Good thought, but hard to follow when you are new to sailing, and listening to the advice of those who have many years of experience. It seems that it would not be good to throw all caution to the wind, and ignore them. How do you find the balance point? I guess the key point is, "be careful who you talk to."
That is, indeed, the trick.
One of the biggest problems is that there are people that "talk" and everyone listens, without regard to whether that person actually knows anything or not. We had such a fellow at our marina (the one across the river from you); actually, several such someones.
One example was a fellow that by his own admission, was "afraid" to sail his Island Packet because he did not want to damage her. Yet other times, he would sit around and give "free advice" on going to sea to folks passing through.
Another guy was just a core "social" person...he was a fun guy and people liked to party with him. He NEVER sailed (I heard him tell a lady once that putting the sails up was too much trouble), and his idea of cruising was what bars and parties to to visit. Yes, his keel covered some miles to get to the parties, but his seamanship was virtually zero.
He could not do a single thing without about 8 people standing around helping. Change slips in the marina? It was a an all-day affair of planning and execution and post-incident briefing involving teams of "worshipers."
He once told me that it is his habit to call for Sea Tow whenever he feels "uncomfortable" on his boat....on those rough seas on the ICW between here and Florida. That is, after all, why he carries tow insurance.
In three years of living at that marina, I never once saw him take out his boat for a pleasure sail. He left for the islands and was gone a few months, and heard from others that they had seen him in Florida holed up with engine troubles (he had had his engine rebuilt before he left), so he DID travel. But he was no sailor - at least in my opinion.
Yet this guy could sit around and "offer advice" for hours on end and EVERYONE would soak it up. They'd quote him, they'd pass it along. Most of what he said was poop, pure and simple. He knew NOTHING of sailing a boat, even though he had "lived aboard" for decades. Through the "fun personality," however, he was seen as the local expert.
In contrast, one 'cranky' old fellow I talked a lot with was very knowledgeable, and knew sailing. He and I talked endless hours late into the night about sailing experiences, weather tricks (heavy and light), different rigs, different boats, etc.
It's hard to filter all this out, especially if the person is likable. I've gotten to where I believe I can sniff out real sea-experience from bs, and I've gotten EXTREMELY choosy in who I listen, or even talk, to about sailing and boating.
In general, if someone is telling you about some piece of gear you NEED or should rely on, they are probably full of garbage. Reliance on gear often (not always, but often) can be equated with a lack of skill. When someone starts telling you what you SHOULD HAVE on YOUR boat, beware.
To tell the truth, I've also gotten quite wary of people that the first thing they tell me about a monohull, displacement sailing vessel is that she's "fast." I recently had an interesting conversation with a colleague about boats and hull design where "fast" seemed to be a central theme.
Here's the contrast: If I equate hull speed on my A-30 to a car going 55 mph, his idea of "fast" equates only to 67 mph. Yes, it's faster. But that much? Really?
My big point with him, among a few others, was that I don't prioritize "fast" the same way he does (and gave my reasons). He seemed to be saying that I was making stupid decisions because I did not choose a "fast" boat.
Yep, that gives me pause in how much merit I'm going to put into the rest that he says.
So, maybe I've become the jerk with my adopted position of assuming the other guy knows Little To Nothing Until Proven Otherwise. There's a lot of "armchair sailors" with NO seatime at all spouting off all kinds of stuff.
As they say, there's a difference in 10 years of experience verses 1 year practiced 10 times.
Sorry so long; your post just struck a nerve since I know I've faced the "who do you listen to" dilemma.
And making this on-topic for this thread...this is one of the reasons I love THIS site...it has been from the very beginning for me positive and encouraging. It has been a place to talk about boats and boating and finding the path to the dream.
The signature lines quoted are part of that positive encouragement.
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