[quote=Wolfman]This is a great example why an active place like this is so important and even why relative new comers need to share thier experiences (the older guys get tired of answering slight variations on the same questions over and over).
I asked a million questions last year when I got back into sailing, some of which I now think are quite silly. In the end it is better to ask a silly question and know the answer than to not know.
A lot of the advice I got on here and locally made my first flip a fun experience instead of a big deal. I figured out I didn't need any fancy mast floats or righting systems, just a rope tied to the mast and thrown over the top hull worked great (as long as you uncleated the main and jib). That in turn gave me the confidence to push my boat and go fast.
It's easy to forget how scary sailing can be when you are just starting out it is a very different experience than just about anything else. The boat moves up and down with gusts, the boom swings all over sometimes violently (especially when jibing), there are no brakes on the damn thing and if your 'crew' is your wife and she doesn't know what to pull, how to uncleat ropes and just freezes up when things start to go awry, well things can get out of hand in short order.
Seeing stories like these puts things into perspective and lets guys like me learn without going though the experience ourselves. [/quote]
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