Never a straight line

One in awhile the wind gods smile and the sailboat moves in a straight line from point A to point B.  Not this weekend, some long tacks got us out and back.  The wind always plays tricks.  For a moment it might let you move and your spirits rise, then it dies and your curse.  All in all we had a good sail. The weather cooperated.  Sleeping on the boat is always better than at home, except when there is wave slap.  Fortunately there was none, and Kadizzle slept up a storm.  Avalon, Hideout, and Sovereign all settled in Moose Bay for the night. Avalon rode on anchor and the other two boats tied up to shore.

Sailing makes one become very much aware of how the wind effects the world. On the water you can often see the wind lines.  It is amazing to see a boat 600 yards north of you moving along at a nice pace and you are becalmed. When you look in a stream you can see all the currents.  After you have sailed for years you realize those currents are also in the wind.

A sailboat is not like a power boat. You do not just point a sailboat where you want to go and sail there.  Instead you work out a strategy.  Going into the wind means you have to plan when to tack and how effective your tack will be.  Of course if you get a wind shift that changes everything.  Well, that is what makes sailing interesting.  Sailing is a chess game with the wind.

So here Kadizzle sits at 5:12 A.M.  Sleep has eluded him, and a cup of coffee seemed to be the answer.  Checking the morning news, the world seems to be relatively calm other than the people in the middle east bombing the hell out of each other.  So here are a couple things Kadizzle learned already.  Women in China are not getting married.  They see men as wimps and want more out of life than the traditional marriage. Chinese women are much better educated than in the past.  Paul Krugman had some interesting insight into Russia.  Russia is just a petrostate, a country that only lives on oil.  The fall in oil prices has left Russia with just a strongman admired by Trump. The article is in the NYT and worth a read.

So here we go for Monday.  It could really happen. Trump could be elected. If he is the stock market will crash. Kadizzle is wondering if he should move to cash until after the election.  If you can buy back in after a crash there could be a nice gain. No doubt a lot of people are thinking the same thing. This could lead to a crash prior to the election.  In that case buy, and if Clinton gets elected you can pick up some quick cheese.  So it seems one way or the other moving to cash is the way to go.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Trump has so many ideas that will bring the economy tumbling. Everything that has hurt us in the past he wants to do more of.  More tax breaks for the rich.  More military spending, more senseless wall building, and more protective trade policies.  Sometimes a crash or a depression is what it takes to wake people up. So fasten your seat belt and lets get on with the circus.