Shame !

[byron]

I always look to see who is browsing this Forum and note there is always others, usually anonymous. C'mon you ghosts, you must have points of view, you must have tales to relate. Let's hear from you, don't be spectres, even if others don't agree with your sentiments you still have the right to air them here.

 

[tyga]

As a newcommer I post this with some trepidation....

Visiting a new forum is akin to walking into a strange pub, if you are wise you take time to suss out the atmosphere. Are there unwritten rules as to how and when you use the darts board? Are you welcome to strike up a conversation? Is this corner of the bar reserved for regulars?
I wonder how many of the ghosts are just passing trade and how many regular lurkers. BTW the Arthur Ransome board has just had a lengthy thread on the politeness or otherwise of lurking and calling such lurkers.
(Stage direction) stands with hesitant smile on face and prepares to exit ducking and weaving followed by a barrage of abuse and mangle worzels from locals :-]

 

[theguvnor]

Hi & welcome

You are a long way from the Thames I see, so I won`t ask you over for a drink.

Do you know the Thames and can you tell us about boating in HK ?

 

[tyga]

Hi Guvnor,
Thanks for the welcome. If you are ever out East I'll reciprocate the offer of a drink. I lived in Wimbledon as boy and so knew the Thames from London River to Teddington pretty well, not I regret the upper reaches.
There are so many aspects to boating in Hong Kong that it is difficult to know where to start. Boating varies from boozy trips on junks to ocean racing.
In typical English fashion I'll start by talking aboout the weather. For racers the main season is just starting since summer is not only hot and humid but, there is either no wind or too much (Typhoons). Now is is probably the best time of year - still warm but dry and with the winter monsoon setting in reasonable winds. Even the coldest months still allow shirt-sleeve sailing much of the time....
If anyone plans to come this way I will try to keep an eye out for posts with questions on the area.

 

[alistairedw]

[ QUOTE ]
Qing zai lai yi bei pijiu

[/ QUOTE ] ???

 

[tyga]

The most useful phrase I know in Mandarin Chinese.
"Another beer please"
It's in pin yin notation which is the "official" way of reproducing spoken Chinese. In phonetic English it sounds a bit like:
"Ching dzai lai yee pee-jyoh"

 

[alistairedw]

I find that just showing the waiter my empty bottle is much easier!

Anyway welcome to the forum. Nice time difference for you versus the UK. You will get some interesting discussions going with the members who are not able to sleep.

 

[tyga]

Showing the bottle works if waiters look your way. Many here seem to have gone on a special course onto how to avoid eye contact ;-(
You are right about the time difference GMT+8 which can be an advantage or a disadvantage.

 

[Sixpence]

[ QUOTE ]
I find that just showing the waiter my empty bottle is much easier!

Anyway welcome to the forum. Nice time difference for you versus the UK. You will get some interesting discussions going with the members who are not able to sleep.

[/ QUOTE ]

if you don't mind watching your back

 

[tyga]

Quote "if you don't mind watching your back"

...hence the initial trepidation with which I answered Byron's original post.

Back to boating I have just been watching the rehearsals for the 2008 Olympic sailing events in Qingdao (Tsingtao). Even though the venue is only half finished it is already very impressive and the level of organisation is very high. Now if they can just guarantee wind in August....

 

[Sixpence]

agreed
back to boating
wind in August can only be arranged by other means , but the developments are making interesting watching

 

[Cliveshep]

Re: Shame ! (Tyga)

Hi Tyga,

I'm like you, a relative newbie. I just barged in shouting the odds and they all, bless 'em smiled tolerantly and accepted me.

I've not spent much time in HK, but they seem to do everything better there, especially yacht building, although they've caught the speed camera disease on the new highway down to Chep Lop Kok (is that right?).

Mind you, I married a local girl out there years ago and that lasted as long as a Mong Kok watch!

I was interested to see the Arthur Ransome reference, (most of these babes probably never heard of him) as his books were probably more responsible than anything for inflicting me on an unsuspecting boating world, and, having bought a complete set of his writings on Swallows and Amazons theme at a car boot sale years ago which my children now read have propagated the waterborne pestilence of my kids tearing about in the tender spilling everyones pink gin!

Being clearly of that age, have you ever read Michael Green? I refer to the Art of Coarse Sailing, also The Art of Coarse Cruising. Ideal for amusement whilst stuck on a mud-bank somewhere, or in your case the rocky sides of Aberdeen I dare say!