Airship Show - Tradewinds Yacht Club

Starting on April 30 and running through Sunday, May 15, is an extravaganza Airship Show at the Tradewinds Yacht Club (TYC) in Dex. Visitors will get to see a great variety of balloons, dirigibles and airships (see photo, below); only one of each kind was solicited for the show. I spoke to TYC's Harbormaster, Ahab Quandry, who told me, "We have shows every so often, maybe as many as six per year. There are some amazing builds at this particular show, most I don't remember seeing before."

Ahab, pictured below, speaking about the yacht club itself, said, "TYC is one of the oldest clubs in the sailing world and it has been in this location for about 7 years.  We are more relaxed here I think than some of the others and have no rule book as such. There are several sort of unwritten rules but they are more about being polite to our fellows and that sort of thing." The description of the yacht club states, "Home to the independent minded sailor. What we're about is just having fun without the politics. You're welcome to launch your sailboat here and sail." Continued Ahab, "Well, apart from putting on shows and the occasional races we sort of pride ourselves as being one, if not the most, friendliest place to come to.  Everyone (who behaves) is welcome and most of the regulars will always jump in to help a newbie to sailing or boating."

The Tradewinds Yacht Club is located in Nautilus, right at the edge of the Blake Sea. It is a very busy location; I saw a great number of boats sailing past and planes flying overhead while I was there. There are inexpensive boats for sale there, 7Seas fishing gear vendors, and of course, the airships. You might spot colorful balloons, flying pirate ships, and even the Bay City blimp, pictured below. Why not stop over and have a look, and perhaps investigate the joys of sailing in SL while you're there? The airship show will remain at the club for the next two weeks.

"Straighten Up And Fly Right"

While Nautilus City, which I featured in my last post, is fascinating to visit, it is by no means all of Nautilus. The continent itself is comprised of a great number of lakes and waterways and a complex, interesting coastline. Today I visited two other locations on that vast and watery continent, the 1930s/40s era aerodromes at Tsurlington and at Waddon (aerodrome being a much more commonly used word than airport prior to WWII). I was welcomed by pilot Tom McGregor (mastersinn resident, left photo below) who spoke to me about vintage aviation in Second Life, and these two locations in particular.

According to Tom, the aerodromes "have just changed hands; a group of old aviators clubbed together and saved them from oblivion." The main buildings at each location feature lovely art deco style details; make sure to check out the stained glass windows from the inside.The aerodromes request "Light Piston Engined or Rotary Prop Aircraft & Helicopters Only," in keeping with the vintage era of the builds. Interested aviators can rent a hangar at either aerodrome, both of which often hold 1920-40s era themed events and dances. 

In addition to pilots, passengers are also welcome to visit. A large yellow sign at Tsurlington encourages people to join the "Passengers of SL" group, which regularly announces flights. According to the group's founder, Laben Core, "As a pilot, you have the thrill of directly affecting the outcome of the trip through your navigational abilities – server conditions permitting, of course. Passengers, on the other hand, have the freedom of surveying the churning landscape before them without having to concern themselves with the details of flight operation." I've been fortunate enough to fly as a passenger with Marianne McCann as a pilot, and the experience included "passenger goodies" such as tickets, a wearable drink tray, a safety card, an in-flight magazine, and even an air sickness bag!

Those wishing to learn more about aviation in Second Life can delve into the extensive resources available on the Wiki page. There you can find lists of active airports, available aircraft, and working airlines, as well as a very handy "Aviator's Toolkit" that includes a glossary of terms and a list of useful aviation-related groups. You can also view a video of the services available at Tsurlington here. There is an active SL Aviation Flickr group, and even a radio channel called "Music to Fly By." So come visit the lovely aerodromes at Tsurlington or Waddon, board a flight as a passenger, or rez a plane and light out on your own to explore. Just remember to take the Andrews Sisters' advice!

The Great City of Nautilus

Between Corsica to the North and Satori to the South lies the Mainland continent of Nautilus. Directly to the East of Nautilus is the Blake Sea, a continent of private sims. Travel between all four of these continents is possible by sea, which makes both Nautilus and the Blake Sea prime sailing destinations. Today, let's grab a free sailboat from Barbarossa Island in the Blake Sea (one which also happens to have an airport arrow and beacon on it!) and sail due West towards the entrance to Nautilus City.

Moving towards the shore, you will spot a great channel leading inland (photo above). To the left of the channel is a large structure called The Pharos, a temple decorated with dolphins and guarded by a statue of Hydraea, Goddess of the Sea. Immediately off the shoreline is a small statue of a dolphin. You used to be able to rez a rideable dolphin here. Now, if you click on the statue, you'll receive a folder containing a dolphin, a sailing chart for the Blake Sea, and some old maps of Nautilus.

Sailing in towards the City, you can stop at several interesting points along the way. To your left, you'll spot a large park that takes up two entire sims and includes a pond, a pool and a giant chess set. To your right, you can explore the crash site of Magellan Linden's "atomic boring machine" (photo below). If you walk up the hill behind the crash site, you'll find a small bench with one of the loveliest views on the Mainland. 

Like Bay City (my home away from home on the Grid, about which I'll write soon!), Nautilus properties are double prim. If you can afford the prices and decide to build here, make sure to visit The Market (photo below), where you can pick up textures and entire houses to fit in with the theme. Step inside the large, open air building to find these free items, tucked into crates and large jars.

Next to the market you can wander through a lovely old shipyard, and traveling further inland, you might come across a strange, maze-like palace, empty but for a round tub on the second floor, and a temple (photo below) which sits perched on the edge of the central pool in the Citadel. Inside the temple sits a glowing crystal, and other large crystals can be found throughout Nautilus City. The temple site itself is damage-enabled, although I've not yet discovered any dangers inside. However, explorers with keen eyes might discover an escape route leading back down into the central pool, just in case those dangers ever do appear.

Small details are often the most interesting part of investigating new places. The photo below highlights some details of Nautilus City - the bright blue wall covering in one room of the empty palace, a face that looks out over the great chamber in the temple of the Citadel, and bright red jars decorated with a familiar figure, complete with proudly-displayed prim and bejeweled codpiece. A few of those red jars contain free houses, but some are simply the jars themselves, in case one wants a souvenir of Philip to take home. 

Sometimes, don'tcha know, a jar is just a jar.