Red Cloud® wrote:

On Fri, 13 May 2005 18:56:43 -0700, "JG" wrote:


We all are. g


It's obvious that isn't true.

rusty redcloud
How do you know? Mine is gone a lot.
JR

I never liked them 'flatable thangs, made mine outa marine ply so they
fit together INSIDE each other 'n fit on the foredeck. Rows well too,
I b'leve in spartan sailin, none o that fancy stuff although I do love
my new(er) diesel. It beats the hell outa camping in a tent which iz
what Id be doin if I didnt sail.

Last summer I had the odd experience of having a crew member "jump ship"
after sleeping on the mooring preparatory to an early morning start. He
just said, "I have to go" leaving myself and my 12 year old daughter
on board.

I had a "serious" talk with her, along the line of "If we go, you have
to really help work the boat, not just be a passenger" I told her we
could change our plans, keep closer to home, etc., etc. If we went she
had to do *exactly* as I said, ask why later

Up till now I have let her participate as she wishes, which varies from
day to day.

As we went down river and different situations came up, I illustrated
some of my criteria, such as, "If I am resting and you see a boat get
this close, wake me ASAP", "if the autopilot does this, do that, or
call me, etc. etc."

I would not have traded the ensuing trip for anything, she really
reached down inside and found what I hope is her responsible future
self, and brought her out for the next three days.

You are making a bigger passage than we did, but I would still urge you
to give yourself and your son the chance to stretch the limits a bit, if
you are reasonably sure you can mostly carry the load yourself if need
be. You will probably be pleasantly surprised, I know I was. Worth every
stressfull minute on my part.

Jonathan

wrote:
After my aborted cruise, I want to bring my boat back from Sarasota to
Shell Point in N. Florida (Just south of Tallahassee) for hurricane
season. It is 185 miles straight across the northern Gulf of Mexico
and I estimate this is about 36-48 hours sail. My only crewmember
currently is my 14 yr old son who isnt really qualified to do a watch.
I do not want to do the several days coast hopping route as I have done
that too many times and just want to get her home (a 28' S2). So, I am
wondering if I should venture to do it with just my son or if I really
need another crew member. Strange but I no longer know many qualified
sailors, most I know are beginners who would just get in their own way.
"Ragtime" is a 1981 8.5 M S2 with new standing rigging, running
rigging, sails etc, Epirb, etc so is probably well equipped. What do
Y'all think?

We all are. g

HEY!!

I'm not. I'm married to one of those taciturn type men who wants me
to be in the cockpit but not talk.
-----

JR Gilbreath wrote:

wrote:
Having lost objects overboard in waves, I know how easy it is to really
lose track of them, really scary. SO, we wear harnesses and tie them
to eyes in the cockpit. Still, if I fell overboard even wearing the
harness, he would have a very difficult time of it.

So practice this. It is one of the skills one should know anyway.

I love my wife but have learned I cannot sail with her. It is worse
than being single handed. Imagine being single handed while constantly
tending apparent disasters and being subjected to constant jabbering.
When I sail with her, I feel so stressed out I cannot handle it.

MY GOD! We are married to the same woman!

I suspect that part of this is lack of knowledge and a feeling of
being out of control. IMHO it would help your wives to take a sailing
course without you. That's what I did on the recommendation of my
sister. Not one of those women's courses, although I guess those can
be good too.

Not that I don't think my husband would be a bad instructor, but it
was reassuring that he was telling me the same thing as an unrelated
other person was telling me.

Just be sure that whatever course it is makes each student perform all
the maneuvers, and not get out of it by playing helpless or scared or
whatever.


grandma Rosalie

"Falky foo" wrote in
:

cammon.. when I first got my 25-footer I sailed her from LA to San
Diego, 110 miles, in 9-12 foot swells and wind whipping from 0 to 25
mph and back to 0 in an instant, at night, with lightning cracking
above my head and rain pouring down so hard I had to sit in the cabin
with my compass holding the boat on course with a rope tied to the
tiller, and there was nobody but myself on the boat. And that was the
first time I'd ever sailed in my entire life. I didn't even know how
to hoist a mainsail until I set out that day. Just do it yaself and
bring lots of caffeine tablets.



See? Real stupid answers......like I said.

Red Cloud,
Well at least you know that if YOU go pear shaped she'll still be
around. :-)
Paul


Red Cloud® wrote:
On Fri, 13 May 2005 23:13:40 -0400, JR Gilbreath wrote:


Red Cloud® wrote:


On Fri, 13 May 2005 18:56:43 -0700, "JG" wrote:



We all are. g


It's obvious that isn't true.

rusty redcloud


How do you know? Mine is gone a lot.
JR


My wife loves to sail, and is a good sport even when things go pear shaped. She
believes that the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is
attitude. Come to think of it, that's probably how she is able to tolerate ME!

rusty redcloud

On Sat, 14 May 2005 14:00:08 GMT, Rosalie B. wrote:

We all are. g

HEY!!

I'm not. I'm married to one of those taciturn type men who wants me
to be in the cockpit but not talk.
-----

JR Gilbreath wrote:

wrote:
Having lost objects overboard in waves, I know how easy it is to really
lose track of them, really scary. SO, we wear harnesses and tie them
to eyes in the cockpit. Still, if I fell overboard even wearing the
harness, he would have a very difficult time of it.

So practice this. It is one of the skills one should know anyway.

I love my wife but have learned I cannot sail with her. It is worse
than being single handed. Imagine being single handed while constantly
tending apparent disasters and being subjected to constant jabbering.
When I sail with her, I feel so stressed out I cannot handle it.

MY GOD! We are married to the same woman!

I suspect that part of this is lack of knowledge and a feeling of
being out of control. IMHO it would help your wives to take a sailing
course without you. That's what I did on the recommendation of my
sister. Not one of those women's courses, although I guess those can
be good too.

Not that I don't think my husband would be a bad instructor, but it
was reassuring that he was telling me the same thing as an unrelated
other person was telling me.

Just be sure that whatever course it is makes each student perform all
the maneuvers, and not get out of it by playing helpless or scared or
whatever.


grandma Rosalie

I agree Rosalie...how the data is presented, and who presents it can make
all the difference in the world. I was with a sailing class whose crew consisted,
in part, of a younger woman and her older husband. The woman had never
been even close to the water before, and the first time the boat heeled, she nearly
came unglued. Her husband would roll his eyes and make snide/irritable remarks
every time she make a mistake however small, even though he knew squat about boats too..

The second morning the instructor left me on the helm, plus a 14 year old young man to handle the sheets,
and the woman on deck, while he took the other two students (including the husband)
below to play with the radar and GPS. I put the woman on the wheel, stood close behind her, and
talked softly almost in her ear. I explained what we were going to do, what the boat would
feel like, etc, and led her through several tacks with a very quiet running commentary.
If it went pear shaped, I'd explain what happened and why it did, with no hint of
disapproval...then we'd try it again.

After awhile she relaxed and got a feel for the boat. By the end of the week, she was doing MOB
and other maneuvers, including docking, with a good degree of competence considering her
experience level. All it took was quiet encouragement to get her started.

The husband? He never did catch on to sailing (LOL...and I didn't expect a Christmas card from him)
....she was by far the better sailor than he at the end of the week. The instructor later confessed he
knew early on that unless he separated the man and his wife, she would have an absolutly
miserable week, and learn zip.

My two cents worth.
Norm B

no you are!!!



See? Real stupid answers......like I said.