The Definition of a Yacht

Photo: Maxpixel

There may have been a time when you did not know what the term "yachting" meant.  In fact, the very definition of what makes a yacht different from other boats often escapes many people.  For the yacht owner, there is probably no more frustrating experience than to be discussing this part of your life at a social gathering only to have someone respond "I know what you mean, I love my fishing boat."  The two could not be more different and the better people understand that the fewer strange looks you will get when you tell your associates that one of your passions is "yachting".

Two things that are most often true of yachts is that they are mostly large boats and that they are primarily used for recreation.  But despite some predefined notions of how yacht owners approach their passions, there is a lot of variety to how yachts are used recreationally.  For one thing, yachting is split between those who enjoy yachting for the luxury of cruising the high seas in maximum comfort and those who love yachts for racing.  Both approaches to yachting have strong populations and lots of support industry to feed the growing enthusiasm for yachting amongst the yachting population.  

Even within the luxury yachting set, there are distinctions in types of yachts and in how people go about enjoying this very diverse hobby.  One big difference is between motorized yachting and sailing.  There is a beauty to sailing that is undeniable.  But sailing also is also more demanding and it has a lot of equipment and specialized skills that are called to carry it off.  But it is an addictive side of yachting that you can grow into.  Many who love sailing yachts will start out sailing with a crew who are skilled at handling the rigs and then allow those talented sailors to teach the skill to the yacht owner.

Another distinction of yachts is the level of involvement you might bring to actually operating the boat on open waters.  A full crew yacht is one in which everything is done for you.  This is the ultimate of luxury because not only do you have no concerns for the actual act of taking the yacht from here to there on the waters, you are pampered with every need and desire by a crew dedicated to your comfort and happiness.  But if you want to get closer to the experience of running the boat yourself, you can go with a skipper only who can manage much of the details of the yachting but leave the "crew work" to you.  And then for the ultimate in taking on the seaman to elements you can take out a "bareboat" yacht which means you do all the work.

You can see there is a lot of variety in the experience you can have on a yacht and still call it a yachting excursion.  But in all of these cases, the yacht is devoted to one thing, to giving you fun and pleasure and excitement. Whether it’s the thrill of a yacht race or you alone in your yacht exploring the coast of Africa and having the adventure of a lifetime, you are fulfilling a dream.  And to most of us, that is what it means to own a yacht or even to charter one and feel like you own it.  You are giving yourself the chance to realize a dream and have that singular experience of fun, happiness or relaxation on a luxurious yacht in a luxurious setting.  What could be better than that?

---

---

Antique Coins Collecting for Fun & Profit

Photo: Pxhere

You only have to look at how busy the coins section is on eBay to know that coin collecting is an incredibly popular activity. It's one of the most popular hobbies around and one of the most profitable too.

Finding coins to collect is easy but finding ones that are actually valuable to collect is the challenge faced by most collectors. As a rule of thumb, the older the coins is the more collectible it becomes as often they are rarer than more modern coins.

The best place to find Antique coins includes auction houses, coin shows, coin fairs, and malls. But if you are more serious you should visit historical sites where antique coins are more likely to be found. You should bear in mind that the value of Antique coins depends on where it from as well as the age and historical background of its origin. Therefore buying at the historical location gives you a very good advantage over other collectors.

There are a few other pointers you might want to consider when buying an antique coin.

Firstly make sure the coin you wish to purchase is original. This goes without saying but there are many replicas and even counterfeit coins flooding the market, so close inspection to validate their authenticity is a must.

When you start off your coin collecting hobby, start slowly if you are on a low budget. Then as your portfolio of coins increases in value, you could re-sell some of it at a profit and buy more valuable ones. If you find a coin that you think is a valuable addition to your collection make sure that you find an appraiser that can determine the value so that you do not get ripped off. So don't try to value it yourself unless you are quite experienced, and seek the help of professionals when the circumstances dictate like when the coin is quite expensive.

You need to specialize when you start collecting Antique coins so choose one particular era or country to focus on. This will make it easier for you to become an expert. You must also take good care of the coins to ensure you preserve their appearance and thus their value. And be careful not to clean Antique coins to excess otherwise you might actually depreciate their value.

Coin collecting can really be a source of great fun and taking it up as a hobby is probably one of the best decision you can make. As long as you remain patient it will be a long-term hobby bringing you plenty of satisfaction for years to come as well as a very profitable investment.

---

---

2006 Ford Mustang: Retro Cruiser

2006 Ford Mustang GT - Photo: Flickr

When Ford decided to redesign the Mustang, they opted to incorporate a retro look, much like what was done previously with the Thunderbird. Fortunately, Ford didn’t look at the ghastly Mustang II series from the 1970s for a template, instead, the US automaker drew upon the second generation Mustangs of the late 1960s for their inspiration. Let’s just say that the redesigned Mustang has been nothing short of a sell out hit.

Introduced as a 2005 model, the retro Mustang for 2006 offers only one change: the introduction of a Pony package which is meant to give the car a GT look and feel. Borrowing from the fastback design of the late 1960s, the 2005 model was such a hit that Ford could not keep up with production.

Buyers have a choice between a 4.0L V6 and a 4.6L V8 engine to power the car. With 2+2 seating, 107-inch wheelbase, and a curb weight of just under 3500 pounds, the car cruises down the highway with 210 and 300 horses respectively. Each engine is mated with a 5-speed manual transmission and a 5-speed automatic transmission is optional for both. 4 wheel disc brakes and optional traction control [standard with the V8] help keep the Mustang under control. Cloth bucket seats are standard with leather seats optional. All models come with a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power locks and windows, power side mirrors, and air conditioning.

Ford gives buyers a choice between 5 coupe and 5 convertible models with base MSRP starting at $19,810 for the coupe and $24,635 for the convertible. First-year sales of the Mustang were so good that the car sold out by early Spring. In fact, the Mustang dethroned the Chrysler 300 as the hottest car on the market with more than 15,000 Mustangs sold per month. All of this production is from just one factory.

Production for 2006 is certain to be tight and with little incentives available – they certainly aren’t needed – the Mustang is likely to continue to have a long waiting list of customers desiring the sporty coupe. Considering that sales across the Ford division are flat, this is good news for an automaker desperately needing a hot seller.

Author: Matthew C. Keegan

---

---

All About RTF Remote Control Helicopters

Photo: Pixabay

If you are interested in purchasing rtf remote control helicopters, then you’ve come to the right place.  I personally recommend any type of rtf remote control helicopters because I have found them to be uniformly well made and durable.  

When I was recently out with a friend flying our rtf remote control helicopters, she mentioned that she was upset because she had also purchased a non-rtf remote control helicopters, and simply did not get the same type of quality, and it actually crashed and broke into a thousand pieces on the second day she owned it!

I’m happy to say that she was able to return it the next day and get her money back, but it was still an upsetting experience for her, and she’ll always remember from now on that she only should purchase rtf remote control helicopters.

Mine is blue with white stripes, and the propeller is really beautiful—gold and red glitter, so it really sparkles when it’s flying.  I love flashy rtf remote control helicopters, but if you’re more into the utilitarian version, then you will be happy to know that there are many models out there, and you could probably even find one in all black or all white.  Actually, I think it might be fun to get one in black and one in white and fight them until one crashes and breaks.  Of course, you’d have to purchase them wholesale, or at least on a good deal, because you know you’ll be breaking one of them completely, and the other one might never be the same.  But it would certainly be a cool game to play once, and you could even videotape it and upload it to one of the video sites, such as YouTube.

Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your rtf remote control helicopters when you finally decide to purchase them, and I would certainly recommend, as always doing a few hours of comparison shopping before making the purchase.  This is especially important for rtf remote control helicopters, and I cannot stress it enough, because I have talked to people who have purchased the exact same models for wildly different prices.  When I talked to two people, one of which paid twice as much as the other one for the same model, my jaw dropped, and it was then that I was sure of the importance of comparison shopping.  And the funniest thing was, the person who spent twice as much ended up crashing her helicopter after only having it for one year!  I felt so bad for her, but it was really the definition of irony.

Anyway, I hope that you’ll heed this advice before you purchase an rtf remote control helicopters, even though they are universally well made and durable, you can still pay hugely variable prices for the same degree of quality.  No matter how much money you have, you should always try to make the most educated purchases, to retain your hard earned cash.

---

---

A History of Golf

The MacDonald boys playing golf by 18th-century portrait painter Jeremiah Davison
Photo: Wikipedia

What country invented ‘golf?’ Many countries did. If there were sticks and objects that could be hurtled along, then there was ‘golf.’ No one knows for certain who started golf. But everybody knows who plays it now — everyone does.

The origin of the name ‘golf’ is believed to be the Dutch word of 'colf,' which means 'club.' In the medieval ages, golf was also known as “spel metten colve,’ which literally meant 'game with clubs.'

Nearly every area around the world has some claim to the origination of golf. Scotland, of course, has its claim. But so do China, Rome, England, France, Holland, Belgium, even Laos. Every country has a game consisting of sticks and balls, and every country is correct in its assumption that it invented the game. But there is no one country where ‘golf’ actually began.

Still, Scotland is widely considered to be the birthplace of golf. And it began haphazardly, a way of hitting a pebble or other roundish object into a hole by means of a stick or club.

Edinburgh, Scotland, claimed the first golfing society. The Gentlemen Golfers – later known as the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and today in residence at Muirfield – claim their club was already underway in 1744.

The first inter-Scotland club matches were played in 1857. The world would wait until 1860 for the first British Open to be played.

The British Open was being played 35 years before the U.S. Open. It has been called “The World Open.” Players from around the globe participate, as they have for a century or more. The British Open is all-inclusive. The U.S. Open has been moving in that direction for the last decade. But the British Open has been accepting a cast from around the world since the turn of the century.

It is not known for certain when golf came to America — only that when it got a toehold in the 20th century, America became the world leader in great players. By 1900, the explosion of the game in America was complete. The proof was that, at the turn of the century, there were more golf clubs in the United States than there were in Britain.

Tiger Woods came upon the scene in 1996. He won eight times in 1999, nine times in 2000, and won the four major championships in succession in 2000-2001, starting with the U.S. Open in 2000. Should his career be as successful in his 30s and 40s as it has been in his 20s, he will assume the mantle of “best player ever.”

Women have played a very large part in the history of golf, even before the last half of the 20th century when they finally achieved equality with men. Records of ladies playing golf exist all the way back to the time of Mary Queen of Scots.

---

---

Bird Photography

Photo: Pixabay

Birds have been one of the greatest subjects for photographers for centuries now because they have an inspiring beauty and mystify us with their gift of flight and diversity. When it comes to photographing birds and their behavior, catching it on film will add a tremendous visual impact and feeling to any picture. There are different locations where birds gather, but really the best place you may what to start is your backyard. The thing about birds is that they are busy little bodies and a bird feeder in the backyard is a great place to get a picture when they are feeding or even the bird in the air getting ready to pounce one of the birds that are currently feeding.

When you venture out of your backyard to look for birds to photograph your vehicle may just become your newest piece of equipment. Birds see our cars less of a threat than a person carrying a long lens underneath their arm. A vehicle makes for a great blind and along with this patience is a virtue. When you find a location such as a prime feeding ground, park a bit of away from it and stop your engine to cut down on a noise that may scare them.

Standard, wide-angle and short zoom lenses can be used for photographing birds, but for serious bird photography, a quality 500 mm or 600 mm telephoto lens is ideal.

Please keep in mind to avoid any situation that can put stress on the birds and their surroundings. If you notice a bird that is starting to show any kind of stress, this means that there is a nest or chicks nearby. Any further picture taking should be disengaged and you should leave the immediate area. As a photographer of birds or any wildlife, it is a good thing to remember not to put ourselves or the birds around us in any kind of danger.

---

---

How to Make a Honey Extractor

Photo: Wikimedia

In order to get honey from your beehive, you have to be able to extract the honey from the honeycomb. In order to do this, you have to have to have a honey extractor. There are manufactured honey extractors available on the market, they typically cost approximately $200 to $300, the average cost of starting a new hive of honey bees. If there is a group of beekeepers in an area they will sometimes pool their money together to purchase a honey extractor that they share. If you are not in a large beekeeping environment and do not want to spend a few hundred dollars on a manufactured honey extractor you might want to make your own.

The materials you will need to build a honey extractor include; a metal rod that is at least one meter long and is thickly threaded, two bicycle wheel rims, two pieces of wood, one meter of 2-3mm fencing wire, a large metal drum, ten bolts for the metal rod, four 400mm sections of 8mm threaded rod, a self centering bearing, six coach screws, and one pillow block bearing. When choosing a large metal drum for your homemade honey extractor make sure that is was never used to store potentially toxic materials. The tools you will need for constructing your honey extractor include; an electric drill, a welding machine (and preferably some welding experience), a socket set, and a hacksaw.

The first thing you're going to do is remove the end of the drum that does not have two pouring holes, the newly opened end will be the top of your honey extractor. Use the coach screws to attach one of the pieces of wood across the bottom of the drum. Once the wood is in place use coach screws to secure the pillow block. After inserting the threaded rod through the centre of the first bicycle rim, securely bolt the rim to the rod approximately ten centimetres from the end of the rod. At the opposite end of the rod you will want to thread a but for the other wheel, the second wheel will rest on this nut. When both of the wheel rims are in place you will want to drill holes in four spots around each wheel, when this task is complete you use the 8mm rods to lock the wheel rims together. Use two nuts onto the rod. Make sure that two cm of the rod protrudes.

When this is complete you are going to cut a slit that is10mm deep and 3mm wide into the end of the rod. After this thread the lock and the nuts together at the end of the rod. After you think the nuts are in place use the welding machine to permanently lock them into place. Fasten the wire to the spokes of the bottom wheel rim, approximately 5-8cm from the rim. You have now successfully made the basket of your honey extractor.

Take your newly crafted extractor basket and place it into the drum, settling it on the pillow bearing. Now you're going to want to bolt the second piece of wood to the sides of the drum and the self-centring bearing.

After drilling a screwdriver bit into the chuck, place the chuck into the slit into the slot in the top of the threaded rod.

---

---