h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First time I went out was on our local loch with my bruv, a watersports expert. He scared the pants off me and my boyfriend. Boyfriend then wanted off and that meant less weight in the boat. The wind then picked up and we had to do that 'leaning stuff'. Christ on a bike, I had sore muscles that night.

Sailing lochs sounds like good fun and a lot of speed in good wind. Not all to many waves etc. Probably the best way to start learning to sail. A little advice, even though you get scared, keep you pants on! The water tends to be colder without pants!

In my opinion, the real fun starts when you start sailing on the sea. Here you have take in accounts like unpredictable weather, sea currents, waves, navigation, etc.

Mcnala

PS! Next time you try sailing, do it when the weather doesn't give you the hiby-gibies!

I've seen too many "When ships go wrong" type programs! Anyway, my friend had to go through a rescue when anchored for the night! Two young children on board and kitten.Dark night, howling gale.That kind of thing. Not for me!My whole family are into canoeing. My dad has been out to Staffa and through the Corrievrecken(think thats how its spelled) Whirlpools.SCARY

Canoeing, well why not. It can also be pretty exciting, as you're pretty exposed to nature.

Bad joke, but it's better with a bad joke than no joke...

You know what's the similarity between canoeing and American beer?

...both are very close too water!

I've translated the joke from Norwegian to English, so if the grammar is poor, sorry.

No. That was pretty accurate translation. My dad has stroked a Basking Shark before. They are quite well established around Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland.I never really got into canoeing because my brother capsized me, once too many time.OUCH!

So your father is into shark fighting is he! Oooooh, now that is pretty rough, has he tried any great whites yet? The Basking sharks are not supposed to be dangerous, as they are one of the few plankton eating shark. But I would try and keep out of there way, as the reach tremendous sizes!

Arran, haven't had the pleasure of getting out there yet. My granny lives in Largs. I haven't met any of the Baking sharks so far, guess I haven't done enough sea travelling there!

Everyone's granny lives in Largs!Its one huge retirement town!I'm fortunate enough to live just inland from Largs and Arran. I've holidayed there for years. Arran is Scotland in Minature.Beautiful, breathtaking mountains. Hidden glens and waterfalls. AAAHHHHH!Lovely.

Arran sounds great, are there a lot of jobs there?

Yes, on could say that Lars is a retirement town!

Talking about resemblances, I would say that Scotland and Norway must both have been built by Slarty boy as they are very similar to each other, talking about nature, not the people! I get homesick thinking about Scotland....

Are you out there with the rigs or something?Or is that none of my business?You got any scary stories about sailing?!?

Out there on the rigs... Que? Not quite sure of what you mean by that!

I've had a few experiences that I would put down as pretty nerve wrecking! ...but seeing that you are scard of sailing and not wishing to do it again, I'm a little considered that my stories will just make you even more sertain that you are not going to try sailing again!

Do you want the stories where the weather is the reason or where geografy is the problem?

Oh, definately weather related...I love the weather.Its a truly scottish obsession.Sorry..I didn't make that last message clear...I meant oilrigs..do you work on oilrigs?(As I said previously...unless its none of my business!)
We just had two days of snow and ice.Now a thaw has set in which undoubtedly means our village will be cut off by floods!Help!

Oh no, I not on the an oilrig, it's worse, I live in the Oslo district! Here the weather is just as wet as in Scotland, but it's also colder... To tell you the trouth I am trying to get out of the god forsaken country. I'm telling you the last 10 - 12 years with expetion of 1 or 2 winters, they've been black and windy. Why the people around here think the weather in Scotland is so much worse, I don't know any more!

Talking about weather, ever been out on a 32-foot sailing boat without a motor in full storm? If not I can tell you it's pretty nerve wrecking, especially when you wish to moor! This happened to us about 10 years back. We were sailing down the Swedish coast to cross over to Denmark. The weather was great, though a little boring as there was no wind on the crossing over. This made us start the motor; we herd a strange noise from the engine, like grinding stone. Well, sailor as we were we sailed over. Took us 2 day instead of one. On the way back, in the morning, there was a gentle breeze and sailing was slow. Since we had a Volvo Penta motor, we went into the nearest port in Sweden, where Volvo motors are made, to get them to have a look at it. The only problem is that it was vacation time in Sweden, and anyone that has tried to get something repaired in Sweden in vacation time knows it's just about impossible!

Sailors we were, so we set off again the motor none the better that when before, it now evening and the wind had blown up to a fresh breeze. Now in my opinion there are few things better than sailing in a fresh breeze! The only problem was that within two hours it had blown up to gale, and one-hour later full storm. In my opinion there is not much fun sailing in a full storm without a motor. Oh, I nearly forgot we had a two-horse power outboard motor for the dingy! The sailing boat weighed a few tons.

Well after sailing for aprox 3 hours we decided to moor for the night. I think it was about 11 pm and dark. We knew about two islands that have a opening to the south that would be pretty quite as the wind was blowing from the north east. When we got there the wind had changed and was blowing from the south-southeast. Well we got in, and saw a Sweden yacht, aprox. 60 feet long, the people on board were looking at us with big eyes. They were probably thinking, these Norwegians, always trying to impress us Swedes. Had they only know that we had no choice but impress them. Now trying to moor without a motor in little wind and up to the rocks is not easy, here we were, a gale blowing, and on a 32 foot sailing boat trying to do exactly that. Well after a lot of nerve wreckinb séances we managed it. Sitting now in the cabin, no one was daring to take an anchor dram! Nerves still peaking and it was getting late. We all went to our beds. I don't think that anyone actually slept.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, we heard a hammering sound on the hull of the boat. We all jumped up and ran out. The Swedes from the Sweden yacht had driven over, in their dingy, to tell out that our anchor must have loosened. Luckily we had a spear, and that it was only blowing a strong breeze.

In the morning when it was time to pull up the anchor we were in for a surprise, the anchor that we first had thrown had a not loosened, but was bent 90 degrees.

PS! Just in case you have realised it yet, I'm a scot that took a wrong left and ended up in Norway.

Bloody 'ell!!How on earth did the anchor become bent?My friend who was into sailing had to sell their boat unfortunately. I never got the chance to go out with them cos I am their House/animal sitter.While they galavanted about, using up the resources of the local lifeboat stations, I stay at their gorgeous wooden house, next to a big waterfall.Have great parties in their home and walk the dogs, feed the cats, get mauled by their ferret, bitten by their donkey, bucked off their horse, kill their chickens etc etc.But its great fun.
Going back to their boat though....whilst on holiday in Orkney, my parents saw their old boat.My dad kayaked out to it and took some photos.Needless to say, my friend was VERY emotional when she heard my dad had seen it.
My big brother is into white water canoeing. Goes off BIG waterfalls and gets trapped under water and stuff!Terrifying!
Hope the weather has been not too bad. But I'd imagine the storms WE have had recently, would have been coming to you also. Oh well.It is winter I suppose.Spring is on the way!

Nyree

...come spring, summer, autumn, winter, there are pretty much only two seasons here nowadays spring and autumn! I guess there is something to this global heating thing...

So take care of animals, or do they take care of you? I've done that for a few years, close to the sea though and I didn't work as a farmer, or you can call it a petty farmer. No ferrets or donkeys though!

Yeah.I love animals.I've always longed for a small holding/croft but my friends house is similar to that. I've worked alot with sheep, also.But not anything to do with .!!!!!I've done the lambing and hand rearing. I've had to cut the head off a lamb before cos it was trapped coming out the womb...Its twin was brain damaged and really funny.He was more like a dog than a lamb!Sheep do give love, you know. I reckon this is where sheep shagger jokes come from.Farmers and lonely men are often so desperate for sex, they could mistake a sheeps gaze, as one of passion!!!HAHAHAHAHA!

Aye, sheep are quite passionate animals, even though there are those that take passion to a different level, thinking of the ! I've done the lambing stuff, little bit of an accident actually, nobody but I was home, and the b*** started lambing! This was the first time I had ever experience a lambing before. Not much to it though, the did most of the work.

It is a ram lamb, I cried, and we all had an excellent autumns dinner! Lambs definitely taste better, home made...

I always found that when a sheep was lambing, its a good idea to have a feel inside anyway...its a great way to keep your hands warm!I once was in a shed with 300 ewes.They all inevitably lambed at the same time which made for an interesting time.
The sun is shining today.First decent weather for weeks.Unfortunately, I've got very sore knees and can't go for a big walk up the local woods...I'll make do with looking out the window til the painkillers kick in.