Tristan Jones - Fraudster

There has been a long tradition of matelots who have embroidered the truth, they were generally brought back to reality by the admonition of their shipmates 'Swing the lamp Jack'. No doubt T J made quite a lot of money out of 'swinging the lamp'.
 
Sadly, just another example in a long history of fraud in the literature of sailing,starting with Noah and continued by Odysseus. Their stories are grossly exaggerated imho, and greatly diminish whatever their achievements really were.

Oh why, oh why, oh why?
 
With a character like TJ I dont think even he expected us to believe everything he told us. He was a thumping good 'yarn spinner' who has entertained us well. And thats all.

The printed word is held nowadays to be sacrosanct - which is how so many modern newspapers get away with printing such total rubbish. Its in the paper so it must be true... hmmm!

Tristan was a good story teller, basing his stories on actual events, and embellishing them liberally with an inventive imagination. End result - a first rate 'story'. But they are clearly written as 'stories' and not just factual accounts of his travels.
 
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Englander, SAWDOC and Sgeir I'm glad there are still a few who set some store by integrity and honesty.

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Absolutely.

I had a go at reading Ulysses, which is meant to be an updated account of the Odyssey, but apart from stuff about the Royal Canal, there is no boaty content whatsoever. I really don't think James Joyce knew very much about sailing.
 
I believe that he once appeared on the Terry Wogan chat show,and had a bit of a run in with him. I never saw it,but would be interested to know what it was all about. Anyone remember the incident?
I read the books and was only mildly surprised when I learned that they were a bit hookey. Great stories though!!!
 
I think you either love his somewhat boorish, roguish, know it all, larger than life style, or you hate it.

I'm of the latter persuasion, and just found him annoying - I didn't enjoy his style at all (regardless of the accuracy of his stories).

However, if others enjoy his fantastic works, there's no harm done I think.


Each to their own.
 
I find myself in a bit of a 'foot in both camps' on this. I don't understand why good yarns can't be presented honestly and openly as such but don't feel too aggrieved at having the myth exposed for what it is especially when the stories themselves raise that expectation.

On balance however, I would rather that the truth be acknowledged.
 
You know this reminds me of the time when becalmed in mid Atlantic with nothing to eat but some old tins of caviare and no drink but Fosters I had to take a line in my mouth jump overboard and tow myself to land.This is nothing but the plane unvarnished truth and I stand over it with complete confidence in my lawyers.
 
Lot of piety on the forums today. I wonder what the same posters say when their wife asks "does my bum look big in this?", and how they fill in their tax returns. For that matter, how about the yacht club bar stories?

We're surrounded by lies, embellishments and half truths - thats what keeps the media going, and social wheels turning. Believe only what you can touch!
 
Perhaps you like a country where no longer official, commercial and personal pronouncements can no longer be taken at face value, I don't - I was brought up in a country where there was still honesty and integrity and one did not expect many of the MPs to have their snouts in the trough. There was a time when the motto of the Stock Exchange was ' My word is my bond' and our standards were the envy of Europe - now our leaders are often cosying up to well known European fraudstersand their undertakings are worthless eg. Brown's promise of a referendum on Europe.
 
Agree with you, Oddyseus took 10 years to make a journey that should have taken 8 weeks max. Can't help thinking the journey and the various adventures he had are not wholly accurate. I have never come across a giant cyclops in all my time. Think it may be an excuse he made up for his wife to explain where he had been for 10 years. But then again if it worked...

And another thing I am not too sure about Jason and the Argonauts now
 
Au contraire, 'Riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.'
Think he posts on here as JJ..
 
When I first read 'Saga of a Wayward Sailor' and then 'Ice' I took them as 'truth'. When I realised they were not necessarilly entirely accurate I was disapointed but quickly re-learned to love them as being what I now perceive TJ wanted them to be, extentions of the old Celtic tradition of yarning, and very good they are too.
 
My experience of this Tristan Jones is limited. After about 20 pages of the Incredible Voyage I had to look back at the cover to check that it was not written for 10 year olds. Thankfully I took the antidote - Tillman; although I am reluctant to use the two names in the same sentence.
 
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Perhaps you like a country where no longer official, commercial and personal pronouncements can no longer be taken at face value, I don't - I was brought up in a country where there was still honesty and integrity and one did not expect many of the MPs to have their snouts in the trough. There was a time when the motto of the Stock Exchange was ' My word is my bond' and our standards were the envy of Europe - now our leaders are often cosying up to well known European fraudstersand their undertakings are worthless eg. Brown's promise of a referendum on Europe.

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Well Reg, can't say I disagree with any of the above, but why, knowing as I am sure you do that TJ was just a teller of tales, a writer, a novelist, do you take such exception to him? It is clear from TJ's books that he didn't intend for everyone to take his stories as biographical narrative, the website about him makes this clear as well.

Don't get me wrong here, I don't think that he was any kind of a saint, in some ways, he was an incorrigable rogue, but he wrote some very entertaining tales, and has given an enormous amount of pleasure to a very great number of people by doing so, and unlike some of the authors of today, he certainly never got rich from his work.......
 
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My experience of this Tristan Jones is limited. After about 20 pages of the Incredible Voyage I had to look back at the cover to check that it was not written for 10 year olds. Thankfully I took the antidote - Tillman; although I am reluctant to use the two names in the same sentence.

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How to win friends and influence people. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

PS. I have also read Tilman, and though I enjoyed them at the time, now find them just a tad stuffy and pompous, can't abide all that old boy, and wot wot nonsense /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
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You know this reminds me of the time when becalmed in mid Atlantic with nothing to eat but some old tins of caviare and no drink but Fosters I had to take a line in my mouth jump overboard and tow myself to land.This is nothing but the plane unvarnished truth and I stand over it with complete confidence in my lawyers.

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I might have believed you had you said that you took the line around your waist. With a line in your teeth how could you have fought off the sharks?

Methinks you're fibbing!
 
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