I Learned About Boating From That - 5 Lessons from My Father

by Capt. Gregg Clark

My father, Richard Clark, passed away in October of 2018, just a few weeks before his 91st birthday. Shed not a tear though, Dad had a great life and, after three years in a nursing home battling the increasing effects of old-age and early-stage dementia, he decided one morning it was time to cast off his lines for his final journey. He did so peacefully with my mom at his side.  

I grew up a farm-boy in central Indiana; Franklin, Indiana to be specific. Sailing and boating was not part of our family’s existence in any way, shape or form. While Dad didn’t teach me to tie a bowline, dock a boat or hoist a sail; there were many valuable lessons he did reinforce over and over with regard to what could be pretty dangerous farm equipment. Those lessons certainly serve as a basis for my own practical approach to seamanship today.  

1. Always Assume “it” is About to Break

    

   Everything is going to break at some point. Equipment and machinery have a way of doing it at the most inopportune times. Dad frequently referred to this as Murphy’s Law. He liked to stress – sometimes at the strangest times – that some particular piece of equipment was about to break to see how I would handle it. Not that it really was, but his point was to get me to think – almost continually – about what I would do if it did.  

    

   What would I do if the tractor seat I was riding on, with an 8-blade plough in the ground behind it, suddenly broke?  

    

   Did I have a strong enough grip on the wheel or fender to save myself?  Was my footing always solid? Who knows, maybe tractors today have kill-switches on them, but they sure didn’t then.

    

   If I was pulling a stuck tractor or truck out of ditch, what would I do if the tow rope suddenly broke under load? What would the direction of recoil be?Were my head and body protected? Was there enough distance in front of me if the tractor lurched forward?

    

   I now practice these somewhat pessimistic skills on the water all the time. Whether it is a line, an engine, a stanchion, a lifeline, a handhold or an anchor – I am always thinking, “what if this were about to break.”

2. Something Doesn’t Sound Right

    

   My appreciation of Dad’s “something is about to break” game was enhanced by his uncanny ability to actually tell when something was about to go wrong before I noticed and before it actually did. I thought he had magical powers!  

    

   What I’m sure he told me many times, but didn’t sink in until I was a bit older, is that he could always hear when something wasn’t right long before he could see it or feel it.

    

   Dad would cock his head, sometimes close his eyes and listen intently. My typically impatient interruption of inquiry was usually met with a swift, “Shhhh!” He would then shake his head and say, “something doesn’t sound right.”  

    

   Sure enough, usually within seconds, the engine would stall, a belt would break, a jam would occur or an important element of the equipment would depart its normal position.

    

   Today, sound also serves as my first indicator of problems most of the time. When I step on a vessel, I listen to her. Are any pumps running, is there the sound of bubbling water? When I start up an engine, I listen to the tone to see if it sounds familiar.  If I am starting an inboard, can I hear the water pumping?  

    

   While underway, the slightest change in sound such as objects hitting the hull or changes in pitch or tone of engines can send me scampering to discover the source.  

3. Push it Hard in and Out of the Barn

    

   I always thought my dad, and also my uncle (my dad’s older brother who ran the family farm), had a rebellious side as they really liked to hammer the throttle of any truck, tractor, combine or other mechanical device when leaving and returning to the barn in which it was housed.  

    

   “Push it hard in and out of the barn” he would say, usually with a slightly devious smile on his face. I thought it was just their way of having a little fun in an atmosphere of usually very manual, hard labor. But, I came to find out there was some logic.

    

   Both Dad’s and my uncle’s philosophy was, if it was going to break (and, per lesson one, it is always about to), it is better to have it break close to home base where tools and alternatives were close. If mechanical equipment is pushed to its limit, theory is bad things will happen then.  

    

   Then for the duration of the task at hand, when the equipment is operated at more normal conditions, things should operate just fine (again, see lesson one!). Today, I hammer the throttles both to and from port once safely outside no-wake zones and after engines have had a chance to warm up to operating temperature.  

    

   Better to have something break close to home than miles offshore where issues with reaching and repairing a vessel would be far more complicated.

    

   There were two other great lessons I learned from my dad that, while they may do nothing to make me a better boater, sure do serve as good reminders of how I can be a better person every day.

4. Be Kind

    

   It seemed my father knew just about everyone in our little town of 15,000. Because he worked at the Post Office, he probably did. I always remember how glad people always were to see my dad. It seemed like people went out of their way for him.  

    

   I know I asked him many times why people were so nice and his answer was always the same. “I try to be kind to everyone.”  I think he did a pretty good job on this one. The boating community is small, so it is something I try to practice to this day. The lowest guy on the totem pole at the boat yard; the boat brokers who hound you to death with their latest and greatest; the obnoxious guy in the marina who aways play his stereo too loud; the customer service guy at your dealership who takes days to get back to you; I always try to be kind to them all. You’ll never know when you need them.

5. Be Happy

    

   My dad was never one to complain. He seemed to find joy in everything he did. He was always happy at work. He was always happy to tackle the jobs and chores required around the farm or our house. If it was worth doing, it was worth enjoying while he did it.  

    

   I love boating, but sometimes things can get tough. Let’s face it, in boating things go wrong all the time, despite you best laid plans and precautions. Mechanics are busy, electricians are on vacation, marinas are full, the weather turns nasty, etc., very few days on the water go according to plan. So, why not plan for that and be happy about your new boating aventure. I always try to be happy and grateful for the opportunities I have to be on or near the water.

Lastly, to my dad….thanks for all the lessons you taught me over the years. I wish you nothing but fair winds and smooth seas on the other side.

Capt. Gregg Clark is a test captain for BoatTEST.  He holds a 200 GT master license and has boating and yachting for 40 years.  He owns a 56’ Vicem and is co-owner in a 40’ high-performance racing sailboat.  He can be reached at [email protected].

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