You didn't answer my question. Are you a pilot or just spouting?

I wasn't talking about incapacitation anyway. You are right on that
point. I would sure rather have an incapacitating heart attack in a
boat than an airplane. I'd rather have a mild one in the plane
because I would be on the ground next to an ambulance in 10 minutes.

In the plane, I'm talking to a guy constantly who is looking at the
radar and advising my of the location of any traffic within about 10
miles, even the stuff that I could never hit but which might just
worry and distract me if I saw it. In the boat, I'm trying to be
psychic and figure out by their behavior which of the yahoos in 30
plus foot fast power boats actually know the right of way rules and
are sober enough see my boat. Meanwhile, I'm trying to navigate, keep
kids fingers from running around winches and into blocks, heads below
boom level, short tack and steer a quick turning boat with a big
Genoa while avoiding lobster pots, navigation buoys, anchored
fisherman, and other boats.

Hey, flying on a nice day is a piece of cake. The spaces are big so
things actually happen very slowly. I agree that it is less forgiving
if you screw up but, if you are trying to get everyone home without
even a band aid, commanding a sailboat can be way more hectic and a
big responsibility.

I came back to sailing after 15 years, 10 of which I just flew.
Returning with the mindset you develop in aviation is very
interesting. It trains you to look ahead and be safety conscious in a
very proactive way. Part of it could be that I'm older and wiser with
kids on board but sailing looks very different to me.

When I started flying, everyone who had sailed with me said that there
was no way they were ever getting in an airplane with me. I turned
out to be a very conservative and proficient (at least at my level)
pilot. I'm now a very different kind of sailor. Which doesn't mean I
don't want to take my boat up to Newfoundland.

Again, I'm curious. Are you a pilot?

--

Roger Long



wrote in message
ups.com...
Roger Long wrote:
wrote
Your premise is wrong. Boating is far easier to do safely than
flying.
...
The boating I was doing last summer, essentially single handing a
32
foot sailboat around a busy commercial harbor, ...
offered for more opportunities to hurt or kill someone than ..
flying ...
in good weather in a simple airplane). ...

No, it didn't. If you'd had a fit or a heart attack or gone blind
while handling your boat you might have done a little property
damage
but would have stood a good chance of getting medical attention and
living and it's unlikely that anyone else would have been seriously
endangered. A disabled pilot can not be evacuated from an airborne
plane and the plane has a great deal of potential energy (height and
fuel) and it is certain to impact the earth causing significant
damage
to itself and endangering anyone in the area.

-- Tom.