Engineers and golf:

A lawyer, an engineer, a doctor, and the club pro were playing golf and being held up by the group ahead. The club pro explained that the group ahead were blind fireman who had save the clubhouse but were injured and lost their sight. The doctor said "I need to examine them and see if I can do anything to restore their sight". The lawyer said "I should be able to get them some real compensation for their loss from the insurance companies" and the engineer said "Why can't they play at night?".

Sorry to take this so far from the subject but I couldn't resist.

I would much rather be sailing than playing golf. I keep trying to recall how I learned to sail and it is all in bits and pieces. I recall being on a small sailboat with someone else and not really knowing what I was doing. I remember getting suggestions from my father who was an accomplished sailor. He built a 9' sailing pram and I learned on it. It all boils down to you learn by doing. Reading the basics will get you prepared but you have to experience what happens when you luff the sails or accidentally jibe, how to react in a gust. I sail now conscious of sounds and movement. I feel the tension of the shroud as the wind increases, the slight lift of the rail. These things aren't in books and can't be easily explained. You need to learn from experiencing it.

Howard