Fond Fairwell

[chef2sail]

Dear friends and comrades,

I am not sure the moderators will even allow this open thread to remain or will censor it and remove as it may not be flattering to their interests. We will see. Free speach may help with a discussion to improve this forum, but censorship is always easier and less painfull.

I know that I have made friends on here, annoyed others, helped some, gained knowledge and even had some fun. To all of you I have posted with/ to it was always meant in a positive manner.

My wife and I have always looked at Sailnet as a forum for learning from, meeting and sharing the camraiderie of sailors in our area (The Chesapeake) as well as where we cruise ( Long Island). We have tried to help contribute to this hosting an annual Sailnet Rondevous every year at our club to foster these relationships. After 4 years this year was the first time we dealt with a Sailnet member who tried to undermine the event.

We have made wonderfull friends on here which will carry over and will continue to raft up with get together with them socially. We will continue to leave our PM open to messages for communication purposes. We will continue to host an invited Chesapeake party for sailors at the Maryland Yacht Club the second complete weekend in June, so we can carry on with the tradition which has been started.

We have also beleived in a certain level of expertise and fairness from the site as well as the moderators of the forum and beleive that will not occur.

We beleive that Sailnet is drifting away from their original message, thus the exodus of quite a few number of serious sailors some of who were our friends to other sailing forums. It may be that these administrative things have take a normal couirse of action, and it maybe the way that Sailnet has chosen to maintain or increase future memebership,, but in light of recent decisions by the controlling board of Sailnet we no longer wish to support by actively participating.

We are serious sailors and do not need a new social interaction site as it is becoming.

After much deliberation and great thought and after 4.5 yeras and 2,700 posts my wife and I have decided we will no longer post publically on Sailnet and will search for an internet forum which more appropriately meets and matches our goals for sailing.

As I have learned in life pendulums, swing back and forth and that given enough time the true personality and character of people eventually reveal themselves.

Good luck to you all, may fair winds follow you whereever you travel. and may the camradiere of sailing always fill the cockpits of your boats and lives.

Dave and Donna

[erps]

Well shucks. Drop a line to me if you come across a place you like. I'm an in betweener. I like the on topic knowledge base and I used to like the off topic sludge forum. In the past year, it seems that the off topic area has gotten nasty and my participation in that area has declined. I've not noticed the same sort of degradation in the on topic area. I've made some good friends here too. I've met about a half dozen folks here in person and consider them all friends. It sucks to see nice folks like you guys reduce your participation. Nuts.

[Sabreman]

Hey Dave,

I'm sorry to see you go. You're a great guy and we'd love to see you again when we're up for Gov Cup in August (same place, I think). Vicky has been scolding me for not offering you a drink last year (I swear that I did).

I suppose that I'm an in-between-er like erps. I haven't seen any degradation in the sailing forums and don't read the off-topic stuff. In my experience, 99% of the posts are respectful and I can only recall very few from obnoxious trolls. I guess that I just don't care enough to respond to the flamers.

I'll drop you a PM.

Mark

[PorFin]

Dave & Donna,

You've been great members of our community, and we will all be the poorer for your absence.

Fair winds. Hope to see you both in another (digital) anchorage.

Best,
PF

[Lou452]

If the good men and ladies leave who will be left? A building needs every brick It can stand with one or two gone and a few bad ones... but it is a lost none the less. 10 men were helped one came back to give thanks. If you come back for just one man you have my thanks. Fair winds to you a man and lady I have not meet. LOU

[smackdaddy]

Chef - sorry to see you go. It looks like you've been hitting the "War of 1812" thread pretty hard. That OT political stuff never had much appeal to me - though I used to love OT for FightClub (it was sailing-related of course). But I don't even do much of anything in OT anymore. It's now all about sailing.

I've never understood why people get so bent in political/OT topics (that have nothing to do with sailing), then say that SN has "lost its way". Not that that's your only reason for hitting the road. Just sayin'.

Whoever the knucklehead was that tried to undermine your gathering should get a boot in the pecans. What's up with that?

You ought to check out Cruising Anarchy. Great bunch of guys over there - and they definitely know their stuff (although SN is still one of the most informative and fun forums on the planet).

Do what you gotta.

[lancelot9898]

Always enjoyed reading your posts. Sorry to see you leave.

[copacabana]

I enjoyed your posts and contributions and hope you decide not to leave Sailnet. Pity.

[wingNwing]

Fair winds, Dave & Donna, wherever you go in both the virtual and IRL sailing worlds. Will miss your input here.

[LandLocked66c]

Ah guys, it's just the internet.... Don't go!