SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Anything-Sailing Forum Down?

17K views 206 replies 28 participants last post by  SeaDubya 
#1 ·
#4 ·
I don't mean to kick A-S while they're down, but; as one of the early members there, I found that the environment on SailNet was much more positive. I therefore chose not to contribute to the discussions on A-S. I suspect that I am not alone.
 
#10 ·
I tried that site at it's early stages and wanted to like it but the tone was just not for me. After giving it a break I went back a year later and it was just dead as far as activity. I can only read so much about one guy racing his very nice custom boat. At that point I decided it was a blog and not really a forum.
 
#12 ·
Yes, it is seemingly back up and running. Not a lot of activity though the pics of Alex's much revised Giulietta are pretty interesting.
 
#21 ·
I recall banning meself after a confrontation with one of the old mods, from there and here.....whiner that he is.......Altho I think I can still log in etc. I got a happy b-day email card last year. may get one in 3 weeks.......

Interesting about boat. Wonder if the mrs is happy about this predicament or option......

Marty
 
#23 ·
Andrew,

We are probably thinking of different folks......Cam/George was the one I were thinking of. Bit of a redneck he were.......

Dan, not sure what to say there. He could be a bit of an asshat, but I do in all honesty believe his heart was in the right place. Tween a spouse cancer death, boat going up in flames..........Do hope he is doing ok.........

Alchemy/Mark......did he not ever take off on a world jaunt in the big metal boat? hopefully he did, and will not die a dreamer.......

Marty
 
#24 ·
Yes it was Cam I was referring to. I'm not sure if he managed to get himself banned from AS but he and Alex did have a major falling out. Other than on matters political we seemed to get on pretty well. I've "spoken" with him a few times over the years but nothing regular. Have no idea what he is up to these days. Same goes for my old sparring partner Sailaway21. He was another ex Sailnutter who went A-Sailing but had a falling out with Alex. They both thought I was a card carrying commie. :laugh

Dan, yep. I'd have to agree with you but he was somewhat obsessive. Had a lot of bad things happen to him I know and I too hope he is OK though the tone (if that's the right word) of his blog when I last looked was odd, to say the least.

I'm not a regular CFer so I'm not sure as to his current circumstances but last time I looked Mark (Alchemy) was getting on with it though he hadn't departed. Maybe Mark (Sealife Mark i.e.) knows a bit more.

I'm not trying to dump on anyone btw. Lots of good people have come and gone since I first signed up, lots of good people still here. It's the loss of the gooduns that is cause for regret.
 
#26 ·
I learn't a lot from Alex about sailing. You can say what you want about his online persona but the guy can sail.

Here on SN wearing his clown hat rather than his Mod hat he was also pretty entertaining back in the day.
Oh yes, an absolute master. I've sailed with a few people who were in the same league but none better. He had an ability to read the boat that quite frankly I can only dream about. In person an absolute gentleman.

He wasn't ever a mod here btw, but yeah, when he wore it over at AS the end result was a bit iffy.
 
#30 ·
Interesting watching many of you taking judgemental positions or pronouncements on others like Giu, Cam , SD etc. in this thread. SO Its ok to speak about others negatively in a SN forum. To what end or how does that enrich the sailing experience speaking detrimental about others who are real sailors.

Like living in a glass house on top of the hill isn't it. Your perch may be high, but throwing stones in a glass house.... ( we all know he that parabole goes)

Actually I long for the days some of my old friends you speak of were here on SN to keep some of you in check. Seems like if you have a differing opinion than the enforcers on SN , ridicule is the repercussion of choice. That's why you have lost many older good people
That As well as selling out to corporate pressures (sponsors) like Tartan and Mantus , has reduced SN credibility and trust.
 
  • Like
Reactions: smackdaddy
#31 ·
Interesting watching many of you taking judgemental positions or pronouncements on others like Giu, Cam , SD etc. in this thread. SO Its ok to speak about others negatively in a SN forum. To what end or how does that enrich the sailing experience speaking detrimental about others who are real sailors.

Like living in a glass house on top of the hill isn't it. Your perch may be high, but throwing stones in a glass house.... ( we all know he that parabole goes)

Actually I long for the days some of my old friends you speak of were here on SN to keep some of you in check. Seems like if you have a differing opinion than the enforcers on SN , ridicule is the repercussion of choice. That's why you have lost many older good people
That as well as selling out to corporate pressures (sponsors) like Tartan and Mantus , has reduced SN credibility and trust.
I'm sorry if anything I've said has been taken as dumping on others. It was certainly not intended as such. I thought I'd made it quite clear that there was no animosity from my end. All those I've mentioned (Alex, Cam, SDog, Sway, Alchemy) departed these shores of their own volition, none of them were forced out, all of them would be welcome to return.

The Tartan fiasco was just that. It should never have happened and the decision made to give that discussion the chop was not made by any of the moderators, at least as far as I am aware, it was a decision forced on the board by the former owners. Now I wasn't a moderator at the time but as far as I am aware it was not kowtowing to sponsors as much as being frightened off by the possibility of the legal bills after the Tartan management issued legal threats. While I understand the why I most certainly do not and did not at the time agree with the doing.

Not sure what you mean about Mantus.
 
#33 ·
Chef,
One other thing. I consider this thread to be legitimately Sailing oriented. If I thought that anyone was slandering others, be they active member or not I would be telling folk to pull their heads in. If it became utterly non sailing oriented I'd move it to Off Topic. Right now I think it has been quite civil. Discussing folk be they active or not is not in my opinion breaking the rules nay not even breaking the spirit of the rules. Slandering someone on the other hand is out of order and will not be tolerated. I know it is a fine line, judging when that line has been crossed is one of the myriad joys of modding. So, I do see where you are coming from but thus far my thinking is that all is appropriate.
Cheers.
 
#35 ·
I actually thought there was as much good being said as bad.....

As for discussing AS - I don't think it's about bashing Alex. I think there are many here who had high hopes and are quite sad it didn't become what everyone wanted.

I certainly am, I still have my burgee.
 
#43 ·
I guess that he found out that sailing and racing was more fun. Giulietta, his boat, is heading, among storms, to one of the more interesting med races, the big classic Middle Sea race, raced around Malta. Only to get there from Portugal will be a lot of hard work and the race itself is one of the toughest around. Look only at the last edition:

I hope he posts some videos :)
 
#46 ·
Fact is that I am not the right person to do that. Probably you know him better, I had just exchanged some personal emails with him and I do not know him personally: While he is involved here on the racing scene I am always cruising out of Portugal so we never meet on the water.

I had participated on his forum for a while, but as many, did not like the tone and went out. I still remember the post in question, that had nothing to do with me, but with a French. Because he (and his friends?) had some pieces of equipment stolen by a French sailor (or several) he has implying that French sailors steal equipment, that while talking to a French. It was too much for me:wink
 
#55 ·
Classic may have a purty boat, but him.....well, like ALL of us HIM's, were FUGLY! She's on the other hand.....well what can be said, much better looking........

Back to your regularly scheduled broadcast......

OTher than some boat named Kyrie finished 2nd in class in the NFS division of the Foulweather race a week or so ago......He's purty fugly, daughter and spouse and pretty good looking tho! I'll probably be in trouble for that, but my guard doggy Mr Winston will protect me........

Marty
 
#57 ·
Cam,

That were not ME that placed......that was someone else that posted on here that is moored on the same dock as I am......he is purty fugly too, but his wife and daughter.........He might agree with the same three letter word "YEP"

Marty
 
#59 ·
Paulo - is there in general cultural tension between the French/Portugese?

I do remember other previous comments on here that were directed towards the French.....more joking than malicious IIRC.

I recall because my wife is of French/Polish descent and we are very fond of France.( Mostly a wine and cheese thing..:) )
 
#60 · (Edited)
Paulo - is there in general cultural tension between the French/Portugese?

I do remember other previous comments on here that were directed towards the French.....more joking than malicious IIRC.

I recall because my wife is of French/Polish descent and we are very fond of France.( Mostly a wine and cheese thing..:) )
Not at all. France has a huge Portuguese community living there. About one in each 10 Portuguese live in France. It is not a closed community and mixed marriages with French are more a norm than the exception. The Luso descendants are even more. The integration is very good. Just to give you an idea on the municipal (county) elections of 2008 in France there was about 7000 Portuguese (or Luso descendants) candidates. From those about half was elected. The number of elected has increased on the last years.

As a norm French like the Portuguese and Portuguese like the French even if when we are talking about France (contrary to Portugal) we are talking about very different realities and cultures, cultures older than France itself. Portugal, probably the oldest country in EU, is one of the few that has a country and a single culture. On our culture Burgundy, when it was not part of France, played an important role and many warriors and noblemen from Burgundy fought with the Portuguese on the reconquest of the land taken by the Muslims (Mouros) centuries earlier and remained here, becoming Portuguese. Our first king was had mixed blood, being the son of Henrique of Burgundy, descendant of Franc kings and Tereza, a descendant from the king of Asturias and Leon and all Iberian lines till the Visigoths.

So in a word, no, there is not in our culture any tension with the French even if along our history we have been enemies (Portugal was one of the few countries Napoleon did not manage to conquer even if several attempts were made) and I would say that we like more the French then our traditional allies the British (oldest alliance in the world still effective), even if we have not any particular dislike regarding the British. It is just that our culture is more near the French one even if the French culture ruled for centuries the British one.

Yes, like the French we love cheese and wine and have some of the best in the world. Portuguese even more than the French are wine drinkers and a substantial part of the population drink wine every day with each meal (me and my wife included).
 
#64 · (Edited)
There are two Douro wines: the Red (and white) and the Porto.
For the Porto you have to try at least once not what you can find cheaply on the stores but the real thing that they call vintage. They do that only on the best years and contrary to the other Portos it has no preservatives, no mixtures and even if it is slightly sweet you cannot keep the bottle for more than 3 days or so without losing qualities. That is a good thing because on that one you would not be able to drink just a glass. It is slightly sweet but it has a so powerful and varied taste that the sweet is not too much, but the right amount. Try it with nuts, strong cheese or smocked ham. The only problem is that here is expensive, I bet that there it will be even more but it will be worth every penny. Older means not necessarily better and for eating with what I was talking about I would prefer a new wine, 2011 or so. Older ones (remember I am talking about vintage) are a waste to be spoiled with anything else, The wine is just enough. All Porto vintage bottles have in big letters vintage on the bottle. Probably you can get one from a recent year for about 70USD.

Port Vintage Chart

If you are going to taste Douro wine, including Port, you would be interested by this blog made mostly by Americans in love with Douro wine and the region (that is a world heritage landscape).

Roy's Top 12 Vintage Ports - For The Love Of Port

"Vintage Port is not only one of the most legendary dessert wines, but it truly represents great value for money. Whether you prefer your VPs young or enjoy drinking them when they are considered "antiques" is up to you. There is no right or wrong answer here. The fun is in learning the difference between the young and primary fruit laden Vintage Ports that so many people enjoy and experiencing what they can become, as they mature. Generally speaking, the older Vintage Ports have their flavors and structural components come to this beautiful point when all seems right with the world. This is called the "peak" drinking window, which serious Port aficionados go to great lengths to enjoy. ..Before you spend your paycheck to achieve such nirvana, first you must learn to know what you like to drink. "

If you manage to buy one of these tell me and and I will fly over the Attlantic just to drink it with you:

http://www.thevintageportsite.com/static/7151_ChristieVintagePortAuction.pdf
 
#66 ·
For what it is worth, found a light red "riojo" for around $11 US at a local grocery. Twist top. For the price very good. Not sure if it is a 2, 3 4 or 5 star per Paulo's rating system. But as one says, for a cheaper priced wine it was good. I've been trying to get the twist tops more recently, as it is easier to reseal per say if you only drink half the bottle today, the other half tomorrow......Or if on the boat, and some of the passengers are drinking, then again, resealing is a bit easier than a cork. As also noted, this is probably a basic dinner wine vs a better quality one too.

Marty
 
#68 ·
Rioja, not Riojo:wink That is a Spanish wine. Spain as a whole has not the same wine tradition as Portugal but then Spain is diferent from Portugal for having several different cultures, some even with their own language and in what regards Rioja region, yes they have a strong wine culture and Rioja is a great wine (i know not only the wine but the region that is a very beautiful one). Regarding Spain the other wine region that is at least as good is the Spanish Douro region that they call Ribera del Duero. Very good also...but both more expensive than similar quality Portuguese wines that you can buy for considerable less money.

Top quality Riojas, I mean 4 or five stars wines are very expensive.

On the same site, that has ratings done by wine appreciators, look at how much you have to spend to get a 3 or 4 star Rioja bottle and compare how much you have to spend for a 3 or 4 stars Portuguese Douro or Alentejo wine:

https://www.vivino.com/search?q=Rioja
https://www.vivino.com/search?q=Douro&start=2
https://www.vivino.com/search?q=Alentejo&start=1
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top