In the puddles

Sally Barkow's comments in today's Scuttlebutt reminded me of my two years in Columbus, OH, where I learned the ropes of the Midwest sailor. Growing up a So Cal kid, we hardly went east of the I-5 freeway, let alone to landlocked turf. This region likely has the least of respect of all in the US, and Sally is likely getting tired of fielding questions about how she could come out of that area being so good, let alone even knowing the difference between a daggerboard and a centerboard.

I learned the difference between the two on Buckeye Lake in OH, which is littered with tree stumps below the surface. I joined the Lightning fleet one day, but was schooled not to ever sit over the centerboard well. The Lightning board is a large steel plate, and when it came across a stump, there were two losers. The first was the stump, which got a heck of a whack fromt the leading edge. The other loser was whoever was sitting over the trunk, since the board would kick up until it got past the stump. Daggerboard boats just would not survive in this environment.

Sally is right about how sailors can't go both ways. You have a better chance of taking the lake sailor, and teaching them to be good open water sailors, than the other way around. The inland lakes take levels of patience, creativity, and courage that open water sailors want no part in. But if you grow up in the Midwest, it is all you know, and you get darn good at it. I sailed the Snipe for a lot of years, and whenever the Nationals were held in the inland lakes, there would be different folks doing well when compared to the open water venues. The difference for Sally is that she has invested the time to make the cross-over, and learn the ways of the open water sailor. I doubt anyone who grew up on, say, Biscayne Bay, has any interest in learning to sail on the lakes of her home. - Craig Leweck