Article by Marty Loken
There are some mostly-good things you can learn from your boat, while serving as her custodian, skipper and maintenance staff. When it comes to upkeep, you may sometimes feel you’re a slave to your vessel, but you’re always her student. Despite occasional moments of doubt, you probably adore your boat, and the longer you own her the more she’ll become your ticket to lifelong learning. And, yes, maybe a lot more.
That is a good thing.
When I think of my own years on the water, I realize boats have given me invaluable experiences and hard-earned knowledge—even moments that occasionally verge on competence. Maybe the most instructive thing I’ve learned, though, is humility—typically at the opposite end of the spectrum from skillfulness.
When your anchor drags because you failed to set it carefully. When your first coat of paint resembles elephant hide. When you measure twice, cut once but the piece still doesn’t fit. Those are a few of the many ways we experience humility, and they’re how we slowly learn to do a decent job, if we stick with boats long enough.
