Being prepared for the “what ifs”
Issue 97 : Jul/Aug 2014
Decades ago — when I took driver’s education in anticipation of my 16th birthday and in the hope of earning a much-valued driver’s license — they taught a concept called defensive driving. More years than I care to admit have passed since then. I once more have a 6 in my age, but it isn’t that all-important 16. I’m OK with that. I wouldn’t want to go through those teenage years again . . . unless I could do it with the wisdom I have accumulated since then.
I’m not sure defensive driving is taught anymore. Based on what I see on the roads these days, I’m almost certain that driver’s education has adopted a new lesson plan. My observations tell me that video games have helped our youngsters develop lightning-quick responses, but their awareness of what unexpected things their fellow drivers might do seems to lag behind and a regard for the consequences of their actions seems more limited. In a video game, you just push “reset” and you get to do it all again. But there I go, sounding very much like a 60-something.
Defensive driving meant thinking in terms of “What if?” and preparing yourself mentally to respond appropriately if one of those scenarios played out. It meant considering what unexpected thing a pedestrian or another driver might do, how the weather might change the driving conditions, or what you might do if the car broke down or you made a navigational error. What if the driver in the next lane drifts into my lane? What if an emergency vehicle comes by? What’s the best way to recover if I miss my turn? What if the driver ahead of me is gesturing animatedly with both hands while swerving in the lane? What if someone suddenly steps or pulls out into the street?
In the end, all my musings come back around to sailing. It occurs to me that the best sailors are the ones who sail defensively. We are, after all, land-based mammals within the flimsy protection of somewhat imperfect craft surrounded by water. It’s up to us to think about what unexpected things our fellow mariners in all kinds of watercraft might do. It is important to be alert for changes in the weather, and to know when to reduce sail.
It’s vital to keep our sailboats in good working order in the hope of avoiding the awful cascade of events that results when everything seems to go wrong at once. I guess that concept might be known as defensive maintenance. It’s critical to be able to preview the next several steps in a docking maneuver or sail change evolution and to let our crewmembers know what their roles will be. Jerry is the king of this kind of thinking. The evolutions almost always go as he foresees them. But when they don’t go as predicted, it’s important to have an alternative plan ready to go.
Sailors’ brains are almost always thinking a step ahead. What if the wind shifts when we round the point? What if the engine fails? What if a line chafes through? What if the furler jams? What if we hit bottom? What if fog settles in? What if the GPS blacks out? What if the anchor drags? What if this protected anchorage becomes a lee shore in the middle of the night?
The “what ifs” are endless. We needn’t dwell on them in the benign conditions that we typically enjoy. Sailing is about enjoying our time on the water. But we will enjoy our time aboard more if we feel safe and secure and prepared for pretty much anything. Sailing defensively may in fact make it more possible for us all to experience those sublime and tranquil moments aboard that drew us to become sailors in the first place.
Have a great sailing season this year and please sail defensively. We value every single reader!
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