Posted by Peter H on November 12, 2004 at 00:23:55 from 81.131.218.131 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: One is scandalised, to say the least! (was Re: 'Bent on') posted by Jonathan Labaree on November 11, 2004 at 22:48:46:
No, 'other realms of of outdoor enthusiasm' is too vague. I reckon you only get this 'duffer' ethos in any sport or pastime where technical rules are involved, and this usually means that humans are dealing with boats, horses, aircraft etc. From what little I know about the 'horsey' world, there is a fair bit of 'duffery' - 'he/she's not sitting on the horse properly, girths are too tight/loose' etc.
Sorry, Laurence, but fell-walking is not comparable - read Wainwright, who said it was just going for a walk, except you went up a mountain, and that's about it. There's no desperate imperatives to get everything right. You either get to the top or you don't. There's no such thing as 'bumping' the summit cairn, or making sure you walk in a straight line. There are no 'techniques' involved.
I must stress that I am not approaching the subject of sailing with any personal bitterness - rather more a fascination with the 'ethos' involved, and its importance in AR's books. My envy of the happy groups who sail in 'Nancy' is based on a wider range of factors than just learning to sail, but that's a bit off-topic, and is difficult to convey in a brief posting. I fear Laurence and I are on different wave-lengths, but thanks for the offers, all genuinely made I'm sure, but in the immortal words of Private Eye - 'That's enough invitations - Ed.'