or links to prove it, could be a myth.
 
Ah, the press office strike again...

Part of the problem is we seem to have to have a "lesson" at the end of every press statement - a bit like the ridiculous "safety messages" that we had to tag on to last year's summer MSI broadcasts.

And those bits don't always come from the person quoted :rolleyes:
 
chanelyacht said:
Ah, the press office strike again...

Part of the problem is we seem to have to have a "lesson" at the end of every press statement - a bit like the ridiculous "safety messages" that we had to tag on to last year's summer MSI broadcasts.

And those bits don't always come from the person quoted :rolleyes:
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Shame they haven't heard of the five Ps -- Patronising Pontification Prompts People to take the P155!
 
timbartlett said:
Shame they haven't heard of the five Ps -- Patronising Pontification Prompts People to take the P155!
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The problem is finding the balance - don't forget, a lot of the people we deal with are as the result of overstretching their knowledge or their abilities. Not everyone is as experienced as the majority on here.

I think in the Jouster example, it was not the best comment given the context - but as a comment, it still holds valid for others.
 
Giblets said:
John Adams in 1967 took 32 days. :)
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There was the boat 'Sea Egg' which I think our chum from 'Oz WilliamH reminded me recently was 12', and managed the Pacific.

Apparently didn't do so well in the Tasman Sea though, a great shame, he had more guts than I'll ever have.

I do think the 1990's craze for ever bigger boats, with central heating and 3 double aft cabins, turbo nutter diesels etc, was 'Boat Show Effect', and the current tightening in of funds will lead back to smaller, purer sailing designs; all for the best in the long term if we Brits' are ever to compete with the French as recreational / sports sailors ?
 
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A rotten course to steer!

Well said Ewen S.T!
I do tire of some of the critiques and directives from the various agencies and officials who get quite nicely rewarded for doing their job and seem to think it includes lecturing us about what we might be allowed to do. There is a balance to be struck - they are in the main public servants ater all. A criticism from a volunteer lifeboat crew is a different matter but the MCA, The RNLI bosses, HM Borders Agency, over - officious Harbour staff etc should be alert to the fact that they can easily loose essential goodwill if they get it wrong and overstep the mark in discharging what their see as their remit.
Ramping up media hype of the sort -"how dare he feel able to sail wherever and whenever he might wish without asking our permission" is a rotten course to steer.


Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
 
Pleiades said:
Well said Ewen S.T!
I do tire of some of the critiques and directives from the various agencies and officials who get quite nicely rewarded for doing their job and seem to think it includes lecturing us about what we might be allowed to do. There is a balance to be struck - they are in the main public servants ater all. A criticism from a volunteer lifeboat crew is a different matter but the MCA, The RNLI bosses, HM Borders Agency, over - officious Harbour staff etc should be alert to the fact that they can easily loose essential goodwill if they get it wrong and overstep the mark in discharging what their see as their remit.
Ramping up media hype of the sort -"how dare he feel able to sail wherever and whenever he might wish without asking our permission" is a rotten course to steer.


Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
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+1, well said Robin; the word 'freedom' springs to mind...
 
Pleiades said:
Well said Ewen S.T!
I do tire of some of the critiques and directives from the various agencies and officials who get quite nicely rewarded for doing their job
MXWQ5
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I do tire of some of the people who trot out the "quite nicely rewarded" line.

I'll be sure to remind my watch of that the next time one moans about being on £13.5k a year...
 
A rotten course to steer!

No personal criticism of the individual Watch Leader intended Chanelyacht - and whether watch leaders get high or low pay is not the issue. As a seafarer I am on their side on that debate!
I believe that the senior mandarins at the agencies etc who frame the mission, and set the nannying interventionst tone for some of our "public servants" do indeed get a nicely generous pay/perks/pensions package - and they have the responsibility for leading their organisations in a way that ensures we the end users have confidence that they are working in the public interest rather than making their organisations look pretty for the press headlines.


Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
 
Pleiades said:
No personal criticism of the individual Watch Leader intended Chanelyacht - and whether watch leaders get high or low pay is not the issue. As a seafarer I am on their side on that debate!
I believe that the senior mandarins at the agencies etc who frame the mission, and set the nannying interventionst tone for some of our "public servants" do indeed get a nicely generous pay/perks/pensions package - and they have the responsibility for leading their organisations in a way that ensures we the end users have confidence that they are working in the public interest rather than making their organisations look pretty for the press headlines.


Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
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Fair enough, I'm fairly thick skinned on here but it's the one issue that does wind me up!

As I mentioned earlier, that last line has the look of something tagged on, it doesn't sound like a front end coastie comment...

I think you might see some changes afoot in HQ, our current Chief Exec is not someone who takes kindly to that sort of thing...too much sea time for that!
 
chanelyacht said:
The problem is finding the balance - don't forget, a lot of the people we deal with are as the result of overstretching their knowledge or their abilities. Not everyone is as experienced as the majority on here.

I think in the Jouster example, it was not the best comment given the context - but as a comment, it still holds valid for others.
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Dare I say that a large part of the problem is that the MCA Press Office seems to be manned (or "personned") by a group of people whose maritime knowledge might perhaps extend as far as knowing that boats usually go pointed end forwards?

And although attributing quotes to people who never said them is pretty common in the PR world, it becomes an own goal when you get things like "My best advice is make sure you get weather information before you take to the water and dont go out in conditions that are beyond your experience." (attributed to a watch manager -- is that really the best advice he can offer?)

Or how about "A locator beacon is crucial in the ability to rescue mariners. For offshore voyages leisure sailors are recommended to also carry a satellite form of communication": That's a "satellite form of communication" in addition to the EPIRB, is it? I assume the watch officer attributed with that one knows how an epirb works, but that isn't the message your PR people have given us!
 
Pleiades said:
Well said Ewen S.T!
I do tire of some of the critiques and directives from the various agencies and officials who get quite nicely rewarded for doing their job and seem to think it includes lecturing us about what we might be allowed to do. There is a balance to be struck - they are in the main public servants ater all. A criticism from a volunteer lifeboat crew is a different matter but the MCA, The RNLI bosses, HM Borders Agency, over - officious Harbour staff etc should be alert to the fact that they can easily loose essential goodwill if they get it wrong and overstep the mark in discharging what their see as their remit.
Ramping up media hype of the sort -"how dare he feel able to sail wherever and whenever he might wish without asking our permission" is a rotten course to steer.


Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
Click to expand...


+1 well said that man
 
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