As all sailors soon figure out that proper style is a vital ingredient to sailing, here are two true tales of style from the archives.
Making an unforgettable impression on your advance sailing instructor.
Sometime back when I was just beginning to sail I took an advanced sailing class at J World in San Diego, Basic Keelboat and Basic Cruising all in five days with two 60 question written exams and an on the water practical exam. In other words a serious class and maybe not one for someone that has been on a boat only a few times, also suggested that maybe doing a bit of serious studying before the first day of class.
Monday morning was warm and bright for the beginning of the class. There was a general meeting for all the students taking any class first thing Monday morning, quite a few students as they had about 5 classes going at the same time from racing to very beginning “this is a sailboat.”
Then we broke into smaller groups to meet our instructor, I like the rest grabbed my bag and went over and introduced myself to my instructor and the rest of our class.
All went well until he looked down at my shoes and asked why I had a Green “S” on the toe of my right shoe and Red “P” on the toe of my left shoe. I then explained to him how I always confused Port and Starboard so the letters on my shoes were to help me, BUT I continued on I could only do jobs that faced forward since when I turned around I got real confused.
