I finally got to sit down and talk with Nber Medici. She may not remember this but she was on my boat as an instructor when I took my first lesson in SL sailing almost a year ago at Starboards yacht Club. We sat down at her and MarkTwain White’s home on Holly Kai….

Delinda Dyrssen: Hi Nber! Well this is a sailing magazine so lets start there. As most people who know you are aware of your a huge contributor to the SL sailing community. What or who brought you to sailing in SL?
Nber Medici: Smiles.. Kanker (Greenacre) and MarkTwain White. I remember when Kanker sent out a notice on the old SL Forums saying that he had developed a new sailboat and wanted folks to come and sail it. I didn’t go at that time, but MarkTwain went very early on, and later took me with him. I was HOOKED.! That was in June of 2005.

DD: So you were one of the first people to get to sail a Tako then?
NM: Well I was within the first 25 or so maybe.

DD: I presume there were no sailing sims on SL in June of 05′… Where did you sail and what was it like compared to today?
NM: Well, there were SOME Linden areas, but some of them had no scripts in them. There were some areas with a fair amount of water. These were a mixture of LL voids and mainland sims. One place I remember sailing was “Fairchang”. Also Eloise Pasteur had some land with a fair amount of water. MarkTwain and I had Hollywood  so we sailed around it… but it was JUST Hollywood.

DD: So Hollywood sim existed before there were sailing sims. Tell me a little about how it came to be what is is today?
NM: Before I met MarkTwain White, he and Jim Wheeling purchased a sim that they named Theatre District. MarkTwain was very interested in movies and Jim in trying to put on live plays. After awhile, Jim got into other things and Mark arranged for Jim to sell me his half interest in the sim. So Mark and I became financial partners and the sim was renamed Hollywood. This was about the same time that sailing was becoming popular so MarkTwain founded Starboards Yacht Club. This was the summer of 2005 I believe, and we started running regattas and races. Fairly soon after that we developed the noon “Learn to Sail” classes in much the same format as today. Many current sailors came to sailing through those classes and through SYC.

DD: What was your part in it?
NM: Hehe.. that is an interesting question. Everything that MTW and I do is really based on our teamwork. We talk about things and do them as a team. Not absolutely always… but 95% of the time.

DD: I know Nber Medici doesn’t sit idle for very long .. can you tell me about some of the projects you have coming up?NM: Well, I am trying to prepare some instructional materials for the Flying Fizz. We need to revise the Learn to Sail Class to incorporate some information on Fizzes. I would like to find some time to run some Tiny Tako races. Aislin Keynes and I both remember sailing in the Tiny Takos. There was a real fad in SL at one time for Tiny Avatars. I have a white bunny and a squirrel. They just fit in a Tiny Tako. Aislin and I both thought it would be fun to stroll down memory lane and bring back the Tiny Tako. It is a fun boat to sail. I am also planning on getting music events going in Hollywood.  We have both the Hollywood Bowl as a beautiful venue AND there is a park/garden in Holly Kai Estates that is being set up now for more intimate musical events.  This is on my “to-do” list!

DD: Anything else?
NM: I am also involved on the golf side of things, helping with teaching folks how to play golf. That is a lot of fun as well. The BIGGEST thing that we are getting involved in. is to begin to do some instruction via video. MarkTwain has started golf instruction and I want to get good enough to do the same with sailing. There is a huge learning curve there, but I think I can handle it. Oh, and I have promised to put together some materials that will help people learn how to be better Race Directors.

DD: That sounds great! I would love to view (and share) some video tutorials on sailing that would make learning much easier. Tell me a little about the person behind the avatar like.. does she sail in RL?
NM: I used to when I was younger. I started sailing on a teeny boat called a Sunfish. Graduated to a Laser, then sailed a 21 foot day sailor. I never really sailed competitively, just sailed for the fun of it. I crewed for some people who were active sailboat racers. I learned to do what they told me first and ask why later.. that was a HARD thing for Nber to learn. I do not sail in RL anymore. My RL job doesn’t give me the time.

DD: Well thats one of the great thing about SL.. you can jump on your boat and go sailing within seconds of logging in! Nber, I was going to ask a question about your name, but its all explained in your profile. Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers about the person behind the avatar?
NM: Well I AM in fact female. I teach at a university in the Midwest in RL. I have always been very interested in computers and technology although I do NOT teach that. I really became interested in virtual worlds and when I first found Second Life almost four years ago now. I became entranced with the ability to make things and build community. THAT is what fascinates me about SL.. the community of people that can be built.

DD: What are your two favorite boats on SL? One for racing and one for cruising.
NM: Well I have a guilty pleasure. I have always loved the Tiny Tako for racing. I don’t get to race it hardly at all because we don’t race them anymore. They have fallen out of favor. They feel as if they turn on a dime and are just SO cute. I remember one time that we got four or five people on one just messing around one day. For cruising it would have to be one of the Trudeau Yachts…probably the Larinda. MarkTwain sails it and I get to sit back and relax.

DD: Well, that brings me to my final question. How did you and MarkTwain meet?
NM: I was at a Jazz Club with some friends of mine and saw MarkTwain White. He had his trademark white suit on. I read his profile and was entranced. I thought WOW an intelligent man. I offered him my calling card, and he took it. But there was no further contact. SO it was at least a couple of months later, I got an IM from him. He said “why do I have your calling card?” He was in the process of culling his cards and stopped to read my profile and was interested so he IM’d me. I always tease him that he was interviewing me. Hehehe anyway, his finger was on the delete key but he stopped to IM me…and the rest is history.

DD: Thank you for your time Nber.. its been a pleasure.
NM: Smiles.. it was fun