What's Your Demon ?

[sailorboy1]

What's your demon that you are afraid of on the boat? Not talking perfect storms, pirates, and other sea monster things. I'm talking normal type stuff we do during boating.

Now on my 4th year sailing, including 2 years owning a Cal-39 and now a Hunter 410 (43.5 footer) my demon is taking the boat into a marina slip, as of yet I have not done this. Sure I've taken the boat to a dock etc. lots of times but never into what looks to me a tight little space that has like 1 foot clearance each side with a dock to crash into at tthe end. Sometimes I can not even understand how one could even make the turn into these spaces.

So what is your demon out there?

[zeehag]

dont really have a demon. many gremlins but no demon.
learned to live with lightning despite a fear to my soul since age 3.... but no real demons.

[jerrymc]

Traversing the shipping lanes..and especially, at night. I sail out of LA Harbor & the big ship traffic, while not as bad as some spots (like the English Channel) is pretty heavy.

The Traffic Control System does help, but having the odd container ship pop-up on the near horizon, while making for Catalina, or returning, when I just went below for a minute or so, upsets me.

Basically, my demon is getting run down, losing my ship & dieing.

[Therapy]

Having my wife get hurt somehow.

[Astrid]

I don't really have any major active demons anymore. Once you realize life is a calculated risk anyways, you quickly learn to manage your fears and put them into perspective. Its a matter of controlling the fears rather than letting them control you.

[crashkahuna]

Probably fear of engine failure going into our little harbor in big swell or blow and ending up on the rocks. At sea all is good

[Johnathon123]

Never finding the boat i am looking for and thus being landlocked for the rest of my life.

Cold sweat stuff.

[Capt Phil]

Years of cruising, deliveries and crewing have never help me get over the fear of heavy coastal fog. Fifty or 100 miles out no worries but the heavy, goopy stuff close in and particularly in shipping lanes scares the hell out of me even with 3 radars running. Capt Phil

[gonesail]

the most common demons i encounter are going under bridges (or thru draw bridges) and docking in crowded marinas. after that being caught with sails up in a fast moving storm. never encountered heavy fog but i am sure that would be interesting.

[sarafina]

That the motor won't start when needed or will die at a critical moment...

Residuals from being a powerboater.. where no engine means no steerage...

But with our marina.. yeah, starting the motor to come back in always gives me a gut check... If only because I KNOW Himself is practically wettin hisself at that moment, cause he is SURE it won't start.. or will die...

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Astrid

I don't really have any major active demons anymore. Once you realize life is a calculated risk anyways, you quickly learn to manage your fears and put them into perspective. Its a matter of controlling the fears rather than letting them control you.

I certainly agree with Astrid but to some degree I agree with all of you so far (we need a "sitting on the fence icon"). Ill timed equipment failures, tricky docking maneuvers and thick fog all can cause a tensioning of my belly muscles.

How about an engine failure while docking in thick fog and a cross wind?

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by hummingway

How about an engine failure while docking in thick fog and a cross wind?

Since that describes my slip about 70% of the time, yeah that about sums it up....

[capttman]

Those damn engine things.......

[pillum]

About to take the wife sailing for the first time, biggest demon would be her HATING it...

[MarkJ]

Approaching a dock and sticking it in astern I never know which way the bum is gunna go.
If it goes the way I want then I'm fine. Its it uses its own ideas I am stuffed.