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**Alan Wheeler** · 18-02-2006, 21:33

Yeah but it's like the "threat" behind having Nuclear weapons. You don't want to use, you mostly likely won't ever uses it, but your enemy is never really sure if you would use it.

Hey Pete, once that stern door opened, I have a feeling what the first reaction would have been, followed closely by the second, bailing all the pee and crap out of their boat. Third would be a run for home to change their undy's

CaptainK · 18-02-2006, 22:01

I would hate to be the pirate to have to clean out all that urine & feces?

NoTies · 18-02-2006, 22:53

Yeah we didn't have anything loaded, just a row of 6 APCs backed up by a row of tanks, all with their guns mounted and trained aft. It would have been a bit risky opening the stern door at sea but we were in flat calm in the Java Sea with no traffic apart from the pirate boat on the scope so no need for any course changes that might have caused the ship to heel. I think the pirates did a very rapid cost/benefit analysis and decided discretion was called for, they weren't to know we weren't as crazy as them.

19-02-2006, 15:49

Somehow a Chihuahua with a ham hock comes to mind

hammerfelt · 19-02-2006, 18:57

This is a great topic. I have not read all of the link texts about deviancy. However it seems fair to say that at least in the States, unless you are pushing for a huge 700k house, SUV's galore etc, you are deviant in some way.

I do wonder about preparedness psychology - part of sailing is that you have to think about all the contingencies, and all the worst case scenarios. This is one of the reasons my wife does not like sailing. She finds my triple redundancy systems to be a huge fear factor for her. Whatever wavelength I am on -- which is prepare for the worst, and then enjoy that you won't need to be there -- she senses, and never gets past the anxiety stage, which is otherwise a useful thing in preparation for me.

I will ask her about the links, especially the doctoral thesis one, since she's a sociologist, and might be able to shed light on deviancy theories.

I have resolved that I would probably be more suited to single handing anyways. It averts the types of expectations/problems outlined above, and it is useful to prepare any boat sailed by a couple so that it is single handeable. This is a reason why my ideal boat is 27-30ft.

So in digging about singlehanding, I found a useful book called Singlehanding Sailing by Richard Henderson. He does a beautiful study into singlehanders, using all the documented journeys, most of them circumnavigations, from Slocum to about mid 90's. This does not include the modern race machines or people like Ellen, etc.

One whole chapter is devoted to the psychology of singlehanders, again using logs and biographical stuff. Very interesting. Those of you who have dreams of going around, might like reading it. Henderson also looks at boat shapes, and makes very useful comments about suitability of various boats for singlehanding and circumnavigating (among them Ericson 27, Contessa, Vega, and would you believe--- Catalina 27? --though he states it would need to be beefed up extensifely in RGP and rigging.)

Lastly, Allan, I take minimal issue with the nuclear comments. I agree with the gist of your comments, but not the details.. Nuclear weapons have always been a deterent due to one specific reason -- assuming only governments can afford them, then any attack would mean CERTAIN destruction of whomever launches this attack -- so dual anihilation is the deterent between nations. Where it gets tricky is when rogue sub-states or terorists get their hands on these weapons.

Fire power is a great deterent especially when talking about tanks. But nuclear deterents work in a different way.

Eugene

Eugene

CaptainK · 19-02-2006, 23:05

Eugene

I have a question for you!!

What the hell is RGP? Alongside rigging, on your last post.

Me and another forum user, can't figure that one out? Could you please enlighten us?

Thanks!!

**GordMay** · 20-02-2006, 02:14

RGP = Real Gold Plating

CaptainK · 20-02-2006, 04:24

That's a joke. Right Gord?

**GordMay** · 20-02-2006, 04:50

Right.
I'll be interested to learn what RGP really means, and how it applies to "cruisers' psychology".

20-02-2006, 16:33

"really good parts"?

hammerfelt · 20-02-2006, 19:40

I'm sorry I meant to write GRP for Glass Reinforced Plastic. I am sorry.

If we're going to take RGP to new heights, I will go along -- I could think of more RGP acronyms more germane to cruisers psychology.

RGP/GRP:
Greatly Radioactive Psychosyndrome (cruising around subs in Norfolk)

Ghastly Ridiculous Pushover (when going for the sedate cruiser/cottage to please the other half)

Restless Gesticulatory Psychosis (when navigation lights fail)

Incidentally, my wife the Sociology professor says the term affirmative deviance is positive - also this type of thesis is most likely another clever idea for Kai (another thread on making money while cruising): You get yourself to research cruisers psychology, get some research funds to cover your "expenses" and your sample data has to be done "in the field". Not too bad... How about it Kai? Cruisers psychology. You can get Sunsail to kick in funding.