Laura Dekker's Circumnavigation

[downunder]

Originally Posted by surfingminniwinni

A skill set far exceeding Jessica? Can you qualify that statement?

Deck Officer you underestimate Jessica.

I believe they are more similar than you think. Very similar.

Jessica also lived on a boat for a number of years with her family.

[deckofficer]

I thought she was apprehensive in her early sailing career. Since I don't get Aussie TV, how is she doing on Dancing With the Stars?

[downunder]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I thought she was apprehensive in her early sailing career. Since I don't get Aussie TV, how is she doing on Dancing With the Stars?

Gone. She is a better sailor.

[deckofficer]

How long did she last? I know she is a great sailor, I just wonder why the non-stop marathon instead of enjoying some new lands and cultures. Could it have been a parental fear thing?

[downunder]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

How long did she last? I know she is a great sailor, I just wonder why the non-stop marathon instead of enjoying some new lands and cultures. Could it have been a parental fear thing?

Don't know exactly as I don't follow her blogs,etc.

I believe she is undertaking University studies is reason she is not sailing full time.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by downunder

Don't know exactly as I don't follow her blogs,etc.

I believe she is undertaking University studies is reason she is not sailing full time.

I checked her blog, still racing, and pulled a first with a mixed crew, part Ella Bache's, part hers. Didn't expect to do well, but real light winds seem to be their strong point. She is skippering "Another Challenge".




A bit from sailing................

[Noztradamus]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

How long did she last? I know she is a great sailor, I just wonder why the non-stop marathon instead of enjoying some new lands and cultures. Could it have been a parental fear thing?

Easy. Jessica wanted to do it non-stop because Jesse Martin did it non-stop, Jesse Martin did it non-stop because David Dicks did it non-stop. David Dicks did it non-stop because Jon Sanders did it non-stop. Why Jon Sanders did the voyage he did is beyond explanation.

To the question, who is better, Jessica or Laura, may not be solved unless they both do the 2014 solo Trans-Tasman.

[goboatingnow]

Given that I made the original comment , I am not a conservative when it's comes to societal values and mores etc.

Deck officer by all means post Laura's sailing exploits. It's the personal stuff I find troubling.

Dave

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Given that I made the original comment , I am not a conservative when it's comes to societal values and mores etc.

Deck officer by all means post Laura's sailing exploits. It's the personal stuff I find troubling.

Dave

Got you covered on that Dave. If she posts any provocative (to some) pictures, such as the one I re-posted here, I'll not post it here. From now on PG only. I promise. I really didn't pay close attention to the T-shirt picture, but after the comments I looked at the original resolution file I had on my HD and admit I should not have posted it here.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Got you covered on that Dave. If she posts any provocative (to some) pictures, such as the one I re-posted here, I'll not post it here. From now on PG only. I promise. I really didn't pay close attention to the T-shirt picture, but after the comments I looked at the original resolution file I had on my HD and admit I should not have posted it here.

I had no issue with the picture in fact I , until you mentioned it, didn't even register it. What concerned me was the fascination with her "private life" ie the various companions etc and general discussions about her physique.

This stuff seems to have started after she finished her circumnavigation. I mean I didnt see the same stuff talked about for other sailors.

Like you I am a fan of dekkers trip. Now that she finished I am less of a follower. I'm sure she will go on to have other maybe different adventures or even have the normal "family" adventures like the rest of us have

Nothing more to say on the subject

Dave

[colemj]

And just for the record, my position is similar to Dave's. There isn't anyone who knows me who would think "conservative" (I actually make most others look conservative), and I didn't notice anything wrong about any pictures posted here. I too only thought the obsession with the details of her private life and the dissection of her physique and other attributes a bit strange.

I've met Laura and she is a nice girl and has certainly proved her mettle on the ocean and around boats. More than I have, and I appreciate reading about her sailing exploits - as I do with similar sailors.

I mean, just imagine if we were discussing the personal lives and physiques of the Pardeys...

Mark

[deckofficer]

Mark,

As Dave said "Nothing more to say on the subject", and that was fine with me. His original comment was rather benign towards me but you felt "substitute "very" for "somewhat" needed to be added. The information that I have posted that you refer to as personal, Laura first posted to her site. My comment on upper body strength was only recognizing what was obvious to subsequent female posters, that she is fit.

You, Dave, and I have enough posts to indicate the 3 of us participate on CF and feel it to be our community. Dave's comment was out of the blue, didn't contribute to the thread, and by itself, I and others probably would have ignored it. Your quickly added comment did push me into defensive mode. Dave returned to reiterate his position that I and others shouldn't be interested in her personal life, then closes out the subject.

Now, I'll close out the subject. As long as Laura posts about her experiences and sailing crew, I will re-post the "Reader's Digest" version here, as many here on CF want to be kept up to date but don't have the time that I admit to having.

[LauderBoy]

It's interesting that the conversation on the "strangeness" came up, because I was squirming myself about it now and again following this thread. Not that anything was really being posted. Everything is from her blog and I see most of it on Facebook before it shows here. "Vibe" was the best word for it.

But I really have to wonder how much of this is my current (American) cultural surroundings.

There's a really big "stranger danger" type thing in culture these days and you see things like men fleeing roles like teaching because, I dunno, it seems like anymore it's so easy to be accused of being a perv or something.

[deckofficer]

I taught children to ski at Squaw Valley from '71~'80, prior to the current culture of a perv under every rock mentality. Had no problem back then helping them to their feet after a fall. If I was still teaching today, I probably would just park the class till they got up on their own.

[Hammond]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Mark,

As long as Laura posts about her experiences and sailing crew, I will re-post the "Reader's Digest" version here, as many here on CF want to be kept up to date but don't have the time that I admit to having.

Honestly, I think there is no need for a Reader's Digest version of her weblog. The easiest way to follow Laura's journey is to read her weblog and to check her fanpages regularly.