WIZARDS and MAGICIANS - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE ?

I was looking for a Magician and I found a Wizard, which led me to ask myself what is the difference between a Magician and a Wizard?

I required a Magician, or so I thought, to perform close-up, or is it up-close, magic with a small and intimate number of guests on board Salamander of Lymington, our 58 ft yacht, at night, on Halloween Night itself, under the loom of Hurst Lighthouse.

I didn’t know any Magicians and so I turned to LinkedIn.

Who’d have thought LinkedIn was the place to find Magicians? Having said that it was only a week or two ago that the magical powers of LinkedIn were explained to me by James Potter, the Linked In Man at a breakfast seminar organised by the New Forest Business Partnership. Hopefully, if James reads this, he will be pleased to read that not only did I pay attention to what he was saying, but that I have also put into action his suggestion to get more out of LinkedIn.

By the way, thank you all … Magicians and Wizards … who answered my original request for a Magician.

A number of Magicians answered my call, some to say that unfortunately they were unavailable on the 31st October and others to confirm availability.

Having received a number of positive messages and calls, it occurred to me that I should narrow the field by asking who amongst the Magicians and Wizards, who had got in touch, had experience of working on boats. One might assume that this would have narrowed the field overly so. Not at all, one Magician was also a scuba diver, used to travelling to dive sites in choppy waters in a small boat, another was a keen fisherman who had fished in small boats in the same waters near Hurst Lighthouse.

But before I forget what is the difference between a Magician and a Wizard?

The on-line Collins English Dictionary confirms:

Magician

1. another term for conjuror

2. a person who practises magic

3. a person who has extraordinary skill, influence, or qualities

Wizard

1. a male witch or a man who practises or professes to practise magic or sorcery

2. a person who is outstandingly clever in some specified field; expert

3. (obsolete)a wise man

4. (computing)a computer program that guides a user through a complex task

The above definitions beg the question … Why do I think I have found a Wizard, when I was looking for a Magician?

Well that is much easier to answer. My wife found that the Magician had been the President of the Associated Wizards of the South, whereupon I immediately warmed to the idea of a Wizard entertaining our guests on Halloween Night. For me it just seemed like a Wizard idea for Halloween Night !

If you would like to be entertained by a Magician or a Wizard on a Pre-Dinner Cruise on board Salamander, departing from Lymington on Halloween Night, Saturday 31st August, visiting eerie Hurst Castle and Hurst Lighthouse, before returning ashore for dinner at Lymington's premier boutique hotel, the Stanwell House Hotel, then feel free to get in touch with The Salamander Sailing Adventure, if you dare !