Scotty's comments
(member since Sep 29, 2007)
Scotty's comments from the Armchair Sailors group.
(showing 1-20 of 68)
Thanks for the heads-up Squirrel. The documentary was on Sky 135 so I was able to see it here in Germany. It was a good show. Great footage of the race, especially the film Moitessier took while rounding the Horn. Crowhurst’s story (as well as Moitessier’s and Tetley's) is a sad one indeed, and hearing his wife and son tell it really brought it home.
Squirrel, what network is channel 4 (History Channel, etc?). I'm in Germany but I get Sky TV from Britain via satellite.
Wow! Thank you both for all your hard work. I had no idea that someone had to do all of that. I guess I assumed it was some kind of automatic download from Amazon, etc.
Welcome Phillip. I just finished "Blue at the Mizzen" and am struggling through the O'Brian DTs. I intend to give it a couple of weeks or so before I consider starting them over. Having read the series, which was your favorite book?
That sounds good, but what does it mean exactly? Did you load these into a Goodreads database that we technological three-toed sloths can access? Would it by chance include variations of the series cover art?
I didn't expect it to look so modern either. Does anyone know what significant advances there were in sailing technology between the 15th and 18th centuries?
" ...back in the year mumble-mumble." You crack me up Squirrel.
A glass of wine with you sir! Bumpers and no heel taps.
I’m thinking it was in “The Ionian Mission.” It might not have been in exactly the same context in the movie as it was in the book, but I think Dr. Maturin was trying to make the same point.
Interesting article. "The skipper of a treasure-hunting boat intercepted by a Spanish warship this week in a dispute over gold and silver from a sunken galleon has been bailed."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/704911...
Sounds like great credentials for a “golden age of sail” writer. I’d be interested to see how accurate O’Brian’s descriptions are compared to Marryat’s.
That is sweet! So is the price tag for a cruise - though I'm sure it would be a memorable experience.
Wow, that is terrible. It is odd that he would plan to sail all the way to Guatemala without getting insurance for his boat.
"Joe Cool had returned with no souls or story."
I saw this article on the internet ( http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007... ). "Joe Cool" is not a sailboat, but a charter boat.
I think I also remember that style of language in Dickens. I read "Oliver Twist" several years ago and was a little disturbed afterward. I think I was expecting something like what I saw in the movie/musical from the 1970s. Boy was I wrong.
Yes it was. Patrick’s mind was almost as interesting as his novels. I'm currently reading "The Hundred Days." This is another book where O'Brian throws the reader for a loop. He seems to have decided he needed to do some house cleaning when he wrote this one.
It was (or should have been) unforgettable, but it was maybe a bit surreal. To me it didn't seem to completely fit into the story.
True, not that lifelines probably helped much. I find it interesting that so few sailors could swim. Even Joshua Slocum (“Sailing Around the World Alone”) almost drowned during his voyage because, despite over 30 years at sea, he never bothered to learn. I think I read somewhere that they felt the ability to swim would just painfully postpone the inevitable.
I got 8/10 as well. I blame it on information overload (versus the more likely bad memory). Some details get cloudier the more of the books I get through. I can't believe I forgot about the bear.
How about:
Long boats with sweeps
Spirit stoves, tallow candles
Manual chain pumps
vs.
Motors
Electric generators
Electric bilge pumps
It is hard to imagine life onboard one of those ships with no safety harnesses, especially in the Southern seas. From what I've read, they were much more fragile than I'd imagined, with spars and sheets breaking fairly often.
THEN:
Woolen and cotton clothing, oil slickers
Salted pork, hardtack with weevils
A wooden head off the ship’s bow
NOW:
Gortex, polypro and Lycra
Freeze-dried omelets
Chemical toilets
