Fixating

It's easy to get fixated on a problem.  Easy, but unwise on a boat.  Jeff learned that today.  The harbor was thick of fog so we brought out the compass.  Course 090.  Course 270.  Basic stuff.  And Jeff did what every beginning helmsman does.  He fixated on the compass.

This sort of fixation has sent more than one boat on a collision course when something, anything, gets in front of your boat if the helmsman hasn't thought to look up occasionally.  It became a game with Jeff for me to count.  Just count while he was fixating on the compass watching the numbers swing by.  Then, once we passed five or six softly count out loud.  Jeff learned to laugh at himself, realizing his fixation, and correct it.

He learned this without being lectured.  Without losing "grade points".  Without ever once thinking of himself as incapable.   Jeff corrected himself because we could spend the time laughing with him til he learned the demanding double task.  He learned because he was guided through dozens of mistakes that he wasn't afraid to make.  He wasn't afraid to make mistakes because he commanded a crew of friends, all of whom had made mistakes when they were in his position.

It was a truly pleasant day on the water.