JFK Sailing

There's something to be said about a man who loves to sail and who does it regularly.  John Kennedy was that. . .there's a lot to be said (and not said) about our former President who seemed to find relaxation and peace on the water. 

I find sailing to be Zen like in nature.  Peace.  Harmony.  In tune with the elements.  Almost like meditation. 

They say that once you learn how to ride a bike you'll never forget how.  True.  Sailing is like that.  Once you've mastered the art of sailing, you'll always be a sailor and you'll always be able to sail most any craft.  Apart from hoisting the sails there's a fair amount of skill required to sail from point A to B and C then home again. 

Then there's emergencies a sailor must be able to manage.  Coping with someone falling overboard while under full sail and lots of wind.  If a component in the rigging breaks then what?   Knowledge of how to manage injuries of a passenger when there's no one else to help. What if the boat takes on water?  Then what? 

Driving the boat is one thing.  Doing that and everything else well is yet another.

I think of John Kennedy as a good skipper who could manage any problem on the water.  As President, it was also JFK's job to manage any problem on his "watch".  Good sailors can multi-task and translate skills learned at sea into most anything on land.  He did just that (well, most of the time).