Peter Isler won the America’s Cup twice, and has a long amazing biography of sailing achievements. He also wrote a book of sailing secrets. I just read it, looking for seamanship secrets we can use as pilots. And guess what, the secrets really aren’t that secret! There were some ideas that directly translate to flying. Here’s one that resonated:
Behind every great sailor is an awful lot of time spent practicing the basics back home—putting in the long hours in the cold of the spring and fall off-season—honing the skills they need to win on the racecourse.
The same applies for all of us trying to improve. There’s no fast track to winning. It takes practice. It takes preparation. It takes working out the routines. Over and over again. Doing your homework by taking the time to practice is a key ingredient in becoming an accomplished sailor.
Peter Isler
Later in the book he says:
When talking about an America’s Cup campaign, Dennis Conner pointed out, “Time is not your friend.” There is only so much you can do to prepare before the race begins. So whatever the amount of time you have carved out for your sailing practice, try to make time your friend by setting realistic goals and using whatever time you are on the boat wisely for full-on practice, from the very moment you leave the dock.
Peter Isler
There’s also a bunch of stuff on tying knots and sails.
