Guest 12.36pm - Love your post. Will agree with several points:

1) You get some really lonely people that are members of Mudcat. Possibly true - and yur problem with that is?

2) Members of Mudcat are all anoraks - very probably true - to a greater or lesser degree. You don't acquire specialist knowledge in, what might be described as specialist subjects without that little name being thrown at you, from time to time.

3) Who in their might minds would argue about ships? Err - lots of people? Sailors, naval architects, maritime historians ... they are all here and they are all ... anoraks.

4) Ships don't move .... now, I confess, you have got me with that one. How do you think stuff is transported from one country to another?

Still what do I know ....