Llyn Brianne

Who is Llyn Brianne? No, not a late addition to my list of sailors I'd like to have dinner with. The real question is "What kind of lunatic goes down a 1,000ft wall of raging water in a canoe - let alone on a bicycle?"

Apparently, there are several "nutters" out there willing to give it a go.

Dinner with Jim Gray

I love sailing. I love working with computers and developing (CAM) software. The intersection of these two interests is a sweet spot for me. With all the sailing blogs, regatta websites, class websites, sailing videos, virtual racing and more... the internet is clearly the best sailing invention of all time in my book. But I'm a little late for that project.

Tillerman's latest group writing project invites people to share "which sailor or sailors, living or dead, real or fictional you would like to invite to a dinner party." There are some that quickly come to mind: Hans Horrevoets, John Newton, Alex Thomson, Steve Fossett, Lia Ditton and Zac Sunderland to name a few...

Coming back to the intersection of wind and bytes, I think I might put Jim Gray at the top of my dinner party list. No, not that Jim Gray. I'd invite the Jim Gray that (most recently) worked for a giant computer industry monopoly in Redmond, WA who was lost at sea in January of 2007. We could talk about his pioneering computer science work related to database transactions (probably a real party killer but something that touches all of us every time we use an ATM or make an online purchase). So, we could "talk shop" as well as share sailing adventures as only geeks can... Of course finding out what happened on board Tenacious on that fateful winter day would also be interesting. I'm sure those that searched for and miss him would like to know...

Life At the Extreme

This is the motto of the Volvo Ocean Race and the banner you see when you play the Volvo Ocean Rave Game. Certainly, the expression applies to the sailors spending weeks at a time, far out at sea with only their crew mates, experience and ship underneath them. The VORG on the other hand... Well, we have it a little easier. But in some ways, the extreme nature of virtual ocean sailing can only be understood through the experience of those around us. The following was posted on the Support Forum of the VORG (not the type of "support" they had in mind);

DEAR VOLVO OCEAN RACE GAME.
Can you please help me my husband has deen acting most strange the past week.he works from home and has his one office he seems to de getting very depressed latelt.

he's locked in there for hours at a time,we use to go to the pub four or five times a week.the other day he came screaming out off his office something about he had broken a sale?I thought it was something to do with his work.
then the other night it was 3 am before he came to bed,moaning all night about the sodden forecast was late again.I haven't seen him in two dats just passing on his to the bathroom and back all i get from is those sodden doldrums.I just cannot stand it any more.
He mumbled something (in passing in the early hours off the morning)about Il de femando de noronha and cape town,I asked him if we were going on holiday he said you just don't under stand.
To top the lot I went to bed last night and caught him in bed with another laptop I just don't know what to do IM OFF TO MOTHERS.

PLEASE,PLEASE HELP FROM A FRUSTRATED WIFE.

I shared this with my wife (mostly to let her know she's not alone...). Her reaction was, "EXACTLY!"... The laptop has become know as "The Mistress" in our household. I have no idea what that's really like (and neither does my wife). But I admit to thinking about my boat often and quietly checking in on her in the midst of other activities like work, sleep, and doing projects around the house. I feel a little uncomfortable when I know I'll be away from an internet connection and unable to check on wind changes, boat speed and sail selection.

At least, this "Life At the Extreme" can take a break for a little while. Yesterday, I arrived in Cape Town -- the end of Leg 1. The second leg (of 10) starts on the 15th. It's a 4450Nm leg to Kochi, India -- about 2550Nm shorter than leg 1. Time for some rest and life a little less at the extreme.