Simple Analogy: Simple Mind

[Loren Beach]

As I checked into the EY site today it occurred to me that some folks check in regularly and usually have something interesting and helpful to put into the new-thread-of-the-day (or week or month) and how great it is to have that input.

I like analogies, albeit some do work better than others.

Anyone else here recall those days so many decades ago at the local park, where we would join a group of kids on a "merry go round"? The only one I found with a quick web search is a lot smaller than the ones we would ride -- I recall one that would hold maybe 20 kids and was wider and.... faster.

Some were on more for the ride and some pushed more often before hopping on. Sometimes if I pushed too hard it got up enough speed that I could not hop on until it slowed down a bit! (Or tried and it threw me off.)


A good bbs like this is a bit like that old rotating bit of play ground equipment.

Nice to always have some more sailors adding some "push" to it and maintain the speed.

Yup. It is a Cold and rainy day here. Mostly sunny and warm in the Ericson playground, though!
Thanks again to Sean for building such a colorful Merry Go Round with a strong base and good central bearing.


Cheers,
Loren

 

[Lucky Dog]

ditto...a way to copy a document - for you young people. I agree. I stop by almost everyday once I get home. In many ways this site keeps my world turning. Sometime to feel the wind in my face other time to help and get help. Thank you all.

PS, I got looks of totaL bewilderment from my students while waxing the table saw table with wax paper, telling we used use our lunch sandwich bags to wax the play ground slide to go faster. Good times

 

[treilley]

I remember a merry go round that we could sit on and it had handles you could pump to make it spin. It went very fast with a couple of bigger kids and some alcohol induced fearlessness! We called it The Puker!

Not sure we have an analogy for the pucker here

 

[mherrcat]

I tried to find one of those recently in all the local public parks because I wanted to use it in a TV commercial. There were none to be found. The reason, I was told, is because they are considered too dangerous...

 

[Slick470]

Mherrcat, I find that sad. I believe I'm in the younger group of boat owners here (early 30's) and a lot of playground equipment I had as a kid is hard to find because it's too dangerous and someone might sue.

One of my favorite playgrounds was made of un-creosoted railroad tie material and tube steel. There were forts that were tied together with walkways and jungle gym type connectors. Nice deep bed of sand underneath. Huge amount of fun climbing all over them, having water fights, etc. I must have busted open my chin there 3 or 4 times. All gone now. Probably due to splinters.

I'm worried that the adults of the future will be a bunch of pansies. We're already starting to see some of the "not allowed to lose" kids showing up in the workplace and quite a few of them are having a very hard time with the transition from "you tried here's a medal" to "you failed now learn from it".

Sorry for the rant. Great analogy Loren. I'll try my best to help spin the merry-go-round. Although I think I'll be learning more from all of you than you from I in the process, so thanks in advance.

Andy

 

[Lucky Dog]

Ohhhh how true, and I have parent teacher conferences all day next Tuesday. Have read. Lost Child or Shop Class as Soul Craft.

Wonder how many of us build a log raft or two as kid?

This is best part of my computer time each day.

 

[rwthomas1]

I check in on this site every day, sometimes twice or more, depends on how bad the weather is!

Thanks Sean!

RT

 

[exoduse35]

Merry-Go-Round, Teeter-Totter, Monkey Bars.... Sextant, Hank on Sails, Marlinspike... It is sad that today many youngsters (the under 40 crowd) don't even know what they are... or how important they were to master just a half century ago! Edd

 

[Mark F]

I second Rob's sentiment, Thanks Sean!

It's always fun when we all slide a little closer to the center of the merry-go-round like on Martin's "Got Design Questions" thread.

 

[mherrcat]

Wonder how many of us build a log raft or two as kid?

Houston, TX is full of large flood control drainage ditches; many have been lined with cement or completely encased with cement pipe and covered over. Back in the day, however, they were open and full of fish, turtles, bullfrogs and various snakes including water moccasins; we used to call them "bayous" even though technically not like bayous in Louisiana.

We built a raft one day out of several planks of plywood and empty five gallon cans; the square kind like restaurant frying oil comes in. It promptly sank leaving us scrambling to get out of about 4 feet of water before the snakes got us...didn't think at the time to put a sail on it...

 

[bigd14]

I often see a bumper sticker around here that reads "Get Outside and Play"

I am in total agreement, but find it sad that we need to be reminded!

 

[Lucky Dog]

Read Last Child

 

[Guy Stevens]

The future of sailing

I have noticed that while it is easy to point out the fact that our children are not getting out into nature, into the wild, or for that matter even playing outside anymore, the same thing can be said of most adults.

For all of us that have boats, and actually use them. How many of the myriad of boats that make up marinas and mooring fields actually get used? How many of those boats sit through the wonderful days of sunshine and great breezes?

The whole society is going in a direction that is not about being outside or being involved in activities that are not based on technology. We have become a society that must be entertained, and are largely not capable of entertaining ourselves.

Boating, Hiking, Camping, and a whole host of other activities are less participated in. The industries that supported them are shrinking. As the customer base goes away the cost of the vertical markets goes up, and it becomes a feedback loop. It is too expensive to get into the outdoor sports, so people do not get involved. Less people means a more expensive cost of entry into the sport, which means less people get involved.

Also the view of technology as a way to make the outdoors "safer" which really means safer feeling, increases the cost of participation. A map and compass and some knowledge learned from the people that took you hiking is a lot cheaper than a GPS mapping unit. Same is true for charts and a hand bearing compass versus a chart plotter. Advertisements in the magazines are geared to the companies that can make the most money, the companies that provide the most expensive gear. The magazines try to convince you that you can't go for a day sail without $10,000.00 in electronics, batteries, knobs and buttons. They also want to impress on you that you need a really big boat.

We need as sailors to do two things. Of which the Ericson crowd is doing one already.

We need to bring the cost of boating down. This we do here on the boards sharing the knowledge of how to do things right and for the least amount of money. Getting a boat for a reasonable price that a middle class working family can afford. This is the best board that I have ever been on. The level of civility is great, and the level of participation and help given to others is outstanding.

The other thing is we really need to take children sailing. That means that we have to be able to interact with the children the way they see the world when we take them out. We have to keep it interesting for them. This is hard. The attention span of children has decreased a lot since we were kids, we need to work with them to help make a longer attention span something that is fun. Your kids, the neighbors kids, your grand kids. Life is about relationships, there are a lot more stories to tell about going sailing for an afternoon than there will ever be about watching TV or going to the movies.

As much as us crotchety old farts can find being around modern children trying at times, the future of sailing is with the children of today. You could look at it as being your own coupon generator, each child that gets into sailing lowers the cost for you eventually.

Keep sailing, keep living and turn off the TV!!!

Guy

 

[C. Trembanis]

Child Sailors

I have noticed that while it is easy to point out the fact that our children are not getting out into nature, into the wild, or for that matter even playing outside anymore, the same thing can be said of most adults.

For all of us that have boats, and actually use them. How many of the myriad of boats that make up marinas and mooring fields actually get used? How many of those boats sit through the wonderful days of sunshine and great breezes?

The whole society is going in a direction that is not about being outside or being involved in activities that are not based on technology. We have become a society that must be entertained, and are largely not capable of entertaining ourselves.

Boating, Hiking, Camping, and a whole host of other activities are less participated in. The industries that supported them are shrinking. As the customer base goes away the cost of the vertical markets goes up, and it becomes a feedback loop. It is too expensive to get into the outdoor sports, so people do not get involved. Less people means a more expensive cost of entry into the sport, which means less people get involved.

Also the view of technology as a way to make the outdoors "safer" which really means safer feeling, increases the cost of participation. A map and compass and some knowledge learned from the people that took you hiking is a lot cheaper than a GPS mapping unit. Same is true for charts and a hand bearing compass versus a chart plotter. Advertisements in the magazines are geared to the companies that can make the most money, the companies that provide the most expensive gear. The magazines try to convince you that you can't go for a day sail without $10,000.00 in electronics, batteries, knobs and buttons. They also want to impress on you that you need a really big boat.

We need as sailors to do two things. Of which the Ericson crowd is doing one already.

We need to bring the cost of boating down. This we do here on the boards sharing the knowledge of how to do things right and for the least amount of money. Getting a boat for a reasonable price that a middle class working family can afford. This is the best board that I have ever been on. The level of civility is great, and the level of participation and help given to others is outstanding.

The other thing is we really need to take children sailing. That means that we have to be able to interact with the children the way they see the world when we take them out. We have to keep it interesting for them. This is hard. The attention span of children has decreased a lot since we were kids, we need to work with them to help make a longer attention span something that is fun. Your kids, the neighbors kids, your grand kids. Life is about relationships, there are a lot more stories to tell about going sailing for an afternoon than there will ever be about watching TV or going to the movies.

As much as us crotchety old farts can find being around modern children trying at times, the future of sailing is with the children of today. You could look at it as being your own coupon generator, each child that gets into sailing lowers the cost for you eventually.

Keep sailing, keep living and turn off the TV!!!

Guy

We have two grandchildren ages 6 and 3 who love to sail. Keep the tradition
going!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Loren Beach]

Temps here in the teens and 20's for almost a week..... Boat is winterized....
Time to 'stick' this fun little thread again.
Lotsa folks hopping on and giving the merry go round a kick!

Loren

 

[Keiffer]

Grand Children

We had two grandchildren born this year and three more on the way by May 2014. So while it will be a couple of years we are already talking about how and what we will do with them on the boat.

Might need a bigger boat!

 

[Loren Beach]

No specified reason, but with the arrival of a new sailing season it seems appropriate to give the merry-go-round thread a little push again.
We have almost finished our winter maintenance cycle, and have a new main to bend on. Time for some sailing and an overnighter or two. And hopefully a trip up to BC waters.

Cheerio!

 

[Bepi]

The merry go round at my childhood park had to be 15 feet across. It was common for my compatriots from the block, 6-8 years, to beg the teenagers to give us a spin. Usually they were all too happy and would have us going like a centrifuge, the poor kids without a good hand hold went flying, some would let go. Often those remaining had had enough and would perform a butt burn which involved hanging your buttox off the side and drag it in the sand as a break. We can blame insurance companies for the loss of many things from merry go rounds to the ability to get a permit for unique local events because of the cost to insure the event.

 

[Loren Beach]

After spending a couple of nights last weekend on our boat, and having a massive pot luck dinner party on a Marine Park (island) dock with friends, maybe it's an OK time to spin up this thread again... as we look forward to 2025 and more sailing.
Lately we have so many great site members kicking along threads with helpful commentary and anecdotes about their projects.

Looking at those viking long ships in the museums, it took a lot of work and cooperation to get them to Greenland and back. Tough folk, they were.

Of course we Ericson "vikings" meet up with strangers on other docks and ports and share a brew with them, rather than trying to slay them! Well, usually.