I am a long term sailor with over 30 years of experience on the water in
various boats, that I've chartered, owned, rented, borrowed or stole. I'm
also a long term member of this group and this is my very first posting.

I was under the assumption that this group was for people interested in
sailing, sailors, the ASA, training, piloting, safer boating, boats,
rigging, sails, racing, cruising, and... holes in the water that you throw
money into.

Am I mistaken?

according to the FAQ...

"1.0 Newsgroup origin
alt.sailing.asa was begun by the American Sailing Association in 1990 as a
forum for the exchange of ideas by people who share an interest in the
sport and lifestyle of sailing. At the time, the only other, similar
newsgroup was rec.boats. alt.sailing.asa had a more specific focus."


People, if I was a new boot that had a modicum of interest in sailing, and I
trolled the newsgroups to expand my knowledge base, and found this group,
I'd say to myself, "hmmm, this is the ASA group, must be they know what the
big deal is about all of this sailing stuff."

and what, pray tell would I see?

snippy, obnoxious, pretentious, moody, self-centered, materialistic, "mine
is better than yours" "yours is a POS" meglomaniac, narcissistic, holier
than thou, whiners that seem to spend more time ****ing and moaning, or
celebrating their last purchase of some trinket, car, house, camera, boat,
pair of shoes...
anything but putting your feet over the gunwale and enjoying the wind in
your hair, the pure joy of you, the wind, and your journey.

What would I think if I saw these posts?
I would think...
"You know, based on what I see here, I'm not too sure i'd like to belly up
almost the price of a home for a boat to meet and greet these people. "

I know that sailors are a unique breed. I am one. I'm a bit off center. ok,
sometimes I don't know where center is!
I also know that over these past 30 years, I have meet some of the most
wondeful people on the face of the earth. People that will give you the
shirt off of their backs if you've been in the sun too long, people that
will without question, give you a tow, food, fuel, and a place to hang your
hat if need be. People that catch a fish, side up next to you and say...
"you got wine for this?"

So, heres just a suggestion.
Instead of looking for confirmation of your existance thru your latest Amex
purchase, or touting what a wonderful consumer you must be, or deriding
someone else for what they thought was a decent idea at the time, or,
instead of lambasting some poor sap for their foilables, hows about we
kinda, sorta, maybe, discuss what we all profess to love. Sailing, our
boats, the water, our first mates (the keepers of the budget), our sailing
friends and families, our trips, our journeys our adventures and our joys.
hey, its just a thought.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of people that are considering
"going boating" this year... what do you say about helping further the
cause?

A bit about the poster:

I have never circumnavigated the world. Don't plan to, don't need to. If you
have, or are going to, I wish you well. Good for you.

My hole in the water is celebrating her 30th birthday this year. She is only
27 ft long, but has all I and the boss need for a weekend, or a week on
"our" 89,000 acre lake.

She has a full sail locker with 100, 120, and 165 hanked jibs. we even fly
a spinniker when we get a wild hair in our butt.

Over the past 30 years I've run aground so many times I've considered
putting wheels on her keel. If you haven't, good for you, I'm proud of you.

Her Atomic 4 has never failed us. Last years fuel costs? 38.00. this year so
far... 20.00.

We don't have solar panels, wind generators, water maker, or forward looking
sonar. We do have a 8D battery for the house, and a 4D back up and a 30
gallon fresh water tank. The princess 2 burner suits us just fine, thank
you. The ice box goes thru about 20 lbs a day in August. we deal wih it. No
flat panel here, a radio/cd works wonders for the ambiance. One thought...
the full moon, a comfy cockpit and a good book.

The forward V-berth demands that we snuggle. Thats not a bad thing. I like
to say that she'll sleep six friends or 2 family members. My 15 year old son
has caught the "bug" and We're looking to upgrade, so I can hand our
faithful, reliable friend down to him.

From early March to late November, She, the boss and I have a wonderful
threesome on that lake almost every weekend, from friday afternoon to late
sunday evening. In fact, in just two weeks, we are relocating to an abode
within minutes from her so we can spend more time on her.

"Boats are the nearest thing to dreams that man has ever made"

"Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not
just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs... but
what a ship is... what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom."

rant over, returning you to your regularly scheduled program.