What commonality or traits do most sailors share?

[souljour2000]

As a mate to a an anthropolgy major... and at the end of a divisive election season..I suddenly am wondering what traits or common interests that sailors might share. We are wind afficionados and use solar many of us. We tend to travel in and among many cultures so we might exemplify tolerance of many differnt views or ideas.. We are certainly independent -minded....so how attached to the issues of land-lubbers are we really..or even among our own are we?...i guess the election threads have really made me think about things....

[xort]

Solitude..........................................

[souljour2000]

hmm..and thats getting harder to find...but true nonetheless...I guess when everyone else is going 20-30-40+ knots ..solitude pays in more than one way too....

[jgbpa]

freedom and the excitment of the unknown,

[painkiller]

Patience.

...

[merc2dogs]

Agree with the solitude, love getting out by myself, the farther away the better.

I'm so solitude oriented that many people say I'm anti-social. In reality, I'm not anti-social, I'm just not social.

The other is the independance and freedom to go where I want.

Ken.

[WouldaShoulda]

I just like being outside and on the water.

[zz4gta]

Originally Posted by WouldaShoulda

I just like being outside and on the water.

I agree, and think that's about all we share. People are different, just b/c we sail doesn't mean we're all that much alike.

[Valiente]

I would say that most sailors think methodically and tend to have good observational skills, because the vagaries of both maintenance and weather quickly weed out those with fleeting attention spans or the inability to solve dynamic problems.

If you look at club racing fleets, where the stakes are admittedly low, you quickly identify those sailors whose boats have mechanical or rig issues, who cannot seem to improve their starts, their sail changes or the amount of futile shouting at the mark.

Others improve, usually by developing the above-cited traits.

[sanctuarysam]

taking racing out of the mix, i think sailors tend to see the journey, not the destination. we see the simplicity and complexity, of getting from point A to B.
i'd like to think most us find sailing cathartic and appreciate the beauty of nature (and the inherent dangers too).