Hmm, if less than $200k = average joe, then I must be completely poverty stricken.

Maybe Angelina will adopt me.

Trust me Keith - you will never be truly mistaken as a know it all - and I concur with the 200K remark - where did the poster pull that figure from? So on $199,999 per - you're just an average Joe?.

As for the article I laughed - or at least smiled - I thought it funny and a bit sobering coz there is much made about the race - too much at that

A few comments, from 10 years performing marine rescue.

I have found some of the more arrogant people I have come across are the w@nkers with the big "look at me my engine" powerboats. Along with the jet skiiers, they are the hoons of the ocean on their aquatic versions of a souped up Torana. All they need is the loud doof doof music. Oh and the odd "I have a Farr 38 that's worth more than your house you pleb, get out of my road because I am under sail" people. I have also met people the complete opposite. Generalisations are dangerous.

MOST MARINE RESCUE WORK PERFORMED IS BY VOLUNTEERS WHO PAY FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING THEY NEED INCLUDING BUYING BOATS, EQUIPMENT AND FUEL! We (in NSW last year) put over 20 million dollars (estimated on a nominal $20 per hour)worth of work in to pulling people out of trouble for no charge. We get 10% funding from Government and it costs us 3 mill pa to run.

I was on a rescue boat when the huge southerly hit happened. We were warned there was a change coming, but it wasn't until it hit us that the complete severity was known. From calm ocean and no wind to 50+knots and 5m seas in 15 minutes flat. Mate, where people sail there ain't no time to get back in to safety in 15 minutes flat with the sea against you. Most people who come to grief are usually trying to get back.

Yes I see the irony,had a chuckle, but really, no one wants or purposefully does stay on in treacherous seas unless they really have no choice. Can you imagine going back to the boss saying because you were a testosterone filled idiot that you broke his $5 mill boat? Do you think you'd do that on purpose and then loose your job?
I don't think so either.

Ahoy there, Keith the Yachtie!

I admit that your attempt at humour was a little too subtle for the likes of me, or I would suggest, anyone. I now see that berating Mr Papathanassiou for using vernacular expressions in a public forum was indeed a very clever, if not mind-bogglingly abstract, reference to his work in the field of Ebonics (which I have on good authority is a DIALECT, not slang). It must have been your ingenious tactic of misspelling “refrain” and following it up with a nonsensical double-barreled preposition that distracted me from your comic genius and caused me to presume you were slightly “special”. Kudos sir!

I would ask you not to sell yourself short though. I’m sure not everybody sees you as a know-all.

To the rest of you… I suspect David M was having a lend. Keith the Yachtie could learn a thing or two.

As a sailor, of/on wind driven ships, I find that I must agree with the sentiments expressed in the article.