Messabout
01/06/15 05:16
Those of us who like small boats have a quote that we are known to spout from time to time:
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing... about in boats — or with boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.”― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
From that quote came the name of a series of gatherings of people who like boats and talking about boats. I’m not sure when the term “messabout” was first used, but there are formal organizations like the Southern California Small Boat Messabout Society (SCSBMS) and the Traditional Small Craft Association (TSCA).
For years now, I have been playing with, building, rowing and paddling boats in my spare time. I often keep my hobby and my work separate. I need time away from work in order to remain fresh when I am working and I need my own space to think and dream and reflect. But there are times when mixing the two simply makes sense if for no other reason that it allows the people in my work life to see me as I really am.
One of my favorite magazines is called “Messing About in Boats.” It is a simple, black and white publication that is filled with articles about small boats, including design, building, restoring, sailing, rowing and paddling.
Sometime last winter I got the idea that we needed to have a messabout for our church. The idea was simple. We’d just pick a day. I’d load my boats onto a trailer and haul them to the lake and whoever came would be welcome to play with the boats. Those who didn’t want to paddle could have a picnic on the shore. It wouldn’t take any organization, really. We’d just get together for the fun of it.
Yesterday was the day and the weather cooperated. There were a few clouds in the sky and a moment or two when it almost threatened to rain, but that kept us from getting too sunburned as we paddled around the end of the lake. There were lots of other boats out on the lake, but we claimed a bit of shoreline. I was pleased and surprised that a couple of dozen people came out and tried the boats. We had preschool paddlers and senior paddlers and we mixed them all up for a bit of fun.
One of the conversations I had with a parent around the edges of the gathering was about how there are really lots of structured activities for children these days, but fewer opportunities to just play in unstructured ways. I was spouting my theory that young learners don’t need too much instruction in paddling. While there are specific techniques that can be learned and specific strokes that are helpful if one wants to get into whitewater or technical situations with a boat, it is also the case that for thousands of years paddlers have learned to paddle by just getting into a boat and experimenting in what does and doesn’t work. One of our eight-year-old paddlers succeeded in developing an effective forward stroke and taught herself how to do a back stroke just by taking a bout out and playing. Along the way she learned to be comfortable in the boat, found her balance, and discovered the joy of human-powered travel.
We watched as boats worth many tens of thousands of dollars were launched into the lake. For the big inboard powerboats, Sheridan Lake is a bit too small. They make a few journeys around the lake and there isn’t much more for them to do. The are gorgeous and demonstrate some amazing engineering feats. Dollar for dollar and pound for pound, however, you really can’t beat a cheap canoe. There is a lot of fun and entertainment in a simple boat and the smaller the boat, the bigger the lake seems. There are times in life when going slow is just the right pace.
The world has changed a lot since the days when my brothers and i used to tie together rafts of inner tubes and float down the river. There were lots of makeshift boats in my growing up days. We had time for unstructured activities every summer. I remember looking forward to summer in part because we had less schedule and less structure to our lives. Our chores were simple and accomplished in a little time and then we had the rest of the day to build treehouses, explore the river, play makeshift games, and entertain ourselves. My family didn’t have television in the summer and we didn’t need it. There were no video games and very few organized sports.
I suppose that we occasionally did things that might not be considered safe in today’s world. We rode bicycles without helmets and we played in the river without lifejackets. I don’t advocate such behavior for children today, but there are lots of things that can be done safely without much structure. yesterday was a good example. We had properly fitting life jackets for everyone and everyone wore them when we were out in the boats. We had plenty of extra adults to keep an eye on those who were out on the water.
From there we simply messed about. It was a gloriously fun adventure and it was difficult for the parents to get the kids into the car to head home when it was over. I’m pretty sure I’ll have plenty of interested participants for the next messabout.
“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing... about in boats — or with boats. In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.”― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
From that quote came the name of a series of gatherings of people who like boats and talking about boats. I’m not sure when the term “messabout” was first used, but there are formal organizations like the Southern California Small Boat Messabout Society (SCSBMS) and the Traditional Small Craft Association (TSCA).
For years now, I have been playing with, building, rowing and paddling boats in my spare time. I often keep my hobby and my work separate. I need time away from work in order to remain fresh when I am working and I need my own space to think and dream and reflect. But there are times when mixing the two simply makes sense if for no other reason that it allows the people in my work life to see me as I really am.
One of my favorite magazines is called “Messing About in Boats.” It is a simple, black and white publication that is filled with articles about small boats, including design, building, restoring, sailing, rowing and paddling.
Sometime last winter I got the idea that we needed to have a messabout for our church. The idea was simple. We’d just pick a day. I’d load my boats onto a trailer and haul them to the lake and whoever came would be welcome to play with the boats. Those who didn’t want to paddle could have a picnic on the shore. It wouldn’t take any organization, really. We’d just get together for the fun of it.
Yesterday was the day and the weather cooperated. There were a few clouds in the sky and a moment or two when it almost threatened to rain, but that kept us from getting too sunburned as we paddled around the end of the lake. There were lots of other boats out on the lake, but we claimed a bit of shoreline. I was pleased and surprised that a couple of dozen people came out and tried the boats. We had preschool paddlers and senior paddlers and we mixed them all up for a bit of fun.
One of the conversations I had with a parent around the edges of the gathering was about how there are really lots of structured activities for children these days, but fewer opportunities to just play in unstructured ways. I was spouting my theory that young learners don’t need too much instruction in paddling. While there are specific techniques that can be learned and specific strokes that are helpful if one wants to get into whitewater or technical situations with a boat, it is also the case that for thousands of years paddlers have learned to paddle by just getting into a boat and experimenting in what does and doesn’t work. One of our eight-year-old paddlers succeeded in developing an effective forward stroke and taught herself how to do a back stroke just by taking a bout out and playing. Along the way she learned to be comfortable in the boat, found her balance, and discovered the joy of human-powered travel.
We watched as boats worth many tens of thousands of dollars were launched into the lake. For the big inboard powerboats, Sheridan Lake is a bit too small. They make a few journeys around the lake and there isn’t much more for them to do. The are gorgeous and demonstrate some amazing engineering feats. Dollar for dollar and pound for pound, however, you really can’t beat a cheap canoe. There is a lot of fun and entertainment in a simple boat and the smaller the boat, the bigger the lake seems. There are times in life when going slow is just the right pace.
The world has changed a lot since the days when my brothers and i used to tie together rafts of inner tubes and float down the river. There were lots of makeshift boats in my growing up days. We had time for unstructured activities every summer. I remember looking forward to summer in part because we had less schedule and less structure to our lives. Our chores were simple and accomplished in a little time and then we had the rest of the day to build treehouses, explore the river, play makeshift games, and entertain ourselves. My family didn’t have television in the summer and we didn’t need it. There were no video games and very few organized sports.
I suppose that we occasionally did things that might not be considered safe in today’s world. We rode bicycles without helmets and we played in the river without lifejackets. I don’t advocate such behavior for children today, but there are lots of things that can be done safely without much structure. yesterday was a good example. We had properly fitting life jackets for everyone and everyone wore them when we were out in the boats. We had plenty of extra adults to keep an eye on those who were out on the water.
From there we simply messed about. It was a gloriously fun adventure and it was difficult for the parents to get the kids into the car to head home when it was over. I’m pretty sure I’ll have plenty of interested participants for the next messabout.