Trying Something New? Take Lessons!

Or at least read a book on the subject!

I have just returned from the debacle that was my sister's attempt to sail about in her brand new Fatty Knees dinghy-cum-sailboat.

My sister hadn't sailed in 15 years and when she did sail she was a passenger. I dont think my dad has sailed for 15 years but according to him he knew how to do everything. Only problem was, he was telling me, my mom and my brother what they should do while he was on shore and they - my sister and her husband - were out in the water, out of earshot but nevertheless dead in the water.

"If you know so much," thought I, "why didn't you go out with them instead of refusing to go out?"

In any event, we'd gone to the lake in 3 cars, so I took my mom home after an hour of watching the place where they'd disappeared into another part of the lake, and we hadn't seen them since. [They had achieved that feat by rowing, raising the sail for a few seconds and lowering it again, and drifting. Mostly drifting.] Since it was a dinghy, we know they couldn't tip over, but god knows what they were doing.

Hopefully it will be a humbling lesson for my brother-in-law, who apparently thought he could figure out how to sail without ever having read a book on the subject or even been a passenger in a sailboat.

There's more to the story which is why I'm a bit steamed right now (my sister hadn't actually wanted to sail at first but rather get used to rowing, but they said no no, so she gets in and her 13 year old son gets in, and then my dad says, "Set sail." Two inexperienced people, not having a clue...so they eventually floated back in and that's when her husband decided he'd get in and show them all how it was done...

Well, I guess I'm still ranting. Let's get off that and to the point of this post, which is, if you're going to try a new hobby - even if its something as simple as walking or jogging, read a book on the subject.

Things may seem simple, but nine times out of ten they're not. People with a lot of experience will tell you how to avoid blisters, shin splints, sunstroke, etc. Rather than take a chance on getting any of these afflictions, because you think you know best, spend an hour going through a book on the subject and learn from the pros.

And if you're going to do something complicated like sailing even a small dinghy or hell, just a canoe, read up on that too or better yet take lessons. Yes, you can learn by trial and error but why should you when there is a vast amount of literature out there from which you can draw?

Well...I'm so steamed I"m going to go for a long bikeride and see if I can't work off this feeling....