WATCHING Room 101 on TV I found myself wallowing in mixed emotions.

I could gladly pull the lever to send golf down the shute to the mythical room for outcast people or things – unless a Brit or an Irishman (or woman) is winning one of the majors. Camping, and especially those new fangled tents that go up in a trice but are impossible to put back in the bag, should have started in 101.  

I could even accept host Frank Skinner’s idiosyncracies in his choice of elements destined for the not-wanted-on-voyage department. After all, as chairman of the show he is entitled, as is a skipper, to unlimited respect for ultimate wisdom.

It was that thought that got me musing about all those boating gremlins that deserve to be sunk without trace. And thinking brings back the anger...

As a yotty I am bound to have high on my list those motor-boaters who, without thinking, pass by too close at full chat. It might be different if for once they could glance back behind them to see the mayhem their wakes can cause. I might be more inclined to forgive if they did it on purpose!

Apparently ‘sustainability’ is going to continue to be a buzzword for many companies in 2012 according to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, with firms keen to show their ethical sourcing policies and trim any excess in areas such as water, energy and waste – all good sense both environmentally and financially in these lean times.

So good news for programmes like The Green Blue, but the flip side is that also according to the CIM, the consumer - in other words, the ‘average’ boater, berth holder or club member - will grow increasingly tired of green claims in 2012. That means we’re going to have to work harder or perhaps smarter to keep the messages fresh and appealing.

 

It must be quite a few years since I needed to look at the galvanic table to show how metals which are ‘anodic’ or ‘less noble’ at the negative end of the series are more likely to be attacked
by corrosion.

For sailors the critical point is the difference in potential of the two materials being considered as a joined pair. A very small difference is likely to result in galvanic corrosion.

I am no physicist, and am open to correction by the sailor scientists, but I have been brought up to believe that stainless steel and aluminium and galvanised steel are too close
for comfort.  

The RYA Volvo Dinghy Show, in association with Suzuki and Yachts & Yachting, is the only place to be over the weekend of 3-4 March if you’re into dinghy sailing.  

Showcasing all the very best that the dinghy sailing world has to offer, from kit, boats and gear to expert analysis and insight on the Volvo Main Stage and top tips from some of dinghy sailing’s leading experts and coaches in the Coaching Area.

Held at the magnificent Alexandra Palace, London, it is the only show in the world dedicated to dinghy sailing, with over 200 sailing clubs, classes and associations, chandlers and boat builders and a whole host of exhibitors, all under one roof.  

Despite being over 60 years old the show continues to attract new visitors, cutting-edge boats and kit and remains fresh and exciting; whilst maintaining all the original charm and spirit of the very first shows.