Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. This has to do with the communal aspects of the fast, which expresses many of the basic values of the Muslim community; i.e., empathy for the poor, charity, worship, steadfastness, patience etc. Fasting is also believed by some scholars to extol fundamental distinctions, lauding the power of the spiritual realm, while acknowledging the subordination of the physical realm. It also teaches a Muslim to stay away from worldly desires and to focus entirely on the Lord and thank him for his blessings. It is a rejuvenation of the religion and it creates a stronger bond between the Muslim and his Lord. After the end of Ramadan, is a big celebration of Eid.^[14]

The new season is upon us and Brett and Romeo have formulated a new sailing season menu which will start in mid September [Brett has a number of secret recipes he has brought along with him for you all to try]. On this subject please can you use the suggestions book again to let us know about things you would like to see changed or added so we can manage your expectations and answer any questions you may have.

Sailing pursuit race is on and all facilities inside the club house are open and ready for you all, the entry form and the NOR for the Abu Dhabi race are now on the web page, it will be a great race and all are very welcome, take some leave, get your crews together and fill in the entry form.

Enjoy the Eid break and come on down to the club for a cool beverage and a meal.

Warm Regards

Keith

The Tuesday night pursuit race is still up and running as is the  2011 Dom Perignon Heineken Cup [details from David Arggg Stuckey on  davidstuckey48@gmail.com ] throughout the summer but all other organized sailing has ended for the season. Renovations abound across a number of sections within the club grounds and the large trees the surround the grounds will be trimmed to 5 meters and cut back. This will give the club a different look so please don’t be alarmed.

The Winter Test series rugby starts on the 22^nd July and runs every weekend to the 27^th August with Australia, New Zealand England, Ireland, Japan, USA, France, Scotland, Italy, Wales and South Africa all blooding themselves and their new players before the World Cup in September. A full list of games and times will be on the notice board at the club. Come down and support the teams in your colours.. happy hour on all drinks will be from kick off to final whistle.

The first game is on the 22^nd July between NZ and Fiji at 1330 in the club.

For the World Cup rugby I am trying to get all games recorded so that members can come to the club on the evening of the game and watch the game [especially mid week games which start around 1130 in the morning] if I can get a system here that allows me to do this you never have to worry about missing a game. I shall keep you all posted.

Thinking of turning the main club house into a bowling alley unless someone comes down and enjoys the cool of the club and the delights she has to offer.

That’s all from us for now. Enjoy the summer wherever you may be and a sad farewell to Johnathan Guyer who leaves Dubai to go sailing for the rest of his life on Friday. Some dredged up old Naval trivia follows:

TONNAGE (TUNNAGE) - Today tonnage refers to a ship's displacement in the water or the gross pounds of cargo it is capable of carrying. In the days of sail this was not so. Tonnage was spelled "tunnage" and referred to the number of "tuns" a ship could carry. A "tun" was a barrel normally used for transporting wine and tunnage specified the number of barrels that would fit in the ship's hold.

Yankee Americans are known by their nicknames from Hong Kong to Timbuktu; one of the most widely used is "yankee." It's origin is uncertain but one belief is that it was given to us by the early Dutch. Early American sea captains were known but not revered for their ability to drive a hard bargain. Dutchmen, who were also regarded as extremely frugal, jokingly referred to the hard to please Americans as "Yankers" or wranglers. The nom de plume persists to this day.

Warm Regards

Keith

Renovations abound and will continue into the summer months, thanks for being so understanding while this is going on. 

Keith Thompsons farewell is on at the club on Friday starting at 1930, all those who know Keith pop in for a chat and a beverage and its Suzie Shaw's goodbye to Dubai tomorrow night at 1830 down in the clubhouse, come and say farewell to them both.  

The club now has its very own Food and Beverage Manager ~ Brett Trevethan ~ Brett will be immersed into the kitchen, bar and front of house as part of his induction over the course of the next few weeks and then takes the reins of the F&B functionality of the club in August.  He will come and say hi and meet you all when you pop in for a cold drink in the cool of the club over the next few weeks.  

DOSC summer sizzler specials : From 5^th July to 12^th July only. 

·         New pre launch DOSC golf shirts [the main launch is in September when the official DOSC Captains Locker [shop] opens] are now on sale at less 20% ~ we have both men’s and ladies style cut and the quality is very good, come down and pick one or a few up at this amazing summer price.

 ·         KWV red and white wines @ AED145 for the Cab Sav and AED90 for the Sav Blanc and Chin Blanc.

 ·         Budweiser Beer bottles and Amstel Light Bottles @ AED12 each.

 That’s all for now, have a very relaxing break if you are away and if not lets see you down at the club.

   Remember:        ·          "There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living”

P.S. The date for the next Hercules challenge has been announced, its 23^rd  February 2012 @ the 7’s rugby grounds, join over 100 teams including one from DOSC [Sailing Instructors] and take the challenge. See http://www.biz-events.com/hercules-trophy and join up. DOSC team will challenge anyone !! take the challenge and prove them wrong.

Keith

The Pursuit race will take place this Tuesday with corrected times on the sign on sheet, the bar will however be closed in accordance with the laws of the land which has directed us to call the accumulator on Wednesday the 29^th at 2030. To make Wednesday evening a bigger draw card we will host the DOSC Bingo night with all donations for the bingo cards going to Sailability who have decided to purchase a Laser Stratos Keel dinghy to take the special needs children to another level of sailing within the programme. Your support is invaluable so book a table and join us for the night.

We have had some sad goodbyes over the last two weeks with another two on the horizon, Jono Guyer will be down at the club on the 30^th to say a fond farewell to all as will Keith Thompson on the 8^th July ~ pop in and have a farewell drink with them before they head out into the big world.

Renovations are in full swing with the following in progress:

1. Ladies and Gents change rooms have now been gutted and will start refit within the next week

Your continued patience is greatly appreciated as are the recommendations and suggestions to the renovations, all ideas are most welcome. I do hope that 98% of the renovations will be completed by the start of the 2011/12 sailing season and will drive hard to achieve this.

Well that’s it from this desk for now, Bloomberg TV channel has sailing screened every Sunday morning from 1000 for about an hour, set your recorders and catch the latest from Xtream sailing to international regattas, who would have thought that Bloomberg would screen sailing.

And lastly once again remember: !!Wear sunscreen !!

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Warm Regards

Keith

What am amazing weekend of sport, Rory Mcllroys brilliant win in the golf, the super 15 rugby build up with the last 6 fighting for a position and the cricket test taking place between England and Sri Lanka, and this week is the famous Wimbledon Tennis which will be screened at the club as its played.

Tuesday night pursuit race is on, start times have been changed [only for the summer] so get down and sign on, the buffet and accumulator draw will follow, all standard bottled beer @ AED10 from 1900 to 2100 and house wine @ AED10 per glass for the same timings. Come down bring your guests and enjoy the night with us.

Over the summer there are a number of functions booked inside the clubhouse, each one has been booked by a fellow member and each booking has been made with the understanding that anyone who is in the club that night is welcome to join in.

The renovations of the change rooms has started and they are out of bounds, the timelines for this are the 4^th September so please bear with us while the changes are being done.

The new sail like shade over the front of the club house is due to be fitted in the next 10 days, we are waiting for the cladding to be completed prior to the fitting of this shade, this will be a big improvement from the wooden structure that was old and falling to bits.

Alison is now open for revalidation of IRC certificates, please send your data to her and she will get you the 2011/12 certification.

The 29^th is the Bingo night, book a table and join Loraine and her girls for the BINGO night, as the Tuesday before is a dry night at DOSC the Accumulator will be called on the 29^th at 2030 so that you all have a fair chance of winning just before holiday time.

The NOR and SI’s for the Dom Perignon Trophy 2011 & The Heineken Cup are below : it’s a great way to spend July on the water so challenge your rivals in the Heineken Cup for a chance to race off in the Dom Perignon race.

Notice of Race & Sailing Instructions

For those who are unaware, the Dom Perignon Trophy was initially contested on a Saturday in August (the inaugural race was held on 08/08/08) between Kernowek & Jabulani. The trophy itself & some photographs from previous years can be seen in the trophy cabinet.

Last year the event was opened to all boats & was won by Insatiable. Insatiable has since been sold & the new owner is unable to defend the trophy. The right to defend the trophy will therefore revert to the previous holder, Kernowek. Thus David Stuckey is the current Defender.

The fore-runner to this prestigious event is the Heineken Cup and is open to all boats & contested, as a summer fun event and sailed without spinnakers, under the following rules:

1. The Heineken Cup will be a series of 3 Saturday pursuit races conducted during the month of July. The first pursuit race will be on 16^th July, starting at 15:00 hours.
2. Any boat wishing to challenge for the Heineken Cup must present a challenge to the Defender by 1^st July 2011.
3. Each boat competing in the Heineken Cup races must provide 6 cans of Heineken to the bar staff before the start of each Heineken Cup pursuit race as an entry fee, which will be matched by DOSC at the conclusion of the race at the Outer Reef.
4. The winner of the Heineken Cup will become the Challenger for the Dom Perignon Trophy.
5. The Defender may also take part in the Heineken Cup. If the Defender wins the series, the boat placed 2^nd will become the Challenger.
6. The Challenge Race for the Dom Perignon Trophy 2011 will take place in August, on a date agreed by the Defender & the Challenger..
7. The Challenger must provide a chilled bottle of Dom Perignon to the bar staff before the race to be drunk by both crews at the trophy presentation, after the Challenge Race at the Outer Reef.
8. The format of both the Challenge Race & the Heineken Cup races are at the sole discretion of the Defender.
9. The Defender must inform the Challenger of the race format at least 48 hours before the race.
10. There will be no spitting, biting or swearing! All other rules for the race will be decided by the Defender. The principles of the Rules of Sailing will apply.

That’s all from me for now, have a brilliant week, John and Sue are back in Malaysia and their blog is updated, pop into the DOSC web page and have a look at their adventures. Matt Grimley is also now ensconced in Vanuatu after his +8000 nm trip on Skye Rose and will be with us soon for a visit.

So there you have it !!

Keith

We have been informed that the club may not serve alcohol from 1800 on the 28^th to 1830 on the 29^th June 2011, this has driven a decision to delay the usual Tuesday Night accumulator draw until the night of the 29^th during the clubs Bingo night, the draw will take place at 2030 and all are welcome. This change does NOT change the pursuit race at all, start times will be on the board at 1700 on Tuesday evening as usual, the prize giving for this race will be delayed by a week. I expect a few dock gatherings and ask that music be toned down in respect of this holiday on the 28^th.

That leads into the night of the 29^th and BINGO !! book a table, bring your friends and let’s have a blast with Lorain and her helpers [I ask that anyone from the sailability team help if they can]. All bingo card donations collected will be donated to the sailability project. Start time around 1930, finger buffet [as per the quiz night] will be available at a nominal price to take the edge off while you concentrate on the four corners or the full house. Book your table now !!!

There will be a number of changes/renovations going on over the summer, some start dates have been delayed resulting in the work extending into the start of the new season, we will however attempt to minimize any disruptions to the daily workings at the club. Thanks for the numerous inputs to the changes expected and remember “change is sometimes hard but once accepted is a joyful occurrence” as in the old ... A sailor's quote: The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails.

Please be aware that staff have been granted leave over the summer so that they can go and spend a month with their families, this reduces the number we have at our disposal in all facilities at the club. If you do not find a waiter to order a beverage please pop up to the bar and ask the barman for one to avoid high blood pressure and a negative experience. All staff will be back by the 9^th September for the start of the new season.

That’s it from my desk other than to say have a great weekend and if you are going away travel safely and return relaxed.

Some Naval Trivia to follow:

Fathom was originally a land measuring term derived from the Ango-Saxon word "faetm" meaning to embrace. In those days, most measurements were based on average size of parts of the body, such as the hand (horses are still measured this way) or the foot (that's why 12 inches are so named). A fathom is the average distance from fingertip to fingertip of the outstretched arms of a man --- about six feet. Since a man stretches out his arms to embrace his sweetheart, Britain's Parliament declared that distance be called a "fathom" and it be a unit of measure. A fathom remains six feet. The word was also used to describe taking the measure or "to fathom" something. Today, of course, when one is trying to figure something out, they are trying to "fathom" it.

Show a Leg Many of our Navy's colorful expressions originated as a practical means of communicating vital information. One such expression is show a leg. In the British Navy of King George III and earlier, many sailors wives accompanied them on long voyages. This practice caused a multitude of problems but some ingenious bosun solved one that tended to make reveille a hazardous event - that of distinguishing which bunks held males and which held females. To avoid dragging the wrong mates out of the rack, the bosun asked all to show a leg. If the legged was hairy and tattooed, the owner was forced to quot;turn-to. In today's Navy, showing a leg is a signal to the reveille petty officer that you have heard his call and are awake.

Keith

The long awaited Bingo night will take place at the club on the 29^th June 2011 and as far as I am aware it will be the first Bingo called in the club house, sooooooo all of us that have stayed for the Summer come on down and join in. Prizes will be in the form of vouchers for drinks and/or meals and will depend on Lorain’s plan for the night. Please book at table ASAP and invite your guests, it will be a fun night. Bingo cards will be sold for a nominal fee to cover prizes, any money that is over will be donated to the sailability program.

There will be a startup MMI wine sample DOSC Summer Sizzle on the 30^th at 2000 in the club house. This will fall nicely into the farewell gathering for Jonathan Guyer and take the form of a red and white wine presented for sampling and ordering at a special DOSC Sailing price at the Al Wassel MMI shop. We plan to have one sampling a month here at the club all through the summer.

There are a number of renovations taking place at the club at present,  they are in the embryonic  phase and sometimes look unsightly, this look will diminish once the completed project is displayed including new plants, fresh paint and new lighting. I ask that you bear with us while the changes morph into new changes for the club. The Buildings member will have approved through the committee all renovations prior to any startup work being done at DOSC.

Thursday night the club will have a DOSC Summer Sizzle special limited menu with candlelight tables settings and selected red and white wines, reduced in price to entice you all to come out of your homes and enjoy the cool of the club with friends and family over dinner, great conversation and laughter all well below any restaurant prices or atmosphere in Dubai ~ book at table and come down and enjoy the night with us at the club.

Have a great week, to all those writing exams we wish you good luck, those who are traveling, be safe and those of us staying, wear sunscreen!

THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE WILL SEE THIS IN OUR LIFETIMES.

Calendar for July 2011, This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. This year we're going to experience four unusual dates, 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...take the last two digits of the year in which you were born, add the age you will be this year, the results will be 111 for everyone in whole world.  Amazing !!!

And last but not least! Where did the saying “The rule of thumb” come from?

Women had it pretty tough in the old English days. Husbands were allowed to beat their wives by law for anything that they considered to be disobedient. The only condition was the phrase “rule of thumb” (derived from an old English law), which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything thicker than your thumb.

Keith

P.S. Lunchtime Summer Sizzel menu is up and running, gate fee paid for guests can be redeemed as part payment towards lunch from 1200 to 1600 daily. Bring the office staff for a treat !!

The buildup for the weekend sailing is forecasted at a 14 knt wind for Friday so if you get you boat ready to sail early in the morning you will be cool when out in the bay, plan on it and come down for a sail.

For the not so brave the weekends screened sport is as follows:

Friday : Chiefs v Hurricanes 11:35
Brumbies v Rebels 13:40
Saturday : Crusaders v Blues 11:35
Waratahs v Highlanders 13:40
W.Force vs Reds 16:05
Lions v Sharks 18:05
Stormers v Bulls 20:10
Sunday : F1 Canada 19:30

The quiz night was a great success with a big thanks to Colin and Jonathan for putting on an outstanding evening, some changes to the next quiz night from feedback received, no table should have more than 8 at the table to keep it a fair night, the three tables of 12 last evening upset a few competitive members.

This next week we start with the planned summer renovations, there will be activity in a number of areas in the club grounds, please be aware of possible wet paint, holes in the ground or the gentle sound of jack hammers in the current change rooms. I hope to have all of it done by the start of the new sailing season in September. 

The current format of the Tuesday night pursuit race has been reduced to 110 min which then completes the race at 1920, this is a compromise for those who wanted 1910 finish and those who wanted a 1930 finish, let’s see how warm it is and how it works next Tuesday. 

I expect the bar to be closed from 1800 on the 27^th June to 1830 on the 28^th June due to a religious festival in the UAE, confirmation will be sent by the DM imminently but plan for it. 

That’s all from this desk for today, have a great weekend and we will see you down here sometime, once again happy birthday to you all. 

Oh !! Thanks Loraine you are our new Bingo Caller [by appointment by members I am afraid] now we just have to find some bingo cards here in the UAE, anyone know where?? Once we have all the needed bits and bobs we will set a date, it will be fun. 

Trivia onwards, enjoy and learn from our forefarthers:

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat".

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust".

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a "dead ringer"... And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! ! 

Keith

Tuesday nights pursuit race will be changed a little from the current form by extending the finish time to 1930, please tell all who you know sail on Tuesday evenings. This version may only stay for the summer months giving the crews longer on the water in the midweek sail.

Wednesday evenings Club Quiz night is booked out! We will have a full house and overflowing, please let members join in on a table if they are looking to make a bigger group, select your teams name and come and enjoy the evening with Colin and Jonathan providing the entertainment. It kicks off at 1930 sharp. There will be Hot and Cold light buffet at AED35pp to take that edge off before and during the quiz.

I am looking for a summer months Bingo caller, anyone out there wanting to assist us by calling the shots once a month on a Wednesday evening??

There is a 100 Ton crane and flatbeds at the club at 0600 on Sunday morning to lift out three yachts for some summer work, anyone else wanting to use this service and split the costs please let us know.

The club welcomes Brian and Deborah on their yacht Chinook into DOSC, they have been blue water sailing for 10 years now and have just pioneered the way forward in trucking their yacht from Jordan to DOSC to avoid the pirates, I think this will open a floodgate for yachts based in the GCC to be splashed in the Med. Anyway welcome to you both and we wish you fair weather and calm seas for your next ten years at sea.

Please don’t forget that throughout summer the club will be cool and serving lunch and dinner from a new summer menu, come a join us down by the water and get out of the house and office. Bring your friends, work colleagues and guests for lunch or dinner any day of the week.

That’s it all from me for now if we don’t see you through the week we will see you through the ????

Interesting Trivia for today:

There is an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London which used to have gallows adjacent.
Prisoners were taken to the gallows (after a fair trial – of course) to be hung.
The horse drawn dray, carting the prisoner was accompanied by an armed guard, who would stop the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if he would like one LAST DRINK.
If he said YES it was referred to as “ONE FOR THE ROAD”
If he declined, that prisoner was – “ON THE WAGON”
So – there you go. 
 
They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"
But worse than that were the really poor  folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot...........they "didnt have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low 
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s: 
  
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June... However, since they were starting to smell . .. . brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip an d fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt.. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a "thresh hold".

(Getting quite an education, aren't you? More next news letter)

Best regards and stay out of the sun !! 

Keith

The new summer sizzle menu for lunch is out as is the new main menu for the club house, we are a happy 22 degrees cool inside the club house so come on down and enjoy both the menu’s and the daily happy hour from 1800 to 2000 across the bar [not including formal booked functions]

The Dinghy Dinner is on tonight and all dinghy members are welcome to attend but please add your names to the name list before 1400 for catering. Enjoy the night.

Once again the LOFT@DOSC is open to members corporations/organizations to hire, please contact me if you are interested.

We have Oysterbay, KWV Chenin Blanc and Wild Rock all by the glass now for the summer sizzle as well as Magners cider on tap, enjoy it all in the cool of the club.

Horst and Clair are playing in the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra on the 17^th June in the Abu Dhabi Armed Forces Officers Club at 2000, if you are keen for a bit of Symphony #8 in G Major and would care for a 20% discount on the tickets contact either Horst himself [ horst.reiger@gcss.ae ] or me and we can arrange them for you.

Don’t forget to book at table for the club quiz night on the 8^th June at 1930 with quiz master WikColinpedia of the facegate fame for an unforgettable night of mind games and tacky prizes.

That’s it for now, some naval trivia for the followers

Pass the Hat To make a collection on behalf of a distressed person or people. Taken from William Maginn's Tales of Military Life, 1829 "Having sent round the hat for the benefit of the poor and half petrified". Later referred to by entertainers and religious perofrmers who used a hat to collect their money. This procedure helped create other hat terms such as "talking through your hat", "hat in hand" and "old hat".

Port holes The word "port hole" originated during the reign of Henry VI of England (1485). King Henry insisted on mounting guns too large for his ship and the traditional methods of securing these weapons on the forecastle and aftcastle could not be used. A French shipbuilder named James Baker was commissioned to solve the problem. He put small doors in the side of the ship and mounted the cannon inside the ship. These doors protected the cannon from weather and were opened when the cannon were to be used. The French word for "door" is "porte" which was later Anglicized to "port" and later went on to mean any opening in the ship's side, whether for cannon or not.

P.S. The club now stocks 100% organic Sun Blast juice with nothing added for the kids or anyone wanting a cool fresh drink that is 100% organic, try a pouch when next down, you will be amazed at the taste.

Keith