Ken Stephens #1 - How it All Began

If you are reading this, you are already a sailor or thinking about becoming one. Of course, people get into sailing through many paths.

Do you remember how you started sailing? Some people have parents who are sailors. Some go sailing with friends and get the bug.

In my case, I didn’t get into actual sailing until later in life.

Growing up in land-locked Western North Carolina, I did not have an opportunity to engage in serious sailing. However, I had a strong interest in the subject and even taught myself celestial navigation at the age of 12. Recently, through DNA analysis, I discovered that I have a substantial Scandinavian background. Perhaps that Viking sailing blood is coursing through my veins.

Years later, when I got a job offer in the Washington, DC area, I had an opportunity to go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay with a friend, who was a retired Air Force Colonel. He told me about the Annapolis Naval Sailing Association (ANSA). ANSA was an organization of current and former military people who sailed boats owned by the U.S. Naval Academy.

A few years earlier, the Academy found itself in a tough situation. Because of budget cuts, it was actually possible for Midshipmen to graduate with no sailing experience. Academy alumni considered that a travesty.

ANSA concocted a scheme by which ANSA would provide volunteer sailing instructors for the Academy, as well as the labor for maintaining the boats. The Academy would provide the supplies, and ANSA would have exclusive access to the boats at no cost. The Academy even provided a boatyard for the work at the Annapolis Naval Station.

On my very first sail on Geronimo, the wind died. After sitting there in the water for a while, we tried to start the diesel engine. Alas, it would not start, no matter what we did. There was plenty of fuel. The only thing left was to go below and investigate.

The engine compartment was difficult to access, and most of the sailors that day were large. Being of moderate stature, I agreed to go below and try to start the engine. When I reached the compartment, I instantly diagnosed the problem—a rubber fuel line was kinked, where it could not be seen from outside the compartment.

Having a weird sense of humor, and being a fan of the original TV show, MacGyver, I decided to have some fun with the rest of the crew. [MacGyver fixed things with paper clips, duct tape, and matches, using his superior knowledge of the physical sciences.]

In the engine compartment, there was a block of wood left over from construction. I asked whether the tool kit had a small saw, and the crew sent one down to me. I placed the wood against the bulkhead, to have maximum sound amplification, and began enthusiastically sawing.

I then asked for a hammer, and the crew sent down a five-pound sledge hammer. I beat the heck out of the bulkhead, unkinked the hose, and said, “Start it up.” The engine cranked immediately and ran well. I told nobody my secret.

Because of my “unprecedented engineering expertise,” ANSA immediately made me an member, and I sailed with ANSA for years.

The next time I was on-board, one of the ANSA old-timers, who had not been on my first sail on Geronimo, asked: “Are you Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D qualified?”

Not wishing to show my ignorance about that terminology or to appear arrogant, I said, “Class D,” thinking that Class D must be the beginner. WRONG! After most of the crew that day began asking me for sailing advice, such as: “Should we go to a port tack?” or “Should we reef the mizzen?” I accidentally learned that ANSA does it backward. Class A is the beginner, and Class D is the experienced ocean sailor fully qualified to captain any of the boats on the open ocean.

Of course, I showed great modesty concerning my sailing expertise and always asked for other people's opinions. They thought I was just being nice.

Eventually, my sailing expertise caught up with my undeserved reputation, and I was able to captain the boat with confidence.

It really doesn’t matter HOW you got into sailing. Just enjoy it. It doesn’t matter whether the boat you sail is a canoe with a sail, or a 60-foot yacht. Enjoy it. Take advantage of the sailing community.