Training Journal - Part 1 - My Introduction to Sailing...

actually came from my ex-girlfriend. We had both been shafted at our jobs (working for the same company) and were at a loss as to what to do with our "retrenchment packages". She had recently started scuba diving and was browsing through an issue of Divestyle (local SA dive rag) when she points to an article and says "Let's try this". I have a look and, to say the least, was not amused...10,000 South African Rand (about 850 Sterling) to learn how to sail a yacht...I don't think so. I slept on it for a couple of days and couldn't think of anyhting that was keeping us in Jo'burg so we gave the Ocean Sailing Academy a call to enquire about their next course, which luckily for us was starting in a week's time. We drove down to my folks, south of Durban, and left my car there for the month...we wouldn't need it. After registering at the Academy, we were paraded down to the yacht basin to what was to be our home for the next month...Ocean Chinook, was her name. A Levranos26 monohull yacht, gleeming white with red and blue Academy colours and flag, sails furled in anticipation of her next venture onto the briney. Our sister yacht, Ocean Standfast, was moored next to us and there was an equally-intrigued looking bunch standing on the dock at her nose, also trying to decide whether or not this was a good idea... We were given a drill of what, and what not, to do while living on a yacht and were allowed to get to know our fellow swabbies. Too much time has passed since I met them, but I remember there was Sean (ex-farmer from Greytown who decided farming wasn't for him and left his family to pursue a life on the ocean - last I heard, he was one of the Academy instuctors), an American, and apart from myself and the ex-, there were three others. I turned out to be the eldest on our boat and in an informal way, ended up being the first mate. Life was difficult to get used to in the beginning, cramped sleeping quarters in the forepeak, seven bodies to move around and in between, the constant movement of the boat in the harbour with its associated noises and smells. It probably took me a week to get used to it all. Part 2 to follow...

Some memories stick with you...

no matter where you are, what you're doing, or where you're working. As a consultant with IBM, I have the pleasure of being able to work from home if I'm not due in the office or at customers for meetings. The downside to that is that the fridge is just out of vision of where I usually sit and work, in the TV room...but it's there and temptation is great. The upside is that I can turn on the TV, drop the volume so that my concentration is not too affected (sometimes it's hard, being the sports fanatic that I am) and I can merrily type away on my laptop in the comfort of my couch. Right now, I'm doing exactly that...except that the TV is tuned to the Travel Channel and Tall Ship Chronicles is on. The program is a series of hour-long documentaries, diarising the circumnavigation of the globe by a triple-masted barque called the Picton Castle and it brings back memories of my own short, but exciting, sailing career. About five years ago, I got shafted by the management of my old company (cos I didn't want to take a salary cut after the company was sold off to another) and with the settlement I was lucky to get from them (four months worth, after two days short of twenty years continuous service), I ended up doing a month-long sailing course in Durban, South Africa. The course was trying as we had to live in cramped, onboard conditions on the boats we were learning about, but the lifestyle had an appeal that I think can only be equated to by those who are privileged (read, rich) enough to be able to travel at will, or those with no other ties to the "real world" and can thus make the break. To cut a long story short, I ended up crewing a brand new, 37ft catamaran, on its first sea-trials from Durban to Richards Bay, then a few weeks later, sailing it from Durban to Zanzibar on a five-week sailing and diving adventure. The memories of the trip are still quite vivid and I'm going to share them with the rest of the world, like it or lump it. I took a journal along on the trip, documenting a whole range of experiences, emotions and lessons. Look out for instalment episodes...coming soon with pictures!

A moment of introspection...

has made me wonder why my blogs, for the most part, seem to be politically inspired. Is it because I'm as fed up with politics and politicians as the next person? Probably. Is it because South African politics and politicians (or most around the world, for that matter) can't deliver on their promises to make things better for their people? Probably that too. Of all the reasons I can think of for my inspiration though, the one that probably gets my back up most is that DIPLOMACY SUCKS!! It's time that people were alowed to tell political leaders, in a public forum, that they are fucking things up for the rest of us. It's time that the politicians started listening to the real political commentators (and no, I don't include myself in that list) and were held acocuntable for their actions or inactions, as the case may be. It's time for "world government". There should be an international law that, as soon as a new president is elected in any country in the world, he becomes accountable to. The law should make him prosecutable for crimes against humanity, so long as there is proof of his actions. God knows, we'd have enough evidence to put George W, Tony B, Bob Mugabe and countless others away for ten lifetimes each...

Adolf Hitler is alive and well...

and living in Zimbabwe, or at least his son is. Little did Eva Braun know that Addie had a fling with the housekeeper,but the proof is alive and well, living in self-imposed, internationally-financed luxury, in the form of Robert "Bob" Mugabe. And all the while, the Zimbabwean people are suffering increasingly more hardships. Up until now, there have been fuel and food shortages, farm repossessions, and we've all seen the images on our TV's. Then the evidence came out of political harassment, usually just before the so-called democratic elections...people, including the opposition party members, beaten and sometimes killed. The latest to come out of Bob-ville is a video of people being forced to move their meagre possessions, lock, stock and at the point of a barrel, to areas that are reported to be the farms "repossessed" by Bob's murderous lackies in recent years. Some of these farms are 70km away from where the victims are being moved. Here's a link to the story as it appeared on Carte Blanche, on MNet (SA satelite TV station)... The entire episode smacks of the forced movements imposed by the South African government on black South Africans in the 1960's. A priest who is interviewed, is amazed that African leaders are still quiet about what is happening in his country. He also says he thinks it's about time he stood at the wrong end of one of the guns...personally, I don't think he'll last long. As for the African leaders being quiet, I believe that the South African government is doing nothing and will do nothing for time to come, as they owe Bob a debt of gratitude for training, housing and financing the ANC cadres during "the struggle". As long as Madiba (Nelson Mandela) is alive, nothing will be done from this side of the Limpopo River. And, still, the other world leaders are quiet...Why won't George Bush step in? 'Cos there's no bloody oil in Zimbabwe, that's why, and 'cos Bob's escapades keep the world focus off his own...fucking hypocrite...

Where were you...

during the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington? Dredging up the past maybe, but I was watching a different perspective of the attacks last night, on Reality TV, which showed the views of professional videographers and not the media networks...way different from each other. These guys had hard-hitting reality, not just the images of airplanes crashing into the towers, or the towers coming down, but images of people's reactions, from all angles (not just elevated views) and interactions with people on the ground. There was even footage of New York in the week following the event. While the attacks were happening, instead of getting the hell out of the way, people were standing around taking photos with their fancy camera-phones as the second airplane plowed into the tower. Some people were even walking toward the towers to try and get a better view or photo. One woman, a professional videographer, was manhandled into a shop by the owner literally seconds before the fallout from the first tower passed. As he pulled her in, she was ranting "What do you think you're doing?" She did, however, have the presence to put the camera down on the counter, facing out of the shop window. Seconds later, a black cloud of smoke, dust and all sorts of shit came billowing past. If she'd been out there, she would have been dead, choked. As it happens, she was alive and ran around for a full five minutes shouting "You saved my life, oh my God, you save my life, thank you, thank you" to the shop owner. Stupid cow... In the days following the collapse of the towers, it was amazing to see the different attitudes coming out, everything from hatred toward other nations and religions, to fear of other Americans. A guy and a girl, unknown to each other when they started ranting and raving at each other, were part of seperate rescue crews at Ground Zero. Both were extremely stressed out at what they had been through and seen (both definately had Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome) and after 5 minutes of screaming at each other to find out how they were going to get through it all, ended up by screaming "Why are we screaming at each other?" To which they both screamed back "I don't know" and gave each other a tearful hug....sad, pathetic, but also slightly funny in a dark sort of way. Most catching to me though, happened about 3 days after the event, when people started gathering near Ground Zero to leave wreaths and pictures of lost loved ones, when a woman, grief all over her face, sat down on the ground and in chalk letters, scribbled, "The American Flag provokes revolution". She had an insight into something believed by large numbers of people around the world (currently, myself included) and had the balls to voice her feelings. Some of her own countrymen, enraged by what she had written and perhaps blinded by bigotry and patriotism, started to pour water on the writing and erase her work. That part of the show ended up with some twat shouting about how he was prepared to enlist and die for what "they" had done to "his" country and some other tosser throwing back in his face something along the lines of "Why is it your country? It's God's country". {Start of rant} Americans, if you want to make a difference to the world, petition your illustrious leader to get your troops out of countries that are not called "the USA" (oops, that would be ALL OF THEM), expect to trade for much-needed oil (instead of invading those countries for whatever reason), and instead of just cancelling debts to "poor nations", help them to become prosperous by skilling them up to their advantage (not just your own). That way the world would be (more) peaceful...and not so anti-American as it is these days. {End of rant}
Finally, I believe there can be no justification for terrorist (or freedom fighter, depending on your views) violence, but there do come times when people get totally fed-up banging their collective heads against walls, and something snaps...then what other option do they have?

Everybody hates being called this...

but this is my "baby". Her name is Tamlyn, she's almost 19, beautiful, and for someone that age, has a good head on her shoulders. Her boyfriend, Scott, is a nice guy, quiet, also sensible, but really needs to get some drinking practice in if he wants to drink with the big fish...that'll be Ross and I... Perverts beware, I have a shotgun and will come looking for you...

Winter in South Africa and Rosslyn Chapel

Winter has finally arrived here. It's cold (about 13deg C), windy, cloudy and looks like it might rain sometime soon. Sounds like Edinburgh on a nice summer day ;-) Today actually reminds me of my recent visit to Edinburgh, when Cuzzin Ross, his Dad and I went to have a look at Rosslyn Chapel just outside the city limits. It was supposed to be summer, but it was 11deg according to the car computer and there was an icy wind blowing at the time. Gave an eerie feeling to the old chapel... If you're ever in Edinburgh, go and have a look around the chapel...it's quite an amazing structure, coming apart at the seams these days, but work is in progress to restore it. I first heard of it when I was doing some reading on the Freemasons (no, I'm not one, as I am an agnostic and you at least have to believe in a "superior being") and found that the chapel is steeped in Masonic lore and mystery...well worth the visit... I've downloaded some pictures to the Flickr.com website if anyone's interested... External views of the Chapel showing the roof and protective structure Intricate carvings on the ceiling structures The Apprentice Pillar inside the Chapel (Freemason's will know about it) One of the many stained glass windows

Divemaster Dad? Comment ca?

Ok, so why "Divemaster Dad" as the name of my blog? Well, it all began a couple of years ago when I wanted to set up another means of communicating with my daughter, Tamlyn, who lives with her mum in Glenrothes, Fife. I signed up on a site called Faceparty.com and couldn't think of anything else to call it, and seeing as I had introduced her to scuba diving not too long before that, and with my certification at Dive Master, I thought it would be appropriate if not a little in jest (yeah, right....not! I hear the comments). Now you know...

I was warned...

that having my own blog would become addictive..."Hi, my name is Steven, and I'm a blogaholic"...{clapping and comments of "Welcome, Steven" in the background}... Cuzzin Ross did warn me and he was absolutely right on the money. I now look for things to comment on, or things to write about, in my daily life. I'm even considering, as Ross has, buying a little notebook to make notes in regarding things I could write about but I don't think I will cos then it will have become an addiction. I am, however, open to suggestions of topics and the discussion of issues with whomever wants to swap postings and comments...

Thabo Mbeki has a helluva sense of humor...

alternatively, he must be on one of those (alleged) cocaine trips of his. Either way, his decisions need to be questioned... After quite rightly firing his deputy president last week, this week he announces the appointment of his new deputy. Problem with that is that she is the wife to another ex-public servant, who was leader of the National Prosecuting Authority and who laid the initial groundwork that Zuma should be prosecuted for corruption. On top of that, the new deputy's brother is being questioned on his own set of "wrongdoing" charges where oil companies were supposed to have illicitly funded ANC activities. Which brings in a whole new set of allegations of nepotism that could be made against the new deputy as she's the outgoing (due to her promotion) Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs...

Pay It Forward...

As a few people know, my Cuzzin Ross was out to see us in Africa recently, and from what I've seen and heard it blew his mind. From my perspective, it was great to spend some time with one of the more intelligent members of our family, and be able to show him a tiny piece of this great continent (that might explain why I've been here for 36 years with no immediate intention of going anywhere else in the world). Since he went back, Ross has stated on a couple of occasions that he had a great time out here and wished that there was some way he could say thanks in a meaningful sort of way. His words were enough for me and it was our pleasure having him out here, and I was thankful for being able to use his sleeper couch when I was in Edinburgh recently, but I've come up with a not-so-original way for him to consider paying us back...or is that paying someone else forward? I'm sure a number of us remember the cheesy movie "Pay It Forward" with Kevin Spacey and Hayley Joel Osment? (Just what kind of girlie name is that for a guy anyway - slap his momma) Well, the challenge to Ross is to find someone halfway around the world, get them to take a trip to Edinburgh and show them the best of Scottish culture and scenery...show that person a different part of the world that they might have their own epiphany. I know Ross is up to challenges, so he might just take me up on it...if he doesn't, ah well...his verbal thanks were enough for me anyway...

How many Zuma's does it take...

for South Africans to realise that their government is as corrupt and inefficient as the next? Quite a few, apparently, as the (ex-) Deputy President is not the first Zuma to be scorned by the populace. Ex-Health Minister, Nkosasana Dlamini Zuma, created hell a few years ago by trying to implement a system whereby new doctors would spend some time doing community service before being allowed to practice privately, and her surname was used as the acronym for "Zero Understanding of Medical Affairs". Now, we have another Zuma in the dwang, but this time it's the second-highest ranking office in the country (contrary to some beliefs, God is not second in charge to Mbeki) and for the first time in his reign, President Mbeki has shown some balls by firing him. Now he is to be charged with two counts of corruption following the conviction of Shabir Sheik, who supposedly arranged bribes for the ex-Deputy during the recent arms deal struck between SA and a couple of countries. Incidentally, the first Zuma has been touted as being a possible successor to the second...{groan}...

A Voice in the Darkness no more...

You just gotta love technology... Never has it been so easy for so many to get a voice out into the world...until blogs came along. Fair enough, you're still an echo in the ether, but now there's a chance that someone, somewhere halfway around the world, will read your postings and maybe even post a response...and hopefully constructive... My cousin Ross, the one that everyone has been following his escapades in South Africa for the last few weeks, is a deft hand at blogging and my inspiration for setting up my own site...thanks Cuzzin... Now I just have to remember the old HTML tags I used to use on the websites I maintained, so that I can put some emphasis on some of my postings. Short Term Memory Loss is a horrible thing.

Winter Solstice and Driving in South Africa

Anyone noticed how the fuckwits seem to appear on the roads whenever there's a full moon? On top of which, today in the southern hemisphere, is the Winter Solstice meaning that the earth now starts its long slow movement back towards creating warmer weather here in Southern Africa. I don't know if it's the same where you guys live, but drivers here in South Africa generally don't give a damn about other roadusers, pedestrian, cycle or motorised. It just seems to be worse today though...travelling back from a customer visit, cars were all over the place, changing lanes, cutting people off, honking at each other impatiently. South Africans, with one of the highest death rates on their roads, need to learn some road savvy before they become one of the statistics everyone is "so concerned" about...