Season's Greetings Anneka,
AH>I'll certainly never go anywhere without a
AH>princess on my boat! 
AVM> Okay, okay, I'll bite. What's a princess?
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        Well... a princess is the person on board who does absolutely
nothing.  "Sounds like rail meat.", you say, but no, the princess is not at
all rail meat unless he/she just happens to coincidently be sitting on the
lee, although it is possible that this position evolved over the years
from rail meat.  A princess generally does as he/she pleases and will even
from time to time request that the skipper alter course if the ride is too
unconfortable or too windy - it makes no difference if the yacht is in the
middle of a race or out for a criuse, the princess is never concerned with
such banal matters.  Added to the princess' duty of doing nothing, is the
unmistakable persona of royalty (ie: a princess) and this should give you
the jist of things.  The importance of having a princess position cannot be
overstated.  Without him/her, the crew has nothing but their own wits to
overcome any anxiety or stress which can be common in yachting.  But with a
princess on board, the crew has a souvreign figure to look up to from which
they can draw internal strength, tranquility, and balance.  He/She's like
the queen bee in a hive where the world is centred around one concern: the
survival of comfort and whim!
  It's something I've learned from west coast sailing (and I must say, I've
apprenticed with the best :^),  The purpose of the princess is very
difficult to properly convey in a post, but I feel it is my calling to
impart this new found realization of the princess position to all the world
of sailing and would be most enchanted to return to Toronto when sailing
season opens next to teach the fundamentals of the princess position to all
yachts persons... certain conditions must first be met of course, namely: I
require a competent galley chef on board; my own stateroom; a colour
television; and a saline jaccuzzi. 
     Cheers,
             Augustin~~~===
                             National Yacht Club, Toronto - S2STOR - S2SVCR
... Zen master to tofudog vendor:  "make me one with everything".
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