Today is obviously going to be one of those days

[maderr]

But I refuse to let it, not with tomorrow, not when we are so very very close. Ugh. Must be why I'm so tense.

In other news, I'm not big on sailing book. I mean, I love it in theory - the ocean makes me very happy, as does the sailing and stuff. But no one ever does anything different. Every book about sailors sekkretly in love is just lather, rinse, repeat.

However, if I was ever going to buy a book just for the cover, it would be this one because the foremost sailor boy is pretty pretty.

Sadly, the premise does not sound all that different from what I've read a thousand times. If someone can convince me I'm wrong, I'm all for giving it a try.

God I do not want to go to work -__-

Comments

[melayneseahawk.livejournal.com]

Is "sailor's ship is captured by pirates, sailor falls for pirate" different enough? Or maybe "girl stows away on ship dressed as boy, becomes cabin boy when discovered, falls for sailor, gender woes ensue", though that's het.

I feel like a single ship is so confining, the only way to make a different plot is to introduce other elements. (That's the why the Palace of the Keys always came out roughly the same way, not matter who the Key was: Key gets new Master, they fall in love, Master finds some way to free Key, the end.)

I'm theoretically working on a story about a sailor (it was supposed to be my NaNo for two years running, but I think I'm just going to trim out the subplot I'd never liked anyway and make it into a short story), but it starts with him getting landlocked when his ship is smashed against the rocks. I don't think that's what you're looking for, either.

[(Anonymous)]

hmm i'm not much of one for posting as you can tell. but to be honest most sailing books are rinse and repeat because the authors have never been on a boat like this!
i have, i lived on a sail boat for several years so let me start with this. in this day and age there is still no such thing as privacy on a sailboat, so the bit about pretending to be a boy doesnt work at all (just think about peeing in a bucket over the side for a min even without other daily chores and youll understand). Plus the boat is MOVING in just about ever direction. i have NEVER seen someone new to boats not fall into other ppl frequently on thier first trip (although this is nice for romance). and even in the days where you had to be fully dressed (no one is now cause of the general heat/sweat involved in acutally maning a boat) it was minimal dress with lots of water. let me make a point of saying SALT water. even when you are jsut getting hit by the spray (which is everywhere on a moving boat but the upper rigging) you wind up encrusted in salt and so does everything else. hmm white shirts and water let me think if you have something to hide... not to mention chaffing if you dont find a way to beat some of the salt out/remove shirt. And my biggest pet peave about these are the little pampered ladies doing this. you get massive rope burns with out gloves even with nylon rope as opposed to the old hemp doing this without caluses and youve got a bleeding mess. + the simple strenght/weight requirement of hauling canvas. mwahahahaha for anyone stupid enough to think thats a euphamism. It isnt. add wind and you are capable of launching one or more hauling ppl overboard with a minor mistake (or suprise gust) so lets see the little lady from the parlor rooms try. unless you are in great shape AND used to it you are going to have issues. hmm side issue, great big tall strapping men dont live well on boats unless they are officers. youve got damn near no space and every nook or crany either has a purpose or is being used for storage/sleeping or is waterlogged, and i mean EVERY cranny, most of the storage on a modern boat is under decks/furnature/bunks or behind/under/arround equipment. it helps not to be 6 foot and small hands/frame are useufull for most of the blech maintence tasks. so in reality a boy (lady pretending to be one) would be set to some of the worst maintence tasks you can think of not a pleasure cruse by any strech not even remotely romatic. and nothing like sailing the boat under the captains watchful eye. lol

[(Anonymous)]

Continuing on other subjects to make boating more real. if you have more than 3-4 ppl you get drama like you never see in books. think highschool lockerroom combined with office drama and throw in a dash of soap opera because face it anyone living full time on a boat now is just a little off color to start with. And lets not forget the atmosphere similar to camping because there is always some creature comfort you are missing unless you are on a multimillion luxury yaht. but basically youve got a group of ppl with almost no privacy in a confined space except when you put in for land. i had to threaten to tow someone in the dingy (little rowboat) once to get a husband and wife to stop snipping and accusing of fictional drama. For those that didnt make this connection this is half the reason that discipline/rules were so strict on old navy/merchant ships.

ohh and also boats DO talk to other boats at port at see at anchor. ALL THE TIME as this is where most new stimulation comes from. this is true even in the days before radio although with pirates you wont have deliberate interaction between boats on the ocean unless its a rescue. This is one of the few points that this genera gets correct. but you do get armadas or merchant ships playing saftey in number and trust me theyll talk if they are in eyesight. although they wont come right up to each other as this would dmg the sides/fitings on the boats unless its a dead calm.

Another point that it never in these books is that boats are the master of the disastrous breakdown! its not just in a bad storm and even very well kept up boats can develop the craziest problems. modern boats have all the problems of a house and a car with extras thrown in for adverse environment (trust me the ocean destroys EVERYTHING very very quickly especially plumbing of any type, its not just water its SALT water). and the older boats well let me put it this way. a boat is the most technologically advanced/complex item until airplanes and if you add a wood boat to water you must preform 24/7 massive maintenance to keep it afloat or even in marginally good shape. if you want a list of stuff that has actually gone wrong when I've been sailing ill be happy to give it to you. trust me its adventurous enough to have a nice calm sail and suddenly have a problem with the steering or having a vital fixture for the sails come loose because some idiot tied something somewhere they shouldn't have. or loosing something overboard because it wasn't tied down even on moderate seas this is very easy to do. if water can get off the decks so can wrenches, cables, instruments, food, glasses, keys, shoes, and just about anything you can think of thats smaller than a person.

for anyone thats taking notes the weather/environment matter a lot to sailing even on relatively calm days. its not just in chase scenes or in storms, and i know I've said it but boats move a lot. the larger the boat and the more heavily weighted the less it moves. the more cargo a boat is carrying below decks the more stable. the more above decks (cannons and extra decks being the most historically common) the more unstable and prone to swaying and also to capsizing and maneuvering problems.

and last, at least for this unintentional rant, sea life exists! and its not just pretty dolphins playing with your wake (the little wave following the boat) or your fishing line/bobber (this is incredibly annoying if you actually want dinner. you get birds following all big boats for food even a hundred miles out this causes obvious problems when you cant get rid of them. if you are in the Caribbean you get flying fish, and while they are good to eat they can and frequently DO jump on the decks of boats and they are the skunks of the sea not cute little fish. a friend once had one jump in her hammock when she was sleeping on deck on a hot night. think waking to a skunk in your sleeping bag. the smell is slightly less pungent but the wet makes up for it and yes the smell stay for several days.

if any of you writers have any questions or want suggestions ill be hapy to offer them boat_girl1@hotmail.com.

and yes i saw that book on the shelves and passed it over as looking stereotypical. id be pleased to know if it was worth reading

[(Anonymous)]

sorry for the ginormous post. can you tell work is slow today? :/

[sixpence1323.livejournal.com]

Eh, I wouldn't get it either.