We set sail from Fort Pierce on a weather report which promised fine sailing and a following sea! They were good to their word until we reach the half way mark and then the wind and tide turned and we started slamming! As us and everything in the slaoon bounced and hovered before coming crashing down I tried to think how anyone could possible explain this 'phnomenon' to non sailers and mono hull sailors! :)
Finally I worked it out!
Who of you remember the 'See-saw' of our childhoods! Sorry if the youngsters out there don't know what I am talking about they have probably been deemed as 'unsafe' and banned as have many of the everyday things of our youth! Anyway it was usually a solid plank of wood balanced on a fulcrum. At each end a small handlebar for holding onto as you sat straddling the plank! I doubt there is anyone out there who played on one of these that doesn't have a memory of feet, legs and even fingers being pinched under the plank when you were too slow to stop the motion and pull them out the way!
'Normal' kids usually took the weight on their legs as they came down for a softer turn just before your ass hit the floor and you pushed up into the air and the opposit kids weight together with your thrust lifted you into the air and him or her down on the other end!
Well that's how it usually worked BUT there was always that ONE kid! He or she was usually bigger than you and despite your reluctance you agreed to ride the See-saw with them. As punishment for your 'good deed' (no good deed goes unpunished) they were the one who never put their legs down to cushion their descent! With them being bigger and heavier than you, the result as they lifted their legs and crashed into the ground was instead of slowly now starting to go down on your end you stopped with an abrupt SLAM and if you had not been holding on would have been bounced right off! You knew you were in trouble and started to get ready to jump off, but the fat little shit on the other end bounced harder so you never got a chance to jump as you touched the ground and were once again catapulted into the air as his fat little ass slammed into the ground! Him chortling with glee and you wide eyed with horror gripping onto the bars on the other end!
Right, have you got the picture? Now slamming on the boat is kinda like that. With the sea being the bigger fatter kid and you being slammed almost off the end of the plank every time his fat ass hit the ground! Now imagine doing that for 3, 4, 8 hours!
Just maybe you understand slamming a little better and why we LOVE reaching an anchorage at the end of a slamming trip! Luckily, usually by the next morning with thanks to a good sleep and alcohol you have forgotten the see-saw ocean bully of the day before!
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