Go with the Flow

As someone who enjoys dancing, I am always thinking about how I can move more efficiently and in a way that is healthy for my body. When you work on a surface that is in perpetual motion, such as the deck of a boat, it is important to be aware of how you're moving. This, in my opinion, isn't a capacity that can be taught in a classroom setting like Pilates or Thai Chi. It is a way of moving and holding oneself that can only be learned from experience at sea.

When I first started working on boats, I was clumsy and awkward. I tired easily since I was investing so much energy in fighting the motion of the boat and trying to stay upright. When a person is uncomfortable on a boat, all of the muscles in their body seize up in tension in an attempt to remain static and to hold onto things. I still feel this happen on really rough days when it is hard to stay standing.

I soon figured out how to stand on a boat. A person can stand comfortably even in rough seas with bent knees and a wide stance that is oriented diagonally in relation to the fore-aft axis of the boat. This enables you to stand independently on deck without grasping onto things to stay upright. That way, your hands are freed to work. Bending your knees and lowering your center of weight alone helps this cause.

Next I learned how to move with the motion of the boat instead of fighting it. By tuning into the feeling of the waves, whether it is an infrequent and rolling swell or an abrupt chop, one can predict the motion of the boat and move accordingly. I don't think I can describe this phenomenon in words any better than that.

Dolphin is an animal symbol that helped me learn to be comfortable on rough seas. My father gave me a necklace with a dolphin pendant that I wear on stormy days. It helps remind me to breathe, go with the flow (move with the motion of the boat), and to think of big waves as adventurous instead of scary.

Working on a boat requires much awareness of movement not only to conserve energy, but also to save time. It takes much experience, believe it or not, to bait a trap quickly, which is essential to hauling enough traps in order to fetch a decent catch. I've watched fishermen bait a trap with such grace and technique that you would swear they'd taken ballet as a child!