Clubs still allowing sailing

Originally posted by Mozzy Originally posted by polc1410 Missing out a bit of sailing is the least of your worries. But people looking at for reasons lockdown doesn't apply to them, is the problem. Spain has not allowed any exercise. Is that what people want? Thanks for your post, the numbers offer context. I don't think anyone could read what you wrote and not believe this is a problem that needs action.  But, after all that, the last sentence is still the appeal of the 'fun police'. It seems to be saying, people are dying, therefore how dare you suggest you want to have fun.  People on this forum will be suffering in ways we don't know or haven't imagined. Telling people to put up and shut for the first three weeks is fine, so long as the general action is correct. But as time goes by, and the lock-down extends, then if you want people to adhere to your made up rules then you need to show some logic, not just berate them for questioning.  I am not disputing that action needs to be taken. I am not excusing myself from taking that action as part of the collective. But I am asking what is the logic behind it being okay for my wife and I to go for a bike ride this evening, but not a sail. I am asking what is the logic behind harbours and coastguard closing down public space when the government is asking local authorities to keep them open.  Because, after the other sacrifices we're making, being told by the harbour board, against government guidelines, that we can't practice what is otherwise a perfect social distancing exercise local to our home. Yes, I am going to question that.

Well said Mozzy glad to see you back and in fine voice.

I have been dwelling on polc1410's fine and well constructed post (albeit still slightly patronising with a whiff of sanctimony) and was going to put the case similarly. Truth is the fun police are out in force and to an extent like any sensible person of my alleged vulnerability I've gone along with what I truly believe (in my particular circumstances living in a remotish part of a remote region)is a charade, brought on by gross incompetance everywhere including the damned NHS who I've never trusted and would avoid like the very plague itself.

But there is a flipside, and it is easy to see and begin to feel the desperation that many of the risk takers that keep the economy alive on a micro level are undergoing. In this world, the sailing businesses, in my world the kite businesses, the surf stores, some of which have barely recovered from the last wipe out, many other sports businesses that rely on our continued activity. Are any of them contemplating suicide as they watch the fruits of their lifes work collapsing? It happened last time and I'm darn sure it's going to occur again. So this tends to leave me in the camp that would rather take its chances, indeed invent devices for continued activity, practising smart distancing, cambridge face masked and surgical gloved, if necessary, rather than cowering in my house arrest to placate the medical health and safety police.

You can't escape death, it is a fact, eventually, the longer you live the more you lose. Who knows how your 85 care and health workers died, I suspect care and health workers die all the time ( it certainly didn't help the NHS clearing their 3000+ beds into the care system whilst it wasn't prepared). We just don't normally have a news media focussing on just the one reason, I'm sorry it happened, then I'm sorry when every death happens Father, Mother, Son, Friends, Relatives, but all the time we're left, the idea is we find a way to carry on and that's what is grating, not enough is being done to work out a way we carry on, that's all.

Edited by iGRF - 23 Apr 20 at 9:44am

re the FUN Police....

I faced a similar challenge last summer - out paddleboarding off our beach in Spain on a red flag day.  Which I thought was more advisory than a compulsory restriction. (I think this is technically still the case- they don't fly flags outside of July and August so it must be fairly arbitrary at best.)

Anyway, an officious beach lifeguard climbs down from his Jaws Tower and walks across to the water's edge.  He poops his little whistle at me, signalling for me to come ashore.  I ignored him.  He pooped again, this time waiving his Hasselhof floaty above his head.  I ignored him.... besides technically I wasn't IN the water, I was 4 inches ABOVE it. (clever me, shame I can't argue this point in the local language yet)   And the waves out-back were vaguely surfable downwind and I was more than capable of chilling out there for a bit longer.

15 minutes later I saw a Toyota Hilux on the beach, Policia Local decals.... loud hailer at me, blues and twos going atop.  I figured I best not ignore Cagney and Lacey and so surfed in; neat little pop off the board at the end too... sweet.  

Cagney turns out to be more like The Rock than an 80's crime fighting duo with big hair- starts balling-me out on the beach next to his lifeguard chum (now in a rather camp, Tory man-legs pose.)  I try to answer back in a bit of Spanglish, only for him flick to leather tab off his gun holster and cup the weapon- think Magic Mike and his G-String mid routine.

I figured this was just a show of power, and fortunately, as I'm white and tourist looking, I'm far more likely to be hustled for 50 Euros than get shot stone-cold dead on the beach; but either way, this sh*t's not what paddleboarding is supposed to be about, so I carry my board back up the beach shaking my head and mumbling the word 'w**kers' whilst Smirky-McSmirkface Lifeguard gives me the Priti-Patel-at-the-Immigration-Centre treatment.

I was peeved off at the time - by 5pm, Priti Patel would leave his shark nest and go home for siesta and a wank taking his silly red flags with him.  Was the water now suddenly more safe thanks to Dolly Parton's hit track?  No... it's was a b**locks rule and makes no logical sense.  Literally around the corner, no flags..... should have paddled there on reflection.

The kitesurfers launched at 17:05 making the most of the fading sea breeze.  Foiler boards look sick in waves.  I digress....

It was only later that evening that I realised I had been very guilty of that much detested English Exceptionalism - y'know, the classic iGRF, 'rules are there for my guidance' type of approach.

Nice Post TT, like your narrative, shame about roughly half dozen of last few posts, certainly think iGRF's NHS posts need removing, 'how many NHS staff would have died anyway' press would love this.

Originally posted by Paramedic I agree completely re the economics. If they don’t let the pubs open before December they won’t have to worry about reopening most of them as they won’t exist. Makes you wonder if Mr Wetherspoon was right harsh though it may be.

Originally posted by H2 Originally posted by Paramedic I agree completely re the economics. If they don’t let the pubs open before December they won’t have to worry about reopening most of them as they won’t exist. Makes you wonder if Mr Wetherspoon was right harsh though it may be. From what I see I think it more like June rather than December is the deadline. Most businesses are in a really bad way, not the big ones that make the news but the small and medium ones that employ lots of people.

I have a really old pal who runs a bicycle business, of late engaged in the infernal spawn of satan, the electric ATB, I'd never seen him so worried back in early March, the cycle business requires lots of cash, hundreds of thousands to secure the motors, then millions to secure the supply chain right back to the component manufacturers. Luckily the next time I saw him (to pick up my destroyer of calorie input)the situation had eased, since the bike shops were being permitted to stay open. Had that not been the case, by now I could well see that business foundering and once they're gone, who has the grit to start over these days? Everyone of my former competitors in the action sports game is closed, not normal that you'd worry about them, but I do, the shops that depend on them, their credit facilities need them. That's just my little world, but there are hundreds of thousands of similar cases. The Banks? Seriously? Don't even think about them helping they're not interested. if your business fails the normal acid tests they're not about to loan government funds and at this time of year most seasonal businesses are at their lowest ebb and probably will fail, there are not that many balance sheets strong enough to bear scrutiny at the lower SME levels. I'm not going to point fingers but your own supply industry is a classic example of this. So I am very very much with Sunak and the Hawks and pray common sense will prevail and we stop listening to all the medicos and get the nation back to work and play ASAP, even if they do have to mask up, smart distance, whatever it takes.


Edited by iGRF - 23 Apr 20 at 12:17pm