Tillerman's Best/Worst Sailing movie challenge

Not many movies address sailing or even bother to include a sailboat.  With that in mind this is a hard challenge.  I rarely bother with moving picture shows these days (diaristwoman tells me they're not referred to as "talkies" any more) so I'll submit an old favorite of mine as a potential "best" and skate around the worse case scenario.

The movie in question is the 1979 British movie entitled "The Riddle of the Sands".  Based loosely on a novel, written in 1901 by Erskine Childers (who was later executed by the British during the Irish Revolt).  I read the novel years before the film and highly recommend that you do the same.  Like most cases, the original book beats the movie hands down for suspense.  After all for 1901 this must be if not the first spy thriller, among the first.  A gripping tale of sailing, espionage and flirtation.  But don't take my word for it.  Get your hands on a copy of the book or if you're a slow reader then view the film itself;  the movie features Michael York in the lead role:

Tillerman: you can wire me the huge prize.  I'm confident that this is the winning entry.

Trans-America Bike Ride

Former lab co-worker Johanna and her husband Ben crossed the country this past summer and made a brilliant collage of snap shots and video clips.  Their ride takes us from the initial wheel dip in the Atlantic (near Yorktown, Virginia) to the ultimate wheel dip in the Pacific Ocean, some 4000 miles later.  A great ride and no doubt a life time adventure.  Enjoy this when you have an uninterrupted half hour to spend.

CLC's Annual Open House--Always a good day well spent.

Open House Next Saturday!  Saturday, December 7th: 9 am to 5 pm   Don't miss our Open House in Annapolis on Saturday, December 7th, from 9am to 5pm. We're looking forward to hanging out with fellow boat nuts in our capacious shop and showroom.  We'll have coffee and donuts in the morning and light snacks in the afternoon. And door prizes at the top of every hour for those who have sent in an RSVP! We'll have one-day-only specials running with fat discounts on all the popular gear and supplies.  Kits, too. We're excited to welcome JB Currell, one of the epoxy wizards who helped put MAS Epoxies on the map. JB will be demonstrating professional epoxy techniques and fielding your epoxy questions.   Here's the lineup of Open House seminars:   10 a.m.: Making Your Own Kayak Seat:  Nothing can turn a day in a kayak into a grim forced march like a bad seat. Our own Joey Schott, who spends a lot of time sitting in kayaks, shows you how to build your own custom seat that fits YOU perfectly.   11 a.m.: Sharpening Tools: The only thing as bad as no tools are dull tools. A sharp edge on block planes and other woodworking essentials will transform your experience in the boatshop. David Fawley leads this demonstration.   12 noon: Fiberglassing Over Wood: Did you know that fiberglass is perfectly clear? That's how you get to have it both ways with CLC's wood-epoxy composite boats: the beauty of wood, but the durability of fiberglass. MAS Epoxies guru JB Currell demonstrates that fiberglassing is easy, but benefits from lots of little tips and tricks.   1 p.m.: Rigging Small Boats: Whether you're an old salt or whether you don't know a jib from a jibe, everyone will pick up some tips in this intensive one-hour small boat rigging seminar, led by John Harris.   2 p.m.: Wooden Boat Repair: Got a hole in your small wooden boat? Don't panic. JB Currell shows you how to make fast and neat repairs.   3 p.m.: Working With Stains: Okoume. Sapele. Western Red Cedar. These are all beautiful woods if finished naturally. But what if you want to take it a step further? You can change the color of wood in wild and wonderful ways, but you must do so with great caution in wood-epoxy composite boats. Joey Schott demonstrates how it's done.   4 p.m.: Varnishing: There's nothing like shiny wood. Varnishing is another one of those things that's easy to do but hard to do well. John Harris will show you how to do it well.

Hope to see your there!   John C. Harris Chesapeake Light Craft    Please don't click "reply" to this email, as your note may get lost in my inbox.  Compose a new email and send it to john@clcboats.com