As I have been growing up, I have spent a considerable amount of time on sailboats. Some big, some small. I have sailed pretty much from Maine to Venezuela and back with many stops in between.
On one family trip, during my teen years, we were somewhere in Connecticut, maybe near the CT River. I decided one afternoon I would take our dinghy, which had the ability to become a sailing dinghy, for a sail. It turned out this sail would be one of those “life lesson” things.I remember it being a beautiful day, with a stiff breeze, perfect sailing conditions. I ventured out, towards the river and began sailing upstream a bit, exploring. The combination of the freedom, the breeze, and the scenery was exhilarating AND I was zooming through the water, what could be better!
I had my fun and soon decided to turn around and head back. A tack later and I was heading home. Or so I thought.
As I was sailing down wind on my trip out, I realized I would have to bite the wind, and tack back and forth like crazy to get home. So I did. I would sail across the river, then tack back across the wind trying to get closer to my target, The Chipka Fire, and my family on her.
Well, to make this part of the story short, I was getting nowhere, and fast. I wasn’t making ANY forward progress and after a considerable amount of time, I started to get worried. I was trying everything to get my small vessel to follow a track that would reunite me with my family. Nothing worked and I found myself starting to panic.
Always have a "good" paddle!
The main thought I remember having was that I was doing absolutely everything in my power to move forward but I was standing still. A truly horrible feeling.
Little did I know that as I was struggling to get out of this seemingly hopeless situation, my parents were watching me through binoculars and had decided to lift the boats anchor to come get me. The relief when I saw the Chipka Fire suddenly appear was tremendous! With my parents help, I survived! (By the way I also could have just gotten out of the boat near the shore and waded it to where I could resume sailing, among other solutions!)
This early lesson that I know recollect brings me to two conclusions. First, there are usually several solutions around a problem. While this might produce a result of “duh” it is not always an easy thing to remember when panic, worry, or fear sets in. The second conclusion leads me to my Q.O.T.D. (Quote of the Day, a feature I had on a daily basis when I was a teacher).
“Always have a paddle.”
It might be a literal paddle, it might be a figurative paddle. But have a paddle!