tcm
...
i am musing about this from zefender's thread.
A v noticeable thing for a newbie outsider is (ok, was) the incredible concentration on saftey issues. Yes, safety is important but sheesh, death, safety briefings, lifejackets liferafts more liferafts radios moe radios flares charts more charts passage plans...this focus on safety transcends everthing, and seems as much a fiunction of doctor surgeries being full of old people who just don't wantto die,and the older one gets the more this preoccupation can fill the time. Perhaps because sailing is a bit expensive, it is naturally taught etc by older people, hence the enormous focus on safety, maybe...
Compare this with skiing, say, which is seen as much younger hobby, even though some really old people ski. Out on a mountain even in a blizzard, the main thing is lessons in style and and going really fast down mountains. You're "advanced" only if you go very fast. Falling over is generaly only seen as bad cos you'll look silly, not cos of the likely broken legs. Skimags don't do articles on dragging mates down mountains or getting safely back to the hotel before dark or ooer going to stange ski resort so here 's a handy chart, and yet a meeting with a doctor/hospital is far more common than when sailing. Nor do ski mags compare handiness of hospitals or healthcare when choosing a ski area. It's all because skiing is for young people and young people justdon't dwell so much on death.
There's another issue here: lots of the boating safety procedures and precautions seem rather too handily attractive/possible for older people. Giving sermons about safety, being skipper and boss, buying loads of gear. Yet quite a few boaty tragedies have been a result of being mown down by a ship. How about articles like "Are you bit bit too much of a shortsighted deaf lugs old git to be skipper and oughta pack it in, hm?" ...ok - good point, Editor - put it Big Letters on the front cover so the half-blind old gimmers will at least be able read it...
A v noticeable thing for a newbie outsider is (ok, was) the incredible concentration on saftey issues. Yes, safety is important but sheesh, death, safety briefings, lifejackets liferafts more liferafts radios moe radios flares charts more charts passage plans...this focus on safety transcends everthing, and seems as much a fiunction of doctor surgeries being full of old people who just don't wantto die,and the older one gets the more this preoccupation can fill the time. Perhaps because sailing is a bit expensive, it is naturally taught etc by older people, hence the enormous focus on safety, maybe...
Compare this with skiing, say, which is seen as much younger hobby, even though some really old people ski. Out on a mountain even in a blizzard, the main thing is lessons in style and and going really fast down mountains. You're "advanced" only if you go very fast. Falling over is generaly only seen as bad cos you'll look silly, not cos of the likely broken legs. Skimags don't do articles on dragging mates down mountains or getting safely back to the hotel before dark or ooer going to stange ski resort so here 's a handy chart, and yet a meeting with a doctor/hospital is far more common than when sailing. Nor do ski mags compare handiness of hospitals or healthcare when choosing a ski area. It's all because skiing is for young people and young people justdon't dwell so much on death.
There's another issue here: lots of the boating safety procedures and precautions seem rather too handily attractive/possible for older people. Giving sermons about safety, being skipper and boss, buying loads of gear. Yet quite a few boaty tragedies have been a result of being mown down by a ship. How about articles like "Are you bit bit too much of a shortsighted deaf lugs old git to be skipper and oughta pack it in, hm?" ...ok - good point, Editor - put it Big Letters on the front cover so the half-blind old gimmers will at least be able read it...
