I know we try to ignore TOP, but

[Julian]

I really don't fit in, I don't want to feel like this after reading a UK interest forum but unfortunately I have just read the bnp lounge.

When I was sailing as a kid I used to go out of my way to not wear 'sailing gear', not be part of the 'yellow welly brigade'. I have always described myself as a fisherman who goes sailing.. never a 'sailor'.

For a short while I started to think I was missing out on something, for all this time, these people are ok, they might be a bit wet, playing on their yachts, but they are ok. Some even seem to know a little about the sea. I was always secretly envious of them when sailing with my family, we would all be wearing different gear, I would be togged in my fishing smock and high trousers, my dad in a cheap coat etc. Sailing was a time to wear working clothes, it was going to sea. ‘They’ looked like a crew.

To counter this, part of the budget when we put TC back into the water was matching musto wwg. This time I wanted a yacht, clean and pleasant. The best towels not the rags etc. I wanted to be part of this 'thing'. I almost ditched it on launch day, when the other ‘yachties’ turned up in their matching gear, couples excitedly bending sails on in the yard that morning, that sunny warm morning, while wearing full oilies. I stood in awe and could not believe I thought I wanted to be like them. On the other hand, they were happy and not hurting anyone, in fact it was quite twee and I now look forward to launch day each year as it makes me smile watching the yards.

We are quite young to be in this hobby, we know very few of our age who go sailing, it is a shame, but who can afford it after the mortgage, car, kids... To believe all are as rich as TOP makes out would be rather naive at best. This means in general, most of the people we talk to, drink with, raft to; tend to be rather greyer than us, but this is not a problem, or it wasn’t. These sweet couples who sail together so well, it seems, always generous, always pleasant, always friendly. I even quite enjoyed being part of this sailing life.

But NO.

It would now appear, the sweet retired couple rafted to us last week were racist, bigoted, homophobic, xenophobic, ‘all the young people are criminals’, mindless daily mail reading, BNP sympathising, selfish, self opinionated thugs.

Some of the language I have seen in the past 48 hours in TOP shocks even me, I thought I was rather street-wise, little in the human condition shocks me! But, oh, oh it does now. I am sure there are some laws being broken in TOP, yet IPC and AOL don’t appear to care. I wrote a letter at the beginning of the week to post to the group who own the forum but saved it rather than posted, Dan deleted some of the stuff I highlighted as serious hate type posting. I might post it today.

I am fed up being the only one who appears to press the notify moderator, it would be nice on occasion to find he has already been told, or am I as I fear, the minority. Do I really have to become racist and use language that has no place in the 21st century? Think alike a member of the kkk to feel part of the sailing world.

and so, today I go back to being a fisherman who goes sailing, unless otherwise informed, I don’t like you! … I am sorry for this, but after 2 years reading the lounge in TOP, it seems out of 16 odd thousand people, only a handful are not of the racist, bigoted group.

I am not throwing my toys and leaving, but I am going to stop posting to people on my ‘list’, I have previously bent over backward to assist people having problems, but how can I tell if they are the ‘right’ type of people, especially when it seems to be a majority attitude that is upsetting me so much.

Why am I writing this here, am I expecting support, well in honesty I guess so. It would be nice to know that my view has been tainted by TOP, but how, surely that is a broad spectrum of life in there, it follows those attitudes will be prevalent in here too, no? All these people whining that Britain is going to the dogs, trouble is, they, in my opinion are the dogs and considering the support they appear to get in the lounge, we are already there.

[Nick]

it follows those attitudes will be prevalent in here too, no?

I think you will find you are quite wrong there. For a start, most of the hard core Lounge bigots hate me bercause I needle them, so it is unlikely they will come into my parlour here.

Secondly, we have a hard core of very reasonable people on here - sailors or yachtsmen in the old sense rather than 'yachties'. Most of the right wind mouth-foaming maniacs will feel uncomfortable here as they will find little support for their views. They will then either leave or confine their posting to boaty issues.

Thirdly, this is my ball and I will not hesitate to remove it from anyone who consistently posts offensive fascist drivel of any kind. If people want to spout nonsense that sets my teeth (and yours) on edge then that is of course their right - but I am not obliged to provide the platform or the bandwidth. The TAASC is also not averse to active moderation of this kind and keeps a close eye on things.

Hope that makes that clear - now stop moaning about TOP and tell us something interesting Jules . . .

[Arghiro]

Let me get this straight; after years of meeting people who sail that are pleasant & nice, you have rafted up alongside an unpleasant selfish pair - and now you want to paint us all with the same brush?

I'm sorry, but you will meet selfish idiots in all walks of life. sailing is not immune. SWMBO & I have been sailing since the mid-60's & bought our first cruiser in 1981 when the kids were 4 & 8. So you are not alone in being a youngster sailing - enjoy it while you can. Soon enough you will become a grey haired old fool like the rest of us have.

Much of the offensive stuff on TOP is from a small number of individuals, most of us treat it & them with the contempt they deserve. You do yourself a disservice by tarring all with the same brush.

[BigNick]

most of the hard core Lounge bigots hate me bercause I needle them

I came in here this evening to find a thread in which you said you would keep right out of the The Lounge from that moment on........erm, ..... but I can't find it so I guess you are OK to carry on.

[claymore]

Jooles me old fruitbat - this is what happens when you take drink in the wrong pub.
You ain't going to change what goes on in the Seven Stars so keep to the Nags Head - a much pleasanter bunch altogether and more attuned perhaps to you own thoughts and philosophies.
Look at me at this time on a Monday Morning talking philosophy - its going to be a long week...

[BarryT]

Let me get this straight; after years of meeting people who sail that are pleasant & nice, you have rafted up alongside an unpleasant selfish pair - and now you want to paint us all with the same brush?

I'm sorry, but you will meet selfish idiots in all walks of life. sailing is not immune. .....
Much of the offensive stuff on TOP is from a small number of individuals, most of us treat it & them with the contempt they deserve. You do yourself a disservice by tarring all with the same brush.

Exactly.