The small things.

Walking along the coast or when out at sea on a yacht, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer size and power of the sea around you.  So sometimes it’s important to stop and look at what is at your feet.  This flower I found on the cliffs above the beach is tiny in comparison to the ocean, but still an impressive work of art by mother nature.

Sun, Sea and Sand.

Well I’m pleased to say that the course is going well and I am really enjoying the training to become a Personal Trainer.  

Being based down on the south coast for the 6 weeks of the course also has its benefits and with the long Bank Holiday weekend it was great to get out and enjoy the local sights.  

I took my pocket camera out for a walk and have tried to capture the spirit and atmosphere of that great British institution; the seaside.

It has certainly changed over the years, becoming more commercial like most other pastimes, but the basics of sun, sea and sand are still there to be enjoyed by all for free.

 

The £3million artificial surf reef at Boscombe has not been as successful as expected, producing the wrong kind of wave, but hopefully after some modifications it will produce some decent surf in the future.......in the meantime however, I will be heading further west next weekend to catch some of the right kind of challenging waves......watch this space........

Back to the classroom.

Things may well be fairly quiet on here over the next 6 weeks as I am currently on a course to qualify as a Personal Trainer.  What has that go to do with sailing and your dream, I hear you ask.  Well the theory is, Personal Training is a very transportable skill which I will be able to put to use in just about any part of the world where people have an interest in keeping fit.............so if I need to earn a bit of cash or subsidize the sailing kitty I will just need to find a gym and hopefully some business.  Well that’s the theory anyway.  

So it’s been head into the books again this week, boning up (excuse the pun) on anatomy and physiology as well as spending time in the gym learning all the correct ways of using cardiovascular machines, resistance machines and free weights.

I’ll keep you updated on how things go........................

Go small, go simple, go now.

Sometimes I get the impression that time slows down.  As the retirement light in my tunnel gets bigger, it seems to be approaching at a slower and slower pace.....but at least it is still coming in the right direction and I suppose it’s just important to remember that. 

With most of my sailing courses now complete I continue to read and build my knowledge of all things nautical.  For those of you also interested in sailing you will have no doubt heard of the Pardeys, a legendary couple who have sailed the world on a limited budget, keeping their boat simple and basic and therefore having fewer problems to deal with whilst on their travels.

As well as the many excellent books written by the Pardeys, I would also recommend the book I am currently reading; ‘Simple Sailing: A Different Approach to a Life of Adventure’ by Connie McBride.   A gem that is full of useful information and common sense tips for those that want to escape the rat race or who have a dream similar to mine:

“Life is all about choices: choose to cruise extravagantly for a year, or sail simply for a lifetime”

Or from Lyn Pardey:

“Go small, go simple, go now”

“Don’t wait until you “have enough money”.  However much you have right now is enough, if you go small and simply.  Don’t wait for the promotion, the real estate market to be favorable, your stocks to go up, or even for the boat to be done.  If you have to wait for conditions to be perfect, you will probably never go and probably never want to.  There are thousands of would-be cruisers.”

“The boat will never be done.  She is not a painting to be signed at her completion;  she is an ever-changing entity who will always require more.  Besides, until you go sailing you won’t know the difference between what you and your boat need and what the manufacturers say you do.”

It all makes sense to me............although there are some things worth waiting for.............

Is that the light at the end of the tunnel behind me?

More music, more Floyd

If you cannot get the real thing, then sometimes you have to settle for second best or a cheap imitation.  

Well as it is now probably impossible to get all the members of Pink Floyd in the same place, at the same time, and get them to play their music, the thought of seeing Brit Floyd, the Pink Floyd tribute band, was a lure that I could not resist.  So off down to the O2 again and what a great night it was.

Brit Floyd obviously don’t have the same budget for effects and props as the originals would have, but they certainly managed to entertain the audience as they blasted out Pink Floyd hit after Pink Floyd hit.

Brilliant guitar solos, mesmerizing vocals and a great light show all added up to an evening of fantastic entertainment!  

Cheap imitation - definitely not!

Tri, Tri, Tri.........

I was privileged enough to go and watch the London Triathlon 2011 over the weekend, held at EXCEL. The slick organisation of the event was only outshone by the performance of those athletes taking part in the competition. 

A swim of 1500m, a bike of 40km and finishing with a run of 10km is quite an achievement and whilst the elite athletes are completing all three disciplines in a little over 2 hours, there were many spending well over twice that amount of time out on the course. 

Wave after wave of athletes were set off in the water over the weekend and every single finisher was cheered in across the finish-line and presented with a well earned and deserved medal.  


Well done to everyone: athletes, organisors, helpers and spectators, you should all be very proud of yourselves!!!