The Capsized Sailboat

It was the summer of 2005, and I was the sailing instructor for an all-male, summer adventure program. The independent school where I taught wanted to increase revenue by offering a summer program and they needed a sailing instructor. I decided that earning a little extra summer money on the side while spending time on the water would be a great opportunity. The fact that my sailing experience was limited to less than a handful of summer excursions while at a cabin didn’t really factor into my decision. 

It was a perfect day for sailing on Lake Nagawicka as I ventured out with my eight future sailors.  We were carried out into the middle of the lake on the school’s pontoon where there was a small island.  We towed the four sailboats behind us.  Once at the island, I offered a few words of sailing wisdom, helped each student raise the mainsail and then pushed them out to their first sailing adventure.  I quickly jumped into the pontoon or “safety boat” to watch my fledgling fleet. 

It became apparent, within just a few moments, my fleet had been reduced to three.  One of my boats was already missing in action.  I grabbed the wheel of the pontoon and circled the island as fast as I could to find the missing boat.  Off in the distance I spotted a slim, white underside of a hull.  I could just make out two figures sitting on top of it.  I headed that way and pulled up alongside of them.

“It’s going down, sir.  Should we grab the rudder before it sinks?”

My first day as a sailing instructor and I was going to lose a boat, great.  Then it occurred to me, when a sailboat turtles (flips over completely), it doesn’t sink.  My young student had not ascertained the reality of the situation.  Every sailor has moments when things are turned upside down.  Instead of thinking all was lost, the best next step was to flip the boat back over and continue to sail.  Small sailboats are designed to recover from capsizing.  My students had not learned this important lesson.

From that day forward, the first lesson of sailing I taught was what to do when the boat capsizes.  I’d line the students on the dock while I rigged a boat and sailed off into the lake.  About fifteen feet past the dock I would stand up in the boat and flip it over.  It would surprise them, but I would quickly reassure all was well.  Then, slowly and methodically, I’d talk them through flipping the boat back over.  I’d sail back into shore and then choose two students to repeat what I had just done.  Our first day would be to learn how to recover from failure.

This transformed the sailing class.  Once the students saw me “fail” and then were able to practice recovery techniques, they became more daring and adventurous on the lake.  Their ability to learn how to sail improved dramatically.  Sometimes they would even flip the boat on purpose or days we would play “pirates” they could flip each other’s.  Once they knew it was okay to experience failure because they knew how to recover.  All was well.

Teens experience more challenges in life than my sailors did in class.  We all have a certain level of the fear of failure, which can be healthy, but can also cause a great deal of anxiety.  I know our parents do a great deal of coaching (as well as our teachers) to help our student navigate life’s challenges.  One tact that can be helpful is to share a “capsized” event and the steps taken to recover.  Many times, failure provides a strong learning opportunity.  I encourage all of us to remind our students that failure is a part of learning and a process God uses to cause us to grow in grace and wisdom.