Friday, August 31, 2007

earthwave

 

FALSE BAY (Cape Point to Cape Hangklip)


Hard offshores early today Friday but the wind eases and there is a little bit of that SE swell that's been hitting the east coast about 1-2' up to 3', better later as the NW moderates to around 12-15kts. Another front hits tonight, and tomorrow, Saturday is a blown out writeoff with hard offshores obliterating a valiant but struggling 2' swell. Sunday sees the High coming in but glassy to light SE at first in residual showery clearing all day. Periods of smooth seas in the morning for the Earthwave challenge and world record attempt, and then a moderately manky SE could start pushing the onshore wobble from after lunch.

 

if you're sick of the sailing, grab a longboard and head to muizies this sunday.....We won't be there to defend our world breaking attempt, i hope the other 76 guys will be

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 7

big Willy throws some cane in the mix

I'm sorry for those fans out there who aren't followers of the local sailing scene, but it's Lipton Time, so get over it. The discerning might have noticed that the teams interviewed last week are all doing rather well. With two days to go, the top 6 teams are in fact those who sat down with DSD over a beer for a chat. Here are the standings after the three 'prescribed' races:
MARK SADLER 8
G DAVIS/G BLANCKENBERG 9
PAUL & GRAEME WILLCOX 10
DAVE & ROGER HUDSON 11
DAVID RAE 17
WILLIAM NORTON 18

No racing on day 2, water fights the obvious outcome
It's all very tight, with just three points from p1 to p4. For those who are suspicious with numbers and apply their formulas to the Lotto, you'll see that Mark is a mazda fan with his 323, and Big Willy likes flying boeings with his 747.
startline race 3
The smart money is still on Greg and Gigs to pull thru with the victory, they've got the boat speed with two bullets and race 2 was very shifty gave them a lowly seventh. It is the tightest finish in years, and the top 4 are still in with a good chance. While not totally out of it, they do need some special luck, so expect some fireworks between the vaalies and the ikeys for the 5th place.
Gigs holding off Saddles in race 3
The other big surprise is the amazing performance of Rodney Tanner, who finds himself in 10th place. He's got a bunch of youngsters on the boat, all in their teens, and has clearly learnt a lot from hacking around on an Extra. We're not too sure if his choice of crew is due to teenage boys having teenage sisters, or yummy mummies. Either way it's a genius masterplan, and I'm sorry I didn't think of it first.

Ikey tigers battling with the bag

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Marremsmbirry mtb ride

 

The day didn't start particularly well. I arrived at the festival grounds with half an hour to spare and not a bike was in sight. After numerous, 'Eish Baas, 8 o'clock' conversations with the security guards, I found myself going to the Sportsclub, and then finally the Co-op to make it barely in time. A field of probably just 30 was scattered round the parking lot, but any thoughts of a high finish were quickly extinguished by seeing a few sponsored riders and some very good hardware floating around.


It's no understatement to say that the pace from the gun was flippin' hot. I quickly gave up sticking with the lead pack of about five, but that was okay, since the pace motorbike had also dropped back to our group. We headed out through some cow patch, onto a dirt track and up towards the first climb, a radio mast looking over the dorp. It was very muddy and chainsuck was going to be a b1tch today.


With hindsight it is patently obvious to see that there were so many heavenly indications that I should have stayed in bed. Being a stubborn bastard does have its drawbacks, and the velogods decided to discipline my insubordination at kilometer twelve. I'd settled in behind two other guys and we headed down a nice road, except for the drainage culvert halfway down. Bunny hopping at +30kph is always fun, but risky. I landed to the oh so terrible sound of air escaping from my front tyre, and stans frothing. Once stopped, I noticed it was a tear in my sidewall, but didn't look too wide. I put my faith in the magic goo to do its work (what other options did I have), but it never healed and a tubeless to tubed conversion was performed, with the entire field filing past into the distant yonder.


Now a clever man would just cut his losses and go home, within an hour I could be on my buddies' plaas chilling in his pool. Then I realized, I have entered the Freedom Challenge 2008 and should eat these setbacks for breakfast as any pseudo hardcore biker would. I had a 'what would Maarten do?' epiphany. Then I realized that he never got any punctures in 2300km and would probably phone David to request an airlift. One of the local farmers came past (in his double cab) to see if I was okay, as they'd heard I had puncture problems. I said I was sorted but enquired about the rest of the route, was it as rough as what we'd already done? He just rolled his eyes and tuned me nooit, it was much harder and we still had to go up Paardeberg. We both looked in the direction of the southerly massif, standing out like the Mordor Towers in the distance.


Well that was enough to scare me into peeing my bibshorts sopnat, but if the climb was 'moertaai' then I was 'moertaaier'. I would take on the last 60km alone with no puncture repair kit or spare tubes, but it's not like they have thorns in the swartland. So I now embarked on a cruise, no more racing. I pulled into the first stop after a mad walk up a muddy hill, it was chocolate, juice or cake on the right or polisiekoffie on the left. Remember we're on the Weskus now, there's nothing wrong with dopping at 9am on a Saturday, the fact that these dudes were throwing fiftyfifty mixes already meant I probably would not be the only guy passing out on the route that day. I don't know why people think South Africa has a drinking problem, the general population (across all races and genders) have no problems drinking. The only thing close to a problem with regards to our drinking as a nation is the absence of an Olympic discipline where these skills could be rewarded with certain gold. I was further heartened to hear that I was now only ten minutes behind the next guy.


I caught the guys up at the base of Paardeberg, Johan and Jaco were digging in for a long day. Cool thing was I could now puncture and get away with it, they had spares. Pretty soon the grade increased and they started walking, so I moved on ahead (mindful of the R100 fine for last person to KOM hotspot). The road was quite interesting made of retaining wall type paving blocks with hard sand packed inbetween. Barely 2km's on the dreaded hiss emerged from my tyre. The funny thing was that stans was coming out the sidewall tear from earlier. I pulled out a nasty doring, and got ready to beg the backmarkers for spare tube/patch. I got both and repaired the flat too so I'd have a spare up my sleeve. Legends. Even though I had a lekker break halfway up, this was one f#$%ing bliksem of a hill, I'd love/hate to see a profile. I eventually pulled into the KOM spot just behind them, what a view – the boys up there had a lekker braai on the go and I considered waiting for the steaks. What goes up comes down, and the descent was pretty much a worn footpath, thank god for juicy five and well done to the dude who got the lead motorbike down there in one piece.


The area around Lammershoek was really nice to go through. I'm no geologist but there was a huge granite 'dome' just parking there which obviously has some interesting story. I also enjoyed seeing these odd 'UFO' type worker's cottages at Eikendal. I met the farmer's son later and he said they are made with a huge balloon; cement and chicken wire thrown over and then allowed to set. Must be P035warm in summer.


I settled my karma by overtaking a dude and giving him my mini-pump. The finish was reached without too much further event, it got very warm and I was racing to at least make the 1pm cut-off (seemed like a good time for prizegiving). I came in to a Pepsi and a handclap, but no boerie no braai no medal no lucky draw. I did really take my time though, 4:12 riding time, probably 5:10 in total. Janine and Phillipa were still around for a chit-chat (and the last bite of the last boerie!). Pity the small turnout didn't do the route justice, well marked and marshaled - this cycling club know their stuff. There was lime powder arrows/candy tape probably every 500m.


 



Sunday, August 26, 2007

solank jy net leeuloop

Going back to the afrikaner roots, it's surprising to see that 12 years on the Afrikaner nation is alive and well at the
Molfees in Marremsbirry. This was after rising at some ungodly hour to get there in time for the MTB race. 75km looked like a piece of piss, until i had to re-engineer a tubeless conversion to tubed after 12kays, so ended up just cruising the route from the back - even missed the prizegiving!

Onto the fees, my shattered nerves, it was huge, the Pepsi tent fitted on the entire rugby field, and the star attraction of the night was of course Robbie 'Robbie W' Wessels and Bok van Blerk. So predictably we ended up with a stirring rendition of 'De la Rey', all standing arms linked, ready to trek into the hinterland and educate the natives.

Wessels is a genius, you know him as the guy from the Vodacom adverts, came on as his alter ego - Poenie Pieterse...I could go on, but Youtube helps me out instead:


live as poenie

at some really really big show, the famous Leeuloop, lovely seeing 12 year olds and oumas side by side singing about tennisballe

Poena is koning

Friday, August 24, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 6

Dave's pr image
n our final barside chat over a pinch of salt we corner everybody’s favorite good guy, Dave Rae, and hit him with some candid queries.
Deep South Diaries: Cheers dude, welcome back.
Dave Rae: shot man, what did you guys do to Amstel whilst we were away?
DSD: wasn’t us, blame the suits at Heineken in amsterdam.
DR: bastards [stares at his bottle of hansa].
DSD: you’ll get it in glass in October, might not taste the same.
DR: oh well, this marzen stuff is cool.
DSD: so you not sick of boats yet?
DR: hell no, just as long as I don’t have to cut anymore sails for the damn things, he he!
DSD: you’re sailing for the inland boys this year, what precipitated that move?
DR: once a vaalie, always a vaalie! Ha ha, no very established team, always on the fringes of top 5/top 10 and was a very good opportunity to pick up on. Great bunch too round the bar.
DSD: After many campaigns as the two Daves on Greenlight you’re now driving for the first time, how’s that working out?
DR: I married his daughter so he had to replace me with Roger, ha ha! Ja, they won the first year I was off, so I have a point to prove now. Don’t forget big Willy on UCT was also on our crew, and he damn well pipped us in WP champs. It is a different thing now actually running the show, as opposed to being one of 18, a welcome change I must say.
DSD: Being a fairly high profile Shosholoza crewman you got to spend some time on the Match Race circuit, does that give Mark and you an edge this week?
DR: Look, we learnt a lot there, stuff you’ll never pick up from 20 seasons in Table Bay. But that’s match racing, and this is L26 fleets. We’ve definitely got used to being in high intensity situations now, but there is much more to Lipton than that.
DSD: It’s gonna be a great week, dare to pick a winner?
DR: nope, it’s wide open for once; I think I’ll sit on the fence, thanks.
DSD: and if the vaalies pull it off, where will the circus be next year?
DR: To the highest bidder! ha ha, we’ll worry about this week first before talk like that emerges.
DSD: What’re your thoughts on L26s as the class for Lipton.
DR: To be honest I just want to race. I think it’s more of an issue for the actual owners and the owner/sailors who really make up the numbers and the event themselves. I’m lucky that people invite me to sail on their boat. You’ve sailed the Pacer, what’s your view?
DSD: hey, I’m asking the questions – that bag is massive, would be quite interesting with a smallish crew in a Table Bay buster! Ja, there are clearly better boats than L26s around, and just like in the past Lipton will move along to keep up with the times. But the lesson has been learnt that the class makes it to Lipton, and not Lipton makes it a class.
DR: the good news is that there’s a really healthy fleet this year.
DSD: finally, how did it go with the 49ers?
DR: ja, it was cool fun, but those guys at the top are good at what they do, would be hours and hours and lots of swims before we got there!
DSD: thanks for taking the time to chat to us, and good luck.
DR: only a pleasure, you’re not printing any of this are you?
DS: nope.[readers - feel free to print it yourselves! –ed]

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 5

We've managed to corner the crown prince of SA sailing, Mark Sadler in the ZVYC bar with a pinch of salt for an exclusive chat about Lipton, the local scene and a bit of AC.
Action man Sadler
Deep South Diaries: Howzit saddles, happy to be back in familiar surroundings?
Mark Sadler: Ja, its quite nice to actually chill out for the first time in who knows how long? Cheap SAB beer is another highlight.
DSD: How hard is it gearing up to sail a locally high-profile regatta?
MS: Lipton is Lipton, it's always a tough week I've been there to get the winning T-shirt before.
DSD:fair enough, we're looking forward to a serious battle at the head of the fleet, how's your team shaping up?
MS:not bad I must admit, I managed to secure some of the finest young mercenaries in the game. I just buy the smokes and they do the rest.
DSD: Sailing for a Durban club and back on an Orion boat?
MS: umm ja, well. Next question please?
DSD: How's training been going?
MS: training's been fine, we've put some good hours in on the bay. I've had to spend far too much time sorting out other stuff since I got back. The Extra is full of seriously dangerous cobwebs and my keeler at theewaters is also a little sorry after all this rain. It appears there were some big parties at our flat too whilst we were in Valencia. It's quite nice to get back on a boat again and stop worrying about all this admin stuff.
DSD: It's a cool flat, there's even a photo of you on the wall with a ponytail if I remember correctly..
MS: There's no escaping that shocker, I must burn that one for sure.
DSD: How will you handle the favourites tag?
MS: Who said we’re the favourites?
DSD: Come on, we’ve all seen the promo pics with you and Greg posing with the cup.
MS: oh yeah, that explains a lot actually…I need to get my publicist from the AC team back, she got my public image sky high. At Lipton the only thing you can take for granted is that you can’t take anything for granted.
DSD: should we read anything into the L26 WP champs result?
MS: We’re not going to, it’s a got a stigma to it and it appears everyone did their best not to win it!
DSD: We’re all dying to know, how much will the AC experience help?
MS: Two totally different boats and regattas, so it’s not like we have a sailing technique edge over the local guys. AC v5 and L26 have the same number of sails, but that’s about it. I’m definitely more comfortable with high pressure racing, which came from doing the Match Race circuit too.
DSD: Well good luck for the week, and maybe see the whole show moving off to Durbs again next year?
MS: No probs, we’ll do our best.

One hand on the mug

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 4

This is a special edition of the Lipton Preview...poor 'ol Leonie is now past her twenties and hit the magic three zero today. We dedicate today's interview to her, she's represented UCT at three sassu's, despite never actually registering/applying/dreaming of going there...russpek!

Will in heavy training

Always the dark horses, we take a trip to the middle of Grassy Park to visit the cheapest yacht club bar in the country and hopefully find out what makes UCTYC a team to watch out for in this year’s Lipton with a pinch of salt. The entire team is assembled on the grass for crew training; oddly enough not a single dinghy is even out of the shed, let alone rigged or sailing (and their L26 is still on its cradle in the docks). Taking time out from training, skipper Big Willy and manager Dave Waiting give me their thoughts on impending rockstardom.
Deep South Diaries: So Big Willy, you’re driving this year for the first time?
Dave Waiting: I think you will have to take a funnel from the Diggler before I let him answer that. [pause as a well-travelled dildo is charged with the nations finest, and duly dispatched by our reporter, ever keen to get the big scoop]
Big Willy: Yes, I’ve come a long way since the heady days of jumping around Greenlight for the Silver Fox Hudson.
DW: Pity you’ll only see him on the startline as you have a bunch of palookas on board!
DSD: Yes, tell us about your team a little, how do you take 20 000 students and whittle it down to a team of 6?
BW: We’re the new generation of UCT sailors that have come up through the recent years, all done a bit of racing, but no rockstars on board.
DW: We’ve gone for the aesthetic look this year, the results might not look pretty but we’ll still turn some heads.
DSD: Fair enough, sponsors want exposure – but how did Hobson make the team then?
DW: He got in on a technicality, we ran a funnel club last season and that’s how Steven Rhodes made it too actually. It’s proving a worthwhile training tool, measuring progress over an entire season.
BW: The Namibian guy is also there due to us getting a grant from varsity for him being international. It’s not much, but should cover our binge drinking costs for the regatta.
DSD: Good to see you have some representation from the fairer sex aboard?
BW: Ja, that’s more bogus quota stuff. They’re basically there too make sarmies and flash other crews when we need to pass. I’m a bit concerned they won’t stick to the gameplan.
DW: but they are getting better at peeing from the stern guardrail now!
BW: Very good point! There’s nothing worse than a moaning chick with a full bladder when you’re trying to pick a shift.
DSD: Team Maverick have ruffled a few feathers in the past, what’s the objectives this year?
BW: I just want to bunk a week of tuts and defer the tests I haven’t studied at all for. Give us a top ten overall and maybe a podium in one of the races.
DW: If we beat the maties and the schoolkids then my work is done, but this year’s crew really are a recipe for disaster. To think that sh1t steve is probably the most reliable! If Hobson scores a Lipton promo girl, then it would justify the whole program.
DSD: Dare to pick a winner?
DW: I think Saddles will take it back to Durbs, but only if the Orion bar tab is bigger than our sail budget.
BW: I like the look of Dave Rae’s vaalie boat, August is not really cape weather.
DSD: Thanks guys and good luck.
DW: Not so fast wise guy, take this [the rest of the team load the diggler with a concoction of hunters, castle, homebrew, cape to ten rand and vlei water; summarily dismissed to the sound of a marching song.]

ever dependable waiting, what a beast

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 3

Once again the team goes boldly in search of the next exclusive....this time it’s with Paul & Graeme Willcox at the RCYC bar round a beer and a pinch of salt. They’re well known vaalies who’ve been based in the Cape for a while now and will be representing ZVYC at a star-studded Lipton this year.
Deep South Diaries: Morning Paul, Graeme; thanks for taking the time to speak to us.
PW: Howzit bru, what you lookin’ at?
GW: Hey there, he means ‘hello’.
DSD: There are some very experienced yachties in the field this year, what’s your strategy?
PW: I don’t care how long they been sailing, we are going to show them who is boss. Paul Willcox doesn’t take kak from no-one. We will be going at them so hard they will cry for their mommies.
DSD: Okay Paul, we don’t expect anything less from you in the pub after the welcoming party, but do you have a plan for attacking your competitors on the water?
DSD: …..and by attack I meant to say ‘beating your opponents’….
DSD: …..on the race course? [pregnant pause as it appears the team’s secret plan B has been revealed]
DSD:…sorry, let’s start again – how are you going to get better scores on the result sheets than the other favourites?
GW: Well it is Lipton with the infamous no-discard so consistency is rewarded. It’s unlikely that any one team will dominate the bullets. We’ll be looking to play it conservative off the start line, but will take some flyers if the reward is worth the risk.
PW: What?! No, we are faster than these punks. Watch us flying off the startline in clean air with the rest following in our wake. We’ll show these Cape poefdes how to sail in their own backyard.
GW: Paulie, remember we’re sailing for Zeekoevlei?
DSD: Yes you are indeed, and joining an elite bunch who’ve represented the ‘Vlei over the years. Tell us a bit about your team and preparation.
PW: Hot team, hot boat - we are the ones to beat….and the chicks dig us.
GW: Despite our relative youth, there’s a lot of regatta success on the team. If we find the conditions to our liking I think we’ll be in with a shout.
DSD: most feared/respected competitors?
PW: uhhh, Saddles is quite a legend now.
GW: Ja, Mark has been exposed to some of the most intense racing since he last did Lipton and could have a big jump on us. The Defenders will be keen to prove that last year was no fluke - Gigs is quick no matter what boat he is on.
PW: I hope someone has showed him that a L26 is a bit bigger than a Laser this year.
DSD: okay that’s all we got time for now, good luck guys and enjoy racing together.
PW: shot bru.
GW: thanks, dude
Paulie smiles for the camera


Graeme hangs out with a fan

Monday, August 20, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 2

In another exclusive the team manages to hold down defending champions Greg Davis and Gareth Blanckenberg for a brief chat round a beer and a pinch of salt at RCYC bar on this year’s Lipton Cup where they’ll be sailing under the Theewaters Burgee.
DSD: Hey guys, how’s the training been going?
GD: What’s training, we’re a bunch of pros!
GB: I’m still at varsity, and those exams are really hard so I have to spend a lot of time there studying. Plus I’ve just been on a bit of a laser binge, doing a few events in Europe and the All-Africans in Algeria.
DSD: Gareth, how does Lipton with its L26 class compare to your standard laser racing?
GB: Not much really, you have an extra sail and a few more ropes to worry about, but I don’t touch any of them. It’s much easier to take a slash off the back between races. The other cool thing is that guys on the boat bring you sarmies and stuff, but this tall guy on the front eats most of them anyway. Greg, why do we need him again?
GD: That’s Dopey the bowman, he helps get the bag up.
GB: The bag?
GD: The spinnaker….for downwind.
GB: oh yeah there’s spinnakers on these boats too, we don’t have them on lasers. They do add an extra dimension to the racing, but seem to be more trouble than they are worth.
DSD: Happy to still be racing on the L26’s?
GD: Well we do have more entrants than last year, both in likely contenders and total numbers, so that’s very good for the event.
GB: There’s been some jetty rumours that Dalys is a very quick boat, but it’s actually a one design class, just like lasers. There won’t be much in it at the top.
DSD: Theewaters have now won the event five times since their inaugural victory in 1999, tell us a bit more about this professional set-up.
GD: Well we have Nanks on board, he’s invaluable. You could call him the Dennis Conner of Lipton Cup.
GB: Except he weighs about 100kgs less.
GD: Quite true, winning the AC so many times has bought DC far too many pies, he he. Seriously we go on the water knowing that nothing has been left to chance, Nanks has been winning this regatta since before Gigs was even born and knows it backwards. Mike is also very supportive and involved as a sponsor.
GB: We also get to psyche out the other teams with a big-ass spectator boat too! He’s like the Larry Ellison of Lipton Cup.
DSD: but he stays off the boat during racing.
GD: too true.
DSD: As the Defenders you are marked men, who will you be watching the most?
GD: With the AC now come and gone it’s a quality field, you can’t afford to focus on any single competitor. Both Mark and Dave have been sailing on the World Match Racing circuit too, we just don’t have that level of competition here. I think we all know who the main guys are, but there’ll probably be some high finishes from some of the other teams to mix it up.
GB: Don’t forget the raucous students from UCT either!
GD: Never, it’s gonna be a streetfight!
DSD: Not much different to Welcoming Party when they bring out the free snacks?
GD: Exactly, but on boats and for much longer.
DSD: Okay looks like it’s Gareth’s round, gotta go now, thanks for sparing the time guys.

Gareth tries to stay out the limelight
Greg chilling before the big week

Adventures with Gravity

Looking up at 'Judgement Day'


So many stories, and not enough megabytes on the server to house them all. Well we could discuss the week-end at the Palmiet Gravity Festival.
How about the most amazing campsite on our doorstep, perfectly juxtaposed between a beach and a lagoon?
How about the series final Quantum Adventure race, where Team Lost Yachties finished in the points, rearrangeing 30% of the fynbos in the Kogelberg Biosphere in the process.
There's plenty to share from the grade 3 rapids on the croc section of the Palmiet.
The top 10 finish in the MTB race sounds like a good story too, especially since it went through pristine tracks in the reserve, normally closed to public.
The high speed crash down a rocky road with some unbelievable result like 'not a scratch'?
or how about the podium finish in the K1 lagoon sprint (glory so early in a promising paddle career)?
Being a Lipton Partner site, we'd love to tell you about the intense L26 WP champs too.

Ah weeerh, bruthas

All worthy of their piece in cyberspace, but nothing like our headline feature. Being an adventure festival, Gravity pulled through with some local entertainment for the saturday night - Tribal Echo, a trio of your average Overstrand gangsters. These bruthas have put their perlemoen smokkelaar boeties to shame and picked up mikes instead. Let's not stereotype and say that 2Pac is the hero, maybe its Eminem or even the Doggfather, Brasse Vanne Kaap clearly in the cd colleksin. Throw them in a tent full of drunk kayakers, rafting guides et al and you need the beat to do it's work to keep it all tidy. How they hook up with some hip-hop non god from Sweden is a very loaded question, what the hell he was doing there in the firstplace an even deeper interrogation. We couldn't really get round the overberg taal, so had no chance with the Swedish diatribes, but hey it's the beat and the bounce that really count. The crazy mzungus just wouldn't let them leave, calling for encore after encore. The only question remains:
Voel djay die gravvity?Aha Aha!

Has anyone lost their computer nerd?

Friday, August 17, 2007

Lipton Cup 07...part 1

Yes it's that time of the year again - the yachties are all getting serious and the rest of us just go to the empty parties with great promos. This week-end is L26 WP champs, and the whole shebang kicks of on Sat 25th...Watch the official stuff here . Keep an eye on this space for some more insider sneak chats.

The greenlight crew in action


The so-called Silver Fox of local yachting, Dave Hudson himself, has just flown his secret weapon, son Roger, in for an exclusive chat at the Royal Cape bar with a pinch of salt. Since he came all the way, he might as well stay for this week-end’s WP champs and impending Lipton Cup starting on the 25th.
Deep South Diaries: Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to chat.
Roger Hudson: No probs.
DSD: This is a really settled team, is that a big factor over the other crews who are still getting used to each other?
Dave Hudson: Well this week-end will be a real shake-up with two only arriving today from overseas. These are the boys that were defending last year, so we want that big mug back.
DSD: Rog, how much sailing have you been doing in London?
RH: Does Virtual Skipper count? Not much, but it’s like a bicycle. We’ll be shaking out the cobwebs this week-end, and we’re all pretty much unemployed, so there’ll be some training leading up to the regatta.
[Dirk de Jager saddles up from the change room]
Dirk de Jager: Hey guys we having a drink, Guinness? Gotta love the pounds,Rog!
DH: not now Dirk, busy with skippers interview.
DdJ:But I’m a co-skipper too now, aren’t I - you promised me.
DH: sorry Dirk, there’s only space for two, they must have made a printing error.
DdJ: and now Simon says he’s not doing bow anymore. Who’s doing it?
RH: You’re the best man for the job, Diggler.
DdJ: But that’s like 6 years in a row now, what ever happened to crew promotion?
DH: don’t worry, I’ll help fund your Ph.D.
DdJ: OK, cool, that’ll be great.
[dirk wombles down to the boat, to resume his boatbitching duties]
RH: I can’t believe he fell for that!
DH: Ja, classic!
DSD: Anyway, back to the sailing. It’s a quality field this year.
DH: Brilliant stuff, I’m really looking forward to it.
RH: Ja, who would want to pick a winner? I expect lots of drama at the top of the fleet.
DSD: What’s the strategy, play conservative and build up podium places to a first overall or go for the bullets?
DH: Play it safe, consistency pays off.
RH: We’re lightning fast, will be picking the flyers if we get a chance.
DSD: How’s the Greenlight looking?
DH: Well it would have been nice to be on a kick-ass racer, but I think we’re all happy with the size and quality of the fleet, which would only happen on L26s.
RH: It looks like Gerry has been pimping our ride too, we got mo’ bling than tho’ king.
DH: huh?
RH: Don’t worry, it’s all good.
DSD: Well I won’t keep you any longer, good luck for the racing, and try keep it in the Cape.
DH: Been a pleasure.
RH: shot, ‘nother beer?

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

and you thought shopping at Cape Storm was daylight robbery

This is in from a report last week, even the muggers know good technical apparell when they see it! So the clear moral of the story is to go do your outdoor shopping at Mr Price Sport.
 
"Mountain hikers mugged at Maclear's Beacon TM today 8rh August

More bad news is that the Muggers are still active on the mountain.

Today at about 0930 Doreen and Mike Scott were robbed by 2 knife
wielding young black men roughly 100m from Maclear's Beacon.

They were on their way back from the Beacon and had just descended
through the small rock band and were on the path to the Cable station,
when they heard runners behind them. Before they could do anything the
one man had a knife at the side of Mike's stomach and was grabbing his
camera bag. The other one ran past and held another knife above Doreen's
head and ordered her to remove her clothing by shouting "Cape Storm" and
pointing at her anorak and jacket.

They stole all 3 layers of Doreen's Cape Storm clothing, leaving her
standing in her Bra in a freezing cold wind, and took her watch,
cellphone, and ripped her wedding ring brutally off her finger. The man
with Mike took the camera, watch, woolly hat and anorak, and food from
his pack plus his big folding Bush saw, which was more impressive than
the kitchen knives they were threatening with.

Mike managed to keep his pack when the Mugger saw the other stuff in it
was old, and when they ran off back to the rock band where they must
have been hiding, they dropped Mike's anorak so that he could recover
it.

Mike and Doreen ran back to the Cable station warning other hikers to
turn back, and alerted the Station attendants to make contact with the
Police, who were parked at the Lower Station. They hoped that if they
could get the Police Chopper in the air fast enough they could arrest
the men. Mike hopes the Police have the luck to be able to catch the
thugs, and says he and Doreen were lucky that it wasn't worse, but it
was still a most unpleasant and upsetting experience"

Monday, August 13, 2007

Looking for beaver?






Well now, life can’t get much better than three day weeks and four day week-ends can it? Feeling the need to get out of town, we found ourselves up in the Groot Winterhoek on a little known farm called Grootfontein. My donder!, die fontein was baie massief after the rain received before and during the week-end.

We took the bargain option of a little hut; the beer and braaihout was cheap, but hot water showers very scarce. Despite this the boys didn’t have THAT much more fun than the girls. Between all the rain a few excursions were made, and it really is an amazing spot right on our doorstep.


The judges were undecided between the Paarl Chophouse steak-out, the Swartpot Penne Veronese and Noordwes skaappotjie. We really did eat ourselves silly, and even found the time for some light reading on the john.



Due to logistical reasons (ie. Not having a big-ass 4x4 bakkie) the river rafts and wetsuits were left at home, so bumsliding was the only option.

Monday, August 06, 2007

make every drop count

Oh dear another extended strike looms, but to the average citizen its normally just A-okay. Surprisingly store cashiers, security guards, metalworkers et al don't really seem to affect us, but give one an extra conversation titbit. But take away the chance of available petrol and all of a sudden we are up in arms, and the country has now gone to Zim South. It's gonna be an interesting one, especially when people require gas to get to work - my bike's ready for the commute, even if only to save enough petrol for the drive to beaverlac at the long week-end.

In the interest of seeing how badly I live, I took the short quiz at my footprint, and 3.8 planets are required to support my habits.




Another bored man has done his sums, and worked out how much energy google's blank background consumes yearly - 750MWh is apparently the saving if we all used blackle instead. It's functionally identical to our trusty search engine, just don't tell them that the ever prevalent LCD screens won't make a difference.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Cutting it fine

Do you remember your first time? It’s got to be a defining moment in the unavoidable journey from a boy to a man. I had my father’s watchful eye over my shoulder as I stared into the mirror and scraped away the thin line of bumfluff from my upper lip. We were on a family camping trip and I had an illegal beer round the campfire that night feeling very proud of myself, even if it was probably a month before I had to repeat the process. I do distinctly remember my father commenting that we were so lucky these days and they had come a long way since the minora blades of his youth, where you were taking your own life into your hands every morning infront of a foggy mirror.

Back then the weapon of choice was the Gillette Sensor Excel, it had two spring loaded blades and somehow only the really huge zits got hacked. The Schick range was very similar, but had these wire protector grills (and used shark cage diving to prove how good they were). Option three was Bic disposables – in the classic ballpoint pen plastic orange. Bizarrely, it was often cheaper to buy a whole kit than the 3pack of replacement blades (well nothing’s changed there).

The other plan of course was to go the full hog and get a fancy electric razor, Philips and Braun being a cut above the rest. Men are of course an easy-going crowd, everyone was pretty happy with the status quo. Some guy at Gillete labs then made a better spring action blade. It appears the marketing crowd from Oral B Dental had just joined the group, and decided that a savage revolution was in order.



Yip, throw another blade on the thing - two is clearly not enough. In the rich history of toothbrush marketing, a slight difference was advertised as a massive breakthrough. The brainbox nerds had found enough space to fit another blade, and now our shaver was equivalent to something traveling three times the speed of sound. Mach 3 steadily converted some souls who were probably quite happy with their Sensor Excels or Schicks. They are aware of this, and still produce the backdated stuff. Naturally Schick came back with a three bladed affair. Were they happy with this? no sir, later they added a fourth blade, enter the Schick Quattro. In between all of this, Duel decided they wanted a slice of the pie and launched their own range too.

I got lost after that; battery powered manual razors(huh?), microfins, indicator strips, flexible heads and different handles all seemed to be marginal upgrades on previous products and didn’t really justify the massive launch campaigns. Were we surprised to see the next obvious move(well five blades is one more than four) from Gillette? What's next? It's got to be the six-up razor, the straight six. I can already see them running to Herschelle after his massive World Cup over in the Caribbean with six sixes, better still his hairstyle would clearly fit their PR profile.



I've taken a little artistic license here, but I’d really like someone to empty the supermarket racks and objectively test-drive all these models on some prime stubble for the man in the street, because you sure can’t trust the marketing that comes with them.