Well, that’s not strictly true, but after taking a fortnight off “fishing” in the summer break, I discovered that it is possible to NOT write about Formula 1 every single day of the year. I was able to spend a few precious days with my nearest and dearest, unencumbered with the responsibility of keeping a blog up to date. There is, in any case, precious little real F1 action from now on as most of the F1 circus does the same thing, so the only likelihood of any proper news in the next 10 days is the New Year’s Honours List. Rather than pump out endless waffle in place of real news I decided that I would have a Christmas period “ice fishing” to recharge my batteries before the onslaught of the 2011 season.
While looking for a suitable illustration I discovered a wonderful machine called a Wilcraft, which floats, drives across treacherous ice, climbs snow banks and can be transformed into a tent on wheels. Amazingly one can even fish from the inside! When I get very rich I will have to get one and perhaps I will go ice-fishing – although, frankly, I cannot think of anything less exciting…
Have a very Merry Christmas and a splendid New Year. I will be back on January 4.
Have a good break Joe – you’ve earned it.
Merry Xmas to all Joe’s readers.
Happy Christmas Joe and thanks for the insight provided thoughout the year. Much appreciated
Reminded of Frankie Boyle on BBC show “Mock The Week” and his Darling’s Inuit Robot Butler sketch:
“What shall we do today, Tiktarry 37?”
ICE-FISHING!
“Oh not ice-fishing”
ICE-FISHING!
“Everyday with the ice-fishing!”
ICE-FISHING!
“I don’t know that you’re a robot, I just think you’re just a suit of armour with a tape recorder in you”
ICE-FISHING!!
Anyway, have a good holiday!
Merry Christmas! Thanks for the 2010 bloggage, podcasts, and GP . Hope you have a good one.
Have a great break and new year.
Hi Joe,
Have a good break. I just subscribed to GP+ so I’ll be perusing the archive over the xmas break.
John
Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year to you.
Thanks Joe.
That’s a great machine! Imagine F1 car that can transform into road car or even motorhome…
Enjoy the break Joe, Seasons Greetings to you and all the other Saward addicts!
Dear Joe,
Thank you so much for your F1 insight throughout 2010 on this blog and the GP+ magazine.
Have a great holiday season and a fantactic 2011.
JG
Joe,
Over the course of this season your blog has become required reading for me – and I suspect many other fans – who want to know the real stories about this great sport.
Thankyou for sharing your insight with us and I wish you and your family a restful Christmas break, and look forward to reading your blog next season and many more to come.
James
Have a good break Joe! Merry Christmas to you and the blog contributors.
Have o good one!
Thank you for the waffle free zone.
Hi Joe,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you! All best for 2011.
I have been told that I will be getting a GP+ subscription for Christmas – I just have to persuade the powers that be to get their credit card out!
As I think I always mention in my comments but it’s worth says again – fantastic blog!
Can’t wait for 2011
Kris
Have a good one Joe, and thank you for all your superb work over the last year!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for you too Joe! Well deserved. Thanks a lot for your insights!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Joe,
Have plenty of fun and a good rest.
Have a great Christmas Joe. You have earned it!
Thanks for all your hard work, and your informative articles which have kept us all in the loop….
Kind regards,
Ricky
Cool!
Thank you Joe for a very thought provoking year!
Sorry I didn’t reply to you in another thread, I’m drained. (but check the GP+ one, if you can, got a practical Q for you)
That Wilcraft is very neat.
Ice fishing is usually not an expensive sport, just bloody dangerous if you do it on your own.
Spend your money on going somewhere looney, like Baikal, or the even the lower Volga. You’ll get looked after fine if you just ask about, friendly style. Maybe don’t mention the Wilcraft thing though, it’s just a bit macho in those parts. (“You use a rod? No fun mate!” . . You get handed a spear or dynamite. May heaven proect us!) There’s so many other awesome places to go fish, but I’m just remembering a school mate who I last heard of was a biologist, just so he could go sit on the icepack in Baikal.
Thank you once again, it’s been a absolute pleasure.
Here’s to a good new season!
– j
Joe, many thanks for your sterling work this year. All the best for a Happy Christmas and a prosperous and fertile New Year.
Noooooo! I was hoping to read your thoughts on what Patrick Head and Rory Byrne have been up to before the Christmas break!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9307861.stm
Dodger,
Merry Christmas to you too
Happy Christmas Joe!
Congrats on another wonderful year of reporting – my day just wouldn’t be the same without your latest F1 reports.
Enjoy the time off!!
[...] more from the original source: Gone (ice) fishing… « Joe Saward's Grand Prix Blog Share and Delight [...]
And to you Joe! Enjoy your break and all the best in 2011…
Ice-Fishing ehh.
How much ice did you catch?
It can’t be hard, ice seems to just lie around waiting to be caught
Best wishes for the holidays, and thanks for a great year of Formula One reporting and information. (And thanks for adding the archive to your GP+ offer. I am expecting to find a subscription under my Christmas tree.)
Enjoy your well-earned holidays, but really, Joe, ice-fishing is just so NOCD (not our class, dear) for a Formula One fan!
Tom H
Thanks for all of your 2010 content, I really appreciate it
Have a good break!
Enjoy the break – you deserve it! Love to you and yours, and thanks again for everything. I hope the box arrived safe and sound!
Kate
Enjoy your break, Joe.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
And, thanks for your blog. It’s always a good read.
Cheers!
Merry Christmas, Joe.
Have a nice Christmas and a Happy New Year for you and your family. And I hope that 2011 will be better than this one. Cheers!
Season’s greetings to you Joe, thanks for your hard work this year – much appreciated news and stimulating thought.
Happy Holidays Joe, thanks for the blog!
Have a good one Joe,
I look forward to reading your blog again next year.
All the best for 2011
Merry Christmas to the finest, most entertaining writer, in the business!
D&K
Seasons greetings to you Joe , aka DSJ , and you know that’s meant as a compliment !
Joe,
All the best for Christmas and New Year.
Great work this year, and see you again in 2011.
Naturally, I will be renewing GP+ Subscription for the 5 th year.
Regards from OZ…….Peter G
[...] Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/gone-ice-fishing/ [...]
nice
Dear all
Joe, after your column stooped appearing in motorsport News, I was despairing- it was the highlight of the magazine,and, as it progressively dumbed itself down (for the V8Supercar bogan demographic), I stopped buying it.
I didn’t miss it, and, i still missed you writing.
I only happened upon your blog by happenstance, and, was overjoyed to be able to read you again. I treasure the candid nature of your writing, as well as the depth and breadth of knowledge, the absence of waffle, and, the complete absence of bullshit.
I have now sunscribed, and look foward to almost instantaneous incisive info. woohoo:-)
Enjoy your yuletide break, hope Santa is kind to you, and to yours.
Likewise, to all who contribute to this superb blog, a Happy Xmas, a time, hopefully, of good health, rest and rejuvenation.
I look forward to again enjoying a blog with intelligent people who can, for the most part, read a contrary opinion, and manage to disagree in a respectful way.
Gaudeamus
Markr
Ice Fishing I have not tried yet, we live on the Gulf coast so we tend to do a lot of Salt water fishing.
Thanks for the great photos and ideas.
Stephanie Dolen
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours
Gary and Sara
joe – Bah, humbug!
All the best for the season to you and yours, Joe.
Merry Christmas, Joe, and many thanks for your informative, entertaining and illuminating blogging this past year.
I live in Cape Town where there’s no ice to be found. Spearfishing and diving for crayfish (or rock lobster as I think you call them) are my chosen watersports…
I’m ever grateful I happened upon your blog this year, and hopeful I’ll soon have the wonga to subscribe to GrandPrix +.
Happy Crimble, Joe.
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you for yet another great, informative, year.
Jim
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/88759 Chapman family backing Group Lotus … after all. If it’s true they didn’t want “Team Lotus” to be used again from the the (Fernandes’) beginning, maybe that’s why Fernandes didn’t want to do a deal with David Hunt before Group revoked the license to go racing as “Lotus Racing”? I’m curious to see what Fernandes has to say to this and whether he’ll plough on with tha name and the legal proceedings. I’ll be watching http://twitter.com/tonyfernandes …
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
You’ll crack before the 10 days is up. Happy Christmas and a creative New Year to you and your loved ones.
Looks like DAnny Bahar has the Black Cap
It isn’t said nearly enough but those of us in the chattering classes do appreciate this blog. Merry Christmas and enjoy your family, from one hardworking father to another.
Have a great time, relax and enjoy, By the way does that machine have much oversteer?
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you. All the best.
Happy New Year Mr. Chapman. Now please pull the dagger out of Mr. Fernandes’ back.
Joe, I’m looking forward to your well researched insight and unbiased comments. You truly know your stuff!!! Sincerely Chuck Jones (X Ensign)
Happy New Year to you Joe.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your Christmas/NY break and I look forward to more great posts in 2011.
Wonder how many of us have withdrawal symptoms ……from having no posts….
Was it Elvis who sang…..it will be lonely this Christmas without you…..
Ha ha
My father wanted to take me ice fishing some time. We went to a familiar place, and he couldn’t find the tool (a kind of a drill) to make a hole through the ice. The ice was something like 50 centimetres thick. This was in Finland by the way.
He then found an axe behind the cottage by the shore of the lake and tried to use that. This was an epic failure – the ice was so thick and strong that he eventually gave up and we went home. Then his brother told him there was the proper tool in the cottage to get through the ice had he bothered to look inside of it – the door was not locked.
This is one of my golden memories of my childhood – ice fishing with my father! And we didn’t even get through the ice at all. What a memorable trip. I had fun and I don’t blame my father at all- It was important to get to spend time with him so the failure to get through the ice did not actually matter much to me.