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have a conspicuous piece of artwork that hangs prominently in my home office. It was created and given to me by the artist Logan. It is a treasure and one of my favorite pieces of art. Here’s the story:

Six years ago, July 24, I was coaching sailing at Bow to Stern Boating Center (shout out). Young Logan, estimated age around seven, was with his parents. All four of us were aboard the sailing school’s Endeavour 32.

Logan and his parents had signed up for a day charter/lesson. I was their captain. When I first met the trio, I knew immediately I had my hands full. Logan was a busy young man. He demanded and obtained a lot of attention. Logan was extremely bright and got bored easily. He was high energy and interjected himself into everything.

Logan made the day demanding… by being demanding. I instructed as best I could. Mostly, I split my onboard time and attention between Logan and his parents.

As the day wore on, I felt the personal amperage being drained out of my batteries. At the end of the day, I was going to have nothing left. I knew exhaustion was waiting for me at the end of the day.

Logan’s parents dealt with situation in a magnificent manner. They understood there was no way they were going to receive a complete lesson. With my time divided, I was not going to accomplish my usual instructional routine. I was being all I could be. It was difficult and frustrating to say the least.

The day ended well and somewhat thankfully. I was pleased with what we did accomplish and pleased with what I had heroically endured. Logan and parents departed Bow to Stern and I returned to the house.

At my house, I recounted the entire challenging day to my wife. (She is a good listener.) However, my description of the day sounded like complaining. Maybe it was.

Sympathetic, she suggested a meal at the Toucan Restaurant. It was an excellent idea and a good use of the day’s earnings.

Surprise. When we entered the Toucan, Logan and his parents were also there for dinner. Yikes!

I waved and tried to seat myself far away and out of view; difficult in the Toucan. Oriental is indeed a small town. Anyway, while waiting for my meal, I noticed Logan, still busy, was working on something; probably calculus or quantum physics I thought. Minutes later, he arrived at my table and presented me with this piece of fabulous art:

It is the Endeavour. And yes, the genoa is a Hood sail; nicely done from memory. I was touched. And I thought, well here it is…quite the lesson for me.

We all give each other experiences. And often, we fail to grasp what that experience means to someone else.

I had one experience and Logan had another. I was so glad I expended tremendous effort that day. It meant a lot to him and his parents. I realized this experience was two-sided and worth the expenditure of my personal amperage.

So I keep Logan’s art in plain view to remind me that if I give the very best of myself, others will have a good experience.

The message to me as a boat captain: I must always bring my best self aboard. My message to you is: for a good experience, bring the best of yourself aboard your own boat. Others aboard are worth our effort.

Thank you for the lesson, Logan.

Fair Winds,
Captain John Rahm
(Always trying hard)

Captain's Blog on TownDock.net is all about making your time on the water enjoyable. Captain John Rahm teaches sailing and boat handling at Third Wave Sailing.