Skills to Master in 2007 (or, 'Things I Should Probably Already Know')

I, Skipper Christy, pledge to try, practice, flail through, and/or master the following sailing skills this season:

• Man Overboard Manuever (top priority!)
• Docking - 'mount' and 'dismount' - using the outboard motor
• Heaving-To (in order to picnic on the lake... take a 'head' break... or kiss a boy or something)
• Anchoring (see above)
• Reefing the Main (need to be able to do this quickly and easily... preferably before I *need* to use that skill)
• Jybing (so that I can turn 90 degrees one way... instead of 270 degrees the other way, in anything above 'light and variable' conditions)
• Using a Tiller Tamer (and perhaps Singlehanding!)

I realize that I really should already be comfortable with these basic skills. One excuse that I have is that I missed the session of the Learn to Sail class last spring where most of these skills were covered. I was recovering from my thyroidectomy at the time. In hindsight (20/20), I probably should have scheduled my surgery to coincide with the 'parts of the boat, tacking, and points of sail' lesson!

Oh yeah, I also intend to add the following (very basic) knots to my (sad little) bag of tricks, as well as understand the conditions under which each would be the 'knot of choice':

• square knot
• clove hitch
• sheet bend
• two half hitches
• double half hitch

I'll keep y'all posted on my progress through the season, as there will most likely be stories to tell. There are always stories to tell!