Race Report - Skipper Johnson

[Skipper Johnson]

Psychologists have a nice way of categorising the learning of a new skill. They break the learning process into 4 stages. I can relate to these stages.

Stage 1. Unconscious Incompetence. ie You don't know how bad you are. When I proclaimed I was on the way to the Olympics, I was at stage 1. I had not yet realised how much there was to know and how bad I was!

Stage 2. Conscience Incompetence. At this stage, you are no longer blissfully ignorant. You have learnt enough to know that you are crap.

Stage 3. Conscience Competence. You know what you need to do and are aware of how to do it but the skill is not yet automatic.

Stage 4. Unconscience Competence. Once you get to this stage, the skills come automatically. For example, executing a roll tack from instinct rather than trying to remember each step in the process.

All of this is a long way of saying that I am crap! I thought I would try sailing by the lee on Saturday. Unfortunately the wind was to light and variable it was a disaster.

Anyway, here's hoping I move into Stage 3 sometime in the next year!

 

[Merrily]

All of this is a long way of saying that I am crap! Anyway, here's hoping I move into Stage 3 sometime in the next year!

I like the rating system. I would put myself at a 2.5 on boating skills, and a 2 with race strategy. The latter turns out to be the biggest challenge. I've been at this since the summer of 2004 with my first sailing lessons then. I've practiced A LOT. How about the rest of you guys? How would you rate yourself according to Skipper J's system?

 

[Braecrest]

Well, at least we have a goal right?

If we didn't have to make constant personal improvement, well, I guess we'd all have to turn in our Laser class membership cards and sail something other then a pure one-design where dollars matter more then skill...

 

[odinsvitskjaldr]

2.5-3.0 for me. I started out a 1 in August, 2004. I know what to do and can do most things, though not some in some conditions. I'm guessing that my downwind work will be the first aspect of my sailing to become a 4, while my heavy air sailing (>20mph) definitely needs work and will take longer.

This is my second year sailing, and if it weren't for this site and club racing, I'd never have learned what I have. SSC's annual Laser clinics have been a luxury, as have some individuals there who are good sailors and free with the help. Bo, Peter, Chuck, Brad, Dave, and Mark have all helped me become a better sailor. Thanks! Reading this site regularly and coming back to archived threads has typically answered most of the questions I trip over. And while I'm handing out kudos, let me mention the awesome team at KO Sailing, which is having a grand opening fiesta this Saturday and Sunday to showcase their new facilities. I stopped by there last weekend and owner John Kolius gave me the grand tour. It's pretty spiffy and he's one proud daddy. Another invaluable resource has been online weather websites, especially weather.com, mycast.com, and weatherunderground.com. I have learned to let the conditions detemine my practice focus and that has gotten me pretty good at reading wind and water.

See you on the water!

 

[Braecrest]

Oh Hey Skipper J, forgot to mention, I once had a great sailing couch tell me that if you concentrate on the basics and do what feels right, you'll beat boats.

His reasoning for this was simple. You train hard, you know what your doing. the reason your in mid-fleet or the rear-guard is because your out-thinking your skill and trying to do too much. KEEP IT SIMPLE SAILOR. go back to the basics, worry about sail trim, heel, tangled lines, stuff like that. Tactics will come with time. On each leg of the race tell yourself your going to pass one boat thats in front of you and do it. Pretty soon you'll be near the front, and doing great.

V/R -Skip