Enoch’s Thoughts

One of the first things I learned about vehicles is that you cannot steer unless you are moving. Whether you are on a car, a skateboard, or a bicycle, you can operate the steering mechanism as enthusiastically as you want, but, unless you are moving, you will just sit there, pointed in the same direction.

It’s actually worse in a boat. Even if you have no motor or wind moving you through the water, you will be moving ON the water. You will be carried by waves, wind, and current, none of which are likely to propel you toward your destination. To gain directional control, you must be moving THROUGH (not just on) the water.

Lack of motion introduces another uncomfortable result, and if you’ve ever sat on a stationary jet ski, you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Not only are you directionless, you are also unstable, tossed about by the smallest of waves or wind gusts. You feel like a kid trying to ride a bicycle too slowly. Water craft are designed for movement, not stagnation.

There’s one more lesson to be squeezed out of this analogy. A sailboat headed directly into the wind soon stops moving, and is said to be “in irons.” It can’t move or steer. The phrase refers to the likely result befalling a naval vessel in a sea battle – if the boat loses forward progress, the crew is likely to be captured and put “in irons.” The way a boat can recover from being “in irons” is to physically force one or more sails away from center, exposing them to the force of the wind. Even a small amount of sail blown by the wind will cause the boat to begin to move backward through the water. As soon as the boat has some backwards momentum, the skipper can move the rudder to one side, swinging the stern of the boat off center, and turning it across the wind. With the wind no longer coming dead-center, the crew can then adjust the sails for proper sailing.

I don’t want this to turn into a sermonette, but I don’t want any faithful readers to miss the point, either. If there are aspects of your work or your life that feel out of control, take a lesson from the boat, and get a move on! By moving yourself through your circumstances rather than just being pushed around by the forces around you, you will not only gain the ability to steer, you will stabilize yourself. Do you feel like you are “in irons?” It’s not too much of a stretch to say you should just try something, even if it seems to be moving you backwards. At least you’ll gain steerage.

Lastly, if none of these tricks seem to be making a difference, you might want to re-visit my June 14th posting, Clawing off a lee shore, and ask for help if you need it.

Happy Sails to You.