An example of our nanny state, & the worst of bureaucrats.

In April 1974 I was sailing my 40 Ft yacht out of Sydney heads, heading for Mooloolaba, on my way to the Solomon Islands, when some sort of harbour board official accosted me from a 30 Ft game fishing type patrol boat.

He told me to turn around & proceed back into harbour. I was to be charged with sailing off shore without a life ring & danbuoy on the rail. It was evidently illegal do so.

I thought this was a joke, & explained that as a single handed sailor there was no one to throw me a life ring if I fell overboard. I also told him that I had found the rope involved with the life ring became very dangerous in heavy weather, when it was usually washed around the deck. My gear was stowed up forward in case I needed it to go racing at the various sailing clubs around the Pacific.

I thought this would be the end of this rubbish, but not so. I was threatened with being boarded & arrested If I did not comply.

Becoming somewhat annoyed at this rubbish, I advised him that my yacht was a British registered ship, & if he or his crew so much as touched it they would be committing piracy, & I as master would take all necessary action to defend the ship.

This fool shadowed me for about 5 miles, obviously having radio communications with his superiors, looking for a way to enforce his will on me. About Long Reef they turned back to Sydney.

The clown had a uniform, & was desperate to enforce his pennyworth of authority, regardless of any sense.

Obviously some lobbyist had managed to get this fool law demanding this gear be on deck on all yachts, regardless of it's usefulness, which probably increased their sales quite well.

This Nanny stuff is NOT Nannyism. Can you people not see that what parades as nannayism is nothing more than tyranny.

Tyranny people, tyranny is nothing less than plain simple tyranny. I has absolutely nothing to do with CARING ABOUT THE PEOPLE. CAN you stupid people not see this? Can you not see that by using the word Nanny you are falling right into their trap, their hands.

Who the xyz do you think made the term get used?

Just how stupid are my fellow Australians - like lemmings to the slaughter you think exactly what you are told to think and you think exactly how you are conditioned to think by the media don't you?

WHY will you not see?