Basic Seamanship.

[M118LR]

So how many of the G-kids can point out Polaris or even Orion's belt? What about "Red right returning"? Yes I'm assuming a basic knowledge of Seamanship to pass such information. But those without it are free to question, and so it may be passed. Yet the bottom line remains, how many of the G-kids have such basic knowledge? Perhaps Basic Marksmanship comes after Basic Seamanship, like land navigation? Or even Basic skills like fire making? Awaiting Y'all's Response!

 

[Imnotbruce]

Maaaaaan I'm never going to earn enough to buy a boat much less have the spare time to sail it, I'm too busy competing with the rest of the working stiffs in a foot race to lower spending power and quality of life. Most of the guys I know are too busy keeping their head down looking at their budget to look up at the stars. Maybe when I retire I'll get to play around and try to learn these basic concepts.

 

[ABlaster]

What’s a G-kid?

 

[M118LR]

Maaaaaan I'm never going to earn enough to buy a boat much less have the spare time to sail it, I'm too busy competing with the rest of the working stiffs in a foot race to lower spending power and quality of life. Most of the guys I know are too busy keeping their head down looking at their budget to look up at the stars. Maybe when I retire I'll get to play around and try to learn these basic concepts.

Ever had a big tree get knocked down on your land? That's the start of a free dug out canoe. Ever heard of a Courieur Des Bois? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coureur_des_bois

 

[M118LR]

What’s a G-kid?

That's one of your Thing 1 or 2s etc little things. LOL. It's an Old Guy Thing....LOL Sort of like all the other Basic things. LOL. Got Basic? Have you passed Basic to whom? What's so important about Basic "Red right returning" on the water? Or is a hard rock (possibly a piece of flint) and carbon steel (not stainless steel or brass) more important to Landlubbers?

 

[Jevaughn]

Not sure what you mean by a 'G-kid'. I know that I learned basic survival training, first aid, and marksmanship as a kid, and that was enhanced by military service. Seamanship isn't my strong suit, I am not a sailor. My kids all have basic first aid training and CPR, know how to apply a tourniquet, and all are fairly good shots with pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

 

[DustyDog]

Not sure what you mean by a 'G-kid'. I know that I learned basic survival training, first aid, and marksmanship as a kid, and that was enhanced by military service. Seamanship isn't my strong suit, I am not a sailor. My kids all have basic first aid training and CPR, know how to apply a tourniquet, and all are fairly good shots with pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

GRANDkid : )

 

[M118LR]

Not sure what you mean by a 'G-kid'. I know that I learned basic survival training, first aid, and marksmanship as a kid, and that was enhanced by military service. Seamanship isn't my strong suit, I am not a sailor. My kids all have basic first aid training and CPR, know how to apply a tourniquet, and all are fairly good shots with pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

Basic Survival? North Star? Fire from nothing more than what you gather? Crossing waterways? Basic or advanced training?

 

[big jon]

so when you get old enough to start forgetting shit what are you, I need to know so I can identify with that

 

[ABlaster]

My son is in Scouts and is learning all the associated skill sets. I’m not a bad woodsman and I pass what I know as well. I used to drive a motorboat to work regularly back in the 80’s but my seamanship is not up to that necessary to teach!

 

[M118LR]

so when you get old enough to start forgetting shit what are you, I need to know so I can identify with that

Dependent on what you passed to youngsters! PS: Thanks DustyDog, didn't realize how discombobulating G-kids could be to the General Public.

 

[M118LR]

My son is in Scouts and is learning all the associated skill sets. I’m not a bad woodsman and I pass what I know as well. I used to drive a motorboat to work regularly back in the 80’s but my seamanship is not up to that necessary to teach!

Really, what colored lights are on the Port side, what color light is on the Starboard side, what color is the aft light? Bet you know the Basics, now it's time to put them together and pass this Basic information along.. JMHO.

 

[Jevaughn]

Basic Survival? North Star? Fire from nothing more than what you gather? Crossing waterways? Basic or advanced training?

How to use a compass or make a simple one. How to locate the north star. How to hunt small game and make a fire. Always carry a knife. How to swim, each got certified with basic life support and CPR by attending classes at a VFD. How to find basic edibles in our area in the wild. We haven't done a lot outside of the Southeast, but they're smart kids.

 

[M118LR]

How to use a compass or make a simple one. How to locate the north star. How to hunt small game and make a fire. Always carry a knife. How to swim, each got certified with basic life support and CPR by attending classes at a VFD. How to find basic edibles in our area in the wild. We haven't done a lot outside of the Southeast, but they're smart kids.

So when was the last time you sat outside with them and had them point out the North Star? When was the last time they napped a stone knife? Making a Basic Compass is a Great Skill, navigating with a Basic hand made compass while counting paces, well that's a bit harder. JMHO. Seaman regularly find themselves "Above Timberline and Buck Naked" that's about as Basic as it gets. This is conceptual, not personal. But red right returning like G-kids shouldn't be all that hard? Basic Seamanship predates the compass, and the colored lights on open water are about as Old as the invention of fire. So it's really Basic, but it may be so Basic that we have forgotten about it until we need it to Survive???? Oversight or undervalued?

 

[fisheadgib]

Maaaaaan I'm never going to earn enough to buy a boat much less have the spare time to sail it, I'm too busy competing with the rest of the working stiffs in a foot race to lower spending power and quality of life. Most of the guys I know are too busy keeping their head down looking at their budget to look up at the stars. Maybe when I retire I'll get to play around and try to learn these basic concepts.

You can make more if you learn more skills and work more. If you coast and always just do enough to get by you'll get stuck in a rut. I'm no rocket scientist with a degree, I'm a repairman but I'm good at what I do and I have a decent life.

 

[M118LR]

You can make more if you learn more skills and work more. If you coast and always just do enough to get by you'll get stuck in a rut. I'm no rocket scientist with a degree, I'm a repairman but I'm good at what I do and I have a decent life.

Working with your hands is underappreciated nowadays. JMHO. It may even be a Basic Skill? A lot of information has been passed in a real short amount of time, many take rubbing two sticks together to make fire for granted that have not watched those that they passed that skill onto others struggle with? Now about that Basic Seamanship " Red right returning" how about someone taking a shot at explaining it? I seem to have a problem just passing Grandchildren in an abbreviated form online! Come on, how are we ever going to be Pirates if we can't pass along the skills required of a simple seaman? LOL. We have to be at least as adaptable as those press ganged into service at sea?? Or are we?????

 

[Imnotbruce]

You can make more if you learn more skills and work more. If you coast and always just do enough to get by you'll get stuck in a rut. I'm no rocket scientist with a degree, I'm a repairman but I'm good at what I do and I have a decent life.

The point wasn't about doing the bare minimum, last year I worked an average of 120 hours each paycheck with some weeks of back to back 16 hour shifts doing an essential service for the public. I get paid decently but the cost of living is climbing to a point where even earning just north of $70k doesn't feel like middle class.
I've harvested wild salmon commercially in Alaska stacking seine net from sun up to sun down when days run 18-20 hours long and patching the net when we're done for the day.
I've slapped hands with day shift for 7 days straight for over half a year to fix avionics systems to maintain flight readiness for the guys on the ground to do what they need to.
I've done plenty of labor and work enough to know the harder you work the less you get paid, and still I can't imagine not busting my hump working senseless hours to try and build a future for my family (and to make up for terrible life decisions).

I lost the point of this post but I'd like to say even doing an essential public service and squeezing more working hours in a week than most I still can't afford to ease off the gas and take time for these important things because the price to maintain a family keeps going up. I guess I could pursue training for a more lucrative career but someone needs to do what I do and I enjoy it enough to spend more time with the scum of the Earth than my own family. Somewhere we decided as a society/community that the people who keep the wheels turning should get paid just enough to eke out an existence with a family, as the cost of living climbs those keeping this thing moving lose the time needed to learn and maintain these skills.

Basic seamanship sure does sound nice but that's one of those things for those above my station, I'll watch some YouTube videos and daydream about it at work.

*I'm not crying about it, just stating that these skills fade as the pressure increases on the working man.

 

[Jester896]

Ever heard of a Courieur Des Bois?

i've been scalping beaver furs most of my life

 

[ABlaster]

Really, what colored lights are on the Port side, what color light is on the Starboard side, what color is the aft light? Bet you know the Basics, now it's time to put them together and pass this Basic information along.. JMHO.

Red is on the port side (like the wine, port is red is how I always remember that even after all this time). The stern light was white, but that may have been just my stepfather replacing the bulb wrong. He was a “the nice kitchen knives are all screwdrivers” kind of guy.

 

[M118LR]

i've been scalping beaver furs most of my life

So while paddling your canoe collecting pelts, how did you navigate those unknown waters? And should you be afloat at night, how did you keep from colliding with other trappers?