Confessions not told

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Hoosiersailor

The forum has changed a lot in those years I didn't frequent here.

I understand your post, but I believe it is not the forum that has changed but rather the people who visit.

In "ye olden days" most of us who boated started small, with 22 or 25 foot boats before we took the leap to mid-30s. This was true, too, of many of the "old salts" who frequent this forum. The Cates are a perfect example of a couple who contribute here frequently and never denigrate. They started out in a Catalina 22 on San Francisco Bay, as I did a few years after they left and they sailed their Yankee 30 to Hawaii. I bought our 34 footer in 1998 after owning the C22 from 1983 to 1987 and a Catalina 25 from 1987 to 1998. I sailed her up 1,650 nm to Canada in 2016. I remain amazed at the number of queries from folks about sailing off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. Before I did my trip I researched extensively, borrowed charts & books, and read about George Benson's trip. Thanks to that ours was essentially uneventful - six weeks, one laid up in Ft. Bragg due to weather, some laydays for rest, but in harbors each night save 3 anchorages carefully planned for well ahead of time.

Now, these days, on both this and other boating forums, we see people who bought 38 to 42 footers as their first boats!!!

The skipper who asked whether or not he should sail down the middle of Delaware Bay and if not where he should because he "got yelled at for doing so" is a prime example, I recall he has a something 41-9.

Those of us who have been on these forums since they began have spent literally decades sharing information. Most of us learned step-by-step by growing into larger vessels, not by starting out in them without any knowledge at all. It's like they refuse to read. We learned from BOOKS which seem to be being banned quicker than they can print them. We learned BEFORE the internet put all sorts of valuable information at our fingertips. With the internet there is no excuse to not be able to find information, if one is willing to look before doing.

That seems to be a dying art.

One poster earlier today said "I don't have a copy of COLREGS handy..." and he was connected to the internet to be able to make that comment right here on this forum. The next poster provided a handy link to the USCG website with COLREGS. I have COLREGS downloaded to my computer. Whaddya mean you don't have a copy handy? Sheez.

[sailorboy1]

thanks for the reminder your way is best

[Calif.Ted]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

thanks for the reminder your way is best

Is this an example of the kind of post denigrating someone's opinion you were complaining about originally?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

Is this an example of the kind of post denigrating someone's opinion you were complaining about originally?

no, it's better

[Kettlewell]

I wonder how many here just aren't putting to put themselves out here.

If you haven't gone aground you haven't gone anywhere! But, personally I don't care if many of us don't want to discuss our failures as long as contributions made to threads are truthful and helpful. For example, I am not an expert on diesel engines, but if I have something to contribute concerning a particular thread I try to pitch in with my own pitiful knowledge. What I don't like are the posters constantly denigrating others in a thread, often just because opinions differ. Some seem to feel insulted if their own personal opinion on a subject is disputed by someone else.

[sailorboy1]

I have been aground. First time out on my first boat. After that bumped bottom a few times and once had to wait tide.

I hit a buoy, a big one, but it was thankfully just a glance.

Collided with a 77' fishing boat ripping everything topside off, but got back ashore to my own.

Went out when I should have stayed in, WAY too many times.

I have done lots of things wrong and gotten away with them. Most I have posted about over the years. But I still am not witting the story that started this thread and it isn't even a story of doing something wrong.

[Hudson Force]

'so many confessions of past blunders to choose from and maybe all told some time in the past!

This one is a favorite of my wife's. I enjoy getting underway quietly at first light; either out of a slip or raising the anchor. One peaceful morning I was sitting in my cockpit with a cup of coffee observing the wind and current while deciding which dock lines I could remove in sequence so I could motor out with a quick starboard turn followed by a turn to port and out of the marina.

While my wife was sleeping, I released all but a starboard bow spring that I left with a turn around a piling to allow me to warp around it after a short moment engaged in forward gear. With the turn made, I quickly stepped back to the wheel as there were a number of boats with davits and bows sticking out into the narrow fairway.

Back in gear and looking ahead I paniced! My wife woke up to my deck rhino steps charging to the front of the cockpit wind-screen where I could yank off the Sunbrella cover that keep me from seeing ahead.

No damage... 'but I lost a lot of pride in my skill of slipping out quietly a dawn.

[Foswick]

I'm actually proud of most of our "embarrassing stories". We made those mistakes at the right time. That is, because we started small and cheap, we made our mistakes on the boat we were supposed to make them on, sailing in the places we were meant to make them.

So, as we sailed larger boats and ventured farther out, we had already made most of our stupidest mistakes.

But, that's the nature of sailing. You get to invent new ways to mess up. So, we won't get bored. That's actually our retirement plan - just keep sailing until we eventually don't come back.

[SaylorMade]

A nice summer day years ago, me and my mate were on a beam reach - starboard tack.
Mate was on the lee cockpit bench sleeping, the boat going 6+ kts, and I was sitting there enjoying life.
So I took out my phone and browsed the internet, facebook and maybe even this forum.
I was engulfed.
Then suddenly, noise came, and a shadow appeared.
I looked to starboard where a 35' sailboat on a beam reach doing 7+ kts, port tack, came crushing in the opposite direction.
Everyting stopped (in my mind) while I only had time to look at the closing space between our two boats as they passed.
There was barely enough space to put an insurance policy in between.
Mate woke up with the eyes as big as saucers while they passed.

Two seconds later it was over - no harm done, and the couple in the other boat sat behind their sprayhood and had also not seen a thing.

To this day I thank some "gods" that this was not a total disaster, and I like to believe that I learned a lesson.

While we were the stand-on boat, that is no excuse what-so-ever. I failed in my obligation to keep a proper lookout.