[Public-List] Public-List Digest, Vol 2094, Issue 3

[Wcwinslow at aol.com]

Now that we are on the subject of learning the hard way, I will share this. 
My junior year in college I signed up at a summer camp in Boothbay to teach 
sailing. The camp's boat were Arrows, 24' overall sloops with jib and 
spinnaker. My sailing experience was concentrated in Beetle cats--single gaff 
sail. Anyway, early in the season, with three kids aboard, we had set the 
spinnaker and managed to keep it full for a long reach when it became time to 
come into the dock for the next set of kids. I reasoned I could just sail up to 
the dock and at the last moment tack into the wind just opposite the 
dock--without taking down the spinnaker. I thought I could handle that balloon 
like a jib. Well, I got to within ten feet of the dock and pushed the tiller 
over smartly. And, of course, went ploughing mightily into the dock. Now, no 
one of you has ever done that, have you?
 
William C. Winslow
 
 
 
In a message dated 6/15/2011 10:53:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
public-list-request at lists.alberg30.org writes:

Gord,

In eight years of being on the list I might have told this one before so
please forgive the redundancy.  In my 20s I crewed on a C&C 41 on Lake Erie
under the IOR rule (shows my age).  I had some big boat cruising experience
and small boat racing experience but no big boat racing experience so I was
put on the main sheet during my first race.  We rounded a mark in 20+ knots
and set the star-cut spinnaker for a reach.  Things were gonging swimmingly
until I noticed the big bubble in the leading edge of the main and said to
myself, "self, pull in that main, we will go faster and the skipper will
appreciate your independent, analytical initiative."

So I did.

To my surprise, our 10 ton boat made an immediate right turn and went over
on her side; almost like some sea creature had grabbed the keel and pushed
it out of the water.  When I saw a few of the crew hanging vertically form
the uphill lifelines, I concluded I might not win the vote for "Greenhorn of
the Year."

I don't really recall how things got straightened out but, after they did,
the Skipper commenced a'yelling at me.  We lost several places with the
broach and at least two more because of the Skippers singular, intense focus
on demonstrating, to me, his extensive cursing vocabulary.  

Of course with my well honed analytical skills mentioned earlier and some
irrefutable cause and effect evidence, I had already concluded it was may
fault so, my consistent response was, "I couldn't be more sorry... I didn't
know THAT would happen, but I sure do now... it will never, ever happen
again... if you prefer, I am a good swimmer and will jump overboard
now..."(the rest of the crew seemed to favor that option but I think there
is something in the rules about finishing with the same number of people).

The navigator finally convinced the skipper that had gotten the point and,
except for me frequently asking if the main was set properly, we finished
the race in the "sublime silence of resentment."  Lesson learned; the hard
way.


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