Fitness? What Fitness?

In summer time we all have our own ways of keeping down the weight and staying fit.  Tillerman likes to run (away from the nursing home I presume);  O Dock does an ever increasing list of repairs on his yacht (thanks to Sir Neptune); Joe likes to, well, I actually don’t know what he does. Me, well I like to do some Mountain biking and gym’ing.

As winter creeps up on us, there will be less duelling it out around the cans and more sitting in doors than is good for us. But this post is not about physical fitness but rather mental fitness and what one does to remain sharp for the coming summer’s regattas.

So how does one keep ones wits up during the winter?.  I guess everyone has their own method. I presume Tillerman keeps “fit” by duelling an online game of Nautical Chess with Kasparov.  O Dock on the other hand likes a bit more mischief and keeps  “fit” by finding new clever ways of yanking Tillerman’s chain in the comment section of Propercourse.  Doc Häagen-Dazs is like usual keeping himself busy on Virtual Regatta.  Joe, well again, I don’t actually know what he does, but then again, do they have a winter season in paradise?

What will I be doing this winter?  Well, I still don't have the faintest idea.

Pirates - no eye patch, just bazooka

So a while ago we celebrated "talk like a pirate day" and we all went out to our local pub and said: "Arrgh me matey, give me ya best bottle of rum!!"

Since child hood, most of us would put pirate flags on our little toy boats and pretend to plunder and pillage the oceans of the world (bath tub).  And at the school play, we all fought over the role for Captain Red Beard.  The Pirates of the Caribbean  movies series just made being a pirate so cool.  And even led to Lego bringing out a Pirate range of little lego pirates and commanders, even including the treasure chest.  No, they didn't stop there, they even created Lego Pirates, the game.

Would you be the Pirate or the Officer?? - Pirate

I think most of us, when we were young, were  drawn to becoming a pirate for the lure of adventure on the high seas and chests of gold coins. But as we grew older, this dream faded away and reality kicked in - Sailing on the oceans of the world is all the adventure we need.  Conquering the elements, our treasure.

Still today, in the age of gps tracking, long range missiles and real-time imagery, pirates are still a reality.  With the first Somali pirate trial (read more) underway , I hope it will lead to a decline in piracy activity, so we can enjoy the lure of the ocean and treasure of conquering the elements without the fear of running into a scary mother f(*&%@ with a bazooka on his shoulder.