Sailing: Catching the Drift of Why We Sail (Philosophy for Everyone)
Patrick Goold
Language: English
Pages: 212
ISBN: B00Y34V9L8
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
This volume reveals the wisdom we can learn from sailing, a sport that pits human skills against the elements, tests the mettle and is a rich source of valuable lessons in life.
Unravels the philosophical mysteries behind one of the oldest organized human activities
Features contributions from philosophers and academics as well as from sailors themselves
Enriches appreciation of the sport by probing its meaning and value
Brings to life the many applications of philosophy to sailing and the profound lessons it can teach us
A thought-provoking read for sailors and philosophers alike
Decline of the West, Volume 1: Form and Actuality
Kant’s ‘Critique of Practical Reason’ (Cambridge Critical Guides)
From Empedocles to Wittgenstein: Historical Essays in Philosophy
Revisiting the Frankfurt School: Essays on Culture, Media and Theory
Aquinas on the Beginning and End of Human Life
Time and Philosophy: A History of Continental Thought
grab a snack. If the wind is fairly light, the boat will pick up speed and glide smoothly across the lake. If the wind is strong and gusty, the crew may be in for a wild ride! The boat will heel over and the upwind crewmembers must lean out over the water to counterbalance the weight of the mast and sail against the wind. No Mai Tai under these conditions! Some adventurous types may attempt to stand on the bilgeboard if the wind and the skipper are strong enough to keep the boat up on edge. It’s
Close-Hauled The puzzle that non-sailors have about sailing is that it seems to be a lot of work, and often newcomers are told to do things in a rather brusque manner, and to do them correctly or someone might get hurt. Aside from casting off, landing, and coming about, these experiences are most likely to happen when sailing close-hauled, which means that the boat is heading as closely into the wind as possible without losing all power. This tack is not particularly speedy and not particularly
get to that horizon, give it a good kicking, from me!” I laughed and took a photo of him, standing on the ramshackle Scottish dockside, heavy arms folded, leaning against a large fuel drum between an equally ancient wooden fishing Sailing – Philosophy for Everyone: Catching the Drift of Why We Sail, First Edition. Edited by Patrick Goold. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. boat, in fading yellow, blue, and red, and a modern hull of brushed aluminum. He
didn’t smile as he watched me slip away, but the moment, I felt, was one of mutual recognition and understanding. A good line; but what could it have meant? I think he knew I understood it, which is why he gave it to me. Where was I going? Toward the horizon, certainly. And from that horizon I would raise shorelines, mountains, lights, cities, bays, relationships, skills, struggles, happiness, and near despair. Below the horizon my bow would dip, and my anchor dive, many times. But each
the need to avoid becoming conscious of our motives. And this is a critical part of flow. To put it another way, the trick is to avoid becoming aware of what we are trying to do while we are doing it, since that is an extraneous thought that interferes with the doing. The right motivational structure, then, is a balancing act between the doing itself and an awareness of the doing that omits the reason for it. In this essay I have applied the concept of flow to windsurfing (sailing). My motive has
