It’s time to step to the dock
Issue 70 : Jan/Feb 2010
As I head rapidly toward my 60th birthday (and Jerry sees his 70th arriving in a few years), I have noticed that our attitudes about sailing are evolving to a different phase. That new way of thinking, I believe, is what will keep us sailing for another decade or more, God willing.
If we are entering a new stage of life, I would characterize it as “no heroics.” When Jerry’s docking the boat, for example, I’m the crew member who has been known to leap nimbly across broad chasms with the docklines. But these days I insist on being able to step to the dock. If I can’t do that, we try again.
Jerry has great control over the boat, so why not get it right on the next pass? Or the one after that? In his plain-spoken way, he has pointed out that I will be more of a liability than an asset if I wind up in the water between the boat and the dock. At that point, rather than being of help I’ll be in need of it.
So we’re in agreement: I don’t leap. No heroics. We’ll take our time and get it right. The same goes for hauling up the anchor. Easy does it. Likewise, I don’t feel the need to raise sail or make sail changes rapidly or flawlessly. When I’m the one standing at the halyard, I take my time. Nor do I feel the need to make a fast or perfect tack every time. No pulled muscles. No banged shins. No bruises. No heroics.
Taking more precautions
I have always owned a life jacket festooned with tools (flashlight, knife, signaling mirror, strobe, and flare) and I always wear it when we’re under way. Nothing heroic there. Additionally, when we’re sailing, I try to make sure that we remain warm, dry, fed, and rested. And we commit to fewer overnighters and nighttime arrivals in strange places than we once did.
I’m not necessarily graceful when moving about on deck. In heavy weather, I crab and creep and squat in an attempt to keep my center of gravity low and maintain several points of contact on the boat at all times. It’s not lovely. But it’s safer. No heroics.
I don’t fear death as much as I fear the pain or impairment resulting from an accident I could have prevented. I still want to live my life as fully as possible in the years that are left. In order to do that, I have to be thoughtful about my actions whenever I’m doing something active, such as sailing.
As I age, I am reminded that I do not control the length of my life, but I do have a great deal of control over its quality. If we sail a bit more safely and risk less, we’re likely to continue to sail longer. Since having the ability to travel with wind power is one of the ways I define my quality of life, I’ll do what it takes to continue doing so . . . but without heroics.
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