Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Saturday 13 February 2016

What a lovely amazing evening......

it was such an immense privilege to sit in a room and listen to members of the DCA chatting away about their boats and adventures. What an astonishing , lovely group of people.  I am always amazed at how talented people are,. Everything from making cakes, to restoring cars and designing boats. To listen to people talk about their sailing adventures, boat projects...........quite humbling.

I'm not a social person....odd given I spend all my working day locked in a room with thirty other people.........I struggle in social settings, even when out with friends who I have known for years. I understand infants and teenagers better than adults.

I have allowed my own insecurities and worries about my own inabilities to hold me back. A wise person this evening told me I would progress faster If I left my engine behind. That's true but then you need to know how to get yourself out of trouble without an engine and I dont have sufficient experience......but then I won't get that experience until I leave my engine behind.......it's hard work this sailing mularkey!

A number of rallies are in the diary. I don't know how many I can make given the crushing work commitments at the moment which will only get worse as we move towards the examination period of the summer, but I would like to try and join one or two rallies, even if only for the day. It will be such a great privilege and learning experience to sail with such a great group of people. I look forward to it.

4 comments:

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

"it's hard work this sailing mularkey!" ...most people would say it isn't, unless you try to over-think everything.. something I suffer greatly from, before it sounds like I am pontificating! :o))

steve said...

I am sadly a terrible over thinker..........I have a unique ability to spend more time thinking than doing on occasions. I am blessed with a team around me who have learned how to manage this 'quality' to great effect!

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

...I blame 30+ years of working in service management in the IT industry where my job is second guessing problems before they happen! Funnily enough I took up sailing to get me out of the habit.. :o))

steve said...

30+ years of lesson planning. Until the last couple of years I had been really good at teaching. I thought carefully about how I taught and what my individual students needed. Now, sadly, some ill health and an education system in which I now feel out of time and place in means that I teach ok lessons. They are good enough....but somewhere it rankles me. I feel I walk out of school each day having failed my students somehow and that bugs me. It bugs me badly