wrote:
ell, several issues here, not just emotional involvement. It's been
well demonstrated in *many* fields that rather few husbands can make a
success of teaching his wife a complex task.

(Richard Casady) wrote:
When did helmsman get to be so complex?


Well, just steering the boat isn't really difficult or complex, but it
obviously is more difficult for some people than others

There is the complication of knowing what the helmsman is responsible
for. Just following a compass course, or steering towards a
recognizable point on shore, should be easy. However is the
helmsperson also responsible for watching the depthsounder and
avoiding shallows? Deciding when to tack? Most of the time for casual
sailing (at least in my experience), the helmsperson is assumed to be
the de-facto skipper of the moment, sort of like being officer of the
watch. If the helmsman is not also the owner and/or *real* skipper of
the vessel, then it's generally assumed that the helmsperson is
supposed to monitor the ongoing situation of the vessel (shallows,
wind & weather, other vessels) and call the owner/real-skipper when
difficulties are arising.

If you think this is easy, then I would like to come sailing with you
and learn how!

Fresh Breezes- Doug King