Only half empty glasses onboard B&Q

[jonjo]

Does anyone else find the linguistic hyperbole used at TeamEllen.com tiresome?

Over the last 5 days we got headlines about Ellen being kicked while she was down as she sailed in to a wind hole and lost a 4 day advantage. Now in the last day she has picked up a nice 16 knot beam wind and what do we read? Ellen is worried the boat might fall apart and she is suffering in the motion of this awkward upwind reach.

Are her shore side editorial staff presenting a bad image or is she really an obsessive, miserable bint who only sees negatives?

 

[Stork_III]

I can't be bothered to seriously reply to you, underground dwellers should remain there. If you could do a quarter of Ellen's exploits, you be a a Bl***y hero.

 

[Danny_Labrador]

Hear, hear !!

She is going to do it !

 

[StellaGirl]

its easy to be critical from the comfort of your own home or desk.....
different story out there

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[l'escargot]

I would think a lot of it is down to sleep deprivation. I am miserable after one disturbed night - mess around with my sleep for the amount of time that she has been away and you would be lucky to get a grunt, let alone a civil word!

 

[fireball]

but then - when did you last hear M Golding have a winge?

I'm not trying to put Ellen down - but we do seem to get a rather negative view of the whole experience - yet she obviously enjoys it otherwise she woudn't keep going out there!

I'm amazed at just what these sailors can achieve and put up with for days on end....

 

[DERF]

I think everyone has to agree that Ellen is indeed a remarkable woman, with incredible strength and determination..... but I have to agree with jonjo.

She either instructs her team to portray her as a victim.. or she enjoys playing the game of making her exploits seem even more incredibly difficult than they are, to prove to the world that she is indeed a remarkable sailor..

Other women have sailed single handed and don't "seem" to moan and cry to the cameras and press with the same degree of repetitiveness. We know it's dangerous and her constant references to the danger/hurt/stress/tiredness/ etc may just be part of the hype the sponsors are looking for to further enhance her achievements. All IMHO of course.

 

[Danny_Labrador]

I was responding to Stork_III not the original - think you may have misunderstood, I agree with you !

 

[jerryat]

Re: Only half empty glasses onboard B&Q

Yes. At the risk of being jumped on, I also agree with much of Jonjo's comment. The recent thread (a few days ago) dealt with a similar line - that this sort of sailing, whilst interesting from a speed/publicity/design/organisational point, is really not single-handed in the true sense.

As I posted then, and admit now, it's not something I could do (very willing, but too old now!) but the huge 24/7 personal contact back-up must make dealing with these problems very much easier, and I speak as one who has done some s/hd sailing experience, albeit the longest only 1800 miles!! I know that being able to pick up a 'phone and chat to a support crew and debate the best course of action, would have been marvellous, especially when the wind went to a sustained 44 knots!!

I am NOT having a go at Ellen. More, I suppose, at the extent that commercial clout has IMHO taken over in a similar way to F1, and as others said in the post, look how boring that has become.

I hope she does it, and all good luck to her, but like Jonjo, I don't need the 'emotional hype' thrust at me. Ellen undertook this challenge for her own reasons and presumably for her own benefit, so she is not a 'victim'.

All IMHO of course. Now putting on tin helmet and diving behind parapet!!

Cheers
Jerry

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Oh Dear now you done it

You've up set the acolytes of St Hardware Store. Even though you've got a valid point you have been cursed with the standard spell "How dare you from the comfort etc. etc." Which means of course that nobody can have anything to say about anything they haven't done, which is, here of all places, just stupid.

The negativity from the BQ side could just be a kind of touch wood reflex. After all if they say "Yeah it's a dead cert winner" and she fails, well the press will eat them.
They're setting up the UK standard "pluckey loser defence". I just hope they're more upbeat talking shore to ship.

You can't escape the fact that Ellen is very, driven, very brave and skilfull, she has a good team and is going to make shed loads of dosh. Imagine if she'd applied the drive and bravery to something that needed doing.

 

[marina95]

Re: Only half empty glasses onboard B&Q

Agree with JonJo. I wish her all the luck but I've stopped reading the text on the website, I just nip in, look at the position and time and then I'm outta there. I am bored stiff of hearing about the negatives.

Perhaps the site editor is a manic depressive?

 

[snowleopard]

Re: Oh Dear now you done it

[ QUOTE ]
Imagine if she'd applied the drive and bravery to something that needed doing.

[/ QUOTE ]

every time someone spends money on a project, whether adventure, art or whatever, there is a cry of 'why not spend it on hospitals etc?'

imagine a world where nobody ever spent any time or money on anything but improving living standards, where there is nothing to look at but utilitarian buildings and we had no achievements to celebrate. where no one went to the moon unless it had a financial benefit on this year's balance sheet.

britain is already well down that route. when we first visited spain we walked around la coruna and were amazed at the proliferation of public sculpture. we felt 'wow, isn't that great!' but over here there would have been protests at the 'waste' of council tax money.

yes, ellen's trip may not cut the NHS waiting lists, but it is something that needs doing.

 

[Evadne]

Re: Oh Dear now you done it

I agree with you. Sometimes I think I'm the only person in Hampshire who thinks it was still a good idea to build the spinnaker tower. In an ideal world we would heal the sick and build monuments. Failing in one doesn't mean we should neglect the other.

 

[Peppermint]

Re: Why?

Who's life is enriched by a time trial?

People can do what they like and I'm free to wonder what they might have done.

It's funny how your assuming I'm in favour of greyness. Why would you think that?

 

[l'escargot]

Re: Spinnaker Tower

I knew I would eventually find someone else who liked it too - I think it is an amazing structure. My only disappointment is that I won't be able to go up it as I break out in a sweat stood on a chair! I work in Newport IW and can see it from there.

 

[Windfall]

Re: Spinnaker Tower

Me too....I like it very much....we've done some work on it...and the view from the top is amazing!

Looking forward to sailing past it next season

 

[tome]

Re: Spinnaker Tower

And me, so at least 4 of us.

 

[jamesjermain]

Me too! nm

.

 

[Peppermint]

Re:I think it\'s great

there's no shortage of vision or engineering skills in the UK. I do wonder where the Quantity Surveyors and Clerks of the Works have all gone though.

Nobody seems to be able to come up with a project to budget.