Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

[carstendenmark]

Wow, thanks OP !!!

This is probably the BEST thread posted so far in 2020 and 2021 !

Out comes all the "old rats", and the newbies too.
This thread is a TRUE goldmine of thoughts and experiences !

It seems that the activity of CF has gone wildly up, due to lockdowns, etc.
Less of us sailing, but more desktop writers than before :-)
That's good. Keep your minds going, when we are stuck.

So, the "Wuhan designed virus" experience didn't destroy your faith of life ! Great !

Said from me, staying in China since mid Oct. 2019.
So, I know in depth what's going on here. Had lockdowns too.
(A hint for you : Zhi Zhengli and WIV, on Wiki.)
A "designed" virus ? Lames the whole world, and just kills the old and weak. Perfect !
China is doing VERY well now, as the only country.
How did that happen ?!? Anybody wonder why ??

Luckily, there are just a few hundred C19 cases around the 1.35 bill. "ants" in the country of my present "anchorage". And none where I am, yet.
I could get a shot or two of the chinese syringe juice, any time.
It just costs 30US$ for each.
But I won't.
Knock on wood...

I'm still without my boat, placed on the hard, since I left my home country.
Maybe molded up inside, water in the bilge, what do I know...
I can't get back to her now

[JDGreenlee]

Am ASA instructor and circumnavigated 37' sloop. I hope we make sailing sound exciting and fun. There are few things in this life that better the sight of the spark in a previously reticent teen when first the rails touch the sea. The fun to be had at 10 mph is surprising. However, the knowledge required for safe passage is serious stuff. Will Rogers, a native son of my Oklahoma, said, “It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble. It's what we know that ain't so.” Bob Rouner, one of my mentors, said, "You'll know everything you need to know to sail around the world by the time you get to Panama." Both true. Do not underestimate the burden of responsibility for the safety and well being of volunteer crew. Neither should you underestimate the grace of our Creator when it comes to idiots. The sea can be rather unforgiving of stupid human tricks unless, and until, your karma is in tune with that of the Universe. On passage, I spoke to The Old One frequently. Most of the sailors I met far from home knew less about what they were doing as they knew that what they were doing was what they were meant to do. Carpe diem. Know thyself.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Sailorboy, I don't believe anyone INTENDS to make boating "hard sounding," but to the observer of this forum it might seem complicated, and with your boating experience and number of posts on CF, YOU KNOW that it is, so I find your question annoying, disingenuous, and even a bit dangerous if read by a gleeful "Bonehead Boater" as evidence that boating is easy and no big deal.

So I take it YOU find boating hard. Thats OK with me as I still find it easy really and had my own 39' sailboat after just 3 months of weekend sailing experience. If a "Bonehead Boater" reads my post and goes "hey it sounds real easy so lets just go cross an ocean right at start". Well those people fall into the idiot category and I don't spend much time being concerned about them.

[CyKlop]

Why do we make it sound so difficult...

Because there are so many cases, so many potential occurrences. let's start with navigation...

You can (A) Learn to program the GPS and justr follow the line (easy), but crap if the ChartPlotter dies for any of a number of reasons. Ok, yes, a rare occurrence, but it happens. And, yes, I think more time should be spent on operating a chart plotter in sailing classes. Might as well teach them how to use that properly.

ColRegs... Ummm... they are complicated because there are so many possibilities. Heck, basic sailing classes don't usually get into NUC rules, inland rules, sound signals, etc. We teach only the really simple part of it, and when I teach it, I try to give them mnemonics. But.... sailboats have the right of way, right? Nope. _NO_ boat has "right of way". Ok, Sailboats are the stand-on boat, right? Not always. The rules evolved as situations were encountered. They weren't just imagined.

Tacking... yeah, it takes a lot of words to describe how to do it, but it's a case of a picture being a thousand words, and doing it being a thousand pictures. It's easy to do if you don't care about all the things we've learned about safety, people being hurt, etc. There are reasons we do it the way we do, including all the verbal warnings etc.

And lastly, remember this: Flying a plane is _easy_... as long as everything is going right. It's when the fecal material hits thje rotary impeller that it's important to still do things safely, step by step rather than through shortcuts - and you'll tend to do things the same way in an emergency as you've been doing them in non-emergency states, even though the necessity of doing them safely is _greater_ in an emergency.

[pgmartini]

To keep idiots away from the water . That's why most people take up cruising in the first place. To get away from them.
Would you say flying a aircraft is hard?

[BVIbrian]

"Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding"...
Because sometimes it is -- and when you're 400nm+ from any land, when things go wrong it seems as if it's always at night, in a squall, with no moon, and at least 1 crew seasick.

[lestersails]

To my mind these bad weather things fit into the the category of "low probability - high aversiveness" scenarios. Human beings (myself included) have a hard time balancing the low risks of something bad happening when they can be very severe.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Dogscout

You see, this is the problem. Too many people dont know the difference between Sheets and Lines and Halyards. These people should not be allowed anywhere near a proper BlueWater Cruising yacht until they learn the difference.

Yeah. They should learn the ropes.

[southseasailor2]

Attitude. The difference
between an ordeal and an adventure

[StuM]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Sure, it's easy to hop in a boat and get underway, but we recently discovered our new favorite genre on YouTube, "Bonehead Boaters," and the level of idiocy who seems to believe that boating is easy, just hop in and go, is funny and incredible.

Sure it's easy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAyDS1NuK_A

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by southseasailor2

Attitude. The difference
between an ordeal and an adventure

Hi SouthseaSailor
Mostly I agree with you - if the wind is fresh and there are 5-8 foot waves and we are banging/plowing along I am happy as a clam. My attitude is 'ride 'em cowboy! I had the joy of piloting my friend's FP Lucia 40 part of the way from Bimini to Lauderdale*, that was a total blast. But that was about my limit. Had the waves in the Gulf Stream much bigger than they were I might have been in over my head. That is a situation I can readily avoid, so really not a problem. But if unpredictable weather kicks up and generates >10 foot waves, I don't have the confidence for that. I think that is an objective skill set that I just don't have and all the attitude in the world ain't gonna compensate for that.


*Some of you may recall the review of that boat when it was new in Cruising World described sailing the boat from Bimini to FLA - I was a mate on that trip and sailed part of the trip. She was hull #2 - sadly destroyed in Irma.

[Dave Isom]

Crikey Sailorboy1, you’ve opened a can of worms here !
Some great responses. Where to start ? Well in one way you’re right....basic sailing is not hard but....doing it well or safely can....be more challenging. I’ve been sailing for 56 years including a circumnavigation, mostly solo in a 15 tonne boat but.....I still learn something new or a better way to do things almost EVERY time I go out in my boat. Much depends on one’s own attitude to life. Life can be hard or a breeze depending on how you accept every situation confronted ( and of course a whole lot more ....) but we’re talking in general terms here.
I found sailing across the Pacific fairly easy but in our “ Puddle Jumpers” fleet one solo German bloke found it very hard and slow. He was getting passed by turtles and when he did get to Tahiti sold his complete yacht for $3000- a crew from another boat bought it. For him it was hard.
I think “doing it well” is harder to master ...eg...yesterday I found a better way to cleat a line to a dock, thanks to YouTube and “Maryland School of Sailing” even though I have a pretty good technique this was better. A few days ago we broke a boom on a 48 foot boat ( not mine) in Bass Strait , Australia but from that I learnt not to have the vang and preventer over tight especially with a very large mainsail.Ditto with anchors.... from “ Which Anchor,Sailing Fair Isle” I now know
which is the very best anchor. Anchoring well is easy in mild conditions with a good holding bottom. With the wrong anchor and insufficient chain it’s hard....get my drift ? You mention batteries, if your electrics are set up right with a new set of batteries they should last 5 years, but total boat electronics IS complicated requiring specialised skill. It’s often said that cruising is “ sailing to exotic destinations to make repairs” and some of those repairs can be hard if you don’t have the right equipment or skills.
Look ! It’s great that you’ve raised this topic and hopefully more young people will be attracted to mess around in a boat. We really do need to encourage the next generation to get off their electronic devices and get out there.

[skenn_ie]

Because you NEED to take it seriousy. The sea is an unforgiving mistress. **** with her, or take her for granted, and she WILL kill you. Sailing is easy. Acquiring enough knowledge to deal with almost any eventuality, takes work. I can drive or sail most boats. I generally to the right thing, just by instinct, but, I am 3rd generation sailer on both sides of my family, I grew up on a barge, drove 40ft motorboats by age 8, sailing inland and at sea, from about 5, but I still don't consider myself a seaman. Discipline is required to safely manage a boat at sea, the discipline to NOT assume that all is OK, be prepared for accidents, breakages, weather, routinely check that things are as they should be, DON'T rely on instruments and gauges.

[Don C L]

ya know, I hear this all the time, about how unforgiving the sea is... I don't know, seems to me the sea is very merciful and forgiving! I wouldn't push it though.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by southseasailor2

Attitude. The difference
between an ordeal and an adventure

hmmm... I would have thought preparation was the difference.