Waving not drowning


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Posted by John Nichols on October 21, 2005 at 17:19:19 from 165.91.198.54 user Mcneacail.

In Reply to: Re: Finish on Scarab posted by Peter H on October 21, 2005 at 13:37:44:

I have yet to see anyone drown in a boat that turns turtle. The methods you could drown are:

1. Get caught in the ropes, which is a problem with helicopter pilots getting caught in the seat belts, but there are no seat belts in boats.

2. Getting caught underneath the boat, which is only a small problem on a boat like a Skate which has a sealed hull, but usually the Skate type hull is only 150 mm in total depth and so you can get out, otherwise air gets caught in the upturned hull and you can breath and then get out. I have done this many times, think of the Amazons hiding from Nurse under the tree in SD.

3. You get stuck under sail, that is fun, you lift the sail and swim out.

If you sail with someone and you get stuck or think you are stuck then it is their job to help. And the easiest way to help is to turn the boat on its side or right the craft.

When you go sailing in small boats they are going to turn over sometime. My wife and 10 year old daughter have not forgiven me for dropping them into Coniston. Anne still avows it was dangerous. I love my daughter Charlotte very much I would not let her do something that was inherently dangerous. It was not dangerous, amusing yes, dangerous no.

The way to drown in a small boat is to do what was done in Ordinary People, which is to turn the boat over, it is floating perfectly ok, you leave the boat and attempt to swim to shore. As long as the boat floats you can sit on the bottom, you might be a bit cold and wet, but if there are two of you sharing the misery it is fine. Hopefully someone knows where you and will come looking for you, or better still you turn the boat back over, break out the rum and have a small Sinbad swig, not enough to take away the heat but enough to cheer you up.

The fantasies that I had are realistic fantasies, except for the PP thought. They are things with a moderate effort on my part I can achieve.


1. To camp on WCI with Ed. (This I can achieve with a moderate expenditure. I really like Ed and would love to do this before we are both to old. Ed and I have talked about this privately).

2. To teach Peter H to sail on Coniston and to turn the boat turtle at least once. (teaching Peter to sail is a relatively easy task and one I saw as great fun sharing a day with someone who likes Ransome.

Turning turtle is something you do in small boats, it is a lot less dangerous than walking along the Thames Embankment on Friday nights.

I put this second on my fantasy list, cause after Ed I have the greatest enjoyment out of reading Peter's stuff, you live close to Consiton, there are several boats we could nicely ask their owners to loan us, and I think we would both have a great time. I would suggest you wear a life jacket and a wet suit, as I would be. I have very rarely sailed in small boats and not ended up in the water righting a craft. It is part of the fun.)

3. To ice skate with Robert Dilley from Canada to America and drink a beer in each place on the same day. (I have already written about this one, whilst Robert and I were skating we could talk about his Thesis which is really good, a lot better than my humble stuff.)

4. To row with Jock down the Thames (I hate rowing, but it would be sacriligous to sail or motor and there is no way in the world I am going to row up a River.)

5. To camp with Charlotte in Swallowdale. ( I stupidly missed doing this the last time we were in Holly Howe.)

6. To canoe with Rob Boden around Windermere (This one will be a lot of fun, and hopefully we can meet our wives somewhere nice for lunch and a pot of tea, and at the end of the day a warm beer or is that a cold ale.)

7. To take my new daughter to the top of the Old Man (Easy, although hopefully Rob and family are along for the walk.)

8. To meet Pam and Prue (Pam lives in California, I visit CA often, if I can arrange to meet her to exchange academic stories that would be nice, CA has very little that equates to Ransome.

Prue lives in NZ, I am not sure if I will ever get to NZ, and it is unlikely we would be in England at the same time. If I do get to NZ then we can do something, but there is not much AR related stuff in NZ.

But if we were at Holly Howe at the same time, then I think sailing would be high on my list, as it would be with any Tars person I met there.)

9. To teach Anne (wife) to sail properly (I can achieve that in Texas in the Mary Anne)

10. To drink another few beers in the Dead Duck - Old Chook - Red Bull with all of the above at the same time. Ok C will have a coke. (Hopefully in May next year, if I can get my act together and Jock and I make it to the Abbot Hall.)

11. To shoot the PP movie. (Pure fantasty)

12. To sail the Nancy Blackett to Holland. (I wonder if I would ever be allowed to do this with NB?)

And the Baker's dozen -
to build the Swallow (Next year Israel as they used to say).

So Peter I really like you, yes I admit sometimes I take pleasure in chipping away at your exterior shell, cause underneath it is a nice guy who likes to pretend otherwise sometimes. Am I going to stop doing this, really unlikely as long as you are an ornery curmedgeon who likes to toss thoughts onto the Tarboard that are slightly provocative, and you insist on following rules - Better drowned than ruled, if not ruled will not drown.

JMN


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