reference

Yacht Essentials

climbing a yacht mast?

Is going up a yacht mast by either climbing or using a bosun's chair an essential skill to have if you are going to own a 45ft yacht? I'm not a big fan of heights, but what would one do if they had problems with their sail/mast?

I've been on sailboats for a very long time and I've never personally need to go up a mast. I've stepped and un-stepped over 1000, most of which I rigged before stepping. On a few occasions I've hoisted other sailors in a bosun's chair, and I wouldn't recommend you go up, if you have problems with heights. You can usually find a volunteer to go up, when necessary. The only exception to this is for those on around the world cruises, then you will need to be equipped and practice doing this, both solo, and with a crew.

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Yacht Jargon

Tories reveal true colours.....again!

Lord Young has again revealed the true feelings and thoughts of the establishment. Sure we have to take into context what he has said about the British public "never having it so good". We can understand the sentiment behind his words Home ownership at an all time high, car ownership considered a necessity rather than a luxury, The lowest interest rates for home owners  in history and seemingly foreign holidays still the norm. No longer do we see children starving and barefoot in the street as in the depressions of the thirties etc No longer do we see people dying because they cant afford medical care. No, these are different times and we have moved on in terms of what we regard as poverty however this "so called recession" will see people dying because of cuts in the NHS.It will see people losing their homes because of job losses. It will see increasing numbers of young jobless people with little or no hope for the future. It will see disabled and vulnerable people increasingly estranged. It will see hard working people approaching retirement with less and less to live on and higher and higher bills to pay. It will see retired people with no earnings on savings they have prudently saved during their working lives.

So has Lord Young has got it right? Is he getting mixed up with current jargon where "bad" means good? No he is telling it like all the Tories think. Keep em happy in their little boxes, with their little tellies and their cheap holidays then they won`t upset the apple cart and we can carry on dividing up the wealth and wining and dining with our self serving cronies on  our luxury yachts or in our country mansions.

Well despite Lord Youngs attitide I think he will be in for a shock this winter. This winter will make the Heath regime in the 70s look like a picnic in the park. Civil unrest is simmering just under the surface ready to erupt just like the Icelandic volcano.Im sure it is comforting for the 100,000 people that will lose their jobs next year that they are "a margin for error" that politicians find expendable in their economic games. Well , time to take a break. Im off to Lanzarote to chill on the beach and listen to a few Cds. I will be back when the "so called recession" ends.

About the Author

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are my two favourite holiday destinations. As a hobby I have developed http://holidaylanzarote.net to give a more personal and informal view of the pluses and negatives of Lanzarote as a holiday destination. HolidayFuerteventura will follow.

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Yacht Dictionary

"sensible", in other words?

I looked in a dictionary and found out "sensible" has several meanings. What does "sensible" mean in this sentence?

"English teacher was actually a captain of yacht club.
He asked me if I would like to give sailing a go.
I thought, 'getting out of school and going out on the sea during school time?'
That seemed pretty sensible."

Thanks!

In that context, "sensible" would be defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as:
" having, containing, or indicative of good sense or reason : rational, reasonable "

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