What is it that our water ways are so polluted? I remember always stopping for drinks from streams whenever we were on a road trip. Were we naive or were they actually better? Were they just as bad as now but we lived in blissful ignorance because there was not the technology we have today.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Americas cup 2013
Americas
cup 2013
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| Spinnaker luffing match, close sailing not seen this time |
I get up
every morning there is a race to watch the America’s cup and take a trip of remembrance
and excitement. I do this partly because New Zealand is about to win the Louis Vuitton
Cup but mostly as a salute to my Father, to his dedication to yacht racing, to
the sport that dominated my youth and family life. Dad’s primary love was to
sit with his hand on the tiller, the wind on his cheek, spotting wind changes
up ahead, dodging tides and having a close tacking duel with a rival. He loved
the call for “Water round the mark!”, a fast spinnaker set that hardly ever
twisted, a good luffing contest as the overtaking boat tried to pass upwind to
avoid a wind shadow to leeward and the overtaken boat desperately tried to
prevent them. That was my father’s sailing.
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| A close tacking duel |
Today in
San Francisco, Martin Tasker also mourned the loss of those things; of close
races and spinnaker gybes when skippers and crew pitted themselves against
their opponents sailing skills. He thought the technicians had taken over this
series, and hoped that should NZ win, we give the cup the race back to the
sailor. Certainly, these modern sportsmen can’t feel the wind on their cheeks, encased
inside their crash helmets. The boats, if they can still be referred to as boats
because they look almost like aircraft, are so big, fast, and dangerous that
close racing, and consequences of even a small touch would cost millions of
dollars as well as risking lives. They will not hazard it. Boat speeds of
35knots means that they cover many yards in a couple of seconds. Boats can be
only a couple of seconds apart but it is a great distance and not close enough
to have a close exciting race with each other. Each race I have seen has turned
into a procession around the course with only the odd breakdown to cause some
excitement. It reminds me more of a formula one race rather that a yacht
contest. I suppose it is the formula one of yacht racing now, but this means
the sailors are hi tech drivers, getting the most of technology, not sailors,
pitting their skills against each other, the water, and elements to win.
If
something goes wrong with these modern America’s cup boats it is usually
unfixable or, by the time they register what is wrong, the other boat has
caught them from a hundred yards behind and is already disappearing to the
other end of the course. A breakage or error for Dad still left you time to do
a quick repair, to untwist a spinnaker, to run another sheet or a quick sail
change and yet have your opponent within striking distance so the race was
still on.
Dad loved
the cut and thrust of one design racing where rules dictated the specifications
of the boat so all boats were essentially as close to each other as possible.
People then had to get the best cut sales and adjust the rigging to get the
best performance from the boat within the regulations. Then it was up to the skipper
to apply his tactics, strategies, and fine sailing skills to win the race. I
acknowledge that these skills are part and parcel of the AC72s racing as well
but somehow, from the races I’ve seen; it is secondary to attending to the
technology.
Don’t get
me wrong, I still enjoy the tension of the races and the spectacular grace of
these AC72s. They are birdlike skimming across the water and make my heart jump
when they yaw and wheelie round the buoys, the people look like beetles in
their armour suits perched 5 or 6 metres above the waves in a hurricane of wind
and spray as the boat heels hard in a gust. Oh, that is a great sight. Nevertheless,
I still miss the old style racing.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
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| I want to have a moan about the Packaging that New World are using for their veges. See the oranges in the bag look nice and - well - orange. When I took them out of the bag they are pale and yellow. It's due to many fine orange lines on the plastic bag enhancing the orange colour. I had the same things with "green" beans being spotted, pale and ugly in reality. Misleading New World |
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| wee mushrooms bursting forth from our outdoor table |
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| Our place looking down to Gordons old dam |
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The scented Camelia "Joy" planted by Mum
around 1990
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| Lola |
30th June 2013
Winter sun backlighting cabbage trees. Magical - unlike me - I have a hangover and it's all Jo and Paul's fault. Lo
Vegan Pop Up Restaurant
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| BFF's From left: Paul Wood, Di Wood, Sheryll McIntost, Peter Chaplin, Marni Wood, Morgan McIntosh |
Sally Greenwood was very pleased that her plant sent up a great flower but wanted to know what it was. I sent her photos of mine but I didn't know what it was either. It was finally identified by a friend of Sally's as a Yukka Filamentosa called Adams's Fingers. Its winter here so no flowers just the dead stalks from last year.
11 July 2013
a basket fungus and a daffodil on Max's grave. An unusual blend of Autumn and spring.
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| Now he is Eleven, Mason is allowed to Mow the lawns. He concentrated well and they looked smooth and clean and had that lovely spring cut grass smell when he had finished. I gave him $5.00 for the job. Ed thought I was overpaying him. Hehehe. |
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| Mason was so stoked that Lola came and lay down beside him. He is learning to be very gentle with her and she is learning he is nice. |
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| Forgotten hyacinth popped up under the spirea |
Shooting practice at the farm
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| The demolished can Cushla shot |
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| Mason concentrating hard. He is a very good shot I don't think he missed any |
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| Bullseye. We shoot cheap drink can. The kids shake them up hard so they explode on impact. Very satisfying and some would say a good use for thos horrible cheap sugary softdrinks. |
A beautiful winters day
Spring Daffs and part of our macadamia nut harvest. Seems like a bumper one this year
Ryan turned 5 today. He really is growing up into a charming young man and I think he had a great day
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| Cutting the cake all by himself although I notice Mum is hanging around close |
Not only is the willow sprouting, the daisies are up on the lawn, the catkins are laden with pollen and the magnolia is flowering. I keep telling them to go back to sleep because we should get another frost. But they wont listen to me. Plus.. I am watering my garden for the second time this winter. What happened to Aucklands warm wet winters? — at Bothwell Park Rd
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I was moaning at ed cos he wouldn't look at some things I liked in a shop when he walked out and came back with this beautiful bling for my phone. The box ribbon says "being with you makes me so happy" maaawwww. Thank you Ed.
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