Guy, what kind of hobbies do you have?

[Big and Bashful]

Wow, that looks like you have had quite a varied history on a bunch of ships.
The trips we do on Royalist are more flexible than many trips. We are stuck with whatever start and end points the ship's programme requires. Other than that and the requirements of the weather, the only stipulation is to get a decent amount of sailing in. The normal system is the captain comes up with two or three options and lets the crew vote which is best, with updates and possibly rethinks as the week progresses. It is always a good week, this year the start and end points are going to be ideal for me, Greenock at both ends. We are thinking of either an Irish port or the Isle of Man as the main objective, it will make a change from the Clyde estuary or the West coast islands.
Plenty of time to form a proper plan though.

[Kirbstone]

Yes, and in 2005 September we sailed an old 130 foot 1913 Baltic trader,die 'Banjaard', tops'l schooner in company with no fewer than ten other old gaffers of similar size from Keil to Heiligenhafen to a Shanty choir festival. Each boat was chartered by a shanty choir. We then sailed through a force 8 to Naxkov in Denmark, then back to Laboe to another choir festival, and home again to Keil. 10 days in all.
It gave us shanty-men an idea of what it was like to 'Haul away Joe' for real. Two profi. crew and 24 of us men to raise and lower the sails & yards.

I've been invited by them to take part in it again next Sept. 2011, which I couldn't refuse.

When you and the 'Royalists' hit an Irish port, give me a shout & we'll show 'em landlubbers how to wear a kilt!

[Big and Bashful]

I would love to hook up with you if we hit Ireland. If I am on Royalist I won't be skirting though, vertical ladders and ratlines wouldn't mix well with skirtery, even if I had the bravosity. However, I would still love to meet. Also, I have never been to Ireland, if there are any nice yacht friendly picturesque port/marinas in NE Ireland it would give me something to aim my little boat at. I would love suggestions!

[Kirbstone]

B&B,
Coming out of Greenock at 10 knots in the good Brig Royalist, it doesn't matter which side of Arran you make your escape. N. Ireland is visible easily from either the Machrihanish Golf Club near Campbeltown, or (when coming S from further up in your own boat) from Islay.
The obvious place to aim for is Ballycastle Marina, directly S. of Rathlin Is. on the N. Antrim coast. That's only 8 miles E. of the Giant's Causway, the same basaltic structure as Fingals Cave on Staffa. While the Antrim coast is spectacular in its own gentle way (no big mountains like the Cuillins, for instance) there's nowhere with a marina until you hit Carrickfergus, way down in Belfast Lough. Marinas get more frequent the further South you go, but all that's a long way from Mallaig, and from Carlingford down you're in Euroland.

Funny you should mention skirt-unfriendly vertical ladders and ratlines aboard the Royalist. I was under the impression she was fitted out with deep pile carpets, chandeliers, mirrors and grand sweeping staircases....or perhaps I'm thinking of another ship ?

[Big and Bashful]

Deep pile carpets? Royalist? No, must be another!
Think rope, hard things designed to dig into bodies and much manual labour. Not everybodies idea of a holiday! As, I'm sure, you know!

[Kirbstone]

I reckon you must have booked yourself into the crews' quarters by mistake. If you'd bought yourself a first class ticket you'd be sipping iced coffees in the grand banqueting hall listening to Cafe-Musik played by the on-board chamber orchestra. Now that's MY idea of sailing.......

[Big and Bashful]

Unfortunately the quarters are all crews quarters, built for 5 foot 6 inch cadets. Unless you are the captain of course!

Still on my wee boat, I am the captain! so once we rebuild the galley it will be a nice wee haven to bounce around in! Looking forward to a voyage out to somewhere Irish. When sailing single handed the first thing I do is stick a skirt on, before casting off, so it would be a good way to pop across to Ireland and have a "meet".
Here's hoping for some good sailing next year!

[Since1982]

Still on my wee boat

OOps..I forgot you folks over the pond think of the word "wee" differently than we in the colonies do. Ok, see you later, have to go take a wee weewee. (incorporating both usages).

[Big and Bashful]

Still on my wee boat

OOps..I forgot you folks over the pond think of the word "wee" differently than we in the colonies do. Ok, see you later, have to go take a wee weewee. (incorporating both usages).

Wee as in wee as in not big is a usage mainly in Scotland, not often down South in Englandshire. Weewee seems to mean the same on both sides of the pond, but I very rarely hear it used now, my parents used to use that one talking to us kiddiewinkles! (Some time ago!)

[Since1982]

It (weewee) is still commonly used in America for children under the age of 6 or so.

[DALederle]

Speaking of hobbies:
Does "Standing on the Corner, Watching all the Girls Go By" count as a hobby?
Only I do it on the internet sometimes.
LOL LOL LOL
Dennis A. Lederle

Sorry, I get bored after a while!

[Kirbstone]

B&B,
I suppose a 27 footer qualifies as a 'wee' boat. I expect you don't relish squeezing your massive frame into a 5'6" berth, and have more personal space on your own ship where you ARE the captain.
I have just been invited to once again sail the Baltic out of Kiel in an old Gaffer with my old German Shanty-choir friends next September 1st to the 11th. The whole business of singing sea shanties in a group involves appearing in a 'uniform' which involves wearing a sailor's smock & cravatte over plain or'nary blue jeans. However, to relieve the boredom of this, three of us I know have kilts &c. to wear when not performing. It seems a contradiction in terms to think of a German in a kilt, but believe me, they wear them well !
At the moment I'm negotiating to have a 'Kilt-on-fire' made up in a tartan to match an existing waistcoat. If you hit Ballycastle or wherever and we 'meet' we'll paint the town red....

Tom K.

[Big and Bashful]

B&B,
I suppose a 27 footer qualifies as a 'wee' boat. I expect you don't relish squeezing your massive frame into a 5'6" berth, and have more personal space on your own ship where you ARE the captain.
I have just been invited to once again sail the Baltic out of Kiel in an old Gaffer with my old German Shanty-choir friends next September 1st to the 11th. The whole business of singing sea shanties in a group involves appearing in a 'uniform' which involves wearing a sailor's smock & cravatte over plain or'nary blue jeans. However, to relieve the boredom of this, three of us I know have kilts &c. to wear when not performing. It seems a contradiction in terms to think of a German in a kilt, but believe me, they wear them well !
At the moment I'm negotiating to have a 'Kilt-on-fire' made up in a tartan to match an existing waistcoat. If you hit Ballycastle or wherever and we 'meet' we'll paint the town red....

Tom K.

I like the Ballycastle plan, lets not forget it!

[Kirbstone]

That's great. Sounds like another 'skirted get together' in the making. Any trip abroad in a small sailing boat must be blessed with reasonably clement weather conditions, so I would suggest not before May at the earliest. I'll arrive by trusty old Merc. Estate....my builder's van-cum-racing boat transport.

We did a sailing trip in early May this year over to Wales, round Anglesey via Caernarfon and through the Menai straight & 'the Swellies', called at Conwy and at Holyhead on the way home. I can safely say that it was easily the coldest sail I have ever undertaken. We dressed up like Michelin men, with balaclavas and gauntlet gloves, but the N.E. force 6-8 windchill was an endurance test up in the cockpit. We were snug enough down below and at night, as our shared Moody 40 'Vivienne' has diesel powered air heating....a Luxury to cope with our climate! Nice pics are only possible, of course, from another boat accompanying you, so these aren't great.

In stark contrast to that, later on in May our sail along the Lycian coast of S. Turkey was shorts & nothing or singlets 24/7, with swims off the stern morning, noon and evening. Tom K.

[Mugs-n-such]

Compared to some of the other offerings on this site, my hobbies seem but a poor offering. However, I'd first just like to put in a small disclaimer with a warning: Disclaimer: I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence, as you all seem more intelligent than I, but someone could be reading this thread who is just starting on scuba diving and doesn't have experience, a "lurker" I mean. Warning: (reiterates disclaimer) scuba diving can be dangerous (duh) if you explore an underwater cave, I've heard some novices have died because they stir up the mud in an underwater cave and then the water gets so muddy they get lost and can't find their way back out...ugh...now my conscience is clear, hope no one is offended.
Now my poor offering, hobbies:
Guitar, flute, piano, modicum of violin, choir singing (mainly church right now but I was in The Wichita Choral Society). Way to go, Kirbstone!
Chess, video games, entertainment (adventure movies, documentaries, etc., etc.)
Reading (I'm kinda into politics right now, political reading I mean, but I also enjoy the classics, Christian fiction, and really any good, interesting author. Right now I'm reading "Alan Quatermain" and "Zero", the story of the Japanese WWII Zero from the Japanese point of view.
Cars (mainly driving them and reading about them but also occasionally working on them.) I LOVE the British Morgan, btw, it's gorgeous! Wish I were rich and famous so I could buy one but a friend of mine says since the body is made of wood, it might not be very durable.
*unnamed hobby* don't want to offend anyone, as someone else previously mentioned.
Sewing, primarily skirts. This not so much now as I have just started buying thrift shop skirts. Cheaper than making my own, even.
Studying foreign languages. OK, I'm weird, I admit it, but I love to study foreign languages. My best ones are French, German and Spanish, I'm also working on
Finnish, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin) and Swahili. OK, I'll end...
Just one last note: I'm a bit envious of those who get to sail their own boats and/or fly airplanes! I did have my first flying lesson not too long ago, but I'm sure I'll never afford my own airplane, probably. 'Kay, Ciao!