AJ Oliver

Congratulations -well done !!

That Ozzie-globalist-corporate-vampire-squid boat . . looked very good - 100% up on foils, or quite close to it. (may 30th, Day Four vs. Groupama)

by my totally crude calculations, a great white can easily weigh 6,000 pounds - and it's liver 1,500 pounds.

If you are concerned about nuclear weapons, and who in Aotearoa is not, why not do something about it? Don't you owe it to your grandkids to at least try? (Yes, you do) For me, crewing on the Golden Rule in 2015 was the thrill of a life time. It would be great to have a Kiwi on board - (you would be doing a lot of public presentations.) Most important is to be in agreement with the values of VFP - esp. non-violence, and abolishing war as an instrument of national policy. Crew should be able to commit to 3 to 5 week tours, possibly longer. It will not be expensive - you

Recent weather forecast - http://www.metservice.com/warnings/severe-weather-warnings Yup, tie it all down.

We are surrounded by leaf blowers in our gringo neighborhood. They are run for hours on end on the most beautiful, still fall days. Hate the things with a passion. What's wrong with rakes?

I'm sure most of you know this, but in case not . . the risks of electrocution due to stray currents are MUCH greater in fresh water - Taupo, for example, or other of your beautiful lakes. http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2013/july/electric-shock-drowning-explained.asp

I think it best that ferriners do not take the survey lest we distort the results - our costs and expenses can be quite different than yours. But I am following your discussion with interest.

My morale is better already . .

Yes, not being able to sheet in the jib was key.

For me, sailing in 70 km wind is just not a lot of fun, and I avoid it if I can . . Shane, you didn't do that on purpose, did you?

Just giving you a hard time - no offense intended . .

The first thing that happens after you say, "don't get sea sick." http://guest-travel-writers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/seasick.jpg

Another reason to hate pyro flares is that they are expensive and difficult to dispose of properly . . http://sca.nasbla.org/2016/06/16/disposing-of-an-old-flare/

It's so much less fun when we agree . . I wrote this on the YNZ thread: The new US Coast Guard regs for coastal waters and Great Lakes (they changed in 2016) are that approved led distress signals can now substitute for flares . . For me, this is a good change - I hate the very idea of holding a lit flare on a moving boat while trying to care for an injured person. I got rid of my Mag flares at the first opportunity. The price for the LED'S is now starting to come down. Last year they were $ 100 USD's - in the US that is. ELECTRIC S-O-S DISTRESS LIGHT APPROVAL CATEGO

Those buyers for whom cheapness is the singular goal remind me of some of my former colleagues in political "science" who, if a fat consultancy or grant were in the offing, would cheerfully stuff living humans into roaring ovens. Well actually, what they did was to remain silent as the 2003 Iraq War loomed. Amounts to the same thing . .

10m (32'8") $604.50 Per month? Wow! And water & power are extra? Wow again. I'm at a non-profit sailing club on the US Great Lakes, and we pay about 0ne Fifth of that.

Hey Crew, NZ - For more visibility, I'm going to put this announcement up both in "Marine Talk" and in "Classifieds." Hope that is OK. If you know of a young person who might be a good fit for this job, please send them our way. I would have posted this sooner - but just got the info today. Programs will start in early June and run about twelve weeks. Staff is roughly four young sailing instructors. Fair Winds, AJ Sandusky (Ohio) Junior Sailors, Inc. seeks youth Learn to Sail Director The director is responsible for scheduling, training and staffing Summer J

Hey Crew, NZ - For more visibility, I'm going to put this announcement up both here and in "Classifieds." Hope that is OK. And if you know of a young person who might be a good fit for this job, please send them our way. I would have posted this sooner - but just got the info today. Programs will start in early June and run about twelve weeks. Staff is roughly four young sailing instructors. Fair Winds, AJ Sandusky (Ohio) Junior Sailors, Inc. seeks youth Learn to Sail Director The director is responsible for scheduling, training an

And the Peterborough lift lock is not to be missed . . https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ontarioplaques.com%2FGraphics%2FImage_Peterborough23b.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ontarioplaques.com%2FPlaques%2FPlaque_Peterborough23.html&docid=vZnlyvlZ29V73M&tbnid=HcxIQ5o3NYD7OM%3A&vet=1&w=640&h=426&bih=770&biw=1600&q=peterborough%20lift%20lock&ved=0ahUKEwihqJee-_bRAhVG_4MKHdHRCmcQMwgjKAcwBw&iact=mrc&uact=8

One can also do a good bit of canal wandering in Ontario, Canada and the NE US. Unspoiled and excellent fishing in many places - can be canoed or kayaked for the fit. Best to try it out with a charter before investing big US/NZ $ We did an off-season house boat charter on the Trent-Severn - must say that tying up at the locks just a few steps from little downtown's restaurants & shopping was easy. The admiral liked it a lot. http://boating.ncf.ca/images/chart-canals-north.gif

A bigly number of power boat operators like to produce large wakes for the same reason that many Harley cycle riders like to make lots of noise. It's because to them annoying other people is at least half the fun. Come on, how many times have you seen power boaters sneak a look back over their shoulders as their wake throws your sailboat about? Many of them do it quite on purpose. (not all, of course)

It is a good idea to think about ways to deal with anchors . . Last year, an excellent sailor in our club was out island hopping with his wife on their 27 footer; he had the "Big One" while trying to free his anchor. Rescuers arrived quickly, but he was already gone. RIP.

I'd like to see more of ya sharing this sort of archaeological info . .

Well, as it happens, I barged into a Wed evening race in Tauranga with the wonderful folks at the TYC not long ago, on a flood tide . . And between tacks our intrepid crew had great fun watching much of the rest of the fleet go aground - guess they misjudged the degree of flood. As a lake sailor (mostly) the most interesting part was when we were sailing on a nice lift out of the bay, and the setting sun cast a shadow of our sails on the side of the Mount - and that shadow was moving backwards . . Thank you for helping me to remember . . . https://www.google.com/imgres?img