Thank you very little.
Watch. That's the whole answer. There are SO many combinations of boats, rigs, wind speed and angles that it makes a simple answer impossible, or even irresponsible to suggest that there is one.
Learn your boat, your rig, your docking conditions. Then go into your toolbox and select the right tool for the job.
This is exactly my point. I think most here get that, but I understand there is a user that I have on IGNORE that is too dense to follow along. That's OK, can't get though to everyone, and on the up-side I got to quote one of my favorite movies.Question is too "open ended" for a generalized answer. Is the wind blowing hard or is it very light? Is the boat a heavy full-keeled cruiser or a light 14-ft day sailor? Are you alone on the boat or do you have crew? Is the dock clear to leeward at its end?, or is there a pile of rip-rap just beyond its end, etc.
Let's take one of the harder examples. The boat is a 37-ft heavy cruiser, like an IP-35: 17,000#, full keel; wind blowing at 90 deg relative; 15 kt. You and your wife of 5'4", 135#, 55 yr old are the only crew. The dock is a few feet from a seawall to its leeward with the wind from that direction.
How are you going to "sail" that frigin' boat off the dock? My answer- 1) Wait until the wind changes!!
Is it me or has there been a real decline in the public ability to formulate a question?Ask a detailed specific question and you get a good answer.
I think that there definitely has been a move away from complex understanding of how things work overall, and dumbing-down of things in general. You think of the skill-sets that have been lost due to the simplification of our general lives, as people make their living doing one very focused thing at the detriment of all other skills. Heinlein said it best.Is it me or has there been a real decline in the public ability to formulate a question?
I realize you are probably not talking in absolutes...but specialization is the reason we emerged from the pre indiatrializiation era to grow the world into what we have. Specialization is a fundamental economic principal on en efficient economy and allocation of resources. But I get your point, I think certain arts of self sufficency have been tragically lost in a technology age where many things are spoon fedI think that there definitely has been a move away from complex understanding of how things work overall, and dumbing-down of things in general. You think of the skill-sets that have been lost due to the simplification of our general lives, as people make their living doing one very focused thing at the detriment of all other skills. Heinlein said it best.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
~ Robert Anson Heinlein
yea thats more my point. I have friends that cannot drive my car because its a 6-speed manual. I know people that will not leave port on sunny day without a working chartplotter. Or would not survive a night alone in the woods. Skills many chose not to learn because they don't think they have to, but often at their own peril.I realize you are probably not talking in absolutes...but specialization is the reason we emerged from the pre indiatrializiation era to grow the world into what we have. Specialization is a fundamental economic principal on en efficient economy and allocation of resources. But I get your point, I think certain arts of self sufficency have been tragically lost in a technology age where many things are spoon fed
I think they can if they are interested in it (issue); if it's important to them. So maybe this is "specialization" of interests.But we are not talking about the idea or use of specialization. We are exploring the reason individuals can not formulate a cognitive and contextual query in search of clarity to their issue.
There appears to be a decline in the process or use of critical thinking.
In a general case for the social animal of humans, I agree. We, as a group of individuals, are capable of rising to meet the challenges in most cases. There are individuals who can't or won't and become completely lost without the support offered by the group, but for most of us, we are capable of critical thinking, if the need is great enough. Often, the social structure discourages critical thinking because specialization is needed by the group and critical thinking outside that specialty can lead to anarchy or that is the fear, by those who specialize in control (governance).I think they can if they are interested in it (issue); if it's important to them. So maybe this is "specialization" of interests.
I consider a bad question one that reveals, in its asking, a failure to think on the part of the asker. When we ask a question that we are in a position to answer for ourselves, yet wee call upon the group to think for us, we act selfishly and enable our own instabilities. That is a dumb question.Maybe. We like to say. There are no bad questions only ones not asked. But maybe that is not true.
I agree it's not dumb. Its just not a REASONABLE question. A reasonable question has a reasonable, actionable answer. Try this one on. 'How do I defend myself against a wild animal'?This exercise of working out the hypothetical problem ood sailing away from a seawall without power is not a dumb question. It is an exercise in group problem solving.
- Will (Dragonfly)