Thursday, March 15, 2012

Exploring


Station Maine’s gig is five feet wide.  At a really low tide we can slip under the many docks in Rockland and maneuver among the pilings. 
I think today’s lesson was about applied geometry.  First we needed to learn to boat our oars efficiently, bringing them in to the gig, yet making sure they were available to the call Come to Oars.  Then we had to estimate the width of the pilings.  Where could we actually fit?  Once we were actually under the pier there was considerable moving around to be managed.  Where can we fit?  Where can we turn?  Is the gig too long to manage that turn?  Suddenly 32’ seems miles long.  It was a puzzle that we all needed to solve together.  It was a deliberately maneuvered situation in which every crew member is needed to fend off barnacle covered pilings and push or pull as needed.  Everyone’s hands got slimy.
Of course we made it out.  We left with a deeper understanding of the capabilities of our gig, her draft, her length and beam.  And we had fun.  I’m not sure how one quantifies any of that, but I’ll stand by it as learning.


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