Sailing is a wonderful pastime. To this day, I must admit I thoroughly enjoy it, even after 60 years. I am still stunned at how quiet it is, how restful it is (especially when someone else is actually doing the sailing), and how pleasant the entire experience of a sail can be.
And what a perfect endeavor for a curmudgeon - you choose your crew, decide where to go, you're far from the madding crowd, what more could you ask?
Well, for starters, you could ask the boatyard to launch and rig the boat. As you all no doubt know, sailboats involve a lot of ropes, halyards, half-hitches, stays, cleats, winches, clews, belaying pins, and all sorts of specialized doohickeys. Launching & rigging the boat is just the beginning. Then you have to sail it.
Someone has to raise the sails, someone else has to man the helm, leaving the sails slack until the moment when the first someone pulls off the mooring, at which time the someone else puts the tiller hard over, pulls in the sheets, and finally off you go, weaving through the dozen other nearby boats. Simple. Especially for the skipper (moi), who just issues the orders. This is why you have a crew.
Once underway, someone has to trim sails, tighten sheets, man the jib and duck the boom swinging overhead (when you duck enough) and such, but once again, those someones are the crew - err, guests - not moi, who is sitting back enjoying the sail.
I just don't get all the grumbling from my crews.
No comments :
Post a Comment