Psychology of terror

[Roberto]

I know most of you are fearless sailors, but anyway:

I (and people I sailed with) have gone through two different kinds of fear-terror-panic at sea: the sudden, momentary one

a rock appears 10m in front of the bow, a lightning strikes the mast, a freighter jumps out of the fog at touching distance, etc


and the slowly building one

wind and sea keep increasing and increasing while already under trysail and storm jib, a broken steering hastily (and how well?) repaired and a lee shore, a cargo slowly slowly approaches right into us from the stern showing no signs of having seen our sternlight, etc

People react in very different ways, I have seen the same persons show an olympic calm towards the rock-from-nowhere and increasing uncontrollable panic with a slowly slowly approaching ship from the stern showing no sign of having seen our boat. And vice versa

So, what kind of fear do-did you fearless mates fear most? Is there any particular reason ?

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Roberto on 11/09/2003 14:11 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Badger]

Running out of ice.

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[Mirelle]

Type 2 terror

is the one that gets me; I am glacially calm in sudden panics.

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[neutronstar]

Re: Type 2 terror

This is not really a direct answer to the original thread but I found your overview of fear/panic very accurate. I see the issue along the lines of "we all sail UNTIL we get a big fright".

I fortunately have not been caught in anything more than 'moderate' and have got into a port before things built up badly.

However I do feel that if the fear is bad enough it can often put an abrupt stop to ones desire to get out on green water.

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[jimi]

Re: Type 2 terror

Same here, partic the slow creep up from astern of a large vessel.

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[Jacket]

I'm normally OK in either situation. Its about half an hour afterwards that I start shaking, turn into a gibering wreck and hide at the bottom of the quarterberth.

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[Roberto]

Re: Type 2 terror

I am absolutely no expert, but I suppose in the slowly building fear there is a bigger component of irrational rationality: we keep mumbling, reasoning, asking ourselves endless and crazier what-ifs, the mind meanders in its darkest corners, slowly building up the soup until panic strikes.

Sudden panic seems more emotional, slow panic seems mostly built inside the brain, perhaps more controllable?


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[Mirelle]

For example

Last summer my 7 year old son fell overboard; I simply fished him out.

But every time we go sailing we have to cross the Deben bar and the Harwich big ship channel. These, whilst not particularly hazardous, take about half an hour each, and allow me ample time to get into a funk!

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[Mr Cassandra]

Re: Type 2 terror

To Resove this problem buy a faster boat [joke]
cheers bob t

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[steve_cronin]

Having to climb the mast in a serious blow...

to clear a jammed mainsail halyard.

Ugghhh!!

Steve Cronin

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[Plan_B]

Fog in a shipping lane, we don't have radar. Mixture of type 2 often followed by type 1. Both can cause apprehension and a slight change of attitude even in the most stolid skippers. As a young crew member I had all this and never worried one bit - as a much older owner/skipper with a family on board, I seem to worry a lot more in such situations.

Dave D

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Having to climb the mast in a serious blow...

I thought it was only Ellen Macarthy who did that sort of thing.

Actually, according to my old sailing buddy Paddy, he was sent up the mast one dark dirty night aboard Griffin, the RORC club yacht. He was seasick at the top of the stick. The skipper was looking up at the time.

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[Mirelle]

Count me out!

Gaff rig, all external halyards, ratlines....the only time I've had to do it was when....

I TOOK THAT WRETCHED FELLOW CUNLIFFE'S ADVICE....

and did not mouse the peak halyard blocks. He says in his book he's been all over without mousing them; I got as far as the mouth of the Medway before I lost one to the top of the mast!

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[MainlySteam]

Terra Firma


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[Roberto]

ah

<<As a young crew member I had all this and never worried one bit - as a much older owner/skipper with a family on board, I seem to worry a lot more in such situations.>>

ah that is age then, now I understand why I am feeling the same way.
Went out for years without ever looking at a weather forecast, now scrolling more and more through charts and meteo web pages before casting off

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[steve_cronin]

Re: ah

I don't think that is a factor of age. It is more likely caused by the totally regulated, litigation raviged world we live in and maybe the "ease of accessibility" of information has something to do with it too.

Steve Cronin

.

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[squidge]

All true, i am sorry to say, but id rather be alive and scared than dead and brave.
Many a nightmare has been related to the experiences expressed above.Brings back the cold sweats just thinking about them again.Once i woke up convinced that my anchor was dragging me onto a lee shore due to a tide and wind change.I got up and hurried outside. All OK , cars in the drive. the house is fine.


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[jhr]

Re: Having to climb the mast in a serious blow...

Ah, Griffin; that brings back memories.

As a kid, I went to Yarmouth on her one weekend and we sat in the harbour in the evening, amusing ourselves watching a bunch from Lloyd's Yacht Club trying to unstick Lutine (the first one) from the mud where they had carelessly placed her. As they were trying to do so with a dinghy and small outboard, needless to say they didn't have much luck. Oh, how we laughed......... ;o).

Oh Gawd; I am obviously turning into a nostalgic old f@rt!

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[Neraida]

I reckon sudden appearances of rocks cause a kind of "oh s**t" reaction and don't leave much time for terror to kick in cos you're too busy dashing around to avoid it. We have been out quite a few times, on a lovely reach when after realising the speed we are doing and then "ooooh look, those waves behind us have got quite big" has been a challenge up to now.
The vessels however are another thing IMHO, they're huge, they move (rocks and buoys don't ) very quickly and give you loads of time to wonder about whether you are going to be hit , sucked under, chewed up by propeller and all manner of nasty unthinkable thoughts leading to the inevitable world of terror and panic.

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[ecudc]

Re: Type 2 terror

Totally agree...I hate that slightly queasy feeling you get that has nothing to do with seasickness. Type II is like being suspended above the drop on Oblivion on Alton Towers….you know that there may be something horrible awaiting you and there is NO GOING BACK.

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