The difficulties of learning sailing . .

Tim comes ashore dripping with water followed by his 12 years old son. “I’m wet”, says Thomas, a big smile on his face, “That was a big splash”. “It’s a good wind this morning and gives the boat a bit of bounce”, Tim remarks.

He has been dinghy sailing on the Solent ever since he was a boy and his enthusiasm shows no sign of waning as a few years ago he took the step of buying his own boat. There are boating, sailing and yachting clubs of every size and shape in the villages and towns surrounding the Solent and he began by joining the Portchester Sailing Club. He says, “In those days the whole point of learning to sail was to take part in the competitions, and have a bit of fun on the way. As you got better you could move up to better and faster classes of dinghy. The bigger the club the more dinghies they owned and the further you could go. I think I was particularly lucky as I joined the club at the time it was still small and friendly but was starting to grow fast, so we grew together”. For the moment the competitive sailing is over as he now spends time introducing his son to the sea.

There is an apparent complication as Thomas has learning difficulties but Tim doesn’t see it that way, “I weaned him on sailing very carefully as I didn’t want him to have any off-putting experiences. I wanted sailing to be as good for him as it was for me, but then that’s something you would have to do for any child. If there are enough happy memories he’ll forget any bad experiences and want to come back for more”. Tim started taking Thomas sailing when he was eight years old. “At the beginning the trips were very short, only tasters, but he took to the idea very quickly. What wasn’t so quick was teaching him the skills he needs but that just needed patience.” In a classroom Thomas has to compete with other children and is distracted and frustrated easily. On the water those complications don’t exist; there are a few others instead, “But they don’t have the same effect” says Tim. Thomas’s proficiency has increased steadily and he has now become a useful crew member. “He makes a real contribution towards any trip now”, says Tim, “The sea is one place where he can feel free and a day on the water always has a good effect on him”.

 

Living on the water

In 2007 Rob and Wendy took up permanent residence on their narrowboat, at present moored on the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The idea of holidaying on a canal boat is sometimes featured in activity magazines and is something many of us fantasize about, but it isn’t easy finding people who have exchanged living in a house for boat living permanently.

What made them decide to live aboard? Rob, a retired engineer, takes up the tale, “ We were watching a TV programme which featured living and holidaying on canal boats and Wendy said ‘I could do that’. From that moment we knew that was what we were going to do.” He continues, “When I was young, during my apprenticeship, I did some work on Thames barges so boats aren’t new to me. Size is different but that’s all”. Moving from a house to a boat hasn’t been a quick or easy change but their enthusiasm has enabled them to overcome all the obstacles which have cropped up. “We finally received the boat in November 2007 and had to navigate it all the way back here”, says Rob. “It was a real baptism as there were problems caused by the winter conditions”, says Wendy, “With the short days we had to make use of every hour of daylight to reach the next mooring point each day. Even when we found the canal iced over Rob insisted on going on. It took about 8 days of travelling to get here from Middlewich [Shropshire]”.

Since then they have had a few short cruises and are considering a longer trip for the summer months of this year. “Going out for the weekend doesn’t need the same amount of preparation. You just go”, says Rob. “I remember the first time Rob said we would go for a short trip”, says Wendy, “He suggested it only the day before and I thought ‘well if you must’ and then started thinking what I would need to do to get ready. But of course everything goes with you! It’s even simpler than caravanning.”

The transition from house to narrowboat has meant a complete reshaping of their way of living. Every item of furniture has been replaced by an item either fitted into the boat or an alternative piece of equipment. “The boat was made to measure and is 57 feet long”, says Rob, “I asked about sizing and how different boats fitted into different waterways. We opted for a size that would enable to pass through every canal and lock in Britain”. “A broadboat would give more living space but limits the places you can go to, says Wendy, “The builders showed us what they could fit into the space and we went from there. They showed us all the different features that could be fitted and I kept wondering ‘how much is that going to add’ but it was all included in the price. Right down to the smallest items, even the eco-fan”. Storage space is ample but limited when compared to a house so only the most important and treasured possessions have stood the selection process which took place. They both love music and have a collection of CDs, but even this has been reorganised into one folder, all the cases and leaflets being discarded. Since making their home on the water they have become part of the waterways community, getting to know their neighbours and others who live at other moorings. “It has opened a door on a completely different world for us”, enthuses Wendy, “Here we are only a short distance from a small town but you might not guess that. We see the world from a completely different angle. We’ve absorbed a whole new vocabulary with new procedures to learn for everyday living and travelling”.

Have they any regrets? Is there one thing which either of them miss? An emphatic ‘no’ from both of them. “I don’t think I would have wanted to do this when I was younger and bringing up a family, but we don’t need a house now. Everything is just right for us”, says Wendy.

 

pause

 

Another about-turn and back-off.

Just exactly who are Gordon Browns friends I’m not sure, but I am certain he won’t have many amongst the working families and pensioners of the UK.

Some time ago, in the face of utility companies, energy suppliers in particular, banking inordinate profits the government was considering imposing a windfall tax which would then be used to fund pay-outs to the poorest households in the country. An alternative, capping the profit level of these companies, was mentioned but never got a sideways look into the government agenda. The profiteers’ response was to protest and insist they must protect their profits to ensure future investment and developments – just how that works out or for whose benefit was never explained, but maybe that doesn’t matter. The energy companies put their prices up by the most obscene proportions imaginable last year and got away with it; it worked, people paid up, the energy companies liked what they saw, did it again this year and are now wallowing in money.

The government has now changed its tune and is saying they will not go for ’short term gimmicks or give-aways’ but have been ‘working hard’ and ‘focusing’ on long term measures which will provide households with permanent fuel efficiency e.g. loft insulation. Precisely how you work hard at focusing on loft insulation takes some understanding as fitting insulation and draught excluders is relatively low-tech; these techniques have been around for many years and are readily available either at low-cost or, for some people, free. Even if every available insulation technique were applied to a house it would still need to be heated in winter; insulation doesn’t generate heat it only helps you hang on to it for a little while longer once you have got it. In my own experience these measures make very little difference to a household heating bill, they simply enable the house to remain warmer for longer.

So why has our dear leader Brown changed his mind? This is speculation and is based only on his past behaviour not on any inside knowledge; the talked about handouts would have been funded by a windfall tax but that is not going to happen – no tax revenue, no payouts. And why is there no windfall tax? Because Gordon Brown cannot face up to anyone with power and influence. This has happened before; big business has got shirty over something the government has threatened to do, made a few loud noises and the government has backed down. Name one instance of Gordon Brown standing up to big business. . . . . I’m listening. You can’t remember one? Neither can I. Brown is a political coward. He has no balls [other than Ed], no guts, no fire. He may be a ‘nice man’ but the working families and pensioners need someone who is prepared to fight for them and protect them from corporate greed.

Tony Woodley, of Unite, is quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying -

“If greedy fuel companies have won out over struggling consumers then this is not just a disappointing move by the Government but a downright disgrace.

“Yes, we need measures to improve fuel efficiency but these should not be paid for by needy people. At this moment in time people need immediate respite from the struggle to pay their gas and electricity bills.

“There must be a rethink and cash assistance for every needy household in the land. It cannot be right that big business is allowed to bank their obscene profits while ordinary people will shiver this winter.”

Which just about sums up the situation.

 

A letter from Alaska

By chance I came across an interesting item on the my2buck$ blogsite about Sarah Palin.  There has been a lot of coverage in the media about this VP candidate, but so there should when an unknown person pops up who could potentially be sitting right next to the President of the USA.

The essence of the article is a letter which appeared in the Washington Post written by Anne Kilkenny, someone who claims to have known Palin since the early 90s.  It is very detailed and, on the face of it,  presented objectively. Kilkeny explains her own position and how she stands in relation to Palin, Wasilla and Alaska.  Overall, the impression given is not good news for the Republicans as it exposes Palin’s ineptitude as an administrator and some of her backroom dealings.  The responses have been predictable and the main question being asked is ‘who is Anne Kilkenny?’  Within a couple of days a follow-up posting appeared which was linked to an article in the New York Times which authenticated Kilkenny’s identity so perhaps people can now focus on the merit or otherwise of the contents of the letter itself.

This is just the stuff every USA citizen should read, Republican or Democrat, before taking the vote.  It is said that every country gets the government it deserves – I’m not sure what the USA did to deserve G Dubya – but is Palin the type of person who should be second in command [or first if McCain kicks the bucket] of the USA?.

Read the full post here.

Cross-posted on the Chamber of Ten Thousand Flowers.