Quote:
Originally Posted by pbmaise
Another Choy Lee story. He prepared new engine, painting, sails, interiewed crew, did test sailings...but took a pay increase and moved to East Coast. In this case he had all the money needed to retire and go..but continued work
|
So unlike his brother Bruce, he wasn't prepared to "Enter the Dragon" then? That may be more apt than people appreciate. *grins*
First, on seasickness. I have been seasick precisely 'once' in my life. My heart goes out to those that suffer with it. It is appalling.
It also coincided with what was also one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had while afloat - a Force 10+ in the Bay of Biscay. While on
deck, it was WOOOOOHOOOOO! (surfing doesn't even begin to compete . . . ), however when I went below, no good at all.
So I looked into making sure that never got in the way of my enjoyment of the water, ever again. I didn't get on with Drammamine. Then found Stugeron. It took a while to
work out how to use it properly, as the instructions said "Take two tablets . . . " and doing that just made me fall asleep (not good, but effective if don't actually have to do anything, until you get your sea legs). What I hit on, was taking HALF a Stugeron, 30 minutes before going aboard. eta: I found with Stugeron you can tell when it is working, and for me, if necessary (the effects wearing off) another half a Stugeron 24 hours later worked ok.
Now my experience with what some call wannabe's fits in with this approach to seasickness, and will illustrate how effective Stugeron can be. But rather than calling people "wannabe's" I will call them non-apprentices. They won't listen, they won't pay attention, they have no awareness of the Real World[tm] further than the end of their nose, and they refuse to learn (sometimes this is due to long experience with a related field, and they think they "Know It All").
Everybody else is an Apprentice (we never stop learning).
Now my friend Steve turned out to be a non-apprentice, after many years in the Merchant
Navy. He bought a very nice Macwester 26
bilge keel boat at a very nice
price. I was approached to help him with it after he purchased it, when the previous owner was going to accompany us down a very tricky estuary to show us the way, then
anchor off the beach a few 100 yds, so the previous owner could run through all the systems with him, to be followed by a day out down the coast.
We arrived early in the morning on a beautiful day, with a high tide just before 7:00 am. On arrival, I broke out the Stugerons, took half, and offered Steve and the previous owner the packet, but they both declined, as conditions were so nice.
So down the estuary we go, and drop anchor as planned a nice distance off the beach. Muggins disappears below to make breakfast, and leave the other two to get down to the guided tour. As I was
cooking, the chat in the
cockpit gradually subsided, and thinking they had decided to enjoy the sunshine and get comfy, I eventually carried a tray of bacon sandwiches, toast and marmalade, and big mugs of tea, to see both of them almost as green as Holly leaves. I have never seen anybody that green, before or since. There was a long, slow, pulling swell, and it did them both in.
Luckily I hadn't left the Stugeron in the car, so I broke them out. I told them not to swallow them (they would have thrown them up in no seconds flat), but to put two under their tongues to dissolve, to get the stuff into their bloodstream.
I then watched what happened.
Within 10 minutes, the green went down both their faces, you could watch it progress down their necks and away, to be replaced by them being as white as a sheet. Within another 10 minutes, their colour returned from their necks up.
They were both now hungry as horses, the sandwiches were now cold, the toast and marmalade was now cold, the tea was also cold, and muggins had to go below and do another breakfast.
After which, we pulled up anchor, and headed down the coast to a cove with a pub, with the idea of stopping for a
beer. When we got there and dropped anchor, Steve and previous owner were fast asleep, thanks to two Stugerons. So I had to go to the pub on my own, while they slept in the
cockpit. Then I had to sail the boat back, and up the estuary, then moor it, on my own (I had a fun sail, it was just sad they both missed it).
Despite this experience, and witnessing the common sense of taking half a Stugeron before going on board, Steve never took one again!
Every time we took his boat out (usually accompanied by an old hand, Bill, who I also sailed with on his boat), Steve would be below, with his
head in a bucket, suffering, while Bill and myself were having an enjoyable sail.
Now there's lessons for me here too. I don't want to become a non-apprentice, like Steve did. He ended up selling his boat, and not doing any of his plans for it, basically because he refused to learn. All he needed to do, was a few RYA Courses (he did do the
Marine VHF lifetime licence - which annoyingly proved not to be lifetime - and had a really enjoyable time with the good people on the Course), to
lift his awareness up, and get in the swing of the basics. Instead of which, he
sold the boat.
In my case, I have been off the water for too long. In the years since, I have had a whale of a time touring
Europe solo on my motorbike, carrying everything I need on the bike. This has been excellent value, and I have met vast numbers of really nice people in the process. The trouble is, for the places I need to go (health reasons - my planned boat is going to have to have facilities for disabled solo sailing), have become stupidly expensive. Plus, even places like Andalusia in
Spain, have become too cold for me in the
Winter.
So I have to chase the Sun, and
salt air is a more than useful component in what I need.
In recent years there is a lot of new
gear I am not familiar with, plus, I have to resit the blasted
Marine VHF licence, plus it seems a good idea to get the
ICC. Heck I even have to practice knots again.
So I am going to start with a RYA beginners Course, mainly from the point of view of observing, with a bit of hands on, and chatting with the instructor about what would be a good idea for
rigging for solo disabled sailing. I 'should' then be in a position to do a Competent Crew course and go for the
ICC, plus do a RYA
Radar Course.
As an aside, I do think a lot of 'Apprentices' do a disappearing act, when they discover what a rip off the sailing scene has become. Prices are outrageous and totally unwarranted, for basic gear.
As a former importer/exporter and wholesaler/retailer, I have seen the consequences of this far too often in my life, and it is an approach to 'business' (it isn't 'business', this is cartel, monopolistic, racketeering) that is unsustainable, and self destructive.
To me, the boating industry, is committing suicide on the grand scale. Businesses that put their prices up going into a Depression, never survive the Depression.
Presented with such an
environment, the only way you win, is you refuse to play, and people are now refusing to play in many areas, and not just with the boating industry.
PS. You may have noticed I picked the user name 'Ribbit'.