the horse's mouth

Moth Madness. Video

Sam On Board - Moth Madness
Video sent by h2ojoe

More Moth action with Sam Pascoe and Alex Adams.

Sailor Tries To Sell New Zealand On eBay

A group of typical Aussie sailors.
Mischievous devils.....Yaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggggghhhhhhh...

Over the years southern hemisphere tricksters have offered the Sydney Harbour Bridge for sale, now it seems that an Australian sailor’s bid to sell New Zealand has come unstuck.

Advertising on eBay Australia, with a starting price of just one cent, online interest was keen for for the nation of four million, with a similar number of sheep and a few reasonable sailors, and the price rose quickly to $A3,000 with a total of 22 bids before eBay stopped the real estate auction this week.

Sorry, we are not for sale today. Come back next week with a better offer and a bottle of tequila. The maybe, just maybe we'll talk.

'Clearly New Zealand is not for sale,' eBay Australia spokesman Daniel Feiler told the New Zealand Press Association, adding that 22 bids had been made before the company acted.

'There are the occasional quirky items put up,' he added. 'We have a look at them and if they are OK we leave them. But if it is something that can't be sold, we take them off.'

Kiwis started heading for the hills when they thought that their country was about to be sold to the Outback Steakhouse Restaurant Group. A spokesman for the Outback said, "It's only a rumor. However we are interested in expanding our menu to include lamb and mutton dishes."

The Australian eBay seller, who has not been identified, gave away his sailing background and perhaps a little bitterness that Australia is no longer in the forefront in the America's Cup when when he advertised NZ as having the ‘dodgiest America's Cup win ever ... and very ordinary weather’.

Did the bidders' smell a rat, as they bid for the Land of the Long White Cloud?

Well as one one eBay regular commented, 'The freight terms were Pick Up Only, so not so. If they had quoted an airfreight cost, that would have been indicated it was definitely a sham.'

I'll Have A Manhattan With That Boat.

Boats particapting in the Volvo Ocean Race depart New York for Horsesmouth...I mean Portsmouth.

Let's have a drink in their honor.

 

3/4 oz sweet vermouth
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 dash Angostura® bitters
1 maraschino cherry
1 twist orange peel

Combine the vermouth, bourbon whiskey, and bitters with 2 - 3 ice cubes in a mixing glass. Stir gently, don't bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. Place the cherry in a chilled cocktail glass and strain the whiskey mixture over the cherry. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils but don't drop it in.

VARIATION: No bitters. Substitute a twist of lime for the cherry and orange. Hold the lime twist in a lighted match over the drink and then drop it in. The heat really zips up the lime flavor.

Mama Mia That's A Big Fish.

Capt. Andy Whitbread of Fort Myers captured a 13 foot, 4 inch, 750-pound hammerhead. Whitbread used an estimated 12- to 15-pound live crevalle jack as bait and caught the fish on 80-pound class tackle for the potential line-class world record. More...

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

      Catamaran sailing can cause you to become a good swimmer.

Project L'Orange Peeler. Progress Report.

This is what she looked like back in December when I found her abandoned by her previous owner on Channel Street.


This is what she looks like today after 2 days of work.
Now that the sun has returned and the rain has been bansihed to parts unknown I can work full steam ahead. Hopefully she will be in the water by June....then I can start building the Sabre.

sidenote: It's tough not having a garage where I can work on her.

My Boat's Bigger Than Your Boat. Photo Of The Day.

Swan 80 Nephele dwarfs the J/42 Sky Hunter under Shirley Heights.
Nephele and Sky Hunter took part in the Rolex Antigua Sailing Week 2006.

I don't know about you, but I don't like being that close to a shore that looks like Shirley Heights...especially with all that sail area!

Via Regatta News. | Photo: Daniel Forster/Rolex

Have You Seen My Screwdriver?

My Future Boat. The Sabre Dinghy.

Once I get around to building her.

I finally have time and good weather to finish refurbishing "L'orange Peeler," the Banshee I got for free last year. I've made friends with Marine Tex. Now if I only can get it out from under my fingernails.

Blaine's Bubble Bursts.

David you're not a fish! Think mammal.

David Blaine was unsuccessful in his attempt break the underwater breath holding record. He lasted seven minutes and eight seconds after spending seven days in the tank.

Good try, I bet your Dad's toupee he was a bit waterlogged after that stunt.

470 Rock And Roll

FotoHorse

Felix Have You Seen The Bird?

What bird?

My Wife Is Calling Me So I Have To Go. It's A Beach Day.

Have a great weekend.

I Love To Paddle.

Hmmmm, what's goin on here?

Back In The Saddle Again.

Lulworth all dolled up and lookin' mighty purty says howdy after staying out of the pool for 70 years.

The world's largest gaff-rigged superyacht is back in the water after an absence of 70 years. Restored in a five year project costing an estimated €15 million, the 46.50m (152' 6") Lulworth was re-launched in La Spezia, Italy. Built in England in 1920, Lulworth was one of the most successful Big Class cutters ever. Now, with over half of her original structure and 80% of her original interior intact, she has been hailed as the restoration of the century........

Sea trials are currently being held off the Italian coastline as the crew learn to get the most out of Lulworth's total sail area of 1450m2. Early performance indicators are promising: In 18 knots of wind, Lulworth has already reached 15.5 knots (digitally recorded) while towing a 4.5m tender. After a VIP guest appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, Lulworth will make her racing debut at the Argentario Sailing Week in June. She will also take part in the Imperia, Cannes and St Tropez regattas. -- BYMnews

Repeat after me, VARNISH....SANDPAPER....lots and lots of sandpaper.

How Fast Is That Moth In The Window?

26.3 knots. That's fast Brah!
Andy Pascoe ate the record set by Si Payne for lunch yesterday. He cranked out the record on his new boat the Mistress 3.

Paddlers In The Mist.

A group of South African paddlers out for an Autumn paddle near Johannesburg.

Via Corriere della Sera. | Photo: Denis Farrell / AP

Oh James!

"It's a tad bit cold in here. Can you warm it up please?"

"Certainly sir."

Speaking of James (where are you man? you've been AWOL for months), check out one of his classic tales of sailing. Why are Brits so damn funny?....Marmite?

Does The Tillerman Really Hate All Jetskiers?

I think he'll change his mind after viewing this lovely wahine.

Via Mr. Boat Blog.

The OC.

Ocean canoe, not a television program, on the bay.
It has been fantastic the last couple of weeks. We can sail, paddle, row, kiteboard, surf and swim (brrrrrr...ok I admit the water is a tad bit cold for swimming without a wetsuit) in the Bay Area. This place is almost perfect.

The wahines out for a paddle in an OC6.

Photos taken from the cockpit of the Mighty Mo. FotoHorse