SiPie

Well said

Jap2Scrap

Fair do's on the charity front (dpb, flatcapdriver et al). All the same, not sure I see the 'point'.

TelBoy

Jerome, i'm just criticising the concept of "world record" for such an oddball event - that's a perfectly fair opinion to hold and justify, and a worthy subject of debate, isn't it?

Or would you prefer it to be merely a tribute thread? We can do that instead if you'd rather not hear anybody else's opinion. Let me know.

Brendan Hughes

Well duh...

1) Take most of their clothes off (if young, female and vaguely attractive)

2) Get the latest processor/soundcard setup, resulting in processing ability 3.5 nanoseconds quicker than everyone else up to now

3) Achieve standing quarters in under 12 seconds in a ricebox with an uprated turbo.

Iain Young

I didn't open it. I just replied to it

Same here. Doesn't mean I want to spend all day hearing about and be given nasty looks when I say I'm not really interested though.

Walk on water

Seriously though, I've no doubt it's a fine achievement to be able to complete the trip. I just don't agree with the amount of fuss being made about breaking the record. Technology moves on, she may have had better winds etc. Records only have any meaning if they are achieved using the same equipment, in the same conditions.

Jerome

Indeed. But, as I said before, I'm not into cricket. But, if England won the cricket world cup - by a record score - I wouldn't feel the need to go into a thread celebrating this achievement and criticise the sport or the achievement. I would simply let the fans revel in their moment of glory...

Jerome

Of course, silly me!

ProperCharlie

So when's she setting off in the hot air balloon, then?

Brendan Hughes

In which case the Guiness book would barely exist. That's an unrealistic and frankly impossible demand.

TelBoy

But at least you get to read on here both sides of the story. Criticism is valid if it's justified - belittlement for the sake of it certainly isn't. I think i need to go into a Superbowl thread and ask the nearest yank what the hell they mean by "world" champions! To me this is a close analogy, just a different activity.

Flatcapdriver

Iain. She actually didn't enjoy the best winds, particularly in the latter stages of the record and if you compare her speed with Joyon's over the last few days she lost a lot of time. As far as the technology angle is concerned, you're right as things do move on and you can argue it both ways as to who is more worthy of holding the record but as Sir Robin Knox Johnson says, both his and her records are incomparable give the different eras and if he is big enough to say this, then I aint arguing with him.

To take yours and Telboy's questioning about records, I don't think there is an easy answer other than to say I believe it to be a good thing whereby we can celebrate other people's success if they've had the ***** to go out and achieve something that the rest of us can't be bothered to do or lack the talent.

Ultimately, whether it's success such as this or success on the sporting field I reckon it's important that a nation gets the chance to celebrate it's successes and winners in life to give a sense of proportion and pride in a country. I reckon the Aussies have got it about right.

Iain Young

I agree. I think the guiness book of records / organisation is a complete and utter waste of time and money.

Vegescoob

Very well done.
Now I'm off to light the ole coal fire. Then get the jolly old Morris Minor(1954) out and off to the travel agent to book the DC3 flight to New Zealand.
Better pop into the electrical shop, television needs a new valve.

TelBoy

LOL, you simply *cannot* use "can't be bothered to do" as a serious argument!! That's my WHOLE point - 99% of the population simply don't have the necessary time to break "records" such as this!! Dear oh dear.

Jerome

Don't get technimical with me!

All day hearing about it... are you being forced to watch/listen/read about it? You should try living in Toronto when the local hockey team get through to the round before the quarter finals then - I hear about it all night. Literally.

Ah, but said walkee would need to have the same feet as Jesus for the feat to have any meaning.

Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to reproduce the exact same equipment, let alone conditions (nature can be quite fickle on this point), for any subsequent attempts. Should Schumacher et al be made to race around in the same car as Fangio for his records to have any meaning? Who would watch such a sport anyway?

Iain Young

Agreed. I just wish the media would listen as well.

That would be nice. It's just a shame that only a select few seem to get this adulation, when there are many others in other fields (not just sports) who have agueably achieved more, but with less "media friendly" results...

Iain Young

My point exactly. Records are 99% of the time meaningless, no matter what sport they are in.

Ted Maul

if she got in 2 days later, would we be going on about this?

Flatcapdriver

99% of the population don't have the talent to go out and break this record. My point is that most of us are capable of a lot more and it's not about "not having time to do things" it's a case of making time to do things and having the will to do things. When I crewed across the Atlantic (nowhere near as major an achievement as this) I had to take 6 weeks unpaid leave in order to complete it and sailed every weekend for months before hand.

Heaps of mates came up to me and said that they wished they could do the same and despite me telling them time and time again that they could - none of them did because they could'nt be arsed to get their ***** and organise it. Most of them were capable enough in sailing terms to do the same but would they? No.

unclebuck

Look, let's sort this out once and for all.

All those who dare disagree that St Ellen is not the greatest human being ever to walk the planet are worthless, fat slackers who can't be bothered to do anything. They should clearly all be lined up and bulldozed into pits and their meaningless lives terminated.

The world can then be populated entirely by bronzed water sports types who do nothing except train to beat each others' world record attempts. Sorted.

Flatcapdriver

Good idea. Can you all form an orderly queue behind Unclebuck.

TelBoy

Yes, i hear what you're trying to ram down my throat, FCD. But i do not, and will not, be able to place the same degree of awe on this "record" *just because* it takes such a lot of devotion to achieve. It's an oddball event - albeit a very difficult one to achieve, but not one where "world records" have any real meaning, in my opinion.

Bubba po

Even as we speak, a troupe of visually-impaired, hopping schoolboys are nearing the summit.

Iain Young

It's nice that you could afford to take 6 weeks unpaid leave. Also nice that the firm you work for would let you do it. Not everyone is in this situation, (I know I'm not).

When I was younger I had planned to go to music college (royal academy of music), with the aim of becoming a professional cellist (possibly soloist). In the end I didn't because myself and my family couldn't afford it, even though I was told by numerous teachers etc that I had the talent to achieve these lofty goals, (I just play in numerous amateur orchestras as a hobby now).

As with all things, the ability to do these things and attain the higher level of performance required is not always down to the lazyness and ability of the participant, but also down to personal circumstances...

unclebuck

...and please hand over all your valuables to the surfer with the sloping forehead - you're going for a nice shower.

Flatcapdriver

I'm not trying to ram anything down your throat anymore than you are mine, so to speak. I thought we'd moved on from whether this record is valid or not as clearly we're not going to agree to the broader subject of whether records had any validity at all in the modern world.

My point, which I made in my earlier post is that they are.

Flatcapdriver

Iain, it wasn't quite as straightforward as simply taking six weeks unpaid leave as there was a lot of discussion and a lot of saving that took place before I could go. All I'm simply saying is that there are a lot of people in the UK who like to sit back and knock other's achievements whilst sitting on their ***** doing nothing. I appreciate your postion as a good mate of mine is also a cellist with one of the better orchestras and he's had a fair bit scrimping and saving over the years to get to where he is. Naturally, personal circumstances are part of the scenario but with my background sporting and major achievemens such as this are something to be celebrated - not belittled as some are doing on here. I guess it's this whole whingeing pom that gets up my nose.

TelBoy

FCD, i'm extremely successful in the field of banking. Does that therefore make me "eligible" to question the merit of this achievement? I'm not sure where you're going with this.

OllyK

I really must look back for that Paula Radcliffe thread when people were knocking her for giving up when she is such an icon to the public etc etc, we now get another British sportswoman, at the top of her field competing in a both sex challenge and being victorious and is now getting slagged off as being pointless. What is this? You don't like sport X so it's pointless???

dpb

sailings only for us well-orf slackers who have time ta chase worthless records........