Things I learned in 2017

-- working on boat plumbing is somehow far more satisfying than working on home plumbing

-- if your shift-cable clamp is going to come loose, it will do it on the one day you have guests on the boat.

-- and, if your battery charger is going to fail, it'll do it the night before the first big trip of the season.

-- no matter what spares you have on the boat, the thing that breaks will be something you never thought of

-- even with all the marvelous technological advances achieved in the last 30 years, box wrenches still don't float

-- there's a sublime, almost mystical sense of accomplishment when an eye-splice comes out smooth and tight.

-- in the Great North Wet, a good mast boot is worth its weight in gold

-- "darning" is a remarkably useful skill to have with 32-year-old cushions

-- there's no such thing as too much storage space. There is, however, such a thing as too much stuff.

-- after more than 50 (!?) years of sailing, I still learn something every time I go out

-- and... this group continues to be the best community on the web. I can't imagine what I'd do without EYO.



What'd you learn last year?

Bruce

That's a good list, and pretty realistic for all of us (how many tools have each of us dropped overboard over the years!).

This past year I learned to be even a bit more adventurous in dealing with passes, currents, larger waves - - not that I was a wimp before, but I was able to manage some more challenging conditions without a problem. Always good to be able to draw on that experience, though my wife would prefer that it's not required.

Frank