The more I think about, dream about and consider achieving my future goals, I’m reminded of the many things I still must learn. There’s so much that I’ve yet to try, risk and achieve. Things that I’ll ultimately need to have at least a working knowledge of, but even better to have mastery of.

The things I refer to is an ever-growing list, but I know there’s even more that I haven’t thought of.

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

– Pablo Picasso

The shortlist of skills that have recently been on my mind are these:

  • Heaving to: I’ve only done this maneuver once before. It’d be nice to practice it more and become proficient at it.
  • Anchoring: This is something I’ve never done at all. I only recently finished reinstalling my anchor cleat in the anchor locker. I need to read up on this skill and just spend a day practicing dropping it, setting it, then pulling it up. I guess this will also be a good time to use the anchor alarm app.
  • Fiberglass work: I already know that much of the work I did on the shelving on the interior should have been done with fiberglass, but I don’t know yet how to work fiberglass.
  • Reefing while underway: I’ve sailed with reefed sails a few times, but I’ve always reefed prior to leaving the slip. I know my future will include times I need to shorten sail while underway, so this is a skill I still need to get some practice doing.
  • Sailing during darkness: I’ve only accumulated .75 hours of sailing during darkness on my sailing log. This is definitely a skill I need to spend more time on.

Although there’s this short list and MUCH more on a longer list of skills and abilities that I’ll need to master, I’m looking forward to it. I consider myself to be someone who always likes to learn, so I know I’ll enjoy the adventure and journey along this path.

Any readers have a skill list you want to practice more so as to become more proficient?

Mike