Sailing Lessons


 Boat refit underway.  Yesterday I broke the back on trailer work,  greased bearings,  recalled axle and suspension parts and slathered it all in tectyl or enamel paint.  As expected the tyres are out of date and the wheels are rusty and must be replaced.  

On Jaca' the bilge is now silver coated and the hull insides have a coat of grey marine enamel. 


This morning,  while searching for stories of dinghies lapping the continent I discovered a cashed up youth in a mini Transat boat seeing out to smash Blair's record of 58 days.  "I'll do it in 50", he boasts. 

As every old sailor knows,  you ain't wealthy till you have the treasure locked away in your possession.  This fellow got whacked within 48 hours,  took on enough water to drown the batteries and,  being heavily electronically dependent, he was unable to make further progress. At this time,  the forecast is silent.  A lesson learned. 

Then,  I view a Kingsfisher dinghy cruising blog.  An old racing dinghy,  she was touchy in a fresh westerly. The tidal flows and ocean swell in Broken Bay showed the whites of the sailor's eyes,  the dirty breeze, coming off high ground, tightens his grip and paralyses his decision making. He has enough skill to keep mostly dry and returns home exhausted and all the wiser.

Lessons are there for everyone to witness,  if you're wise, you will learn from others. Make a strong boat and keep her ready for all weather. All weather must pass; heave to, take care of yourself. 

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