No advice is good advice!

[Hud3]

"Stop taking advice, and stop giving advice."

I can understand what Pat's saying if applied to the "I'm a total noob and want to sail around the world starting next month" sort of situation, even though I don't totally agree with him. But most of the advice asked for and offered up on this forum is about more practical stuff. I think most of us would agree that helping each other solve boating problems is one of the most valuable aspects of Cruisers Forum.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Hud3

"Stop taking advice, and stop giving advice."

I can understand what Pat's saying if applied to the "I'm a total noob and want to sail around the world starting next month" sort of situation, even though I don't totally agree with him. But most of the advice asked for and offered up on this forum is about more practical stuff. I think most of us would agree that helping each other solve boating problems is one of the most valuable aspects of Cruisers Forum.

+1 Totally agree.

[sneuman]

The trick is to learn which 80 percent of all advice to ignore and which 20 percent to pay attention to. Not all advice is bad, after all. Some people really do know what the hell they're talking about. The ability to parse good information from bad has something to do with critical thinking. On the other hand, if you're incapable of doing that, it is probably best to go with the odds and ignore everything you hear.

That and a bit of dumb luck can get you to far off places. It seems to have worked for the Bumfuzzles.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by sarafina

I figure no advice is like no advice, and bad advice can be dismissed. Good advice is precious and should be treasured like the gift it is.

Is this an opinion--or advice?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Some people just want to hear that they are in the ballpark (or know how far out of!) - rather than the specific advice requested.

Others just wanna chat.

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

Is this an opinion--or advice?

The cool thing is it can be both, Smarty Pants ; -)

I leave it to others to decide which of the three types of advice it is!

[Cheechako]

Yeah.... sailors are obsessed with perfection and covering every possible scenario. Been there done that myself. hard not to for some of us. Many spend more time preparing than sailing.... My latest reality check? "If I spend $1000 on this, how much will it cost me everytime I use it before it's worn out or I sell the boat?" I looked at a boat built in '79 up here in the PNW the other day. It had no depth finder, no radio (recent handheld though), no gps, no hot water and didnt appear to ever have these things. Been used all these years with just a chart I suppose. Let's face it for Puget Sound/ San Juan islands "eyeball" sailing.... do you really need more other than to amuse yourself?

[hummingway]

What's that blues number "If it wasn't for bad advice I wouldn't have no advice at all"? No wait, that was luck.

I'm grateful for all the advice I get from folks around here. Sometimes the bad advice serves to illuminate the good and having to think about what has been said in the various offerings helps me to clarify in my mind how to solve a particular problem.

"Don't listen the the advice, just do it" is the type of advice that requires some examination and apparently a whole thread for discussion and clarification. Go figure.

[Butler]

Happy for advice, particularly from some of the folks from here and some around these docks who have plenty more sailing experience than the Bz. Advice, except for the unsolicited sort, is part of the fun anyway, part of the "conversation" . I do appreciate the notion that people shouldn't let advice keep them ashore, though if that advice is related to real boat safety; another story. S&%! happens for anybody and as recent tragedies can attest boats do sink/break-up and people die... let's not be cavalier about that possibility. That's just the sort of disrespectful negligence that kills would be and less experienced adventurers no matter the discipline.

[Doodles]

I don't think the author was talking about specific advice like "what's the best way to install this SSB antenna", but in a more general way like how much experience do I need to sail this thing to the Bahamas and how "prepared" do I need to be. It's a counter to all the advice and "paralysis by analysis" that keeps people at the dock. I especially like this comment:

" ...what we've found is that all the worrying that people do about what type of boat they want, or "need," is forgotten about the moment they set sail and put the anchor down in some new place. When you're dreaming of this lifestyle you can't see beyond the boat, but once you are out here it doesn't matter nearly as much."

[Butler]

As I wrote... "I do appreciate the notion that people shouldn't let advice keep them ashore" Having worked outdoors retail for a few years and watching would-be adventurers obsessisng over the gear and not really going anywhere, I know all about that trap and understand the Bz point but I also think about the family that was lost to an Indian Ocean Cyclone because they ignored advice about potential problems with their boat and "just did it".

[Cheechako]

Yeah, it's a fine line sometimes.... Typical example was a family I met in Georgetown Bahamas after their anchor dragged and they lost an anchor and chain. They bought a boat, didnt really do anything to it and ended up there. He was a High School shop teacher.... but you would never know it.. had no mechanical knowledge or sense at all! We snorkeled around and retrieved their anchor setup the next day.... but eventually I heard they turned around and went back to the states.
I think it's not so imortant what you know about sailing as it is having good common sense.....

[hummingway]

A couple of the "learning" experiences I've had made me think I'd rather learn some lessons where the escape outlet is a little closer. I had one of my restrainers break in a 20-25 knot wind which resulted in a shackle on my mainsail traveler exploding. I could have motored to a nearby harbour and dealt with it but I saw it as an opportunity and went out on the deck, fixed it and sailed to the anchorage I planned on. In the relative safety of the gulf islands I learned several lessons that I wouldn't want to learn in the middle of an ocean storm when I couldn't motor to saftey.

I guess it depends on what "just do it" means.

[Noname]

Advice may or may not be good; but good information is invaluable.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by hummingway

A couple of the "learning" experiences I've had made me think I'd rather learn some lessons where the escape outlet is a little closer. I had one of my restrainers break in a 20-25 knot wind which resulted in a shackle on my mainsail traveler exploding. I could have motored to a nearby harbour and dealt with it but I saw it as an opportunity and went out on the deck, fixed it and sailed to the anchorage I planned on. In the relative safety of the gulf islands I learned several lessons that I wouldn't want to learn in the middle of an ocean storm when I couldn't motor to saftey.

I guess it depends on what "just do it" means.

I think your point is exactly what Pat is talking about when he says ...

It took us one failed attempt at crossing the Gulf Stream before we got across to the Bahamas, but once there we had the world's greatest beginner slope for sailors all to ourselves.