A lovely picture you paint o sung wu, but you know, I never found the Pacific all that balmy. In fact whether it be racing to Hobart, or crossing the Coral sea, it was usually cloudy windy, & it wanted mostly, to leap into the air, & land on top of me. This is particularly unpleasant down Hobart way, where it is also damn cold.

The main reason I ever went near the thing, privately, was because the place I wanted to explore was on the other side of a chunk of it, not because it offered any pleasure when upon it. Few realise that on a well found yacht, you can easily live in the islands for $100 a month, making it the only practical way for us peasants to explore.

We can blame the myth on the rather nasty Cortes, who only viewed the thing from the isthmus of Panama, rather than actually getting on the thing, aided by that crazy English man, Chichester, whose book Along The Clipper Way, written from his research for his circumnavigation, induced me to go out on it.

Let me say, one should never trust a member of the English gentry. They are sadistic bastards, rather like our lefties, much given to lying & glorifying, that which is far from glorious.

Hasbeen,

"Let me say, one should never trust a member of the English gentry. They are sadistic bastards, rather like our lefties, much given to lying & glorifying, that which is far from glorious."

Hope you don't mind me interrupting your latest puff piece about your swashbuckling exploits....but can I remind you that it's the born to rule Libs who appear to cling tightly to the English gentry.

As a good example, our own (soon to be ex) Prime Minister is the one who laughingly re-instituted Knights and Dames...Lol!

The grimy tactics of an out of control leader, is putting this nation at risk, Abbott is dangerous. Yes knights and dames, what a piece of glorious history.

Turnbull is the man, middle of the road gentleman. Not like bombastic Abbott, who fancies himself as a Stalin.

It goes to show that the righties have better choice of leader for the leftists than they do. It ‘s going to take time to claw back some respect for the nation, when the world stops laughing that is.

This last lot of bile over Triggs is a world disgrace. The man has no scruples what so ever. For the sake of the nation we need a change sooner rather than later.

G'day HASBEEN...

Gee I sure got the wrong end of the stick ? I would've thought sailing in the tropics would be all 'beer and skittles', though I'm not so naïve to believe the weather can't be very treacherous and dubious, often being able to turn on a dime ?

As you say, sailing in your own vessel must be a sweet way to do it, instead of being squashed in an economy class seat for a horrid 14 hour sector Sydney - LAX ! Being a sizable lad, my ribs were bruised and sore at journey's end be assured of that ? No such luck having an attractive young lady nudging my elbow on our shared armrest either ?

But I was graced with the pleasant company of a mother, who was accompanied by her two early teenage daughters, (apparently a one parent family?) all of whom were in the process of undertaking their first ever grand tour of Disneyland, in Anaheim CA.

I was beguiled to a 14 hour detailed synopsis of what attractions each were looking forward too, upon arrival ? After LAX I still had an additional 5 hours sector to DC ! Still as Forest GUMP once opined, '...Life's like a box of chocolates...' ?

Off topic but just wondering. Will all you Abbott haters give Turnbull a chance to settle in and perhaps make some of the positive changes you desire?

Or will it business as usual but with a new name to blame?

Personally I think Turnbull should be replacing Bill Shorten, then your mob might actually get a direction.

Dear ConservativeHippie,

Tony Abbott has proven that he cannot achieve
the impossible, that is, fundamentally change
his nature, personality, and approach to work
at such an advanced age and stage of his life.

He has proven that he can't turn opinion polls
around or save his Prime Ministership.

The mess he's in is of his own making.
His failings of individualism, single-minded
"captain calls," and his incompetence - did him in.
Plus the mediocre talent gathered within his
front-bench didn't help.

Malcolm Turnbull is another case altogether. He's
someone who is an impressive person, someone who
might actually have a vision for the country.
He would hand select a group of specialised
individuals to take-on policy portfolios -
and this would be enormously attractive to an electorate
fed up with the underachievers and party hacks of the
current mob.

There are large elements in the electorate who for years
now yearn for a leader who has the capacity to cut
through party constraints and lead with conviction.
Malcolm Turnbull is such a man.

Virginia Trioli recently wrote this about our current
political situation:

"I don't particularly care whether a monarch goes or
stays. But if our leaders are going to keep behaving
like one-person bands, then I'd at least like a direct
say in who sings the sing!"

Damn straight - and the current guy is as we've
seen - "Abottsolutely hopeless!"