Surprising Things About Sailors

I've been sailing as captain and crew on a variety of vessels now for more than twenty years; having started this obsession on a schooner built in 1885. I suppose that's one of the more surprising things that people find in my background; that I didn't start sailing until age 35 and then on a 50-ton, 100-foot traditionally rigged vessel. Most sailors start much smaller, as kids on a lake, sailing a Sunfish or a J-24. That difference though cemented my love affair with sailing, even though I started later in life.

The weird thing was the looks people give when we discuss things about sailing and each of us learn something that neither of us was aware of. For instance, most people are surprised to learn that I can't swim. I'm totally cool with sailing in deep water, even though I am incapable of floating for more than an hour. The US Navy once considered me a third-class swimmer, but to be fair, it wasn't a rigorous test: I had to jump off a tower, float over to a life raft, climb in then climb back out again, then float directionally for 100 meters. I've found that a number of sailors can't swim, but that shocks most people. I always say that it gives me more motivation to keep the boat afloat.

Slushing the shrouds on the Claud W. Somers ca. 2018

Another thing people are surprised to find is that I'm terrified of heights and quite honestly, so are a lot of sailors. I've worked aloft on modern boats and traditional vessels. I've sat in a bo'sun's chair at 30 feet and sat on crosstrees at 75 feet. Both terrify me equally, because its not the height, it's the landing ... every time I go more than 10 feet in the air, I'm convinced I'm going to fall to my death. It doesn't mean that I won't go aloft and do the work, it means I'm a little slower and a little more cautious.

Pamlico Sound ca. 2023

The fear that other people have that I don't - thank God - is the fear of being out of sight of land. I had no idea this was a thing until I told a friend that was sailing with us that we wouldn't see any of the islands at some point. The look of fear in her eyes was undeniable and she had to explain it to us. My wife and I had never even thought of that as a fear, of something that would cause someone terror. But here we are ...

One of the most surprising things to me is the intuitive sense of what to do on a boat that some sailors seem to have. Some sailors do things by rote; if this, then this ... while others seem to have an instinctive sense of how to trim the sails or how to steer the boat through a choppy sea. It takes me awhile to get into the grove of sailing, but I do think I've developed that second sense of what to do on a boat. Given the number of times something has gone wrong while I'm out sailing, that has come in handy.