Help us shorten our learning curve... What was the dumbest/worst mistake you've made? - Page 13

sailaway21 · #**121** (**permalink**) 03-14-2007

Mistakes? Don't worry too much about 'em. The only one's you'll possibly learn anything from us about are the ones involving planning. We all made the same stupid mistakes we saw others make before us. It just wasn't our time yet! For instance; don't get a line fouled on your propeller. You might as well go down and throw all your lines in the water now, and start your engine. Hopefully, when you are done cutting, the fun of it all will stay with you and it'll never happen again. But, it is going to happen. Everybody on here has done it, some more than once, and the one's who say otherwise are liars. The point is, that you are going to make mistakes, lots of 'em, and it really doesn't matter. What matters is how you deal with them. If you are feeling anxious, it's hopefully because you can't wait to go sailing. If it's for fear of making a mistake, take a chill and actively adopt a more casual attitude. You can't think of everything, so just go sailing and work it out as you go. Experience really is the best teacher. (speaking of thinking of everything-if a person could, Columbus would have flown to the Americas!)

camaraderie · #**122** (**permalink**) 03-14-2007

I am combining this thread with the one over on learning to sail...mistakes so we can have a recorded history of all the dumb things we've done in one place!

RobKS · #**123** (**permalink**) 03-15-2007

I'm reading all these posts to my wife's question, and I'm about to fall out of my chair in hysteria. Visualizing some of those antics is great! Only thing is, it makes me all the more certain that I'll have some good stories of my own soon. Only "mistakes" story so far - Jody and I doubled up on our Starfish, She says "Coming about", and I swing the mast to starboard, clocking her noggin half way through.

sailingdog · #**124** (**permalink**) 03-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by camaraderie

I am combining this thread with the one over on learning to sail...mistakes so we can have a recorded history of all the dumb things we've done in one place!

LOL... well done... one giant repository for all the silly/foolish/dumb things we've done... awesome.

sonofasailorsailing · #**125** (**permalink**) 03-15-2007

After four days on our "backup" boat, Chrysler 22, we were maneuvering to the dock at the ramp to get ready to put the boat on her trailer. This was on the intracoastal just where the intracoastal empties into the bay. Well, there was a bit of a current running out that day and after three attempts to pull into the courtesy dock, each time being swept away by the current, I decided to just pull up to the end, put the wife off to hold the boat with a line and climb down on the rocks to manually push her abound to the ramp side of the dock. Everything worked like a charm, That is until I tried to climb back up the rocks to the dock. Geeze those things sure are slippery, and oyster shells are sharp! Six stitches in my hand and a ton of blood on the deck of the boat to be cleaned up later.

goose327 · #**126** (**permalink**) 03-15-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobKS

I'm reading all these posts to my wife's question, and I'm about to fall out of my chair in hysteria. Visualizing some of those antics is great! Only thing is, it makes me all the more certain that I'll have some good stories of my own soon. Only "mistakes" story so far - Jody and I doubled up on our Starfish, She says "Coming about", and I swing the mast to starboard, clocking her noggin half way through.

Coming about, sailing term for,,,,DUCK
Welcome aboard Rob.