You beat me to it on the aviation analogy. There's a saying that all
aircraft accidents are pilot error because the pilot has the option of not
taking off. Running aground is a bad thing. There is no excuse for doing it,
ever. Just because a lot of other people do it doesn't make it less bad.
There is enough deep, well marked, water to get from just about anywhere to
just about anywhere else. If there isn't enough water, don't go there.

However, positively, absolutely, guaranteeing that you never go aground will
deprive you of seeing a lot of interesting places and seeing them close
enough to appreciate the shore, scenery, and wildlife. Like cruising,
aviation's biggest hazard is the weather. It's possible to fly with next to
know danger of an accident where weather is a factor but only flying on
perfectly clear, calm, days is pretty limiting.

The most critical safety issue in aviation is the pilot's understanding of
his or her level of ability and balancing that against the challenges of the
proposed flight. Understanding that this is a dynamic process is vital. A
flight that might be acceptable on Monday might not be on Friday at the end
of a long, tiring, and stressful work week. Skill and ability improve and
constantly stretching your limits so you will be ready for the unexpected
without over reaching and getting into trouble is a constant balancing act
for the pilot.

The sea is a bit more forgiving but the same principles apply. Skip and
Lydia's adventure reminded me a lot of the occasional pilot who passes his
instrument checkride and then heads right off into hard IFR on a long trip
to unfamiliar airspace. People do it and die at an impressively high rate
when they do.

One of my favorite aviation quotes (repeated from a recent post but it bears
repeating) is the flight examiner handing a new pilot his certificate after
the check ride and saying, "Here's the piece of paper that says you are a
pilot, don't go out and kill yourself now thinking you are an aviator. That
comes later."

It's called judgement and it was constantly repeated to me during my flight
training that it was the one thing that could not be taught. I would have to
learn it for myself. S&L are on the right track now with their east coast
cruise but I think they've probably already learned the important lesson.

Good judgement will make up for a deficit in skill better than skill will
make up for lack of judgement.

--
Roger Long