Demoralising Comments

[gandy]

The missus got chatting today to a guy she'd known years ago. It turns out he sails as well, so they spent quite a bit of time gossiping about boats and places etc.

His final throwaway comment to her was something along the lines of "well you'll not be sailing on the West Coast in a 26 footer, anyway".

 

[FullCircle]

Reply?
Well, you are still a know nothing twat then?

 

[Sgeir]

Dearie me...... What a silly person. Silkie, Poster of this Parish, seems to get around the west of Scotland pretty well in Hurley 22. And often singlehanded.

 

[starboard]

25'6" and mainly singlehanded.......what would I give for another 6" on this west coast!!!!!!

Paul.

 

[PeteCooper]

Mines 26ft or less, depending on where I'm mooring, and I've done a lot of single handing round the Clyde, round Arran etc.

 

[Oliveoyl]

Size doesn't matter- it's what you do with it (preferably not singlehanded)
Guy sounds like a cretin

 

[Robin]

When I bought my first cruiser, 26ft was something to dream of owning, that was the biggest in the club where to own a Macwester 26 or a Centaur put you in the top echelons of society, only upstaged by the Commodore's SCOD. The Channel was regularly crossed by 3 elderly members (AVERAGE age 75) in a Silhouette with a Seagull O/B as auxiliary.

What a prat.

 

[Swanrad2]

There's always someone richer and better boated than you (and me), to quote a Rockerfeller (bad spelling sorry), 'I don't care what your personal circumstances are you should always turn at least 10 acres over to wild woodland'.....

Heard outside a rough erse pub in Conwy 'Oh yes and he actually brings his girlfriend over to the boat, and it's only 30 foot and not even in the marina'- funnily enough got an unfriendly welcome in the toon.

 

[Lakesailor]

Sorry. I don't see the problem.
Are you not happy with your boat?
...and your wife?
What some bloke who you hardly know thinks about you and your sailing doesn't really have a lot of relevance, does it?

lots of people probably think I don't do proper boating 'cos I'm on a lake and now I've even sold the raggie so I "only" have a motor boat.

I couldn't give a shit. I enjoy what I do.

 

[longjohnsadler]

I expect the poor bloke is probably completely demoralised now.

 

[Lakesailor]

Just exposing the problem. If he enjoys his boat and his sailing, the thoughtless comments of some numpty he hardly knows should be of no consequence.
Otherwise it's a wake-up call.

 

[SQUIRRELS]

Hubby sailed our last boat, all 27' of it across Biscay. Couldn't have done it without that extra foot though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Heigaro]

[ QUOTE ]
Hubby sailed our last boat, all 27' of it across Biscay. Couldn't have done it without that extra foot though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Who was he then? Rolf Harris??
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bajansailor]

I sort of got the impression that the prat in question was dreaming wistfully about moving up to a 26 footer like Gandy's.
He's probably dead jealous of you mate (referring to Gandy - although LS has got life pretty well sussed out as well), for many different reasons.
Five of us used to go cruising on a Kingfisher 20+, and a 26 ft yacht was huge in comparison!

 

[machurley22]

Eh? What? Did someone mention my name?
[ QUOTE ]
I expect the poor bloke is probably completely demoralised now.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure if anyone is actually demoralised or if Gandy is just venting about the numpty who made the comment. Anyway..

I'm equally unsure what the west coast has to do with anything. We have those sometimes inconvenient tidal gates but they are just as inconvenient to sailing vessels of any size.

Weather affects boats everywhere. In a rising wind and sea I'm quite sure that Gandy can continue to make meaningful progress to windward for longer than Silkie and that Sgeir's fine craft can carry on a lot longer still but there comes a point when we all have to consider the alternatives.

Silkie is the best boat I can (nearly) afford for the sailing I do and although I sometimes suffer from twofootitis I often think that I get extra fun from being more affected by conditions than her bigger sisters. An oft-quoted saying has it that the pleasure derived from a boat is in inverse proportion to her size. I wouldn't argue with that.

Let's hear it for Manky Wee Boats! - not that I'm suggesting that Gandy is either manky or wee of course ;-)

 

[marilynch]

[/ QUOTE ] Size doesn't matter- it's what you do with it (preferably not singlehanded)[ QUOTE ]


Are you talking about sailing ? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Agreed, I hope to take my 'little un' to Channel Islands.

 

[BrendanS]

[ QUOTE ]
I often think that I get extra fun from being more affected by conditions than her bigger sisters. An oft-quoted saying has it that the pleasure derived from a boat is in inverse proportion to her size. I wouldn't argue with that.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd totally agree with that. I love going out in rough conditions when no one else is out, and just enjoying being there. Little boats float just as well as big ones, and if you have the experience and skills to make it safe and fun...

 

[Sgeir]

[ QUOTE ]
there comes a point when we all have to consider the alternatives.

[/ QUOTE ]Ah, you mean motoring like, errmm, the Cruise Director?

 

[gandy]

Oops, sorry to drop a half-arsed post on the board, then drop out of the discussion. Silkie has it spot on ...
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure if anyone is actually demoralised or if Gandy is just venting about the numpty who made the comment.

[/ QUOTE ]To me it sounds like the sort of comment that you get from someone who doesn't have a boat at all, but sometimes sails with friends or on charter. I guess I don't really think that the missus would have taken his comments seriously (except maybe to be a bit offended that our boat is being disparaged)

What made his comments a bit unwelcome was that we are planning a trip to the West, and one of my main aims is to make sure its fun rather then scary for both of us. Its going to be a sailing trip, not an adventure.

 

[Sgeir]

Maybe the original comment reflected the difference between a sailor and a boater.

Where are you going in the west?