Taxing Times
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Wed 28 Oct 2009 13:40
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The game plan has all changed since yesterday as we
are now at 29:55.55N 012:39.5W and have had absolutely no wind since yesterday
afternoon at 1600 when it became flat calm and we decided to put on the engine.
This steaming would drive you insane but when the sea is oily calm it is not so
bad, it is when the wind is just playing around a level that you could maybe
sail, maybe not, maybe, maybe knot. We, on short passages (600 miles in this
case as opposed to the Atlantic or Pacific at 3000 miles) would not live with
much less than 4 knots of boat speed because for one if the sails are full at
all we are likely to be doing 3.5 knots or so. If they cannot fill then they are
going to flog or just hang listless and that is indeed a very demoralising
sight, in addition they are likely to foul the spreaders and that will shorten
their life. So we had to face facts and on with the engine, I am sure all
sailors are the same but you feel a terrible sense of
underachievement almost failure to do your duty if you are on the engine
and not sailing. We could of course drift around for the next few days and wait
for wind but we have the fuel and in this case it was 40p a litre bought in
Gibraltar. Tax. Don't start me. Paying it is fine - seeing the efforts
of your blood sweat and tears squandered by layer upon layer of beurocratic
government who not only know no better, they seem to think it is their god
given right to take as much from you as they possibly can and spend it on how
they see fit - a large part of which seems to be self serving job creation
and empire building for themselves. Arghh! who mentioned tax and the public
sector now look what you have done and it's only 0900 and the day started
so well.
Dear Government (very dear)
Is what you are doing providing efficient
health and education for society, providing essential law and order and national
defence?
If not - just stop it and get jobs which add value
not destroy value. That way we will be able to have almost limitless resources
to help people who cannot help themselves and waste less of our hard earned
resources on people who could help themselves (and less resouces on people who
are helping themeselves to our hard earned cash).
Simple.
Yours sincerely
Value Adding
Tax Payer
Sorry - I have no idea how on earth we got
started on this - I had to nip up on deck as we are approaching the Canaries and
we are getting a series of rain squalls coming through. So time to try out the
"shed". I had a full enclosure for the cockpit and helm which allows the
Bimini to be joined to the sprayhood and the bimini sides to be joined to the
cockpit coamings and around the twin helming positions but still allow all
sheets, winches and mainsheet traveller to accessed and operated. A tall order
indeed but after a few adjustments the supplier did a great job with a
tough brief and (they tell me - a difficult customer). The only problem;
like a shed it is not that pretty but extremely useful and we all have
things like that dont we? Trish who is still trying to get to grips with
"companionway" instead of stairs, "cabin" instead of bedroom, "galley" instead
of kitchen insists on calling the bimini enclosure the conservatory!
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