Experts: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

This is one of those thought-provoking conversations I like to have with friends. During all our lives, many of us have been lucky to have a teacher, supervisor, trainer, or just someone who was really experienced at sharing his or her knowledge with us. But like myself, you perhaps have come across self-proclaimed experts where the results ranged from annoying to comical to downright dangerous. 

When we lived in upstate New York, I loved to fly fish for trout. My buddy Steve and I fished all over the state, including a visit to the legendary Beaver Kill. There we met “experts” on trout fishing who would hold court for hours discussing the merits of the ORVIS bamboo rod VS (Ugg) fiberglass. And the intricate lifestyles of the most common fly-to-tie for fishing for trout, the Caddis fly. We heard in excruciating detail about tying and fishing the nymph stage, the emerging pupa and the full adult form fly, time of year, size, color variations ad nauseam. I couldn’t help but think, hey, we are talking about a fish, a hook, and a bunch of feathers tied on. Do we really need experts on the subject? I proved this point one day on the first of April. Steve and I loved to fish the iron bridge on Fish Creek north of Camden, New York, a beautiful piece of water. New York state fisheries would release large quantities of hatchery-raised trout for the opening day of trout season April 1st. These trout who have been fed from birth a dog food-sized brown fish pellet wandered around their new home while anglers on top of the bridge bombarded them with salted minnows, worms, corn kernels, etc. Steve and I stepped into the water at the base of the bridge to the jeers from the spin casting crowd and proceeded to catch trout after trout that we promptly released because they had been eating fish food pellets, yuck! Our secret? We took brown yarn and tied brown dog food pellet flies - worked great. So much for the Caddis fly experts. I have a friend on Marco Island named Marc. Marc is the most amazing fly fisherman I have ever seen; you can sit in his boat and watch him cast like an artist painting a masterpiece. Marc knows the equipment, the streamers to use, and the fish he wants to catch, and he will humbly show you everything he knows. That is the expert I want to know. 

Which brings us to sailing. Kathie and I came to Marco in 1994 with our sons to buy a home for our sailboat. We were just tired of sailing on Lake Ontario in long underwear. During our trips to the Keys and Bahamas, we met several “experts” on sailing. Let me explain to those who would like to sail how this works. You have a boat with a stick that points up. You tie two rags to the top of the stick. You tie ropes to the rags. You pull the ropes tight, and the rags fill with wind. Oh yeah, there is a stick on the back of the boat that helps you steer. Okay, there are a few more things to learn to fine-tune the whole thing. BUT what I would hear these self-important experts tell these new sailors or wannabes was the difference between a sloop, a ketch, a schooner, and a cat boat. Mainsails (the big one in the middle) full batten mainsails, Kevlar sails with carbon fibers, the luff and the foot. The sail out front, the head sail, genoa or jib, roller furled, hanked on, full storm or 130* it went on and on and let’s not forget the venturi lift between the jib and main. My head would explode! Guys, sailing is fun! I reached out to Caroline Hugo, who oversees the Marco Island Yacht Club’s sailing program. Specifically the yacht club’s sailing program for kids. I asked Caroline what her philosophy is, her system is for teaching kids how to sail and making it fun. She advised that sailing is more than just learning how to steer a boat - it’s about adventure, teamwork, and feeling the thrill of the wind in your sails. At Marco Island Yacht Club Sailing, they focus on creating an exciting and engaging experience for kids of all skill levels. From the moment sailors arrive, they are immersed in hands-on learning. Rather than sitting through lengthy lectures, they step aboard and begin to feel how the boat responds to the wind and waves. By taking the helm early, they gain confidence and develop an intuitive understanding of sailing mechanics. To keep the experience fun and dynamic, they incorporate games and challenges that turn sailing lessons into playful competition. Whether it’s a friendly regatta, an obstacle course on the water, or an exhilarating game of tennis ball tag, these activities reinforce important skills like tacking, jibing, and teamwork in an enjoyable and memorable way. Above all, the atmosphere at Marco Island Yacht Club Sailing is one of camaraderie and enthusiasm. Singing sea shanties while rigging the boats, cheering for teammates, and celebrating successes together ensure that every moment on the water is filled with joy. By combining hands-on learning with creativity and encouragement, they don’t just teach sailing, they inspire a lifelong love for the water. If you have a child who wants to learn how to sail, the yacht club's sailing program has classes for kids from four to six years old to teens. Go to the Marco Island Yacht Club website Sailing Program - Marco Island Yacht Club and find the classes under the sailing program. Guys, take classes to learn the fine points, but don’t get overwhelmed by an expert; it’s rags and ropes. Find a fun gal or guy to take lessons from and go sailing.

Even when we know better, even when our sixth sense says, “This is really stupid,” we find ourselves following along. Why? Because the guy says HE’S AN EXPERT. Case in point, back in the 90s when I was just starting out on the Sheriff’s SWAT team, an opportunity came up for one of us to attend an advanced police sniper class, and I was picked to go. This class was being held at the West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office range, a beautiful place to train. The instructor and the owner of the training company was a self-proclaimed expert on the subject, so what could go wrong? Mid-summer in the high 80s and in the full sun, we found ourselves lying prone on the 100-yard line of the range with our rifles. We were allowed only one box of ammo at a time, 20 rounds. We were shooting over 100 rounds that day at different ranges, and our ammo was to be kept in our vehicles in the parking lot. Every time we needed ammo, we had to run to our cars and back to the line over and over. That is fine; running or doing push-ups before shooting builds in stress and breathing issues for training snipers. BUT we were told we could not drink any water all day! Why, you ask? Because the instructor, our “expert,” wanted us to experience the effects of dehydration as part of our training. I know a heck of a lot more about first aid than I did back in the 90s. In a nutshell, dehydration can kill, but like everyone else that day, I followed along because hey, this guy is an “Expert.” 

So, the moral of the story, thinking of all our life experiences, I bet there are a bunch of you out there who have as many stories about encounters with experts as I have. Perhaps we need to share our experiences with people who are maybe not as “aged” or experienced as we are. Or at least watch out for those mischievous experts wherever we find them, to make sure the training when off base stays comical or silly but not dangerous. Trust me on this; I’m an expert. ;-)