It was a dark and stormy night. . . . .

[Guest]

OK, it's your annual cruise with the family, let's say wife and two kids of about 12-14.

Anchor in a nice bay for the night. Next morning it's blowing, and it goes on blowing. Up to force 9 at times, though you think it's 10.

It blows for 3 days.

What are you going to do to amuse your crew?

Remember the skipper is responsible for the welfare of the crew.

William Cooper

 

[rogerroger]

Drugs ????

or failing that sniffing anti foul left over for next winter?

seriously though - force 9's rarely come out of nowhere so perhaps shouldn't be there in the first place ?

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[Ohdrat]

Re: Drugs ????

Not all "weather" is forecast and quite often incorrectly.. it is a "forecast" so yes all skippers must face the fact that a a weather system "forecast" to produce a 7 may actually produce winds stronger...

So Yes the skipper must be able to "entertain" and provide for the safety of his crew...

barring mind altering substance (does this rule out caffeine?) have a knot book (colour with lots of pics) and lots of bits of preferably colourful rope.. enuf to fascinate quite young minds..

Puzzles and conundrums etc..

Most inventive dish in one saucepan competitions

 

[jimmie]

kite flying competions ... heaviest object wins!

 

[Buck]

20 lashes

Thought that was the order of the day for your generation?

Sorry, feel like playing devils advocate tonight.

Buck

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[Guest]

2 lads, one 11 the other 9. they have a playstation thingy which plugs into the battery. if my batteries can hold out they could sit in front of that tiny screen for three weeks let alone 3 days. we could spend many a happy hour leek seeking, we have done it before. little girl 4 more of a problem. we have every barbie ever made on board they have become essential ballast. but even barbie might pall after a couple of days. plenty of paper and pens and we could have olympic medals if singing carols, hymms, songs from the shows, the best of johnny cash and everything currently in the charts (badly) was in the olympics. keeping my wife happy for three days, on that i would have to give up. i havent managed it yet in 20 years. i suppose if i fell and hurt myself it would cheer her up a bit, she likes simple pleasures.

 

[Guest]

Pretend that I don\'t keep wetting myself (nm)

NM

 

[Mirelle]

Have not got there yet; have two boys age 7 and 0. 7 year old is easy; he has a Game Boy, a couple of volumes of Swallows and Amazons a model yacht on a long line and an interest in learning knots. And his very own cabin in the forepeak. 0 year old I have no idea about, but maybe he will amuse his mother (running low on nappies would be a real disaster!) and he does sleep a lot. She Who Must Be Obeyed has the binoculars, the bird book, a couple of novels and the run of the galley and so far as I am concerned various odd "improvements" to the rig are witness to past episodes of this sort, eg the bowsprit net represents two days gale bound in Holland.

A coal stove (with coal to go in it!) is a great help on these occasions.

 

[jimmie]

Re: 20 lashes

calamari

 

[Buck]

Re: 20 lashes

they only have six legs

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[tcm]

Answering the octopus question!

If it doubt, anglicise. Forums, crocuses, alibis, datums, viruses...and octopuses. Anything else looks like you're showing off that you did Latin at school - but actually reveals that you did rather badly in English.

Actually, if in real doubt, try to avoid the plural. e.g. : "Whilst walking near a swamp , an octopus caught hold of my friend's leg, and carried him away out of reach! In fact, there was so much activity that it may have been more than one octopus - perhaps three or four! Either that or it was at least a dozen mongooses. Er mongeese er damnit!...

 

[Buck]

Re: Octopuses

I went to school in the northeast, we did'nt do pansy subjects like Latin.

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[tcm]

Re: Octopuses

not RGS then!

 

[tcm]

This happened to us, though it wasn't a 9, but it wasn't sensible to move. I taught them Contract Bridge. Soon, they could beat me and the wife easily, but fortunately the wind eased the next day, just before they thought of playing for money and then sadly the score card got tidied away...

 

[Buck]

Re: Octopuses

RGS? Comprehensive thankyou.

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[jimmie]

Re: Octopuses

octoabcess.. cos there's a lot of pus in an abcess!

 

[Buck]

Re: Octopuses

Would'nt that be do-deca-abcess or tetra abcess then?

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?

 

[tcm]

change your signature?

Oh do. We've had a reasonable shot at solving the very witty riddle. And it rather badly colours all your posts, making you seem somewhat dull or morinic asking the same question again and again. I'm sure that isn't the case.

 

[Guest]

Re: Octopuses

Look, Buck, I've told you, it's octopodoi. Or ottopodoi depending on the type of Greek you speak. The roots are Greek. Like Hoi polloi.

I'll bet you a pond to a pinch of thingummy that some Greek or Oxford PhD in Classics will tell me I'm wrong. The trouble is that no matter what you say in Greek, someone will always tell you you hae spelled it wrongly or have put the accent on the wrong syllable. It's that sort of language.



William Cooper

 

[Buck]

Re: Octopuses

Bill,

Only someone of your advancing years would know ancient greek.

Buck

Is more than one octopus, octopi or octopussies?