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Cocky Sailors Have Ugly Boats

ugly sailboat and dock

Ugly boat and dock

What is it about that guy with the boat that has more dings than rigging, all due to the stubborn skills of a cocky skipper?  When I teach students how to park a boat, the thing I stress the most is speed and wind direction. I’m constantly stressing that they must try to come into the wind and travel at an impossibly slow rate of speed. Bear steerage, or steerage way, is the boat moving with just enough speed to maneuver her – and no faster. If the wind is blowing, you may need a little more power to make sure it doesn’t stop you, but that’s it. Here’s the thing Cap, when you’re about to swing the club and it just doesn’t feel so good, stop. Back off the tee and try again. We all know that when you follow through with a bad idea, bad becomes worse.  The takeaway:  Make another approach and remember, go slow. I’ve seen so many skippers commit to an approach that from the onset spelled disaster. These are the ones you don’t want your boat parked next to in the marina – right? Remember, go slow and use the wind. We all know what it is to want that cold mojito when the lines hit the dock, but having to repair it and your boat will leave you dry in more ways than one. Oh, and how do you know if you’re that guy? Ask yourself this: “Which is bigger:  My pride or my boat?”

Have fun sailing, everyone!

Image courtesy of Travels with Wildcat and https://www.odu.edu/computer-science

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Captain Clint

Owner and ASA Instructor at Go Sail Arizona
U.S.C.G. Licensed 100 Ton Master American Sailing Certified Sailing InstructorCertified to instruct levels: 101, 103, 104, 105, and 114.Awarded 2017 and 2024 Outstanding Instructor of the Year!Hello! My name is Clint Sutter, owner of Go Sail Arizona. I am a USCG licensed captain and American Sailing sailing instructor since 2012I am an identical twin and native to Arizona. I have a son named Ethan and a Border Collie named Hoji who I love very much. I've owned many boats over the years from small performance dinghies to catamarans and larger cruising sailboats here in Phoenix, Southern California and the Caribbean.I have decades of experience skippering large mono and multi-hull sailboats along the west coast from San Francisco to Cabo San Lucas and the Caribbean from Grenada to the Grenadines and the Virgin Islands.My goal is to share the sport of sailing with as many as I can in hopes that it makes them as happy as it has made me. I want to see sailors go places. My hopes are to see the many I've met along the way in all parts of the world sailing and making new friends.I am currently a member of American Sailing, US Sailing, The Arizona Yacht Club, The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club, Marina Sailing, and I am Arizona's ambassador for American Sailing's GoSailing App.
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