Carol wanted to go to Harbor Town at the other end of the island and spend a couple of nights in the marina there. I was willing to oblige, although Harbor Town is touristy with the circular marina lined with shops and restaurants and short term rentals. I thought we might sail the eight miles there this Saturday and come back Monday. However when I went to their site this morning I got a shock. The last time I checked their rates was several months, maybe a year ago. Then the transit rate was $3 a foot per night with a 30’ minimum. $90 a night to dock GANNET is high, but we were prepared to pay it. This morning I find the rate has been raised to $4 a foot per night with a 50’ minimum. $200 a night for a 24’ boat is outrageous. We have paid that much for a hotel room, but to dock GANNET? No. Somehow I sense that they don’t want small boats and I have no desire to go where I am not wanted. Their loss. Had GANNET been in that marina she would have graced it and, among all the big multimillion dollar yachts, almost certainly been the one who had sailed most, and I would have sailed more than all the other owners combined. Probably several times over. But as a comment on my last entry correctly observed: People have sailboats for many different reasons. Sailing is far down that list. I believe the anonymous who wrote that was attempting to justify not sailing. Fine. Just don’t claim to be a sailor and admit that your boat, sail or power, is a toy and a status symbol for those who are impressed by cost and not skill and achievement.
We may go sailing and anchor in Port Royal Sound. As far as I know that is still free and the company is better.
From BEING ALIVE:
And from BISMARK’S WAR which is about the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, a question from a child.
8 comments:
I suspect the person who wrote about sailing being far down the list may not be trying to justify anything. To attempt to justify implies that there is an underlying unease that they feel a need to explain away. People are free to do what they want how they want with their boats. No one needs to justify anything to you. You are not the arbiter of all things boats. Your righteousness and petty judgement of strangers based on your pre-biases detracts from your intellectual image and knocks you down to common man status.
I have thoroughly enjoyed, for the most part, your writings for the last seven or eight years. But no longer. Perhaps there’s an underlying restlessness that is manifesting in negative ways.
I wish you good sailing, but this reader is out. Of course, not that you’d care.
Bon voyage.
Ouch. The above comment is the most overreactive response to what I took as a casual observation, made without malice, in the many, many years I've been here. Don't worry, Webb. I for one am still here. But as the guy above states, not that you care. Haha!
The longer you write the more chance you have of upsetting someone. Combine that with Webb's advanced aged, the chance of outrage increase proportionally.
In this age of being outraged by using the wrong pro-noun, it is not surprising that some very, very, very mild comments cause an anonymous poster to be outraged enough that he or she (or they!) would take the time to vent their displeasure ending with a proclamation that they are "Out".
So be it anonymous - you are "out", and you are free to state as such, just as Webb is free to write as he pleases, as we are all free to read or not read what he writes. Writing is always a mixture of opinion and facts - you the reader get to decide how you react to what is written and what you perceive as fact or not, and as I am now free to write my opinion of what you have written, as others will be free to agree or disagree and be outraged or not outraged....so, in MY opinion,your reaction is a pathetic over-reaction and indicates to me that Webb's comments have hurt you on a personal level because they are true. The truth does hurt, especially coming from someone that is skilled in an art in it's truest form.
I will add more of my opinion in that what passes as sailing in this day and age of Youtube and Social Media is, frankly, a comedy show.
Webb is no zealot - he has embraced modern technology and materials,and has used these to make his life onboard despite the enjoyable irony that he has often chosen uncomfortable boars (bearing in mind someones mild uncomfort is someone else's misery) in which to practice the art of sailing.
In closing, Webb has earnt the write to state his opinion on the modern sailing scene, including what he perceives as "pretend" sailors written in the nicest way that only a mild mannered gentleman from the mid-west of America could.
If that very mild criticism upsets you, I say boo hoo to you and that you should harden up that snowflake complex you apparently suffer from. Feel free to be completely outraged by comment ...oh wait, you are 'out' so you won't be reading this anyway. Over and "out", Anonymous.
Zane
Auckland, New Zealand
...so our 7' 7" Nutshell Pram would be $200? It would almost be worth it just to accent the absurdity.
Wow, I didn't think there would be such a reaction to my writing " ...sailing is far down that list". But I am glad when I see people using their boats (except maybe for the environmental effect, but anyway...) Walk any marina and I wonder why people own so many boats they don't use. Or why do people have sailboats they don't sail? Gives us something to speculate about while enjoying a beer.
Drew
PS enjoyed poem "Otherwise"
Good riddance anonymous! Wok bullshit !
Generally the smaller the sailboat the closer you are to the sea, wind, sea life, peace and tranquility.
I think so, too.
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