The boat aspect was genetic (my father built and helped build several powerboats in the 50's). I was behind the wheel from my earliest memories. We boated sheltered lakes in the Ozarks for smooth water and water skiing, very few sailboats were around. In my early 20's, still skiing/powerboating, but on Kansas lakes, I sought a ride on a co-workers' H16. While double trapped, on a screaming reach I encountered a textbook pitchpole (in retrospect I think Gordon did it on purpose). This was Sunday, the following Tuesday evening I bought a new H16. Three weeks later, with some reservations on our part, we went to our first regatta. Gordon explained, "This is what we do with Hobies".
From the beginning I was fortunate to have Gordon, plus lots of people at regattas to quiz for answers. I also broke my share of parts exploring/learning on my own.