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The Sailor’s Curse of Convenience and Time

Rick Ellis

Welcome Passage
Truant 33
March 18th, 2024

We buy sailboats imagining the joy and simplicity of travelling with the wind
We want to escape the rat race and schedules
Connect with nature and feel the elements
Slow down, appreciate beauty and do no harm
Be students of wind, wave and sky
Go with the flow

But

The rendezvous is tomorrow and we have to get there ASAP
We don’t have time to wait for tides, currents and favourable winds
No time for deliberate practice, building skills and confidence
We are used to getting what we want, when we want it, in an easy-to-use format
We find waiting for nature to be frustrating
We don’t like to be inconvenienced by things outside our control

What do we really want, anyway?

 

Comments


  1. Debra Bryant says:

    I have the pleasure of working with Rick and the rest of the team on the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Cruising working group. I am really glad that BCA is supporting this critically important strategy and I am looking forward to learning a LOT from my teammates and from other sailors in BCA.

  2. Bethanny Brooks says:

    Hello, Rick. Your poem (seems like a poem to me) was true for me. We are fairly new to sailing compared to other BCA members and we’ve had our current boat, Lil’ Ollie, a C & C 38 MKIII, three years and this is the first year we’ve really been able to go out on her for a length of time. We have managed to be out on our boat 60 days since July 24th (not all at once) and our last trip was from Montague Harbour where we spent a fun weekend socializing with BCA members at the Calgary Rendezvous. On our way home, it was a beautiful sunny day and it seemed we were the only ones on the water for quite awhile. Not being in a big hurry, we (the “royal we”) put up our head sail. (Shortly after it was up, Greg began to put up the main sail while I was at the helm. Foolishly, I asked him why he was putting it up because the wind was only 12 knots, and seemed to be receding. (Every time we decide to put up the main sail, the winds die down and it’s a big sail and takes time to get it up) This time was no different. Greg was persistent and kept readying the main sail until it was fully up. I was surprised – the wind had died down but we were sailing. The sails were balanced and I didn’t even need to steer for a while. We weren’t going fast (3-4 knots) but we were sailing and I was learning patience. We tacked several times in the 6-8 knot wind and then rounded the point to head up to Genoa Bay for dinner. I liked having the sails up and didn’t want them to be taken down but the winds totally died. So after motor sailing awhile and realizing it was futile, the “royal we” took the sails down while I was at the helm. This experience made me excited and now – I really want – to sail as often as we can – the anchorage can wait.

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