USNA Sailboats

Does sail training make a good officer?

  • Definitely

    Votes: 13 56.5%
  • Not really

    Votes: 4 17.4%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I dont know

    Votes: 6 26.1%

  • Total voters
    23

Don't Give Up the Ship

BGO, MOC Nom. Board, Old Navy/Merchant Officer
5-Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2018
Messages
1,479
My son and one of his classmates are at our house on Cape Cod (for a few more days). Today we picked up another 2023 MIDN off one of the USNA sail boats that are spending an overnight in Woods Hole. Operation Water Buffalo provides a decent nights sleep and a good shower for some of these MIDN on the 44 ft. boats. Its amazing how these classmates take care of each other-even if they have never met each other. I think I will cook them a good breakfast (with Bacon of course). IMG_5442.JPGGo NAVY!
 

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They also have an official Facebook page: USNA offshore training squadron. Has pictures of this summers training.
 
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For those of you who like a good read filled with both history and tech aspects of current design.
 
I don't know if sailing makes a good officer, but I know that it is a hell of a lot of fun! Ripping around during Plebe summer with a classmate in the little 2-person boats was a blast (especially since I did know how to sail, and we were crushing everyone else around the water from our company).
 
DD and I did a parent/kid sailing program when she was 7, putzing around in Optis. Great way for me to share with her my love of sailing (though I don’t do it much). She then attended a few weeklong summer sailing camps, where she learned the basics in a low-key environment. She entered a regatta — Optis again — when she was 10. It was a blustery day and she ended up dumping a couple times. She hasn’t sailed much since, having moved on to other activities. And that regatta didn’t deter her from going to the boat school by the bay. Though it may have something to do with her leaning toward the Marine Corps. 🤔😉😆
 
Sailing contributes to a leadership foundation in many ways:
- It’s work. If you don’t put effort in, you don’t go anywhere.
- It’s team work. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow, and in close quarters on a hot day when everything that could go wrong is going wrong, it builds the ability to work through the challenges.
- It’s real. It’s not a textbook or a simulator or a case presentation in class or a video game or the indoor tank with models. You can’t phone it in.
- It gives you a water-eye view and understanding of the Rules of the Road, vectors and the holy sh!t of constant bearing/decreasing range, especially if you are in a small sailboat in a channel with massive container ships. Decisions must be made, sometimes in the instant, involving multiple factors which must be integrated. Awareness of surroundings is critical. Safety is paramount.
- The systems are all there - navigation, power systems, gear, communications, engineering, operations, damage control, safety, sanitation, galley operations, inport procedures, externals such as weather, etc., that happen in larger ways aboard Navy combatants. You have to know your ship and what it can do.
- You learn to expect plans will implode and be able to recover and flex to new solutions and workarounds.
- You learn how to pay attention to your surroundings, especially the people, as your life might depend on their awareness and attentiveness to their role. You learn how to work with different personality types. You begin to understand the importance of training people so you have depth on your team, and to build their skills and confidence through working with them, praising them, delivering useful critiques and then trusting them to do the work in their own.
- The sense of accomplishment when the mission is accomplished, and the realization there is always more to learn.

I grew up sailing Hobies hanging out over the water from about 8-9. Nothing like it. My neighbor was a retired USCG CWO who would take me out with his grandkids. Great lessons, safety first. Fast forward, DH and I had a sailboat for many years, berthing it at Naval Station Long Beach, Newport Beach and Shelter Island in San Diego. We used our backgrounds in Navy leadership and seamanship to plan our day sails, races and journeys with the same attention to clear communications, safety and a systems approach. Of course, our boat was always spotless, with all gear stowed, dock lines neatly coiled and everything shipshape. That took more time than anything else at times, but a clean ship is a happy ship.

Sailing teaches a great deal about everyday leadership in a working environment.
 
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I have been shot at before, but nothing comes close to the terror that I felt in the middle of Lake Michigan in a storm with nothing but a San Juan 21 sloop under me. I still love sailing, but I do it in good weather only.
 
Mine is out with OSTS. I can attest to the fact, that mom watching shark week shows was not a good idea….especially the few days without any coms or GPS check in from the boats 🦈 ⛵🌊 😬

BTW…it’s a FANTASTIC program. Not sure why the ‘bad rap’, I’ve only heard that from older Mids. But he is loving it BIG TIME.
 
Mine is out with OSTS. I can attest to the fact, that mom watching shark week shows was not a good idea….especially the few days without any coms or GPS check in from the boats 🦈 ⛵🌊 😬

BTW…it’s a FANTASTIC program. Not sure why the ‘bad rap’, I’ve only heard that from older Mids. But he is loving it BIG TIME.
It’s actually work, physical and mental. It’s not air-conditioned (last I knew). Not a lot of support for entertainment devices. Nowhere to go to get away from people. Lots and lots and lots of face-to-face communications that can’t be off-sourced to texting. Throw in heat and humidity and the joy of marine toilets. 🥵
 
Having a serious small boat background and small USCG license while attending Mass. Maritime, I can attest that any small boat training (well designed) will make a better seamen, sailor and officer. Generally you have to learn from experience. It takes time, builds character and starts to develop good operational sense.
 
I own a small power boat (26ft with twin 150's). I've been "Qualifying" my son this summer. Docking, no wind, with wind, backing into a slip, Man Overboard, anchoring, navigation, RADAR, when to use the Rules of the Road and when to just "...go under his stern". This type of small boat is very different from large ship handling, however, it does teach key aspects like: using current & wind in your favor, waiting, watching how she is setting, engine speed versus SOG, transfer, etc. Amazing hes doing really good. But still, it takes years to experience the un-expected-and learn from all those close calls and minor incidents.
 
It’s actually work, physical and mental. It’s not air-conditioned (last I knew). Not a lot of support for entertainment devices. Nowhere to go to get away from people. Lots and lots and lots of face-to-face communications that can’t be off-sourced to texting. Throw in heat and humidity and the joy of marine toilets. 🥵
My DS *LOVED* it first block this summer! Even though they neglected to empty the septic tank before heading into the harbor in NY and it was full by the time they anchored in Stamford at 0300...and didn't get off the boat until well after 0800.

GPS did pretty well - sometimes we had 8 hours without a signal, but nothing more than that thankfully. It was like Plebe Summer hunting for Waldo all over again but just hitting the refresh button on Marine Traffic all over again :). They hit a pretty bad storm on the way back - when DS finally was able to communicate, he said he was at the helm when the storm hit and the toe rails were in the water and at one point they saw 56 knot gusts. This mama is glad I found that out after the fact and I was blissfully unaware (on purpose) of the weather! Apparently as soon as they got through the storm, they started blaring the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. :D
 
My DS *LOVED* it first block this summer! Even though they neglected to empty the septic tank before heading into the harbor in NY and it was full by the time they anchored in Stamford at 0300...and didn't get off the boat until well after 0800.

GPS did pretty well - sometimes we had 8 hours without a signal, but nothing more than that thankfully. It was like Plebe Summer hunting for Waldo all over again but just hitting the refresh button on Marine Traffic all over again :). They hit a pretty bad storm on the way back - when DS finally was able to communicate, he said he was at the helm when the storm hit and the toe rails were in the water and at one point they saw 56 knot gusts. This mama is glad I found that out after the fact and I was blissfully unaware (on purpose) of the weather! Apparently as soon as they got through the storm, they started blaring the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. :D
Nothing like a little weather to make things interesting!
 
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