NO REVERSE, NO NEUTRAL from 6/30/2016

THE 2016 ELECTION

NO REVERSE NO NEUTRAL

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No matter which side you are on, the 2016 USA election takes us to a less than desirable end.  We cannot stop the present political momentum.  However, bracing ourselves for the inevitable impact is a fruitless recourse.  

I am a sailor, not a politician, nor the son of a politician, but in my line of work, catastrophes are the norm.  A principle, I never admit to the passengers aboard a chartered cruise, but a principle I always include in my sailing classes is, 

“If nothing goes wrong, you’re not sailing.”

In that respect, sailing a boat is no different than piloting our ship of State.  Expecting calamities is an unavoidable part of the exciting experiment that is democracy.

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The excitement on a charter usually includes seeing historic  boats, impressive yachts, military vessels and aircraft, and sightings of marine life.  Add to those elements a good wind, sunshine, and in the case of one mishap, a bachelorette party of fun loving young-ladies something going wrong is inevitable.  

I was able to keep a particular bachelorette party from what seemed an unavoidable dockside disaster caused by dockhands falling all over themselves to assist the lovely ladies at the launch.  However the departure was boring compared to the way the excursion ended.

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 Returning to the assigned  berth tucked away at the back of the marina required that I power the thirty-two foot Catalina into a dead-end corridor, terminated by a riprap retaining wall of large jagged boulders.  Normally, my main concern is avoiding the expensive vessels lining the narrow approach leading to the empty slip at the far end of the dock.  

Entering the corridor under power one stops a vessel's forward momentum my putting the propeller in reverse, and hit the accelerator so the vessel can be backed into the slip.  So with the rocks a mere thirty feet ahead of us, and the dock only fifteen feet astern off our port beam, I simply put the engine in reverse and revved her up to stop the vessel so I can back it into place.  However, this time when I shifted into revers and hit the throttle, instead of stopping, the vessel surged recklessly forward towards the rocks. 

Something in the shift linkage had snapped and there was no revers or neutral, only forward!  Without reverse to stop us our forward momentum would crash us on the rocks ahead.  A starboard was blocked by a huge yacht laying on that side.  Turning to port at our present speed would create a turning radius so wide that we would smash into the dock, sink the boat, and conclude my sailing career.  

If I was going to crash into the rocks, the yacht, or the dock I would rather it be the dock.  At least the enthusiastic dockhands could rescue the women.    

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In order to give us some room for a portside turn, I allowed the 32-footer to motor as far away from the dock as possible, without striking the rocks ahead, while at the same time maneuvering within an arms length of the yacht on our right.  When we could go no further, I spun the wheel hard to port and opened the throttle full bore.  The increased propeller speed caused a surge of water it be discharged putting additional pressure against the rudder set at a exaggerated angle when I spin the helm hard to port.  The resulting phenomenon is called “prop walk”…the increased clockwise spin of the prop enhances a vessel left turn.  With the prop at full speed, I hoped the 32footer would pinwheel on its keel, and fling the stern 180° around.  If  it worked, I could just miss the dock…if not I would ram the dock at full speed.

From the wheel, some 30 feet behind the tip of the bow, I could only hold my breath as I watched the dock disappear under the boat’s lofty bow.  An eternity passed as held throttle wide open, the helm hard to port, and watched.  

At last the dock reappeared on the other side of the bow, unscathed.  I had saved the dock, the boat, and my career…not to mention the young women.  Now I had to get us out of the marina and make different approach.

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Breathing once again, I spoke to the party in the reassuring tone of one who experiences this kind if thing every day.  

"Please excuse the delay, but stay seated until we got the boat secured to the dock."

Because there was no neutral or reverse, I brought the crippled boat alongside another berth by turning the engine off and on, then calmly handed the amazed dockhand my stern line.  In an “all in a day’s sailing” manner, I thanked the women for their patience and helped them each off the boat.  

My farewell came close to expressing my sincerest sentiment, “It has been a real thrill to serve as your captain today.”  I guess they felt the same, because they each got in line and one by one gave their old skipper a big heartfelt thank you hug.  The tip they gave wasn't bad either.     

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Our national problems are far more complex than salvaging a bachelorette charter and far less serious than sinking a nation.  However, as a nation, we really have no reverse, no neutral, no safe turn either left or right, and at our present uncontrolled pace we can not avoid the rocks ahead. 

Nevertheless, if we keep our wits about us, and not panic, there is a way out of this mess.  We must remain calm so we are open to the possibility of a solution.  Remember, “If nothing goes wrong, you’re not sailing.”