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April 28, 2013
"The chance of mistakes are about equal to the
number of crew squared."
Ted Turner
I sailed, not all that long ago, with someone who
had a couple of decades of sailing experience. However, he knew little about
the hazards of coastal sailing, and did not know how to read channel markers. On
the other hand, he was very good at sail trim, and there was a lot more he knew
and could do very, very well.
How could this be?
Well, I’ll tell you: his experience was as a racer,
not as a cruiser, and on other people’s boats, not his own.
What did this mean about his sailing skills?
First, he had never been responsible for any part
of navigation. He didn’t have to know how to get the boat in or out of a
marina. He didn’t have to read the charts. He had no idea how to use a chart
plotter. He trimmed the sails and was very good at it, and he knew a whole lot
about sailing in general, but he was never responsible for the overall safety
of the boat and crew.
I know another sailor (me) who doesn’t race. I’ve
gotten pretty good at leaving and returning to the dock. I’ve taken classes on
navigation (and a bunch of other things) and have taken the boat out to
practice the course material.
However, I’m not an expert sail trimmer –- yet. A
little racing might improve those skills (depending on what I did during the
race). I know nothing about racing strategy.
The problem with all but the most expert sailors is
that they don’t know what they don’t know. (That includes you and me, of
course).
This means we should listen to other sailors on our boats. However, it does NOT mean we turn the decision-making process over
to them. I have been in a situation where I was criticized by an expert sailor
because I started a tack two seconds before or after he would have started it, but guess
what: we didn’t hit another boat (or a channel marker); no one went overboard;
we didn’t run aground; the boat neither sank nor exploded; etc., etc., etc. In
other words, both opinions regarding when to start the tack were equally
adequate. Probably he was thinking as a racer, and I was just making a turn.
LESSON LEARNED: don’t let minor differences in
judgment undermine your confidence. Just because someone else might have made a
slightly different decision doesn’t make you “wrong.”
Here are some guidelines for hearing others out
when possible without surrendering “skippership” of your boat:
1. If you have an emergency, and you’re certain
you’re right, give specific orders and do not allow a discussion until the
crisis is over. It’s your boat, and you’re the skipper. Afterwards, encourage
discussion. You may both learn something.
2. If a decision has to be made soon but not
immediately, and you respect the skills of the person who has an alternate
idea, discuss both options freely. End the discussion if the other person will
not hear your point of view. Then you make your best judgment.
3.
If you’re in the middle of the discussion and
the situation suddenly deteriorates (ex: you "skip bottom" -- the keel
is brushing the bottom of the channel -- and you need to choose a
safer course immediately), say “Discussion on hold” (not “Discussion
over!”), and
give directions. Not opinions -- directions.
4. People who do not own their own boats may have
some very good skills, but if you own your own boat, you learn things about your boat that the
crew doesn’t know (that’s why we call you “skipper!”) They may follow
directions very well, but may not have the “big picture” when it comes to
handling your particular boat. And besides, it’s your boat, and you’ve taken it out and
practiced (you did, didn’t you?) You know your boat. If you don’t have practice
sessions for yourself, pick a skill to practice. Be a skipper who is learning to make good
decisions.
If you have people on your boat who are experienced
sailors, explain all this to them ahead of time. If they can’t agree to it,
they should, frankly, sail on their own boats. Do not sail with people who have
come aboard to prove that they know more than you do, or who imagine that you
would be better off if they took over. You may not be able to count on them to
follow your directions when it is important to do so (see my comments above
that you may actually know more than some very experienced sailors, especially
on your own boat.)
As the Bible (almost) said, there’s a time to
listen and a time to take charge. Don’t mix the two up on your boat.
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