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thetruearchmagos · 2 years ago

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Heads Up Seven Up

Thank you to @autumnalwalker for the open Tag, which I've decided to use as my segway back to writing! Sorry yo all if I've been quiet recently, my mental health ain't quit great these two weeks. Still, hope you all enjoy thia little drabble!

Tagging @lividdreamz @dogmomwrites @marinesocks @sanguine-arena @theprissythumbelina @muddshadow @athenswrites @orphicpoieses

Bristling Skies

Five hundred nautical miles away, and five hundred metres beneath the waves, UCS Tracker was entirely unaware as to anything taking place beyond the sphere of its acoustic hydrophones. Within that sphere, however, her Sound-Ops chief had just noticed something very strange indeed.

“Bloody-damn-hell, skipper, we’ve got machinery transients from Token-3. Sounds like she’s really hauling, propeller rate estimates at close to thirty knots.”

Captain Oskar Kukulski was leaning over the station in minutes, while at the helm, Lieutenant Evelyn Wen Hui was starting to sweat under her collar. So was the Captain, but he’d had the luxury of three years a sub-driving skipper to get used to not showing it. All three had been spent aboard the Tracker, but so far, they hadn’t been terribly exciting ones. Until yesterday morning’s brief at Commodore Creed’s office, that is.

“What’s her course? Any changes?”

“Nope, Sir. Just kicked up speed, she’s still keeping a heading down southeast.”

Token-3, more appropriately known as the Terreur by her owners, was supposedly one of the more modern diesel boats that the Nouvo’s had been bought from their Ocrisian allies. So modern were they, that though Tracker had been riding up the boat’s tailpipe for the better part of the past five hours, they’d only found her in the first place by a stroke of good luck. Their quarry had been running lazy circles in the grid sector throughout, and so Oskar was pretty sure he hadn’t been found out just yet. Five hours hunting, he thought, and with a green crew no less. Damn, they’re more than that by now!

“Right, mighty curious of them to do this, but it might be a sign they think no one’s listening—”

An alarm rang from aft, and the skipper bore a grimace. It wouldn’t make it through his rubber coated hull, as Oskar well knew, but submariners had sensitive ears at times like this.

“Ahh, damn, that’s a Flash message. Evelyn, keep up the track however you need to, you have the Conn.”

“Aye sir, I have the Conn.”

With that, Oskar took his leave, ducking through the low bulkhead and heading aft. Just a month ago they’d have needed to surface to get a message, or at least put up the antennae buoy to listen into an orbiter’s broadcast, but the brand new crystal cradle they’d had installed precluded such bothersome measures, and so Evelyn was left to contemplate and conn in peace.

“Right, let’s carry on. Increase speed one third, maintain heading. Fire control, keep updating the fire solution, we could use the practice.”

And so on they moved, quieter than the sea itself. They kept a range of eight hundred metres to the track, matching speeds to maintain the chase. Evelyn found herself prey to the usual malady, that sickeningly sweet stress of a prying eye, watching without being seen, her multi million chequer boat playing the game it was built for. It wasn’t her first time at the conn, but every session in painstaking care felt the same.

Five minutes later, Sound-Ops called out, voice steady yet loud enough to be heard from the helm.

“Attention Conn, Rip Wall, starboard!”

“All stop, ship to quiet!”

Far ahead of the Tracker, her target had just begun a hard turn right, a bid to clear the blind-, or more accurately, deaf-, spot to the rear where her own hull blocked her bow mounted hydrophones. She’d been pulling that particular trick throughout the chase, though regularly enough that Evelyn and the crew had begun to expect the trick. That was their second mistake, she knew. The first was assuming it would work at all.

“All stop, quiet down!”

In half a heartbeat her orders were done, and the already quiet boat was like a hole in the sea. Tracker’s beating atomic heart was tuned down to a low hum, with even the water pumps turned off to spare the din. She drifted on forwards, with an ever so slight negative trim to stop her from climbing upwards, while almost a kilometre ahead seven thousand tonnes of marine steel began its turn. So far, Evelyn put the closest the two had come in the manoeuvre to just over a hundred metres, and that was as close as she ever needed to be.

#my writing #original writing #my worldbuilding #my wips #writers on tumblr

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dansnaturepictures · 4 years ago

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7 of my favourite pictures to take in the past week

Old Winchester Hill view*

Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly at Old Winchester Hill**

Another Old Winchester Hill view***

Autumn leaves out the front****

Berries at Lakeside*****

One of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe feeding its chick at Lakeside******

Heart and dart moth in the living room*******

(In order of appearance in this photoset)

I have to first say that the last week was perhaps my most packed with photos of all time. Between Sunday 9th and Saturday 15th August I took or as I like to call it produced as I take different versions of the same photo when out and keep the best or don’t keep ones that don’t work out and that in total 174 photographs, averaging 24.85 per day. Extraordinary for me on a week I worked albeit from home most of it as I do currently, but actually this probably makes it my highest yielding week of photos ever and its been heading that way for a while with how many I now take forward of my photos. This all made, if I wanted to, saying my favourite photo taken this week hard. If I quote or reply to one of my tweets with that photo for me in on my Twitter Dans_Pictures nowadays I have to have a theme to link it to of the week, this week beside the sheer amount taken there were too many; a week of moths, a week of insects/macro photography headlined by butterflies at the start, a week of increased bird photos for this time of year there was so many. So then I decided to do one of my picture context posts I sometimes do usually on a Sunday morning about my favourite photo from the week before saying what I liked about it, how it came about and any other relevant thoughts, but in truth whilst I had one photo particularly in mind there were lots of candidates without blowing my own trumpet of what I liked best. So I instead decided to bring seven together, so effectively meaning I had on average a real standout picture per day even if some of these were taken the same day to each other. Not to say the the others were poor days as there were so many I overlooked. And below about each, I say a little bit.

*The week started in the midst of a heatwave at Old Winchester Hill in the South Downs where we had a stunning wildlife and landscape walk. We come once a year these days to see particular butterflies and they are there because the meadow and grass here are booming with colour and life. I just simply had to take landscapes and show what I was seeing on an incredible height-of-summer day, and I simply had to show you the vibrant meadows. And this picture does this for me which is why I like it. On Sunday I produced 40 pictures so instead of tweeting them all and clogging my profile 10 of them I included exclusively in my blog as I do in such common circumstances as this now and this one was tweeted so its the first time I’ve posted it on Tumblr, as is the case for photos **, *** and ******* in this post.

**The photo I had in mind for the post. This was whilst not the only the main butterfly we went to this place to see and did getting it as a year tick. The visit was all about this butterfly, and it couldn’t have gone better for it. Within minutes in the rich grassland we spotted this small, subtle but clearly marked butterfly and were feeling incredible. I’d seen one before this one. And then attention quickly turned to getting a picture of it with my macro lens that I use for butterflies to get closeup. I had never photographed this butterfly what I would call really well in terms of my butterfly pictures so all I wanted was something, anything, picture wise to show what it was and allow me to remember it. I was in for a real treat as I saw this one landed and as I said in my blog about the trip a week ago tonight I took little safety shots snapping it from afar in case it as it very likely could flew off. Then I was in my element as I was standing right over the butterfly, but I felt I couldn’t really get down onto it nicely without my prominent shadow scaring it off. So on a hot day I just got down on the floor and eventually almost lied there giving me the ability to move myself in the right position to take photos and get really close up to it. A marvelous thing for me and my Mum to do on the hottest of days. And I really liked this image. With my new (as of January) macro lens what it is good for it gave me I felt that quality and detail of the butterfly so much so that I compared it to my spring Green Hairstreak photo at Magdalen Hill my best butterfly picture with this new macro lens so far and one of my best ever butterfly photos. But this one also played to my senses. I think the colour of the butterfly, markings as well as the way the sun is hitting it makes it to the eyes what a sweet drink such as apple juice (a coincidence that I am drinking this as I write) does for the taste buds. It just gives me a real ripe and celebration of life feeling. And for me this is an ultimate summer image in a sense, one of my best butterfly moments of the year.

***Another of my standout landscapes from a set I was so happy with from Old Winchester Hill. What struck me when there and when reflecting of what was one of my best days of the year for wildlife and photography this week was that Old Winchester Hill is one of the most beautiful places in Hampshire. It reminded me of thinking this in the early days of us visiting here from 2009 onwards I believe before we knew what butterflies it held. The meadows are brilliant but what I like about this image is it sums up this rural beauty spot aura of Old Winchester Hill for me because what makes it that is those stunning views afar over the South Downs. I think this image shows the varied aspects of that well, but also still features a bit of the meadows that adorn and support the life of this incredible place.

****A big theme of this week also were the autumnal leaves and other autumnal characteristics at home and further afield mostly to the backdrop of the hot and very sunny weather. I just loved photographing this, and this Tuesday shot a tree turning autumnal out the front to the backdrop of the bright blue sky is my favourite such image. I just love the glow and flavour and light it shows and it makes me appreciate it and feel very pleasant. Its the multi-colour that makes it so the fact some leaves are still the summer green adds to it well. It reminds me very much of a picture I took of some autumn leaves in August 2013 at Bath that were up against a blue sky. One of my best ever images, one that when I used to pick photos of the week and year from my photos I named my colour, water and macro (What I would go onto refer to as my minority subjects) photo of the year. It was one of my first I think real great autumn leaves photos within my standard of photos and down the years I’ve taken more and more. But nothing ever matched it for me one with the aspect of it up against the blue sky with the sun shining right on it and two with so many different coloured leaves until this one on Tuesday which made it very satisfying to take.

*****Berries have also been a big point of my autumn sightings, perhaps my most prominent year for noticing various berries from summer into autumn this year. And I’ll never forget photographing these on Wednesday and seeing them. As I walked into the woods south of the bowl area my eyes just sailed over to this bright, prominent red on the floor. I simply had to go over and take a look, and I was thrilled to see these berries on a low plant when I did. It was a divine shade of my favourite colour red. With my macro lens on I could not resist a photo of these berries and I was pleased with how this came out. One of my most unique and memorable pictures this year I feel. It came in a strong theme of red this week, as in a lovely Facebook photo group I’m in ‘A Moment in Time’ their theme this week was photos showing red and I loved putting this and others for the walk and this week as I photographed stuff accordingly almost in for it.

******As I said a week in the season where birds are of less variety and about less I saw and photographed an increasing amount which was very pleasing supporting all the other wildlife I saw. I had many candidates for this post actually for birds. My birds of the past few weeks really have been one family, the Great Crested Grebe pair with their three adorable chicks at Lakeside Country Park beside where we live. I have had multiple goes at taking photos of them now, charting their journey so far and slight growth. I have always loved seeing this species one of my favourite birds here what a key moment in my whole birding and wildlife journey seeing them here for the first time aged 10 was. But its perhaps only the situation we’re in that I’ve been able to come over here so often to follow them this year that I’ve really connected to the family and I feel so lucky and amazed to have them so close. This photo I enjoyed taking. It was nice to watch the chicks in the binoculars and so close I could see them with my naked eye and see the adult coming in with a fish looking great on its own. I then got the camera ready and waited to pick the right moment to snap as their beaks came together and I just about managed it with the fish shown. Something I’d not always managed to time right these past few weeks with either my DSLR or bridge camera. I find this image interesting and pleasant to look back on. Like the autumn leaves it made me reminiscent of a past photo a 2015 shot of a Coot putting food into its chick’s beak at RSPB Radipole Lake which my Mum ended up printing on a mug for me as a present. So very pleasant memories.

*******Finally one taken too late on Friday evening to appear in the blog then so another Tumblr exclusive now. A massive theme this hot week with evenings drawing in so with windows being left open and light glaring out in a good time of year for it anyway was that many moths have come into our house and I’ve photographed most with my macro lens. This was the peak moment, with four in the living room this Heart and Dart, a new moth for us paraded nicely around and landed right behind the telly. I got my macro lens and managed this picture. What I liked about it was that macro quality again I feel for me. Its one of my best moth photos this year and ever I think. I didn’t just compare it to my favourite moth pictures with this lens so far this year, but the butterflies too. The moth interest is a side interest coming alongside the butterflies over this past decade but I photograph butterflies more so my butterfly pictures are generally better. In the end it didn’t quite compare to the Green Hairstreak and co or even my Scarlet Tiger moth at West Wood in July as the light in our house is no match for the natural sunlight. But in order to make this picture, I think it came close.

I hope for another great week ahead even if the weather has now changed and I wish you all the same. I am sorry my social profiles have been so packed this week! But thank you so much for your wonderful continued support again. This week certainly brings a build up to excitement in a very summery way for me, as instead of the Bird Fair that we would in every year since 2007 be heading to the brilliant Rutland Water we are using the Friday and next Monday I have off to go to Devon in the hope of seeing a Dipper and whatever else. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing some of the virtual Bird Fair though browsing through the events made me nostalgic of all the usual feelings I get when planning our days at the fair in a normal year.

I am of course happy that the Bird Fair was cancelled this year it was the right thing to do in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and it simply would not have been safe to hold it especially given its international scope and it was an informed, correct, timely and sensitive call from the organisers. I hope the virtual events raises as much for the fundraising of the valuable projects it supports for Bird Life International. Whilst away in Devon I have no idea if they’ll be wi-fi or how good it will be in the cottage we’re staying in so I may have to post photos and blogs when home. I am excited to go to another part of the country I hold very dear. The Dipper would have been a target in our postponed June North Wales holiday so its very much a nice option of somewhere to perhaps try and salvage something to enjoy this lovely long weekend we have ahead once I get to Thursday. I hope you all stay safe and enjoy the next week.

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theuniversitychallengereview · 6 years ago

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UC 48.33 & 34 - Edi/Bri + Man/Dar

I was going to start this by saying it had been a while since I’d last had to do a multi-episode post, but I just scrolled back and it was apparently only a few months ago, so I guess I can’t. I was also going to open with a bit about how, if I wanted to use this blog as an example of my writing prowess to any prospective employers, it would be like putting down as a reference your boss from that bar job where you’d fallen asleep midway through pouring a pint and caused a mini lager-flood. But I said that last time as well, so in addition to showing up my inconsistent posting schedule I’d also be outing myself as an uninspired self-plagiarist.

Its obvious, both intuitively and from the brief period when I actually did manage to upload a few hours after episodes were dropping, that the only way to grow my engagement and readership is to get my blogs online in that short window immediately after the show when people are in that sweet, sweet UC headspace. Thats how the internet works, you move too slow and you get left behind. So why is it that I’ve allowed myself to postpone my self-imposed deadline by a week, so that I write the previous week’s blog just before the current one should be due? Why is it easier to distract myself from the same focus-scattering effects of Twitter and YouTube that I should be trying to counteract by getting the work done right away after a seven day interval has passed?

I can’t answer those questions, but I’m trying to get the point where I can by sleeping with my phone in the other room and reading my 12 issues for £12 Economist when I wake up instead (all the podcasts were right, its like a collection of really long tweets, but without the hashtag wars).

One advantage of the fact that no one reads these anymore is that I feel less obligation to not go off on solipsistic tangents before I’ve even started (not that the obligation ever stopped me before).

Anyway, as of two weeks ago, we’d had eight quarter final matches (twice as many as you usually get), and only had two to go. Durham and Teddy Hall were relaxing in the pot for the semi final draw, having already won a couple of QFs each, whereas Glasgow and Emmanuel would be staying forever in this stage after two losses on the trot. Four teams were still trapped here, with a win and a loss under their belts, but they would know their fates soon enough.

Edinburgh vs Bristol

In my last review, I said of Emmanuel, Cambridge that they had had the hardest possible quarter-final draw, getting knocked out by Teddy Hall and Darwin, and I don’t disagree with that, but Bristol faced the same two opponents, and would be sitting pretty in the semis had it not been for a hundred-point comeback by the cuddly Oxonians, after they had neutered the exuberance of Jason Golfinos in their match against Darwin. Edinburgh knew they’d have to be wary of a Bristolian quartet who had shown they could rise to the level of their opposition after a fairly nondescript opening few rounds.

Fitz-James buzzed in after only two words to give Edinburgh the first ten points of the game, and they doubled their score with two bonuses on Sir John Everett Millais. Booth looks anguished as he negs the next starter though, and Basu gets Bristol off the mark with a speculative guess of Tolstoy. Sumner, a physicist who’s been very good at physics questions all series, beats Fitz-James to the buzz for Transistors to give the English side the lead.

But just like the current in an AC circuit, they don’t hold it for too long, as Paxman generously says he’ll accept Fitz-James’ answer of the North Star, one of the given names for Polaris, in place of Polaris. How kind of Paxo. Bonuses on sub-atomic particles as represented by the initials corresponding to numerical scientific notation follow. Having correctly identified 10^-12 as being pico (i.e ‘p’) Booth goes too deep and suggests the pi-meson. FJ frowns, and rightly diverts to proton. Sometimes the questions aren’t so complicated.

Bristol take the lead with the Picture Qs, and it continues to alternate rapidly, with neither side able to take control of the contest. It looked as if it was going to be a matter of who had their noses in front when the gong went, but Edinburgh managed to find something in their locker, taking four out of the last five starters to put the game out of Bristol’s reach.

This will have been filmed soon after Bristol’s devastating last-minute loss to Teddy Hall, so that may have been playing on their minds going into the final stages, and they again seemed to run out of steam, falling just short of the semis for the second time. The Avonside University have now made the Quarter Finals on seven occasions in the Paxman era (including in four of the last five years) but have failed to make it beyond them every time. This was certainly the closest they’ve come.

For Edinburgh its a third semi in as many years, and they’ll be hoping they can make the leap Bristol couldn’t and go one stage further than they’ve ever managed before.

Final Score: Edinburgh 155 - 120 Bristol

Manchester vs Darwin, Cam

Darwin, the last Cambridge college left in the competition, had looked unstoppable in their first two rounds, before coming unstuck against Bristol in their first quarter-final. Their Talismanic captain Jason Golfinos was back on form as they smashed fellow Cantabrigians Emmanuel, but the loss demonstrated an over-reliance on the skipper. Manchester would be hoping for another off-day from the American

However, he introduced himself as being from ‘New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice’, and you don’t introduce yourself as being from ‘New York, New York, the city so nice they named it twice’, unless you’re feeling full of confidence. Its like when a footballer is so sure they’ll score that they store some kind of prop behind the goal to crack out when they do (see Raul Jiminez vs Watford on Sunday).

It only takes him up until the word ‘Chrysippus’ in the opening question to show that this confidence was not misplaced. Darwin go ten points clear with his answer of laughing, which Manchester are not. They know they’re in for a tough game. Lynott comes in early in a bid to counteract Golfinos, but can only send the Mancunians below zero, where they would stay for some time. In fact, the Golfmeister would amass four starters personally before Hanson finally buzzed in, scared, with Shannon, and brought them back into positive figures.

A starter for Mulley, and Golfinos’ fifth of the evening meant that the match was pretty much out of Manchester’s hands by the halfway stage, but Antao quickly swooped up the music question, on piano pieces with the right hand missing, and was even able to name the exact piece, which impressed Paxman. This would be the highlight of Manchester’s night - not a bad highlight, all told, but indicative of the gulf between the two sides. Golfinos hammered out another starter, and then seemed to ease off a bit, allowing his opponents to break into triple figures.

For Manchester, this series represented their best performance since the end of their dominant era in 2014, and perhaps a sign that they’re on the path back to the top of the game. And for Darwin, if Golfinos turns up, this may well represent a great shot at the trophy.

Final Score: Darwin, Cam 195 - 120 Manchester

The semi finals will thus be as follows:

Edinburgh vs Durham

Darwin, Cam vs Teddy Hall, Ox

This draw is interesting because it guarantees a non-Oxbridge finalist for the first time in 6 years. It also guarantees the Darwin-Teddy Hall match featuring the head to head battle between the series’ two top buzzers in Golfinos and Freddy Leo. Its also a bit strange because Edinburgh and Durham already played each other in the QFs, and rematches are generally avoided until the final. Its in part for this reason that the past five finals have been all-Oxbridge affairs, so unless the past draws have been pure coincidence, this indicates that a conscious decision was made to guarantee a finalist from outside the Big Two...

#university challenge #bbc2 #edinburgh #manchester #darwin #cambridge #bristol #jeremy paxman

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oldguy56-world · 5 years ago

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50 Shades of Grey

It has been a while since I wrote about aging (or has it? Sorry the memory goes in and out some days) but there are definite signs that my senses are dulling. What prompted this revelation? A couple of weeks back I went downtown to support what I thought was a Gray Pride Parade. I could have sworn that's what I read, but the eyes are failing me. I was very surprised to not see many other old guys down there, but I have to say my choice of clothing (white muscle shirt and multi colored shorts) fit the fashion motif a lot of people were wearing. I met a lot of nice, friendly people, and none seemed disappointed I was not there to meet a new mate. (not sure if I should be insulted or relieved, not that there is anything wrong with that)

Bottom line is that this experience had me taking stock of how much my senses have dulled over the years. I know there are things I cannot do that I once did easily, but the change has been so gradual it kind of snuck up on me. Let's take stock of what I mean.

Sight: Besides the aforementioned blending of letters when reading, I have to wear my glasses for more than just reading. I am tired of going for a walk and seeing a man crouched near the sidewalk, only to get close and find out it is a shrub. At least that is better than petting another hydrant.

Hearing: Is it just me, or is everyone mumbling more? I listen to the news and first time through I swear they are saying naughty words, only to read the ticker across the bottom and realize that is not what they said. Imagine when I thought I heard the Queen might be abducted for prime chuck, only to find out they said she might abdicate for prince Chuck. Now that I think of it they mean almost the same.

Smell: I could tell at one time, what type of meat was on the bbq and what sauces were being used from a great distance. Now, offensive odors don't bother me. Good for me, bad for anyone around after eating cabbage or day four of not realizing I should have showered every day.

Taste: Certain foods would never have touched my lips. Now I eat them. either my palate has matured, or it just doesn't matter what goes down the old gullet anymore. For family and friends: fear not. I still will not let my food touch on the plate. This is more psychological than sensory, and there is no fixing that idiosyncrasy.

Feel: This is the one exception. My heart feels more now, and while my brain has numb moments, this was always the case.

Memory: Names are starting to escape me. I now understand why old guys call people Skipper or Buddy. It is increasingly important to have not only your contact names on your phone, but a picture as well. I suspect this feature was invented by an older person so they could remember who was calling. It can be embarrassing to call a family member Buddy unless you live in Newfoundland.

Stamina: I can get tired walking to the fridge. When I was young I could make it all the way to the bathroom upstairs before fatigue set in. The times they are a changing.

Balance: While I was never described as nimble, I could move around freely. Every now and then I get a bit unsteady. I am not sure if this is a result of age, or the fact that my head seems to be continuing to grow, throwing off my equilibrium completely. The statues on Easter Island must be depicting very old tribal members.

So this is a heads up to those of you noticing changes as you move through life. Embrace it and adapt.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: If you are debating whether to exercise or relax, decide it during a nap. This will bring perspective.

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afriend410 · 6 years ago

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So I almost got into a fight with a couple at a popular theme park today. (Hint: their theme has to do with Africa) My boyfriend and I were in line to one of their newest roller coasters about a snake’s curse and we were standing there and bad planning on their parts, the line has poor lighting. Anyways, were waiting and a family about 6 (1 aunt, 1 mom, and 4 girls) are behind us. We turn a corner and my Boyfriend feels someone right up against him (like hip to hip action going on), which is weird because there is an adequate while standing in line you give people space. You know don’t pop anyone’s bubble. I thought the guy was with the family he looked like he could be with them. However, another girl on the other side of the barrier of the line starts talking to him and showing him pictures that their friend just sent, a red flag goes up because I know they are trying to cut, but I give a benefit of the doubt, maybe I miss read the situation. NOPE. When we’re a good 5 feet into the line again the girl comes up behind me and the family and says “excuse me I am with him.” I lost it. I hate being cut in line especially when the wait is 60 minutes and the park is closed at this point and everyone in line has a guaranteed place on the ride so really no need to do such a thing. Plus, there are families with kids behind and in front of us and if you know me... you don’t cheat kids out of things when I am around. I yell “No, you are cutting.”

Do you want to know what this wannabe guy with a gold chain and messed/greased up hair said to us, with the girlfriend on his arm? “It's okay I own the park.”

THE HELL YOU DO! If he owns this multi-billion dollar company then I own the one with the talking mouse.

Guys I yelled at them in the best way possible you can yell at someone with children around. I did not cuss once (my boyfriend is another story lol). I even told them they were low enough to dirt to cut in front of kids who are tired and are waiting to enjoy the last ride of the day. I even slow clapped after a sarcastic comment. Told them they needed to go back in line and wait like everyone else. Like my boyfriend and I did. Like I was proud of myself because not only did I stand up for me, but also for others. But the story gets better because there’s a rule in this park that if you are found cutting you are banned. So we were going to wait and report them as soon as we got to the carts. It never got that far.

So again the cutters are behind us, refusing to move and such scheming when to cut us. Let me tell you it was never going to happen. With the two of us, we made a barrier where you literally have to ask us to move to get by. Which some families did because they couldn’t wait anymore in the long line so they were exiting. Hearing this miss I am entitled to everything says “OH let me check how long it is and tries to get past my boyfriend as she pulls her man along with her. My boyfriend without a skipped beat blocks her with his arm and says “The hell you are. You are not cutting us.” she tries to make her excuse and he just cuts her off and says again “No. You guys are trying to cut and I’ll be damned if you do.”

this gets wannabe all mad as he gets in my boyfriend's face and yells “Don’t touch my girlfriend bro! Touch her again I will punch you” Of course, my boyfriend is keeping his cool (so glad he works with the police department) as I and the other girl are trying to cool the situation and get them to back off each other. Parents are pulling their kids out of the way for good reason. But dude bro won’t have it and so the Aunt from behind us screams “I’m going to get a crew member!” and we let her past and now we are just waiting. Dudebro is still trying to get my boyfriend to punch him but he’s just a statue at this point waiting for the first blow. Miss entitled gets scared as others are just saying “see what happens when the crew member comes and kicks you out.” So what does she do... she drags her boyfriend with her out to the exit and everyone and I mean EVERYONE starts clapping. A crew member comes, ask for a description and continues through the line to make sure they are out of the park.

Best moment in my day so far. What makes it funnier to me is a mom whose a family behind us tells my boyfriend, “If he would have slugged you my husband was ready to jump in.” and I saw husband just nod and agree. I am happy to see a whole bunch of people on our side, but I think it was because we were only advocating not only for them but mainly their children. Like we were the same age as the line skippers, but we are decent enough to wait like everyone else. They did not have any more right than what we did.

#personal #sorry for the rant #if you haven't guessed the place its busch gardens

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getseriouser · 5 years ago

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20 THOUGHTS: A bit unfit and a bit fat, but that’s alright

LAST Saturday night was just weird.

This column, with tongue firmly in cheek, prides itself on its gambling connection (Nat Fyfe, if you can get anything over $3 for the Brownlow just remortgage the house, don’t be subtle).

So to think of the possible odds for North to score only one goal, into Doggies 21 goals in a row, into the Wallabies highest ever score against New Zealand, sweet Jesus what a multi.

Then looking ahead to this weekend, first plays second, third plays fourth, another must-watch weekend of footy.

Oh, and Lord’s starts tomorrow night. You’re welcome.

1. Positive up front, and how bloody good is Roughy? Gets a send off this Sunday and rightfully so. 282 games but remember he lost a good chunk with his cancer battle. Almost 600 goals and was a key member of four flags. Two All-Australians and a Coleman too to boot. Bonafide legend. Onya Rough.

2. Ben Simmons gets another mention, but I’m kinda confused. Don’t get me wrong, this column doesn’t resile from the stance his ‘late withdrawal’ from the Boomers-Team USA game was stinky, especially after he just signed a new contract; he isn’t jeopardising getting a new one. He has been paid. But now all the other shade getting thrown his way seems a bit tall poppy. The Crown thing was a complete non-story, sure, not everyone’s a 200 million dollar NBA player, but how many bastards are getting knocked back from the cas every minute? And then coverage on perceptions of petulance and what not, when the coverage of his philanthropy in and around paid gigs isn’t quite sexy enough so it doesn’t happen? Look. Whack him for not suiting up for the Boomers. Aside from that, this has been a good return home, not a train wreck some media outlets would lead you to believe.

3. Speaking of train wrecks, the Bombers, my word. Sure, the game was horrendous and that’s been spoken about. But to do that when clearly the whole week leading up was how they would respond to the thrashing to Port a week earlier. Like that? So either Freo cops a twice-as-motivated Essendon this week looking to make amends for a fortnight of crap, or things do indeed come in three’s?

4. Dogs were ace though. They get that fling and ping footy going, dish, dish, then hammer down the field almost Mighty Ducks flying V style, its amazing to watch and incredibly effective. Might be playing off for a finals spot last round at Ballarat against the Crows. Would be good to see them make it, even if they have dropped some dud games this season.

5. Josh Dunkley was a scroungy forward type in the premiership year, then been a bit ‘yes, no, not sure’, but the last two months works harder than Lance Armstrong fresh from a Priceline visit. Lovely story, hope this blooms into one hell of a career. Kid can play.

6. Speaking of kids, this column has adopted ‘the Fog’. Darcy Fogarty, a country kid who is 6”4 and almost 15 stone in the old, lump of a lad, can seriously go. Sporting Mark Riccuito’s old number, he was taken at pick 12 in the 2017 draft, and this columnist is very happy with who the Pies took at pick six despite that player now being suspended for too much time on the pick six, but was eyeing off the Fog to end up in black and white, such was his potential. Boom junior, great size. Last weekend finally gets a breakout game, five snags against a good West Coast backline over there; he will own that goal square for a decade that boy. The Fog. Very much ‘a buy’.

7. And how the AFL gave the Rising Star nom to Oscar Allen over Fog is a travesty. Not like you could have missed Fog’s game, whilst Allen booted three snags at one end, not hard to see the Fog dominate at the other, wouldn’t have thought. Morons.

8. Crouch brothers, a fan, not at Fog levels but still. 88 touches between them, 10 tackles, 15 clearances, 12 inside 50s. Without them, Eagles win easy by eight goals if not more. The two Ballarat boys can play.

9. Enjoying the Al-Clarkson version of Chad Wingard. Was too happy to wear long sleeves on a dry but cool day in Adelaide and get away with not doing extras. Now, in a club that bans long sleeves and embraces adversity, strength through struggle, he is looking like an AFL footballer. Playing majority onball of late, has had over 20 touches the last month and averaged 28 the last two weeks. Upward trajectory for him I sense.

10. Freo win that, its an easy three votes for Nat Fyfe and that come Brownlow night might be the votes that sets off the flash photography. Should still get the three but now might be a sneaky two. Either way, this column did appoint the Bont as the best player in the comp, last three weeks the Freo skipper has averaged 32 touches, eight clearances and a goal a game. It’s Bont over Fyfe just right now. Just.

11. But Jack Steven gets votes for Sunday, played well, good to see him out there first and foremost. Had a terrible year away from footy and we hope that its only good things from here on out, but gee he is a good footballer when going. Quick, exciting, skillful. Hopefully a big 2020 in store for him.

12. And low and behold, Dann Hannebery played some good footy too. What a surprise to some, hey? But look, that game on Sunday is the kind of value the Saints could use. If he can produce more of that over the next 24 months, too stay on the park, despite all the nay-sayers at the start of the year the move for St Kilda will have been incredibly shrewd and well justified after all.

13. Good stat on Fox Footy Monday – Richmond has only played one game against a top four team all year, that was Geelong a few weeks ago and got spanked. Further, West Coast have only played two top eight teams after Round Six, once was a win over Essendon, but given last Saturday that’s not much to write home about, and then a home loss to Collingwood a month or so back. Form line questions much?

14. And its why we still question Brisbane. Have 15 wins on the board but have basically played Frankston Dolphins seven times. Now after last Saturday I’m not as sold on this theory, but give Essendon some confidence back, and some of their absent stars too, if the Bombers and Lions played each other 10 times, say on neutral ground, the Dons win at least five for mine, no doubt. Their records against top 8 teams are basically identical. Alas, on different paths though.

15. Christian Petracca only had one game above 20 touches before Queen’s Birthday, and that was against the Gold Coast. Since then he has had a few. He is an absolute front runner. Needs to get out of Melbourne and get under a Clarkson or Chris Scott who’ll make him work. We’ve highlighted Wingard at Hawthorn, something similar might just extract the amazing talent out of the former no.2 pick. He should be a Cripps or Dangerfield in the guts, but is playing like a poor man’s Jack Gunston. Disappointing. So is his club too in 2019 for that matter.

16. Steve Coniglio, its GWS or Carlton it seems. Reckon the Giants would be stiff to lose him given they let go of Shiel, Setterfield, Lobb amongst others last year because of a cap crunch, particularly when it came to keeping cash aside for Josh Kelly and Coniglio. Still think he stays, I think if he was to go it would have been home, and I don’t see WA acquiring Tim Kelly and Coniglio this year, and Kelly is a definite.

17. Kelly gets to Freo, I think, don’t see the Eagles making it work without a surprise. Brad Hill definitely comes back to Victoria off the back of that, but probably not Geelong. Jack Steven to the Cats still has legs, if nothing else to get back to Lorne, near family and friends – would be ideal given his mental health. But too, if the Saints don’t think they’re winning a flag within three years, then Steven who turns 30 around Round One next year, it just makes sense then despite his overwhelming love for the red, white and black.

18. Ashes, quick one, reckon they’d like to play Mitch Starc but they may go in unchanged. Josh Hazlewood definitely plays Headingly in the third test though, as it starts only a couple days after the Lord’s test finishes, very quick turnarounds. Cam Bancroft plays tomorrow night, and just needs to get a gutsy 30 I reckon either innings to stay in the team. Langer loves him, and can see the potential. But remember, if Australia wins this test, England would need to win all three tests left to get the Urn. A draw and England will need at least two more wins but don’t forget, two of the last three tests are in the British Autumn. Don’t need Jane Bunn to tell you how wet that gets.

19. So those Wallabies huh? Where’d that come from? Want to see more though from this weekend’s inevitable loss at Eden Park, coz the form line doesn’t stack up. Two matches ago in South Africa still looked mighty concerning. So yes, awesome, great stuff, but I’m reluctant to trust in it too much. However, Samu Kerevi, he is a superstar. Remember his name. Most talented rugby player we’ve had in a generation, an equal to someone going through the courts right now we won’t mention. Between him and James O’Connor, there’s the pairing that could propel the Wallabies deep into a World Cup that until recently they had no rights to do.

20. And we finish with Perth. Specifically Optus Stadium. So they’ve had a NRL State of Origin, they hosted Manchester United and now smashed out an amazing Bledisloe Cup fixture. Meanwhile, we no doubt have the strongest ever WA Origin side in our grasps and it’ll never play a game, more specifically nor at that amazing ground. Littered with Brownlows, Colemans, All-Australians, Premierships, it’s a crying shame. So, if you don’t bring it back for good, at least let the people of Western Australia see their greatest ever team at a venue that’s clearly good for everyone else’s spectacles but not one of our own? Gil. Fix it.

0 notes

pavspatch · 5 years ago

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Thinking Inside the Box

GOOD cricket scorers need many qualities. They must possess an intense level of concentration as well as being patient, observant, numerate, neat and organised. In pre-laptop days, the best ones always had the ability to write clearly. In modern parlance, they have to be able to multi-task because there are always a dozen things that have to be done at once.

It’s immediately obvious that I lack such skills, but that didn’t stop me being called upon to score for Hyde Cricket Club over a number of years in the 1980s and 1990s in the Central Lancashire and Cheshire County leagues.

Given that I spent so much time in scoreboxes, I can say with some authority that the best scorers also need social skills. When you’re cooped up with someone for five or six hours in what amounts to little more than a rickety shed, it’s not too different to being stuck in a lift with them. If you can’t get on with them, or if they have a habit that annoys you, it can drive you mad. Fortunately, I encountered few scorers that I didn’t like. On the other hand, I met many who were, well, a little strange.

At a minor cup game in Stockport I suddenly found myself choking on a smell that was so bad I wondered if I was the victim of a poison-gas attack. As I struggled to breathe, or indeed see (I’ll swear there was a green mist), my opposite number asked: “Can you smell that?” without even lifting his eyes from the book but with a clear note of pride in his voice. “Yes,” I coughed. “Thought so,” he replied nodding slowly. “I’ve just farted.” And with a look of achievement on his face he continued to record the dots. I’m sure he believed he’d shared something special with me.

On a visit to Radcliffe, the fair was in town. The home scorer and his friends on the tins were all aged around 11 and at one point my weak powers of concentration were tested to the limit as a fight began. The owner of a goldfish won at one of the sideshows was not too happy when one of the others snatched the little plastic bag it came in, hung it out of a window and threatened to drop it 15ft or so.

I even found the Hyde wicketkeeper accused of causing a death at one club. I always found former skipper Andy Swain to be a very affable man but my co-scorer — who reminded me of an old-school corporation alderman — informed me very definitely that Andy’s “false” claims to have taken a catch the previous season had so upset the batsman’s father that he had suffered a heart attack and died. Later, when Andy was hopping about, the home man harrumphed away my explanations that the ball had hit him on the toes and accused him of having brown underpants disease.

As a scorer, I was from what might be termed the Tippex-school. I made so many mistakes, and had to apply the stuff so liberally to cover them up, that by the end of the season the book was twice as thick as it should have been, and there were lots of little white bits falling off. No matter what the game or where it was played, there was always something that I missed. After one game at Hyde, as the two of us desperately tried to work out a minor discrepancy in our totals, the Werneth Low equivalent of Coronation Street’s Norris Cole — every ground has one — scampered about the outfield, frantically announcing to anyone who passed that “the scorers have messed everything up. They can’t get anything to balance”.

This was the same man who was genuinely surprised by the reaction he received when he loudly criticised a returning Hyde opener for falling victim to a slow bowler, cheerfully ignoring the fact said batsman had previously weathered five fiery overs from Ezra Moseley.

The best scorer I ever met was a man at Milnrow. While I struggled to do the most basic job he completed two books, cartwheel charts of every stroke and even managed to conduct a conversation. What’s more, he could instantly pull career averages and records from a battered briefcase by his side. I could only look on in awesome appreciation.

By this point you’re possibly wondering why someone with as little ability as myself was ever asked to be scorer for Hyde’s first XI. The sad fact is, there was no one else and, as a reporter for the now defunct North Cheshire Herald, it was known that I would be at every game. My error was to let it be known in the bar one night that I had briefly been scorer for the under-15s team at Hyde Grammar School. My fate was sealed and I was led to my domain opposite the pavilion.

Nowadays, Werneth Lowe Road boasts a large electronic scorebox. Back in the 1980s it had a small, brick-built structure. It was the sort of place where it was much easier to stand than sit and whenever you moved the tins above your head — rotating drums bearing the numbers — you and the book would be showered with dead insects and flecks of rust. You’d be removing he stuff from your hair for days.

When I was asked to score, it was one of those offers that you can’t refuse. It’s true that I loved Werneth Low Road, a hilltop ground which commands stunning views. However, the club also has several characters with whom one does not argue. They are part of its charm.

Take Peter Hardman, who has served in the club in just about every capacity including captain, manager, chairman and groundsman. He is known as hard by name and hard by nature, although I occasionally suspect there is a heart beating somewhere deep beneath his rhino-like exterior. Ten or so years ago, when the microphone wasn’t working before a quiz night, he disappeared into near-by Gee Cross to buy some batteries. And he returned with them. Trouble was he lost the mic en-route. We all thought it hilarious but no one dared say so.

Alongside Peter were others such as Merv Riley, a Desperate Dan lookalike, and Tony Ghilks. Ghilksy is the man who once missed a game because the dog had eaten his false teeth. A fast bowler himself, he had no fear of Ezra Moseley, and would happily face the scourge of the Central Lancashire League without a helmet and using a packet of 20 Park Drive in his hip pocket as a thigh pad.

Bad as I was, I enjoyed my days as club scorer although I wouldn’t have admitted the fact until fairly recently. There were, however, one or two frightening occasions when players were held up by traffic and the skipper would talk about dragooning me in as a reserve, or better still a forlorn hope.

These scenarios always began with that most ridiculous of questions “have you got your kit with you?” Well of course I didn’t — I didn’t own any. The reason I wrote about cricket and bumbled about as a scorer was that I wasn’t good enough to play it, although I did once clip the off-handle of a dustbin being defended by Jeff Hammond’s son Ashley on an Adelaide lawn in 1991 (after he had hit me for 28 off the previous five deliveries). The thought of me facing a Central Lancashire League professional was farcical in the extreme. Fortunately, the missing players always turned up.

My most memorable day occurred at Crompton in 1992, in what I think was Hyde’s last game in the CLL. I found myself sharing the box with a very talkative lady who worked as a nurse in the heart transplant unit at Wythenshawe Hospital in south Manchester. She was very keen to share her experiences.

I learned that the ward staff enjoyed Chinese food and often displayed what appeared to be a rather chilling calmness and detachment in response to emergencies. Looking back, I suppose they were taking refuge in their own brand of macabre humour. What made the conversation even more bizarre, however, was that it took place against the backdrop of a cricket match. Talk of haemorrhages, blood transfusions and stents was interspersed with questions about whether the ball had crossed the boundary rope or been stopped by a fielder, or whether the umpire had signalled byes or leg byes. Our heads were bobbing up an down continually.

After completing her do-it-yourself crash course in cardiovascular surgery, my colleague finally drew breath and confided in me that despite all her life-saving work, she would have struggled to undergo a heart transplant herself, no matter how ill she was. As I raised my eyebrows in response — there was no time to get a word in edgeways or otherwise — she added: “Oh it would be so creepy, waking up in the middle of the night to hear someone else’s heart beating.”

I hardly had time to ponder this opinion before she went on: “But I certainly could never, ever have a heart-lung transplant.” “Why’s that?” I interjected, recording a four and waving to the umpires to acknowledge their signal. “Would that be because it’s a very dangerous operation with little chance of success?”

“No, no,” she chirped back. “Survival rates are getting better all the time. What I couldn’t bear would be bringing up somebody else’s greb.”

Howzat?

0 notes

rnrmarineservices-blog · 6 years ago

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Record fleet sets off for 40th Route du Rhum, with 40-knot conditions forecast

An incredible fleet starts this year's 40th anniversary Route du Rhum, but with potentially boat-breaking conditions forecast

Along a three-mile start line off St Malo, 123 boats set off on the 40th Route du Rhum singlehanded transatlantic race to Guadaloupe this afternoon.

For most of the skippers, setting off will be a temporary relief. The first stage of the solo transatlantic to Guadaloupe – the famous docking out through St Malo's locks – started yesterday evening and ran right through to the small hours of this morning.

As well as being a spectacle, the drawn out process is a logistical necessity for the enormous fleet to exit St Malo's medieval walls and huge tidal range. For skippers with support crews it was an enjoyable photo opportunity, a chance to acknowledge the huge crowds that assemble to wave every boat off, before a fast RIB ride back to a warm hotel bed for the last night. But for solo sailors on a shoestring – and there are plenty, in amongst the glossy branded boats – it will have been a tiring start before what looks set to be an exhausting race.

The forecast is intimidating. I spoke to Jack Trigger, who is sailing the Class 40 Concise 8, straight after yesterday's weather briefing, and he said that the conditions for the first 72 hours were better than anticipated. This afternoon saw the huge fleet set off in sunshine and around 15-18 knots. With boats ranging from 39ft plywood trimarans to the foiling Ultimes all on one line, albeit a zoned one, the less frenetic conditions than previously predicted will have been a relief to everyone

But a low pressure system will reached the bulk of the fleet, particularly the Class 40 fleet, by Tuesday. The faster Ultimes may be able to escape the worst, but the IMOCAs will also have to go through 40-knot north-westerlies.

“Not immediately, but I think days three to five we will get hit pretty hard,” Trigger explained. “I think we might see 50 knots, and it's going upwind and it's about the predicted sea state. So we'll get it in the middle of Biscay.” Predicted waves are up to 11 metres.

“It's so changeable, there are multiple low pressures and secondary lows moving about, so we'll just see what happens,' Trigger added. “So we'll end up coming down through Biscay, tacking across one front where we'll see 50, then tacking back, then tacking through a second [front] where we'll probably see the same again.” Was he worried about it? “I'm excited!”

St Malo in the sunshine has a carnival atmosphere, enormous crowds rammed 20-deep along the docks, their excitement heightened by an endless barrage of drums, pipes, light shows and no small quantities of alcohol. The Route du Rhum pre-start does not share the sombre intensity of a Vendée departure, but this race, with its November North Atlantic course, does have a reputation as something of a demolition derby and there was a definite air of nervousness.

“The thought of tacking one of these boats in 10m waves and 40 knots of winds is not something anyone looks forward to,” said Hugo Boss skipper Alex Thomson before the start, adding that he “doesn't have any idea how an Ultime handles that kind of situation.”

All eyes will be on the Ultime class. The three magnificent new foilers – Armel Le Cleac'h's Banque Populaire IX, Francois Gabart's modified Macif, and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild – have never seriously competed against one another. Some brief line-ups out of Port la Foret last month suggested Seb Josse's Edmond de Rothschild might have the edge, but nobody really knows.

I asked Vincent Laurent Prevost for VPLP, designers of Banque Populaire and Macif, what he expected from the fleet. Ditto Loick Peyron, the current Route du Rhum course record holder (on the previous generation Banque Pop), and legendary multihull sailor. Neither would be drawn on the topic, but it's not wholly down to being evasive. It's partly down to the fact that even the skippers can't predict how this will shake down, so relatively short are they of race time and solo flight time.

Two days before the start I asked Seb Josse, skipper of the Edmond de Rotschild Ultime, how far in advance he had planned his race in detail. “No, wrong question!” he laughed ruefully.

Photo ©Thierry Martinez/Sea & Co

“The boat touched the water last year, and we had a lot of technical things to sort out. At the beginning of this year, each time after we sailed for 24 hours we'd be on the dock for two weeks.

“So it takes a lot of time to really know how to sail this boat in singlehanded mode. In some conditions I'm really confident – 20-25 knots of wind, it's not easy but I know what I'll do. After that, in more wind… we'll see! We've never sailed this boat in these types of conditions before.

“Armel and Francois don't sail one day alone yet in these flying boats, Francois knows how to go fast for 42 days, for definite, but we don't know how to sail fast for five days. So the first thing we need to do is manage the boats, not capsize, and go fast and fly when we can.”

Unlike the Imoca and Class 40 fleets, the Ultimes (and Rhum Multi class) are allowed external routing, which removes some of the decision-making factor from the solo skippers and is intended to help keep them away from dangerous sea states. As foil controls and onboard telemetry have become increasingly advanced, those race rules have been clarified this year to ensure that any 'remote control' developments are outlawed.

The IMOCA class, with 20 entries, is another incredibly high quality fleet. There is much curiosity about how the show-stopping Charal, another unknown quantity, will perform. The VPLP-design is the first of the latest generation foilers, launched just weeks ago. It is aggressive and impressive, but as yet unproven. Alex Thomson, who has a VPLP designed IMOCA 60 currently in build, said it was hard to predict how Charal would be sailed in the Route du Rhum.

“It's difficult to get a boat this new properly up to speed yet, and it's difficult to be confident because you don't know what its reliability is yet. But if they are competitive in this, then I tip my hat to their team because I know how hard it is to do.”

By contrast, Stuart Hosford, managing director of Alex Thomson Racing, said that he was very relaxed about their preparation of Hugo Boss for what will be Thomson's last race on the boat that took him to 2nd in the Vendée Globe. “We know the boat so well, Alex knows it so well, there are no unknowns,” said Hosford.

“So for us it's a really nice race start because we're at the end of a cycle with this boat and everything's ticked off. But we also want this boat to be successful, and deliver on all the love and attention that went into it – it becomes very personal to us!”

While the hull platform for Thomson's new Boss has already come out of the moulds, Hosford said he will be among those watching Charal for information that might inform the design of the foils for the new Boss – particularly the second set of foils that is likely to be developed before the 2020 Vendée Globe.

“It's kind of a mixed thing for us – we want to beat them and we hope the boat's not too fast in this race, but at the same time it is the same designer and it will be our generation of that boat, so we'd hate to think it wasn't fast. That would be more concerning.”

Alex put it more forcefully: “On one hand I want them to do well, because it's another VPLP boat and that's where ours is coming from. On the other hand, I want to kick their arse!”

Photo © Mark Lloyd

Besides the two black boats, the likely favourites in the IMOCA class are Yann Elies, who won the last major transatlantic, the 2017 TJV, in the same yacht, and Vincent Riou. Riou has re-optimised PRB with new foils, and has been consistently quick during the Port La Foret training races. Thomson said his team would also be watching Riou's performance particularly closely for clues as to what the next generation of Juan Kouyoumdjian foils might look like.

In a fleet packed with talent there are plenty of others who cannot be discounted. Among them Sam Davies, who has been able to put in plenty of training hours on Initiatives Coeur, leading many in St Malo to tip her for a podium finish.

The Class 40 fleet, with a staggering 53 entries, would make an impressive event all on its own. The level varies hugely. There are skippers like Yoann Richome, a former Figaro champion with a highly covetable CV, who has built a brand new Lombard-designed latest generation Lift 40 with the single intention of winning the Route du Rhum. There are amateur sailors, often highly successful individuals who have chosen the 40 class to fulfil a dream of racing against the pros.

There are plenty of young French sailors on some of the class's more vintage designs. And there is a strong cohort of British sailors – Phil Sharp, Sam Goodchild and Jack Trigger – all of whom will be hoping they can survive the potentially boat-breaking conditions and make the right routing decisions to stay in touch for a podium finish.

Even the two 'Rhum' classes, which in many events you could be forgiven for assuming is a selection of also-rans and enthusiasts, here sees sailors of the calibre of Sydney Gavignet and Sebastien Destremau line up against first-timers in classic ketches in the monohulls.

Meanwhile in the multihulls there are three yellow Walter Greene trimarans, each sisterships to the 39ft plywood tri that won the first Route du Rhum back in 1978 for Canadian skipper Mike Birch (Birch, now 87, was there to wish his friend Charlie Capelle in Acapella good luck and treated like a true celebrity by the gathered crowds).

Among the skippers racing a little yellow is Loick Peyron, holder of the current seven-day race record, who was preparing for a 22 day crossing on his 'little bicycle', the bright yellow Water Greene tri Happy. For Loick, who has nothing to prove, this race is about nostalgia and a pure love of ocean sailing.

“It is about capturing that feeling of my first transatlantic, when I was just 19, on a Mini Transat with a sextant and alone for long periods. That feeling of being a bit lost was attractive to me.”

Photo ©Thierry Martinez/Sea & Co

He has refitted Happy to be as authentic to her time as possible, with a simple deck layout, no furlers, and minimal electronic aids – he will be mostly using a custom yellow sextant, complete with a smiley face.

Although he is taking a box of books to read, the Route du Rhum will still present a challenge to even masters like Peyron. “A boat like this is much more stable the wrong way up. I am the old fighter, the old combatant, who has never capsized. And I would like to stay like that for a long time.”

You can follow the fleet at https://www.routedurhum.com/en/cartography

The post Record fleet sets off for 40th Route du Rhum, with 40-knot conditions forecast appeared first on Yachting World.

0 notes

albinohare · 6 years ago

Text

Record fleet sets off for 40th Route du Rhum, with 40-knot conditions forecast

An incredible fleet starts this year’s 40th anniversary Route du Rhum, but with potentially boat-breaking conditions forecast

Along a three-mile start line off St Malo, 123 boats set off on the 40th Route du Rhum singlehanded transatlantic race to Guadaloupe this afternoon.

For most of the skippers, setting off will be a temporary relief. The first stage of the solo transatlantic to Guadaloupe – the famous docking out through St Malo’s locks – started yesterday evening and ran right through to the small hours of this morning.

As well as being a spectacle, the drawn out process is a logistical necessity for the enormous fleet to exit St Malo’s medieval walls and huge tidal range. For skippers with support crews it was an enjoyable photo opportunity, a chance to acknowledge the huge crowds that assemble to wave every boat off, before a fast RIB ride back to a warm hotel bed for the last night. But for solo sailors on a shoestring – and there are plenty, in amongst the glossy branded boats – it will have been a tiring start before what looks set to be an exhausting race.

The forecast is intimidating. I spoke to Jack Trigger, who is sailing the Class 40 Concise 8, straight after yesterday’s weather briefing, and he said that the conditions for the first 72 hours were better than anticipated. This afternoon saw the huge fleet set off in sunshine and around 15-18 knots. With boats ranging from 39ft plywood trimarans to the foiling Ultimes all on one line, albeit a zoned one, the less frenetic conditions than previously predicted will have been a relief to everyone

“Not immediately, but I think days three to five we will get hit pretty hard,” Trigger explained. “I think we might see 50 knots, and it’s going upwind and it’s about the predicted sea state. So we’ll get it in the middle of Biscay.” Predicted waves are up to 11 metres.

“It’s so changeable, there are multiple low pressures and secondary lows moving about, so we’ll just see what happens,’ Trigger added. “So we’ll end up coming down through Biscay, tacking across one front where we’ll see 50, then tacking back, then tacking through a second [front] where we’ll probably see the same again.” Was he worried about it? “I’m excited!”

“The thought of tacking one of these boats in 10m waves and 40 knots of winds is not something anyone looks forward to,” said Hugo Boss skipper Alex Thomson before the start, adding that he “doesn’t have any idea how an Ultime handles that kind of situation.”

All eyes will be on the Ultime class. The three magnificent new foilers – Armel Le Cleac’h’s Banque Populaire IX, Francois Gabart’s modified Macif, and the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild – have never seriously competed against one another. Some brief line-ups out of Port la Foret last month suggested Seb Josse’s Edmond de Rothschild might have the edge, but nobody really knows.

I asked Vincent Laurent Prevost for VPLP, designers of Banque Populaire and Macif, what he expected from the fleet. Ditto Loick Peyron, the current Route du Rhum course record holder (on the previous generation Banque Pop), and legendary multihull sailor. Neither would be drawn on the topic, but it’s not wholly down to being evasive. It’s partly down to the fact that even the skippers can’t predict how this will shake down, so relatively short are they of race time and solo flight time.

Two days before the start I asked Seb Josse, skipper of the Edmond de Rotschild Ultime, how far in advance he had planned his race in detail. “No, wrong question!” he laughed ruefully.

Photo ©Thierry Martinez/Sea & Co

“The boat touched the water last year, and we had a lot of technical things to sort out. At the beginning of this year, each time after we sailed for 24 hours we’d be on the dock for two weeks.

“So it takes a lot of time to really know how to sail this boat in singlehanded mode. In some conditions I’m really confident – 20-25 knots of wind, it’s not easy but I know what I’ll do. After that, in more wind… we’ll see! We’ve never sailed this boat in these types of conditions before.

“Armel and Francois don’t sail one day alone yet in these flying boats, Francois knows how to go fast for 42 days, for definite, but we don’t know how to sail fast for five days. So the first thing we need to do is manage the boats, not capsize, and go fast and fly when we can.”

“It’s difficult to get a boat this new properly up to speed yet, and it’s difficult to be confident because you don’t know what its reliability is yet. But if they are competitive in this, then I tip my hat to their team because I know how hard it is to do.”

By contrast, Stuart Hosford, managing director of Alex Thomson Racing, said that he was very relaxed about their preparation of Hugo Boss for what will be Thomson’s last race on the boat that took him to 2nd in the Vendée Globe. “We know the boat so well, Alex knows it so well, there are no unknowns,” said Hosford.

“So for us it’s a really nice race start because we’re at the end of a cycle with this boat and everything’s ticked off. But we also want this boat to be successful, and deliver on all the love and attention that went into it – it becomes very personal to us!”

While the hull platform for Thomson’s new Boss has already come out of the moulds, Hosford said he will be among those watching Charal for information that might inform the design of the foils for the new Boss – particularly the second set of foils that is likely to be developed before the 2020 Vendée Globe.

“It’s kind of a mixed thing for us – we want to beat them and we hope the boat’s not too fast in this race, but at the same time it is the same designer and it will be our generation of that boat, so we’d hate to think it wasn’t fast. That would be more concerning.”

Alex put it more forcefully: “On one hand I want them to do well, because it’s another VPLP boat and that’s where ours is coming from. On the other hand, I want to kick their arse!”

Photo © Mark Lloyd

Besides the two black boats, the likely favourites in the IMOCA class are Yann Elies, who won the last major transatlantic, the 2017 TJV, in the same yacht, and Vincent Riou. Riou has re-optimised PRB with new foils, and has been consistently quick during the Port La Foret training races. Thomson said his team would also be watching Riou’s performance particularly closely for clues as to what the next generation of Juan Kouyoumdjian foils might look like.

There are plenty of young French sailors on some of the class’s more vintage designs. And there is a strong cohort of British sailors – Phil Sharp, Sam Goodchild and Jack Trigger – all of whom will be hoping they can survive the potentially boat-breaking conditions and make the right routing decisions to stay in touch for a podium finish.

Even the two ‘Rhum’ classes, which in many events you could be forgiven for assuming is a selection of also-rans and enthusiasts, here sees sailors of the calibre of Sydney Gavignet and Sebastien Destremau line up against first-timers in classic ketches in the monohulls.

Among the skippers racing a little yellow is Loick Peyron, holder of the current seven-day race record, who was preparing for a 22 day crossing on his ‘little bicycle’, the bright yellow Water Greene tri Happy. For Loick, who has nothing to prove, this race is about nostalgia and a pure love of ocean sailing.

Photo ©Thierry Martinez/Sea & Co

You can follow the fleet at https://www.routedurhum.com/en/cartography

The post Record fleet sets off for 40th Route du Rhum, with 40-knot conditions forecast appeared first on Yachting World.

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365footballorg-blog · 7 years ago

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World Cup 2018: The making of France and Manchester United's Paul Pogba

An £89m midfielder in the making, a world-record transfer waiting to happen.

Paul Pogba was already attracting the limelight before his 17th birthday, leaving his home country to join Manchester United from French outfit Le Havre.

While the move may have taken his coaches by surprise, the 16-year-old’s ambition and desire to succeed did not. Pogba knew he wanted to be a professional footballer from the first time he kicked a ball around in the suburbs of Paris with his older twin brothers.

But what sets a man who has won domestic and European titles and become an established France international apart from the dreamers who failed to make the grade?

From joining Roissy-en-Brie as a six-year-old to signing a contract in England a decade later, BBC Sport explores the making of Pogba with those who knew him best.

Pogba on winning, ping pong & deep-sea diving[1]

‘Paul was the baby that needed mothering’

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The son of Guinean parents, Pogba was born in March 1993 and raised in the East Paris commune of Lagny-sur-Marne with brothers Florentin and Mathias. The twins, three years his senior, would also become professional footballers. Despite his parents separating, Pogba’s family played a key role in his formative football years, taking a keen interest when he joined his first club Roissy-en-Brie, based a few miles south of his hometown.

Sambou Tati, club president of Roissy-en-Brie: “They still looked after his every need just like any good parents would do. Paul was the youngest, and the baby that needed mothering, so his mum pampered him like she had done the twins.

“But with Paul being the youngest, well, when you’re the youngest of three brothers you’re always going to be the most overindulged – the parents did a marvellous job.

“Dad was always there when it came to football, he’d help them and take them out on the open ground and he’d get them to practise with a hard ball, so they could all strike the ball really well.”

Zakaria Timera, who played with Pogba from aged seven: “The brothers were always together, in all the sports they played. They were very united, supportive of each other – they always stuck together, the three of them.

“Even ‘though they were not the same age, they always hung out and they were always behind him.”

Fabian Taupin, assistant coach at Roissy-en-Brie: “We used to meet his parents regularly, but beyond this, although his family were a big support, it is really the support of a whole community – the community of the club, of the town, of the south of his neighbourhood. That was the real support for Paul.

“Paul and his brothers have always been driven and this was very lucky for the three of them to have known from day one what they wanted.”

‘He consumed nothing but football’

Pogba joined Roissy aged six and began life at the club as a striker, immediately displaying the sort of determination and discipline that would take him all the way to the top.

Taupin: “He already had an atypical and very strong, determined character. He was a very good player already, but he was not the only one as we really had a good year of players.

“You could tell him he had to be at the club for 6am – he was there at 5.45am, he was ready at 5.30, he was available and he always, always wanted to play football. He always wanted to do more, he never stopped.

“Training was on Wednesdays and if he could not do a certain move we would tease him. On the following Saturday, he would come back and say: ‘Look, I am doing it right now, so, anything to say?’ That was Paul all over.

“There are plenty of players as talented at that age, but he worked very hard and this is something you cannot take away from him. He looks so at ease when he plays that we tend to forget all his success is down to his hard work, down to his dedication.”

Tati: “Morning, afternoon and night he consumed nothing but football, football, football. If he had a training session at 2pm, he’d want to stay until 7pm when his brothers were training and then he’d just be playing with a football by himself alongside the pitch.

“In the younger age-groups he’d been a striker, so when he was in Poussins [aged 10-11] and Benjamins [aged 12-13] he’d played right up front. When he came to me to play 11-a-side at the age of 13, I played him in the hole, just behind the main striker. That way he had a free role to do what he wanted.

“Whenever the team was losing or things weren’t going well, that would give him the chance to really shout at his team-mates to get them going. Even though he wasn’t the official skipper, he was a natural leader and captain.”

Timera: “He was someone with a huge amount of quality and ability, well ahead of his time, ahead of us and much stronger, too. He was a leader from the start.”

Julien Laurens: Can Pogba be the leader France have craved since Zidane’s retirement?[2]

‘If he was kicked a few times, he’d cry’

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Alongside his school studies and playing for Roissy, Pogba would spend hours honing his skills at the ‘City Stade’, a synthetic multi-sports pitch near his house, as well as turning out in inter-district games with his older brothers.

Timera: “Paul was a decent student who worked hard at school, but he was definitely more interested in football. It was very simple, if there was no school we would go and play at the City Stade pitch from 1pm. We could stay up there until 8 or 9pm.

“The field was right next to our houses, just a couple of minutes away. In fact, the only thing that could prevent us from playing was if we were thirsty and then we would go and have something to drink and head back to the pitch and we were off again. All that mattered was football.”

Tati: “The maturity he had in his game at a very young age was gained from playing with older kids. He was still quite small and in the district games he was playing with kids three years older than he was.

“I know his brothers would go in deliberately hard on him because there were times in games when he would cry if he’d been kicked. They would say to him, ‘No, no, no, you mustn’t cry! This is just how it has to be’.

“It was his brothers and also his brothers’ mates who really pushed him hard to get tough. Playing with an older age group helps you to be mentally stronger, and physically it makes you very solid and tough.”

Catching the eye of Le Havre

Pogba may have been impressing in his local club’s under-13s team, but he failed to earn a place at France’s famous Clairefontaine national football centre. However, professional club Le Havre were already monitoring the talented youngster’s progress and, via a stint with sixth-tier Torcy, signed the 14-year-old to their academy.

Franck Sale, head of recruitment at Le Havre: “I heard about Paul Pogba in the suburbs of Paris from my colleagues who saw him play when he was very young – about 11 or 12 – so we went to see him pretty quickly. He was playing on a City Stade.

“We soon spotted his qualities and quickly went to see him play on a full-size pitch. Paul was already playing with much older boys.

“There were lots of other clubs interested but not many got the opportunity to go and see him play, because we were quick off the mark. We discovered him quite early. Of course, Paris St-Germain could see him because he was in the suburbs of Paris.

“There were already a few foreign clubs looking, but not many of them. That’s where we were lucky. We did all that was needed for him to sign up with us – it went very, very quickly.

Paul Pogba Age: 25 Senior clubs: Manchester United, Juventus, Manchester United France caps: 52 Trophies: 3 x Serie A, 2 x Coppa Italia, 1 Europa League, 1 x League Cup

“I asked him to sign up when we were at his dad’s in Paris. His dad was absolutely adorable. We talked a lot about African football, especially Guinean football, and we ended up talking so much about football we nearly forgot to talk about the whole reason we were there, which was to get Paul’s contract signed!

“We had to wake Paul up and we signed the contract at 5am.”

Tati: “Since he was a boy who loved football so much and was determined to make it in the profession, by then Paul was certainly ready to play. He’d already left Roissy to go and train at Torcy and play in Division d’Honneur, which he managed comfortably and he never missed a training session.

“After all that, when the chance comes around to go to a club academy, I don’t think he is the type of kid that is going to say ‘no’ – even if at times it was difficult for him. But he’s given his all to be able to get to where he is today.”

Leaving the Pogbas behind

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Joining Le Havre meant leaving home for Pogba and moving into a room at the pre-academy headquarters around an hour and a half from his family home in Paris. That did not faze the teenager, whose real displays of emotion came on the pitch.

Sale: “It was not difficult for him as he already had this ambition to become a professional footballer, and also because Paris and Le Havre are not too far apart.

“He could go home easily and it was easy for his family to come and visit him too, but he was so focused that we cannot really say he was left with the typical heartbreak of leaving one’s family behind – it went really smoothly for him.

“His personality makes him a very special player who very quickly integrated into the team and the group well. We could nearly talk about a certain arrogance about him, as it seemed all so easy. He was popular with the other players. That was down to the personality and character he had, the lads liked him a lot.”

Michael Lebaillif, coach at Le Havre: “When boys arrive here at 14, they are already listening, they are discovering the structure of playing, they are discovering a way of coaching, and on the training pitch I would say everything went more or less well.

“Then there were other requirements, like the schooling side of things which we had to put into place for him, as he was still finding his strengths and his way in training.

“Paul was a very technically gifted young player, very good on the ball, but at the same time he was very competitive. He refused to lose, he hated losing, so he would occasionally have difficulty managing his emotions when things went wrong and he was on the losing side in a match, or if certain things didn’t quite come off right for him.”

‘We were strict with him, demanding’

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It was not all plain sailing for the young midfielder at Le Havre. Pogba clearly had talent and a determined work ethic, but his coaches believed he must apply himself even more to realise his potential.

Sale: “He was a hard worker, but it was all so easy for him that it could be difficult with the coaches at times. Because of his personality he could sometimes appear arrogant.

“We can even talk about a feeling of self-importance at times, which can still be found in his character these days in certain games. He was a hard worker, but he could work much harder and that’s why we were quite strict with him.

“We knew he would become a top-level player in the future, so we were quite demanding because Paul would produce three or four actions but then would slip back into a quiet rhythm, thinking his job was done for the game, as he still does at times as a professional in some games.

“You need to prick him as he tends to let things go.”

Lebaillif: “As a club we always have the intent to try to pit the boys who are doing particularly well in their age group against players who are already playing at the higher age levels, to help them up to the next level.

“Not in his first year for Paul, as he was still quite short, but in his second year suddenly he would train with boys who were already one year ahead of him, so as to help him cope with this physically, to help him run that bit faster.

“In his first year Paul had the characteristics of any other boy and he was developing normally, but really towards the end of that year he stepped up a level and when he reached 15 he started to play under the auspices of the France national team.

“He went on to another level from there. But it’s not a given that all players who make it to the France national youth setup go on to be where Paul is today.”

Spotted in Scotland, heading to Manchester…

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Making the France Under-16s team suddenly thrust Pogba under the noses of a host of potential suitors. Italian giants Juventus were keen, as were Manchester United after Pogba represented his country at youth level on a tour to Scotland. Pogba would opt for Old Trafford, with Fifa approving the deal in October 2009 after a row between United and Le Havre over his contract.

Sale: “I had already warned my bosses that it was a very dangerous move to let our players go on tours as the English clubs pay close attention to our youngsters.

“Being aware of how talented he was, I was not surprised at all that Manchester United were showing an interest in him. But there were many other clubs already interested.

“It was very disappointing as a coach, because we wanted to bring him into our professional team. At the time, his contract was a bit vague and Manchester United saw the opportunity there.

“It was quite clear that he was still a long way from playing in a professional team but on the administrative level, he should have been signed up and I am sure he would not have gone to Manchester United straight away.”

Lebaillif: “Of course, we are very proud to have had a player like Paul. The only regret we can have is that we did not have him for a longer period, to have been able to see him progress further, up to our senior team, to professional level.

“But everyone has their own path in football, and yes, we are very proud to have had him here.”

Sale: “Personally, I was very disappointed because I like to accompany the players a bit longer. But then, when you look at the career that he had ahead of him, you know it was nothing but beneficial for him.

“I was not worried because of his personality. I knew he was armed and ready for it. He has such a very different character from other players that I was not concerned at all on that level.

“One can still worry a little about a young player going abroad, a bit of a doubt that he might find it hard to establish himself, because he was going to one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“It was not easy, but it has been proven that the career path he took has enabled him to become a top level player.”

Material gathered by Ben McCarthy. Written by Alex Bysouth.

References

^ Pogba on winning, ping pong & deep-sea diving (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Julien Laurens: Can Pogba be the leader France have craved since Zidane’s retirement? (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

World Cup 2018: The making of France and Manchester United's Paul Pogba was originally published on 365 Football

#2018 #France #making #Manchester #Paul #Pogba #United&039s #world

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twentysomethinginorlando · 7 years ago

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Wine & Dine Weekend Part Three: Post Race Party

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/wine-dine-post-race-party/

Wine & Dine Weekend Part Three: Post Race Party

Welcome to Part Three of the Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend, the character filled conclusion with the Post Race Party! Part One covered the Expo, Jay’s last-minute registration, and the 10K. Part Two followed us along the Half Marathon course as Jay ran his first RunDisney Race.

I knew when I signed Jay up for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, I would have a hard time convincing him to go to the Post Race Party at Epcot. It wasn’t his fault he was so tired, we signed him up late and he had no time to train even if he wanted to. We went home after the race and spent most the day either sleeping or on our respective computers. The Post Race Party officially started at 10 p.m. with admission as early as 8 p.m. I have an annual pass so we go whenever we please anyway, so there was no rush. Around what I thought was half past seven I suggested we start getting ready. It was actually closer to 6:30 because I had forgotten to change the clocks when we got back. We wound up arriving at Epcot around 8:30 p.m. which turned out fine, because we didn’t realize that nothing would be open from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. It never occurred to me things would close while they swept the regular guests out of the park, because at Magic Kingdom the special event starts the moment the park closes. I assumed Epcot would be closing at 10 p.m.

Silly Chelsea.

Our first stop in Epcot was actually Guest Relations because when we went for Food and Wine in early October we found the normal, not-part-of-Food-and-Wine margarita booth missing. I wanted to know where to find my frozen margaritas! Thankfully, Guest Relations assured me the quick service location in Mexico would have them, and she was right. We made the long, slow, hobbling walk up to World Showcase and got in line at La Cantina de San Angel just before 9 p.m. and were actually ordering as Illuminations went off overhead. It was the first time in what was probably several years watching it, because if I’m in the parks that late at night I’m usually watching one of the other nighttime spectaculars. Epcot is the park I spend the least amount of time in since Duffy was chased out by the evil Daisy Duck. We realized they had closed the line off behind us and that the park was shutting down. Jay looked at me, rather grumpy since that meant the place he wanted his drink from would also be closed. I promised him we’d make it to the Rose and Crown before the night was over and then we headed towards Germany. If we had to sit around waiting until 10 p.m., we might as well do it in line for something.

My sole priority for the Post Race Party was all about the characters, not the food. We had already been to Food and Wine once and had another trip planned so as soon as we had the brochure in our hand back at the Expo, I started planning. There was only one character on the list that I had never met, so we started there: the Witch from Snow White.

When we arrived in Germany there was a small line of about ten people already formed so we jumped in line behind them and sat down. Photos from the races were finally starting to show up on My Disney Experience, so I spent my time waiting downloading those and sending them to my Mom. The Witch appeared promptly at 10 p.m. and we groaned as we got to our feet and the line moved up. It was almost our turn when the Backstage Door beside the Witch opened for several Cast Members on their way to work the Food and Wine booths, and their reactions were priceless. Clearly they didn’t know anything about the event they were working, and they were so excited to see the Witch. We were up in no time and she fussed over Duffy before we took our picture and moved on.

The party had been officially started for ten minutes and we had already met one character! We moved on towards the U.K. since I had promised Jay a Welsh Dragon from the Rose and Crown. He was moving much slower than I was, so I suggested he jump in line for our next character while I went to fetch the drink. As we passed America we saw Mickey Mouse out in his patriotic best, the same outfit I met him in on the Fourth of July. I asked Jay to hop in the extremely long line and I kept going, only to pause as I passed Japan. I saw Minnie Mouse out sporting a kimono! I called Jay as I kept walking as fast as my sore legs could carry me.

“Do you actually want to meet Mickey?”

“No, not really. We met him this morning.”

“Okay, I’ve met him in that outfit. If you don’t care about it, I think you should move over to Japan and get in line for Minnie.”

By the time I got back to him with his Welsh Dragon, (it is a good thing I don’t like that drink considering long as I had to carry it around the park without drinking it) Minnie was being pulled off for a cheese break. She was supposed to be right back, but there was some sort of wardrobe malfunction and it was about half an hour before she reappeared. We were much more patient about this than some of the others in line. One man started yelling at the Character Attendant and it took everything I had not to step in to defend her.

We were in line long enough to see Minnie switch again, but the second time was much more expedient. Minnie immediately took Duffy away from me to hold him for the photo and blew both Jay and I a bunch of kisses. She was super cute. I love meeting different versions or special versions of my favorite characters.

It was about 11:10 p.m. so our second character had taken an hour on her own, but we were still two characters in already. I felt we were doing fairly well. Jay wanted to go see one more character and leave. I kept saying I wanted to see the Adventurers Club, but he seemed to think they wouldn’t be fun. Since we were right next to Morocco and the next show started at 11:15 p.m. I convinced him to stop for just a few minutes to watch the start, and then we could keep going.

We wound up watching the entire show, and laughing our heads off.

Back in the days of Pleasure Island, the adult themed area of Downtown Disney, there was a venue known as the Adventurers Club. I’ve heard about it since I became a Jungle Cruise Skipper, but didn’t really know anything about it because everyone talks to me like I should know what it is. There’s something called a Kungaloosh, and until the Post Race Party that was pretty much all I knew. The Adventurers Club was a multi-act comedy show with different events happening in various rooms all night long. Based in a similar era to the Jungle Cruise, it is a grand organization of the world’s most daring and witty explorers. Due to the nature of Pleasure Island, they told jokes that Skippers would never get away with. Nothing graphic or crude, but lots of clever innuendo. The Kungaloosh is not only the club greeting, but a famous drink. For the better part of a year I’ve listened to the Pirate Crew (Jay, Robert, and Victoria) refer to it like I should be familiar with it. Unlike my friends, I did not grow up with frequent trips to Walt Disney World. When the Adventurers Club closed in September of 2008, I had just turned seventeen and was in my senior year of high school. The last time I had been to Disney I was fourteen, and if my mother had known what the Adventurers Club was she probably wouldn’t have taken me to see it. (Then again, she took me and two friends to the Rocky Horror Picture Show when I was sixteen, so who knows?)

So at long last, on November 5, 2017, almost ten years after the Adventurers Club closed its doors, I learned what they were all about, and I LOVE THEM. I used to frequent (and still do when I am in town) an improv show in Knoxville, and while the Adventurers Club was at least semi-scripted, it was the same kind of dynamic, quick humor. I wish I had gotten more of it on video. They taught the crowd to do the secret handshake, recite the Club Creed, and sing the song. There were three men and one woman, almost all equally funny, and I heard some jokes I never would have guessed I’d hear in a Disney park. With crowd suggestions, they did a rendition of “Old McDonald had a Farm”. We had a pig that went oink, a cow that meow and a moose that went vroom vroom. The final suggestion came from one of the Adventurers Club members, a haystack!

“A haystack doesn’t make noise!”

“Yes, they do, I used to walk past one every day on my way to school and it was always moaning.”

He proceeded to make a moaning noise like someone having a really good time. The Club President, Pamelia Perkins, quickly interrupted.

“It must have been a haunted haystack!”

“It sure was, because it was always shaking all about!”

So sure enough, we sang “Old McDonald had a haystack, ee-ay-ee-ay-oo, here a ooooooooh, there a ooooooh, here a ooooooh, there a oooooooh, everywhere an ooooooh oooh!”

I realize reading it isn’t nearly as funny, but I can’t wait to show some of the videos to my improv friends at Einstein Simplified. We walked away laughing so hard we were almost crying.

The strangest thing about the Post Race Party was instead of the usual soundtrack of World Showcase, they had a DJ playing music that reached around the world. So walking through the U.K. we saw a group of Cast Members dancing to the Cupid Shuffle. Had Jay not been so sore I would have joined them.

We made our way over to Canada where Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear were meeting. I had to make Jay watch the movie a few months ago because he had never seen it. While they’re not Duffy, I do love bears. Koda and Kenai were SO CUTE! They were dancing to music in between guest interactions. I got hug-attacked by both of them, and Koda wanted to keep Duffy.

Apparently, he belongs with other bears. We got our picture taken and I had to tell them Jay wanted a hug. This is a common occurrence; all the Disney characters always want to shake his hand until I say something. So, he got hugs from both and I got another hug from Kenai, and off we headed. We made one last planned stop by the Chocolate booth for the Nitro Almond Truffle. It was one of my favorite items from the Food and Wine Festival this year.

Our actual final stop was by the DJ booth by the Future World Fountains. As much as I love characters, and I loved the Adventurers Club, my favorite thing about this party as much was how much fun the Cast Members were having. A bunch of them were having their own dance party at the DJ Booth. A shift that late at Disney is going to be almost entirely College Program and Part Time Cast Members, and they were having the time of their life. It made me so happy.

It was about 12:40 a.m. by the time we got to the car. Staying awake for the drive home was almost more of a challenge than running both the 10K and the Half Marathon.

I love RunDisney. I love running their races, even if I don’t train for them like I should. The Wine and Dine Half Marathon is my second favorite race I’ve run, just behind the Princess Half Marathon. Especially now that Jay has the RunDisney bug, I hope to be running the Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge again next year. My only concern, as is a lot of RunDisney fans, is the ever-climbing price tag. The Challenges are over $300, and paying for two runners was over $500. That’s on top of the time I have to take off work. With my 30 by 30 plan now thrown off by the hiatus of the West Coast races, I’m not sure if it will be as much of a priority as it was.

I say that now, but we all know come registration day I’ll be signing up. I live here! At least I don’t need a hotel or transportation.

Cost: The Wine and Dine Two Course Challenge was $362.44. It included the 10K and the Half Marathon for 19.3 miles, three runners’ shirts, three medals, and a ticket to the Post Race Party. The Wine and Dine Half Marathon was $224.92. It included the Half Marathon for 13.1 miles, one shirt, one medal and a ticket to the Post Race Party.

Value: Pricey but worth it.

Duration: It’s a minimum of a three-day event if you do the Two Course Challenge because you have to pick up the bib and shirts at the Expo.

Add Ons: There’s all sorts of stuff and it changes with each race. They have VIP Runners’ Retreats and Cheer Squad for spectators.

Stay up to date on all things Twenty Something in Orlando by subscribing to our newsletter or joining the Fan Club on Patreon! You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram!

#characters #disney #epcot #race #rundisney #Adventure Report #Running

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rowingchat · 8 years ago

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Rowing from CapeTown to Rio to highlight the importance of sustainable living #DOTChallenge

Braam Malherbe – extreme adventurer, highly respected inspirational speaker and conservationist – together with rowing partner Wayne Robertson, are rowing on the vessel Mhondoro to Rio de Janeiro, launching the DOT (Do One Thing) Challenge.

Their journey, covering a distance of 6700km, has been undertaken to highlight the importance of sustainable living and to inspire the international community to Do One Thing (#DOTChallenge) for the planet in an effort to ensure a sustainable future. Their focus will be on the vital importance of protecting our Earth, mostly the plight and preservation of the oceans, on which all life depends. “Fifty percent of the air we breathe comes from phytoplankton and it is under serious threat,” says Braam. He continues: “We would like each person on this Earth to Do One Thing to protect our only home.”

Braam and Wayne will be on the ocean for the next two to three months, rowing 24/7 in two-hour shifts. This carefully planned schedule ensures that someone is always awake at night to avoid the many ships crossing the ocean. They began their journey on 7 February and have already covered more then 2500km. “We have had very little sun, which means our solar panel doesn’t always charge the batteries effectively. We are, however, managing the power and making water is our top priority,” says Wayne.

Braam and Wayne have also faced a few storms, during one of which the boat rolled over, leaving them under the water for five minutes. Braam describes the incident: “Waves broke over the boat and we were turned completely upside down a few times. On one of these occasions, the boat didn’t roll back up, leaving us upside down. We had to slowly move to one side without damaging the instruments. The boat then came back up, but we were under the water for about five minutes. Very, very scary!”

For Malherbe, who is no stranger to world-first expeditions, this row will be the first he has attempted on the ocean. All his expeditions have been driven by a purpose and he believes that when you have a purpose behind the ego, nothing is impossible.

Robertson, who joined the expedition only a week before departure, has crossed the oceans many times. As a yachtsman and master skipper he is very familiar with the unpredictability of life at sea, but this is his first time as an adventurer. More than that, he took up rowing only the week before the expedition and rowed this particular boat for the first time as they left Cape Town harbour on 7 February.

“It is vital that Wayne and I interact and get to know each other. From my past expeditions I have learned the power of humour as well as the importance of open, honest communication. If I have the slightest inkling, whether justifiable or not, that disturbs me about Wayne, I share it and Wayne does the same,” explains Braam.

“The physical challenge is big and the blisters are there in force, but our hands are already hardening under the torn callouses,” says Wayne. He continues: “We are rowing listening to music and audio books, which make it easier.”

The purpose and significance behind this epic row is very important: the DOT movement. DOT (Do One Thing) is a simple acronym that is so much more than a trend, a fad or a catchphrase. These three little letters boldly aim to unite the world in the hope that, together, we can save our planet. By connecting like-minded individuals on a global scale through its website (www.dotchallenge.org) and app, the DOT movement encourages every human being to Do One Thing to protect and preserve our planet from further destruction and harm.

Braam and Wayne still have a long way to go, but their spirits are high and as they develop their friendship on the ocean, they are practicing the power of teamwork. They are together 24/7 in extreme conditions and, largely due to the storm and a lack of sunshine, they also travelled with almost no communication for a few days. “It is a challenge as we would like to communicate more, not only with our families but also with all our followers who are waiting for updates from us,” says Braam. “We would like to inspire everybody to ‘pull together’ with us. If each one of us can Do One Thing for the planet, we can ensure a sustainable future. In nature, if you are not an asset, you are a liability. We, as humans, are not exempt from this fundamental principal.”

Track Malherbe and Robertson live via the DOT app http://ift.tt/2qNFnce and on the website: www.dotchallenge.org

To set up an interview via Sat Phone please contact Osi Raviv 072-7080696 | [email protected]

Follow the conversation at #DOTChallenge #CapeToRioRow

FOLLOW THE CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

DO ONE THING

Facebook /DotDo1Thing

Twitter @DOTDo1Thing

Instagram @DOTDo1Thing

BRAAM MALHERBE

Facebook /Braam Malherbe – Extreme Conservationist

Twitter @braammalherbe

Instagram @braammalherbe

WAYNE ROBERTSON

Facebook /WRYachts

About Braam Malherbe (http://ift.tt/2qNKxVp)

Environmentalist, adventurer, TV presenter, author, honorary ranger, motivational speaker, conservationist, man on a mission. Too numerous to mention here, Braam’s many achievements in the name of conservation include running the Great Wall of China (a distance of 4218 km) in just 98 days (world first), training rangers for counter-poaching operations, racing to the South Pole while pulling his own sled, and running the entire coastline from Namibia to Mozambique – a distance of 3278 km (world first). But Braam’s most important contribution to conservation is using his accumulated experiences to inspire ordinary people to make a difference, not only in their own lives, but towards the future wellbeing of this planet. As a youth developer, he facilitates outdoor leadership camps, where he teaches children about their place in nature as well as how to survive in it. As one of the world’s most sought-after motivational speakers, Braam never fails to leave his audience inspired and empowered to embrace change for good. Now he has embarked on his greatest adventure to date, and he wants the entire planet to join him.

About Wayne Robertson

Skipper, boat builder, marine surveyor, cyclist, surfer, musician, passionate eco-warrior. Wayne has had a close relationship with, and a deep passion for, the sea since childhood. In addition to building and skippering ocean-going vessels, he’s been surfing for 39 years and big-wave surfing for 10 years. Sea legs aren’t the issue. The issue is the current state of our planet, and it’s one he’s tackling head on by joining Braam on the row to Rio. No stranger to endurance sports, Wayne has completed numerous multi-stage mountain-biking events. He was the first person to attempt and finish the Argus cycle tour on a unicycle – twice. He was also the first person to ride the tour on a BMX, and did so 12 times raising funds for charities close to his heart. Wayne has first-hand experience of adverse weather conditions both at sea and on land, and spent time in Antarctica constructing modular pods ideally suited to extreme environments. As husband to Cindy and father to six-year-old Willow, Wayne’s motivation in raising awareness of the DOT Challenge is personal: to leave the planet in better shape for his daughter.

About Mhondoro (www.mhondoro.com)

Braam Malherbe’s DOT Challenge vessel is named Mhondoro, after Mhondoro Game Lodge in Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg (Limpopo province/South Africa). Mhondoro’s entire operation is based on sound environmental conservation practices and it is committed to making a contribution in each of the DOT Challenge categories – water, waste, conservation and energy. The owners of Mhondoro, Frank and Myriam Vogel, are passionate conservationists and proud sponsors of the DOT Challenge. Through their MF Foundation, the Dutch couple is making a significant contribution to conservation in South Africa as part of a game purchase project to increase numbers in the 35 000 hectare Welgevonden Game Reserve. The reserve has a successful anti-poaching unit and is known for protecting a large white rhino population, in addition to the rest of the Big 5 (lion, buffalo, elephant and leopard). This year (2017) Mhondoro Game Lodge will launch a drive to eliminate the use of disposable water bottles from lodge operations by providing guests with pure filtered water from source in the Waterberg, and the use of refillable glass and aluminium bottles. Other game lodges in the region are challenged to join the @DOTDo1Thing #NoPlasticH2OBottles challenge and ‘Do One Thing’ to protect and preserve our planet.

About the Boat

Their 6.8-metre-long vessel was built in the UK and renovated locally by Robertson himself. Onboard they have all their supplies, including food, medical kits, maintenance tools and desalination systems to make fresh water. All the electrical devices used for navigation and communication are charged by two solar-powered batteries.

The post Rowing from CapeTown to Rio to highlight the importance of sustainable living #DOTChallenge appeared first on Rowperfect UK.

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footyplusau · 8 years ago

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West Coast Eagles push for access to academy recruits

Mounting division over Greater Western Sydney’s recruiting benefits has prompted new fears that the game will face pressure to return to the bygone era of club talent zones.

West Coast is one club pushing the AFL to give it special access to Indigenous and multi-cultural players from all of its Next Generation Academy regions across Western Australia.

Play Video Don’t Play

Matt Priddis reveals 2017 Eagles skipper

Play Video Don’t Play

Previous slide Next slide

AFLW plays of round 3

McCarthy sprints to goal of the round, GWS and Freo can’t take a trick, the Dees discover a power forward and Erin Phillips dobs one from 60 as the Crows remain top.

Matt Priddis reveals 2017 Eagles skipper

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Matt Priddis reveals 2017 Eagles skipper

West Coast’s Matt Priddis announces the 2017 Eagles Captain on Mix 94.5.

Inside Fremantle’s new home

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Inside Fremantle’s new home

A time lapse view of the Dockers new digs at Cockburn. Vision: Fremantle Dockers.

Sam Day injured in win, North beat Swans

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Sam Day injured in win, North beat Swans

The Gold Coast Suns horror injury run continues, with Sam Day struck down with what appears to be a dislocated hip, in their solid win over Brisbane. North Melbourne snuck past Sydney although both sides were missing key players.

Kade Stewart wins it for the Hawks

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Kade Stewart wins it for the Hawks

After falling 41 points behind, Geelong came back in the third quarter only for Kade Stewart to grab a game deciding goal to win it by 4 points.

Nat Fyfe plans as Freo captain

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Nat Fyfe plans as Freo captain

Fremantle Dockers new captain Nat Fyfe opens up on his plans as the club’s new skipper for the 2017 AFL season.

AFLW plays of round 3

McCarthy sprints to goal of the round, GWS and Freo can’t take a trick, the Dees discover a power forward and Erin Phillips dobs one from 60 as the Crows remain top.

Eagles chief Trevor Nisbett confirmed his club had met AFL bosses this week in a bid to persuade them to grant West Coast access to all players across their West Australian academies.

Nisbett said his club did not oppose the Giants retaining their academy borders from the Murray River but stressed that the same rules should apply to the new Next Generation academies.

“It’s an argument that defies logic in my view,” said Nisbett. “If we’re being asked to develop and fund an under-represented area then we should have access to the players we develop.

“The big difficulty in WA is access and cost. We’d be more supportive of the academies if we were getting rewarded for the effort and the work when we’ve got opposition zones in the northern states where the same rules don’t apply.”

Although Giants chief David Matthews strongly defended the AFL’s proposed move to allow the club to retain its Murray River boundaries — which includes a region widely considered an Australian Rules stronghold — the contentious zone is regarded by even the other northern clubs as failing the academy criteria.

Eagles CEO Trevor Nisbett. Photo: Getty Images

And Brisbane CEO Greg Swann warned against the perils of allowing all clubs access to special recruiting zones.

“The AFL has to be careful,” said Swann, “because there will be a lot of pressure from clubs putting time and effort into their new academies wanting to recruit those players.

“There’ll be a push back to zones and we don’t want to see that.”

With the debate centring upon the GWS academy there is also a view from some Victorian clubs that should the Giants reach the top four again this year they should be denied access to all players from their development zone. The AFL’s proposal is to allow the new club access to just one player should it reach the preliminary final stage.

While West Coast and Fremantle have divided up most of the state, both clubs have been restricted from recruiting Indigenous players from the majority of their academy zones because they are not regarded as athletes new to football.

“The rules that apply to other clubs in other states should apply to all our Next Generation academies,” said Nisbett. “We’re going into Next Generation academies but we can’t select any Indigenous players unless they come from the Pilbara. The same rules apply to Fremantle who can only access their Indigenous academy players if they come from the Kimberley.

“The south east corridor here is under-represented in the WAFL and the AFL and we are being asked to develop that area and yet we cannot access the players once we’ve developed them.”

Nisbett said his club’s case remained part of “ongoing discussions” with the AFL. The commission is scheduled to rule on the proposed new academy changes at next month’s meeting.

The father-son rule is expected to remain unchanged.

The post West Coast Eagles push for access to academy recruits appeared first on Footy Plus.

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creatureoftheestuary · 8 years ago

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A Critical Evaluation of Creature of the Estuary

Dr R.M. Sánchez-Camus

Creature of the Estuary was the second part of the Monster Trilogy, directed by artist and filmmaker, Eelyn Lee. The trilogy is a series of collaboratively produced moving image works exploring notions of fear, inter-subjectivity, and place. The production process for the trilogy began in 2014 with a week-long experimental development lab in the Barbican studio theatre in London. The end result of these workshops was Monster, a short film exploring a dark seaside landscape populated by a variety of characters, and a mysterious creature-like being.

These concepts were then further developed through a research residency with Metal, an arts lab on the Thames Estuary. Eelyn completed her residency with a 12-week participatory development process that incorporated professional performers and local residents along the Thames Estuary. During this time she merged the themes developed from the Barbican lab, with the research developed during her residency, incorporating many of the local residents she had met. All of these elements came together to generate the material for Creature of the Estuary. The final part of the trilogy, yet to be completed will be a feature length film, the culmination of the three phase process. Though each part of the trilogy informs the next, they hold their own merit as works of art.

Creature of the Estuary begins to refine the language of film and collaborative arts practice. Multi-cultural in its outset the work contemplates human’s relationship to the wider sea, and its universalities, with a lens on fear and how it is manifested within us. The film explores notions of man and nature via the landscape of an estuary and a type of post-apocalyptic vision of seaside workers. The soft mud works as an analogy for the effort of survival amidst obstacles. The estuary comes across as both a creature and a character, as if the landscape comes to life through the human forms that grow out of its banks.

The estuary is anthropomorphised and presented as alive, breathing and watching. The physical topography abstracted into an animal in bondage or a tethered creature, ambiguous and unable to relate yet somehow reflective. The characters for the most part remain silent with their words punctuating through for context rather than effect. The main power of language is delivered through the narrator, who in this case is also the director, retelling imagined pieces of poetic text mixed with quotes of everyday people, giving the film authenticity. Instead of being a reflection from an objective observer, the piece becomes the inner monologue of those who inhabit the territory.

The vision of naked human forms struggling out of the mud like undead corpses looks like a combination of polluted industry mixed with stagnant nature. In actuality the participants claimed the opposite. Performing naked in the mud was for them liberating and a return to childhood feelings of freedom and carefree fun. Though the estuary was very polluted when they were children they recalled warmly playing in the mud banks, but no longer as adults.

One interviewer told me how his step-daughter lives on the island but is ‘glued’ to the screen of her phone or tablet and does not venture to explore the shoreline. In actuality the Thames is cleaner than it has ever been, but most participants felt that parents are much more protective today and as such children experience less of the physical world, while being caught up in the virtual world. Eelyn noted how this notion of ‘shared fear’ came up in one of the drama workshops she ran on Canvey Island, called Fear Lab, namely the fear for the safety of participants’ children as well as the projected fears of parents onto their children. The labs also created a safe space for participants. Natasha, one of the musicians felt ‘the freedom to discuss things that aren't really part of everyday conversations’ in the labs and this created a ‘feeling of real togetherness and understanding that gave purpose and meaning to our work together’.

The mud both represented fear and safety. One participant jokes, “the mud is essential, it rejuvenates you, it’s healthy…” “a mixture of essential oil and diesel oil!” another quips in. The participant recognises that the film is ‘a portrayal of an aspect of the estuary. It can be very mysterious these backwaters, this mud…” He does recognise that there is a flip side in the sport activities of sailing and racing, but that it doesn’t engage with the place.

So if sports activities mark the territory but do not engage with the place, how does the participatory process of a film project succeed? Perhaps because it triggers storytelling through memories. Memory itself provides an intimate internal space of its own. Paul Ricoeur identifies the action of remembering as powerful as the memory itself. In remembering we generate a space outside of our own bodies and the world around us, that then gets ‘superimposed on the grid of localities’.

The process of developing the work with the narratives of locals not only created this third space but inhabited the film with a haunting sense of those memories come alive, a sort of conjuring.

As one participant said ‘there is an inherent spookiness of the place’ yet ‘nowadays you can be on the island and never walk on the mud.’

This lamenting the interaction with the landscape was central to the thematic message of the film. Something has been lost, something ephemeral, and in its distance it is like a memory trapped in the mud. Working with locals allowed those memories to begin to awaken, and through the act of recollecting, opening the doors for new memories to surface. Zahna performed as the Coastguard looking out to see. For her the act of recollection triggered other memories, ‘suddenly you remember more.’ One participant remembers going out alone on a sailing dinghy as a child of 7 or 8 years. He recalls being scared of the river, for he may see corpses floating by. In order to conquer his fears as teenager he practiced controlled sinking near the shore. He never learned to swim, saying it was an old sailor’s belief that it would be a faster death if washed away as there would be no chance of the boat coming back for you. Death and the estuary was also referred to by another participant Chris, who when performing covered in mud and crawling from the banks, imagined himself a young WW2 German fighter pilot shot down in the sea. He spoke about the large amount of young German men who died during Luftwaffe invasions of Britain, and his sense of empathy for the other is a powerful way of thinking about travel and displacement.

This sense of empathy was especially poignant when the film refers to refugees found in one of the shipping containers. The idea of otherness became wound up with the larger discussion around immigration and belonging. Another participant Bob tells me how he crossed the channel on his sailboat and had to have consensus with the team on what to do if they should come across a refugee boat, which way do you go? Do you bring them where they are going or go back? A fear of the other grows yet the empathy that is present creates a marked tension. This is reminiscent of Lars Sund’s book ‘Happy Little Island’ where corpses begin to wash up mysteriously on the shores of a Scandinavian village and throws life into turmoil. Fear becomes a mysterious neighbour and heightens the tension between the comfortable known and the unknown other. This was exemplified by the responses of Denzel a young man who worked on the project as a Sound Assistant and musician and said ‘you may fear someone but then you can look at yourself’. Though the work is based on fiction, Denzel feels it shows a community, one where people can be suspicious of strangers at first but then warm up as ‘people don’t want disruption when the consequences are unknown’. As one of the younger team members he also recognised that older generations are fearful of change, but (waving at his friends in the theatre space) young people embrace it. Projects like Creature of the Estuary become a place of inter-generational community development as it ‘mixes people who other wise would not meet.’ He not only learned technical skills but also an interpersonal model of group work. Denzel recognised that there is solitude about being by the sea, but this solitude also brings people together.

This idea of collective solitude was most exemplified by Robert who has lived alone on a boat in a dockyard for 30 years. He tells me that in his boat yard live ‘about 150 people but almost all alone’ a veritable community of loners. When asked how he contributed he said ‘you have your ideas of what to show’, so that each participant’s perspective adds a new element to the development of the piece. ‘I had no idea what I was contributing to it, but it meant my participation wasn’t altered to fit an agenda’ says Bob, a skipper who works the estuary. Chris is quick to add the ‘fundamental difference is it is my film too, you throw your lot in, no one didn’t want to be there.’ Zahna tells me that the landscape seems to come alive with the stories. For her the stories are ‘held by the river’ and get ‘sucked up by change’. Change in nature and industry, which marks the shoreline. She felt like the film was ‘telling her story’. This shared ownership demonstrates a success in opening up the process of development to participants. Hi Ching who played the Captain tells me that what he learns about the concept of place, is that it resides within him.

What are the conditions necessary to foster creative participation? In this case one of the central components was how Eelyn was able to present the project as a shared vision and include local participants in the generative process. The artist here provides a compass. The final work of art is not just a film but a public art process, making it accessible to people in their daily lives. ‘The shared space of the earth is physically and metaphorically what unites us… so it makes sense to investigate the human experience from the ground up’ says Matthew Coolidge from The Centre for Land Use Interpretation.

This universality is the strength of Creature of the Estuary, presenting the shorelines and it’s inhabitants as not only gatekeepers to London but the front line of a nation’s outward looking face.

Image Credits: Image 1: Anamaria Marinca & Tess McLoughlin in Creature of the Estuary Image 2: Chris Fenwick as Mud Monster in Creature of the Estuary Image 3: On the set of Creature of the Estuary Image 4: Results of a Fear Lab at Seevic College Image 5: Film Still from Creature of the Estuary Image 6: Denzel Kachingwe working as Sound Recordist on the shoot Image 7: Hi Ching as the Captain in Creature of the Estuary

#estuary #monster #fear #creatureoftheestuary #monstertrilogy #r.m. sánchez-camus #thames estuary #estuary festival #participatory art #collaborativepractice #improv #improvised film

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albinohare · 6 years ago

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Volvo Ocean Race confirm next race will be held in IMOCA 60s – but opinions are divided among crews

Volvo Ocean Race organisers have confirmed that the 2021 edition will be held in IMOCA 60 designs. We spoke to sailors and team organisers about what a change of class might mean for the race:

After months of speculation – Yachting World broke the story than the IMOCA 60 class were in the final stages of negotiation with the Volvo Ocean Race back in April – organisers have confirmed that the next edition of the crewed multi-stage round the world race will take place in IMOCA 60 class yachts.

In the very final days of the race, a confidential Educational Session for interested parties was held around the IMOCA Class Rules in The Hague last week. The announcement was only publically confirmed on July 2, after the prizegivings for the 2017-18 event had been held and the Volvo Ocean Race teams and sponsors dispersed.

At the session, sailors and team managers from the most recent Volvo Ocean Race and IMOCA events, along with yacht designers currently involved in construction of new IMOCA Class boats such as Guillaume Verdier and Juan Kouyoumdjian, discussed the changes.

Co-President of the Volvo Ocean Race, Johan Salen, presenting at the IMOCA 60 partnership information session in The Hague, 28th June 2018.

“This is a first step of many in preparing for the next edition of the race in 2021,” said Johan Salén , co-President of the race. “There is an ongoing co-operation process to put in place the elements we need to make the next race a success from a sporting and business point of view.

“This is a complex matter with many perspectives, and we are respectfully welcoming continuous input from all key stakeholders, from World Sailing to individual sailors, teams and partners. We are confident that this is the right way forward.”

Organisers are certainly likely to receive plenty of input – during my visit to the last stage of the Volvo Ocean Race, before the announcement was made, I spoke to numerous sailors about the possible choices of boat for future editions of the race and found almost no consensus.

Team Brunel skipper and eight-time race expert Bouwe Bekking was a big proponent of the IMOCA 60 plan. Peter Burling, helmsman on Brunel, speculated: “I’m not sure if the exact IMOCA rule would work well for the Volvo, maybe a variant of that rule. For me it’s just got to be fast and modern, and I think they’ve got to make the race shorter as well.”

David Witt, skipper of Sun Hung Kai Scallywag, told me: “I think the IMOCA 60 would be a mistake. I have a feeling their [organisers’] motive is to try and get the Hugo Bosses and big corporates to come in from the Vendée Globe.” Witt was concerned the move might make the Volvo Ocean Race a second-tier event in the IMOCA calendar to the single-handed Vendée Globe.

Chris Nicholson, watch captain on Team AkzoNobel and a veteran of six Whitbread/Volvo races, supported using the one-design 65s again [Ed note: it was announced in a second announcement in late July that the 65s will be also return as a second class for the next race]. He was among those that raised concerns about the robustness of the existing IMOCA design.

“A current IMOCA boat won’t handle a crew of four or five, so that has to be a complete structural redesign,” Nicholson said. “I wouldn’t sail around the world in an IMOCA boat with five of us Volvo-type sailors. If you had a race like we’ve just had, I don’t believe it would handle it.”

Bruno Dubois, team manager for winners Dongfeng Race Team, felt that the race needed to modernise: “I think if we go with a boat with no foils we are in the Stone Age,” he said.

“We have to be at the forefront of what’s going on. I think IMOCA are strong boats, they would have to be modified to sail with crew, but it is a way to go to get development.” Dubois also suggested using the 65s as a ‘B’ fleet, restricted by a gender, age or nationality rule – at the time the future of the Volvo 65s hadn’t been announced, but organisers have since said that the class will have a strong focus on youth.

The current crop of IMOCA 60s more usually race single- or double-handed. ‘Fully crewed racing’, with four or five crew, is limited to a few events such as the Rolex Fastnet Race are. Photo Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Organisers say a joint committee is being formed to draft a specific section of the IMOCA class rules for a crewed IMOCA 60, “respecting the spirit and intent of the partnership, which includes cost control, security and sporting fairness”.

The committee will have to consider factors such as whether any more components are made one-design to reduce costs, and any necessary structural modifications to ensure the boats’ reliability – many have speculated that the race could once again be dominated by rig failures, after just two rig breakages in 14 circumnavigations by the robustly over-built 65s across the last two editions of the race.

Critically, the rule relating to crew numbers on board the IMOCA class is still to be determined and among the items under consideration. Organisers say they have “the goal of retaining an On Board Reporter role”.

One issue with the IMOCA 60 plan is that it is likely to greatly reduce the number of crew racing at any one time – although sailors may be rotated in a squad. This could put one of the biggest legacies of this race, the gender crew rule that saw 23 women sailors racing in mixed crews, in jeopardy, although organisers have said it is a trend they hope to continue.

“Moving the race into foiling monohulls under the IMOCA class will motivate more sailors, teams and the wider marine industry to prepare for the next edition,” Salén commented in the press release. “Partnering with the existing IMOCA infrastructure means the professional offshore sailing calendar becomes more unified and efficient, this helps the sport as a whole and helps to build a sustainable business model for teams and sailors.”

Tough audience? IMOCA designer Guillaume Verdier talks to sailors and team managers in The Hague.

Part of this plan is likely to involve extending the calendar of events beyond a single round the world race every three or four years. “It has been quite difficult, and also not sustainable, to build a boat that is not very well adapted to use for other events,” Salén told me by phone before the announcement.

“So we are trying to get more continuity for the teams. To achieve that the IMOCA class is a very attractive option because there is so much in place already. The teams can go to a sponsor with an agenda with events every year and a four-year cycle, much more continuity and a much better resale value for the boats.”

Salén says they are considering options that include a round Europe race to cover key sponsorship markets, as well as ocean courses, such as a transatlantic, but the current IMOCA calendar is governed by the next Vendée Globe, starting in November 2020.

Winning skipper Charles Caudrelier of Dongfeng Race Team has competed in the IMOCA class previously. “This change is very exciting,” Caudrelier said in the event press release. “The Open 60s are just amazing boats. I really enjoy sailing on these boats and I think when people see it, they will enjoy it. If the two best offshore races in the world are going to join the same class, to me it’s good news.”

“I think as a sailor, this is very exciting,” said Bekking. “For the younger generation of sailors, they’re all about foiling and surfing and going fast and you have to get the best sailors involved in the race. With the Open 60s, they’ve nailed it, because this is what the sailors want.”

“We’re trying to make a boat for the future that is capable of doing both short-handed and fully-crewed races,” said the highly successful IMOCA designer Guillaume Verdier. “My opinion is that it is doable with a bit of compromise from both worlds to meet in the middle.”

Nick Bice, who has been running The Boatyard shared maintenance department for the Volvo 65s, is leading the development of the new rule.

“The process is just starting,” said Nick Bice, who is leading the project to develop the Open 60 rule for the next race. “We’ll forward everyone’s input to the joint committee and get started on developing the rules that will be used for Open 60s to participate in the next race. Our goal is to have this ready to go by the end of the year.”

We look at more of the questions surrounding the future of the race, including opportunities for female crew and possible future routes, in the August issue of Yachting World, out on Thursday 5thJuly. We also have a personal account from Dongfeng Race Team’s skipper Charles Caudrelier and shoreside navigator Marcel Van Triest of how the final leg and overall race was won.

The post Volvo Ocean Race confirm next race will be held in IMOCA 60s – but opinions are divided among crews appeared first on Yachting World.

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rnrmarineservices-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Volvo Ocean Race confirm next race will be held in IMOCA 60s – but opinions are divided among crews

Volvo Ocean Race organisers have confirmed that the 2021 edition will be held in IMOCA 60 designs. We spoke to sailors and team organisers about what a change of class might mean for the race:

In the very final days of the race, a confidential Educational Session for interested parties was held around the IMOCA Class Rules in The Hague last week. The announcement was only publically confirmed yesterday, after the prizegivings for the 2017-18 event had been held and the Volvo Ocean Race teams and sponsors dispersed.

Co-President of the Volvo Ocean Race, Johan Salen, presenting at the IMOCA 60 partnership information session in The Hague, 28th June 2018.

Team Brunel skipper and eight-time race expert Bouwe Bekking was a big proponent of the IMOCA 60 plan. Peter Burling, helmsman on Brunel, speculated: “I'm not sure if the exact IMOCA rule would work well for the Volvo, maybe a variant of that rule. For me it's just got to be fast and modern, and I think they've got to make the race shorter as well.”

David Witt, skipper of Sun Hung Kai Scallywag, told me: “I think the IMOCA 60 would be a mistake. I have a feeling their [organisers'] motive is to try and get the Hugo Bosses and big corporates to come in from the Vendée Globe.” Witt was concerned the move might make the Volvo Ocean Race a second-tier event in the IMOCA calendar to the single-handed Vendée Globe.

Chris Nicholson, watch captain on Team AkzoNobel and a veteran of six Whitbread/Volvo races, supported using the one-design 65s again. He was among those that raised concerns about the robustness of the existing IMOCA design.

“A current IMOCA boat won't handle a crew of four or five, so that has to be a complete structural redesign,” Nicholson said. “I wouldn't sail around the world in an IMOCA boat with five of us Volvo-type sailors. If you had a race like we've just had, I don't believe it would handle it.”

Bruno Dubois, team manager for winners Dongfeng Race Team, felt that the race needed to modernise: “I think if we go with a boat with no foils we are in the Stone Age,” he said.

“We have to be at the forefront of what's going on. I think IMOCA are strong boats, they would have to be modified to sail with crew, but it is a way to go to get development.” Dubois also suggested using the 65s as a 'B' fleet, restricted by a gender, age or nationality rule. The future of the Volvo 65s is yet to be announced.

The current crop of IMOCA 60s more usually race single- or double-handed. 'Fully crewed racing', with four or five crew, is limited to a few events such as the Rolex Fastnet Race are. Photo Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

In yesterday's press release, organisers say a joint committee is being formed to draft a specific section of the IMOCA class rules for a crewed IMOCA 60, “respecting the spirit and intent of the partnership, which includes cost control, security and sporting fairness”.

The committee will have to consider factors such as whether any more components are made one-design to reduce costs, and any necessary structural modifications to ensure the boats' reliability – many have speculated that the race could once again be dominated by rig failures, after just two rig breakages in 14 circumnavigations by the robustly over-built 65s across the last two editions of the race.

Tough audience? IMOCA designer Guillaume Verdier talks to sailors and team managers in The Hague.

“I think as a sailor, this is very exciting,” said Bekking. “For the younger generation of sailors, they're all about foiling and surfing and going fast and you have to get the best sailors involved in the race. With the Open 60s, they've nailed it, because this is what the sailors want.”

“We're trying to make a boat for the future that is capable of doing both short-handed and fully-crewed races,” said the highly successful IMOCA designer Guillaume Verdier. “My opinion is that it is doable with a bit of compromise from both worlds to meet in the middle.”

Nick Bice, who has been running The Boatyard shared maintenance department for the Volvo 65s, is leading the development of the new rule.

“The process is just starting,” said Nick Bice, who is leading the project to develop the Open 60 rule for the next race. “We'll forward everyone's input to the joint committee and get started on developing the rules that will be used for Open 60s to participate in the next race. Our goal is to have this ready to go by the end of the year.”

We look at more of the questions surrounding the future of the race, including opportunities for female crew and possible future routes, in the August issue of Yachting World, out on Thursday 5thJuly. We also have a personal account from Dongfeng Race Team's skipper Charles Caudrelier and shoreside navigator Marcel Van Triest of how the final leg and overall race was won.

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