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Chinese fortune cookie

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/16/2011 : 10:07:37

We went out for Chinese food last night, and my fortune cookie really got me thinking.

"A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor."

So all this time, I thought I was an old salt! I guess I must have been living in a dream world thinking I was a pretty good sailor, but now I learn that it's all relative.

Gimme a break! I do love calm seas, of course, with a bit of a breeze to fill the gennaker! And I'd prefer not dragging anchor with my Danforth and my extra 25 lb CQR dug in the mud while fighting 50 knots of wind to keep off a lee shore on the Bay!

I'll take a calm sea, a beer, and a few good friends, along with a downgrade in reputation, anytime!

JohnP
1978 C25 SR/FK "Gypsy"
Mill Creek off the Magothy River, Chesapeake Bay
Port Captain, northern Chesapeake Bay

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 10:16:15

Actually, I find its the exact opposite. Anyone can sail in a good breeze, but the real skills are honed by the guys who can get the boats moving in the right direction on flat water.

I hate those guys.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 11:41:24

When I'm out by myself, I prefer a more spirited ride. I'll take wind and whitecaps over trying to out sail the gnats and no-see-ums any day.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 13:27:40

Whenever we eat at Asian restaurants with friends - we take turns reading our fortune cookies out-loud and add the words "in bed" at the end

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 14:12:13

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 When I'm out by myself, I prefer a more spirited ride. I'll take wind and whitecaps over trying to out sail the gnats and no-see-ums any day.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Totally agree, but it takes some serious skill to win a drift match. Finding breeze, and positioning yourself to take advantage of teh puffs as they appear is dang hard to do.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 15:43:02

All things in moderation I guess. I love a nice flat day with a steady 5 to 10 but a spirited sail sure makes me smile! Just give me a reasonable inlet when I come back in!

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 15:53:12

Now I understand!

"A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor in bed."

That makes a lot of sense!

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 17:54:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by JohnP
 "A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor in bed."<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Perfect!

And a calm sea can show that a sailor had the judgement to avoid going out into an impending storm where, as Dave R. points out, the inlet home could be more treacherous than the seas outside.

BTW, when the Atlantic (Block Island Sound) "whitecaps" around here, it's often on 12-14' or larger seas. If you're standing on your first floor, that's whitecaps somewhere above your second floor. So that's fun in some places--not so much in others--except maybe in bed.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/16/2011 : 18:46:53

Back to the fortune cookie, I have to agree. I became a more skilled sailor when after more than a few years, I started going out when conditions were something other than benign.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 04:39:58

The previous owner of my boat is a commercial pilot, and we are both Hash House Harriers. We go out in any conditions. We drove out to the boat together one time and it was hailing, ping pong sized ice balls hitting the windshield, and I realized neither one of us missed a beat, talking constantly about the day. Had a great sail that day..

Now we are talking about lake sailing, and I'm mostly a bay sailor. Open sea is a whole nother ball game, but ya wanna be ready for the day you get caught out in it.. and I have..

Can you do everything on the boat sideways while holding on with one hand, in the dark, in a 30knot wind.. cold..

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 07:57:16

My GF's son drove a Baltic 46 in 50+ and huge seas at night during last December's Sydney-Hobart race. He was pretty much "sideways" a fair amount of the time... Two crew were saved by their harnesses from going overboard.

Here's a different (100') boat--same race...

Do they qualify as "hash house harriers"?

Here's the sky they were looking at a little earlier...

I think I'd go home.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 03/18/2011 08:15:57

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 13:19:28

<< Go Home >>

I'd be calling for someone to come get me... Wow, amazing shots. I've seen one sky that was as strange as that, but never that much water.

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 13:23:08

Hey Dave.. forgive me if I've already asked, but have you read the Proving Ground?

http://www.amazon.com/Proving-Ground-G-Bruce-Knecht/dp/0446611859

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redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 13:26:39

JohnP...Figure you'd learn something with a Catalina 25 in that???

( How to pray )

Again.. I've always wanted to photoshop a 25 in a shot like that...

( there I was, There I was... ) :)

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 03/18/2011 : 13:44:22

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 And a calm sea can show that a sailor had the judgement to avoid going out into an impending storm...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Uh, I suppose if sailors relegated themselves to sailing only in conditions considered by both my wife and Sir Francis Beaufort, as calm, I guess it's reasonable to assume they'd avoid impending storms, but they're not really doing much sailing either. When I said I like sailing with wind and whitecaps, I was saying that in the Beaufort sense, with scattered whitecaps in 8-12 mph winds, although I also enjoy sailing in a moderate breeze (13-17mph) with an occasional foray into a fresh breeze (18-24mph).

If the conditions are calm (winds at 1 mph), I stay home and cut the grass.

Edited by - on

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 06:10:50

I'll freely admit that I'm a complete novice to sailing, even though I've been sailing since I was a kid. I've only been lake sailing in mild winds, and to my friends, I looked like I knew everything about sailing. But a few weeks ago I got caught on the lake as a bad storm was moving in. The wind must have been over 30mph and the waves were 3ft high. I honestly didn't know how to get back to the marina without having to pull the sails and motor in. The wind and waves kept pulling the bow in the wrong direction and back downwind. The worst part of it all was seeing a Catalina 22 sail right by me and up the lake with ease as I sat in one place trying to figure out why I couldn't point correctly and get back upwind.
That day I felt like the biggest newb in the world.

Edited by - NautiC25 on 03/22/2011 06:11:31

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 06:23:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> That day I felt like the biggest newb in the world. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

And this is how we learn. I've been there, I'm sure everyone at some point has. The good news is you're on a stout little boat that will keep you safe in most any condition on a smallish lake.

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 07:15:41

When I bought my boat almost 6 years ago I had been sailing as crew on a friend's C-25 for 5 years. But it's quite different as skipper, and particularly as a singlehander.

Mostly from the info on this Forum I have now learned how to be safe in just about any situation I could face on the Bay. I fixed up my ground tackle. I know how to use the radio. I have the correct lights. I found out about PFD's and liferings and the lifesling on my boat. I learned what it means to reef early, jibe safely, and trim sails for optimal speed or comfort. The best guide books were recommended on the Forum. And on and on...

Now when I head out of the marina, I have a different feeling about my boat. It's more fun!

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 08:14:58

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Now when I head out of the marina, I have a different feeling about my boat. It's more fun!<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
And that pretty much sums up the lifelong joy and learning of sailing.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 18:49:35

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by NautiC25
 I'll freely admit that I'm a complete novice to sailing, even though I've been sailing since I was a kid. I've only been lake sailing in mild winds, and to my friends, I looked like I knew everything about sailing. But a few weeks ago I got caught on the lake as a bad storm was moving in. The wind must have been over 30mph and the waves were 3ft high. I honestly didn't know how to get back to the marina without having to pull the sails and motor in. The wind and waves kept pulling the bow in the wrong direction and back downwind. The worst part of it all was seeing a Catalina 22 sail right by me and up the lake with ease as I sat in one place trying to figure out why I couldn't point correctly and get back upwind.
That day I felt like the biggest newb in the world.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Jonathan,

I got caught in a squall out in the middle of Canyon one time on my Hobie 16. It got so wild in shifty winds I released all the sheets and the boat would go from almost stopped to 15 knots or more and back to stopped in a flash. I ended up on the rocks on the south side of the lake across from Canyon Park. Stood there holding the boat off of the rocks for about 20 minutes. I later learned 5 boats that had been racing near Jacobs Creek Park had been dis-masted.

I was exhausted when I got back to Canyon Park Marina and I slept really good that night!

If you ever want some company give me a shout. My son moved to SA last September so I'll be up your way on a somewhat regular basis. I'd be glad to reciprocate if you're ever down my way.

Edited by - on

NautiC25
Admiral

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USA
957 Posts

Response Posted - 03/22/2011 : 19:53:10

My goal is to get to your location. lol I love Kemah, and as soon as I get the trailer fixed, that's the first place I intend to go!

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