Liar, liar, pants on fire
We've done over 60 posts to date........none about this topic because
a) I thought I was seeing an amazing string of outlying data points and
b) I don't understand this phenomenon
Sailors are more than bullshitters...............they are, as a group, compulsive liars. I'm in sales. I understand how to tell a story............how exaggeration can make it funnier. As Kirstin says, "that's why it's called a story". But what we're seeing in the folks we meet here is the scary, pathological, "I enjoy misleading people" kind of stuff.
Case in point. A guy anchors next to us who we had drinks with a few months ago. We thought he was crazy back then, but had been drinking and forgot he was trouble. He rows over saying he has "a few minutes and wanted to say hello". OK, I guess. I'm still a little POed that I'm 95% sure I caught him checking out Kirstin with binoculars as she was hanging laundry a few hours before.........we've talked about the burgundy bikini and I think we've fixed that issue.......so no big deal.
Anyway, highlights from our conversation:
Tom- Yeah, I'm reading this Keith Richards book
Lying Guy- I met him. Great guy. Split a bottle of gin. Guy drinks like a fish.
Tom- Going to Monserrat next. Kirstin wants to see the volcano damage
Lying Guy- I was there the day it blew up. Saw a girl get scalded and lava flows
Tom- Great sail yesterday. We were going 8 knots at one point
Lying Guy- We were doing 10-11 knots the whole way (violates the law of physics relative to waterline and hull speed but I guess physical law doesn't apply to this guy)
Tom- At Reagan, I saw a 3-star general so I googled his name. Head of supply chain. No big deal
Lying Guy- Yeah, I know that guy. Had drinks with him in Iraq.
OK- you get the picture. This guy is unhinged. But the thing is, he's rather typical of sailors we meet. People claiming to have been in 50 foot waves (when we were 20 miles away practically becalmed). Maybe the reason they're sailing is because this lying habit has burned all their bridges. Anyway, my research continues, but I think there's a few more posts coming.
a) I thought I was seeing an amazing string of outlying data points and
b) I don't understand this phenomenon
Sailors are more than bullshitters...............they are, as a group, compulsive liars. I'm in sales. I understand how to tell a story............how exaggeration can make it funnier. As Kirstin says, "that's why it's called a story". But what we're seeing in the folks we meet here is the scary, pathological, "I enjoy misleading people" kind of stuff.
Case in point. A guy anchors next to us who we had drinks with a few months ago. We thought he was crazy back then, but had been drinking and forgot he was trouble. He rows over saying he has "a few minutes and wanted to say hello". OK, I guess. I'm still a little POed that I'm 95% sure I caught him checking out Kirstin with binoculars as she was hanging laundry a few hours before.........we've talked about the burgundy bikini and I think we've fixed that issue.......so no big deal.
Anyway, highlights from our conversation:
Tom- Yeah, I'm reading this Keith Richards book
Lying Guy- I met him. Great guy. Split a bottle of gin. Guy drinks like a fish.
Tom- Going to Monserrat next. Kirstin wants to see the volcano damage
Lying Guy- I was there the day it blew up. Saw a girl get scalded and lava flows
Tom- Great sail yesterday. We were going 8 knots at one point
Lying Guy- We were doing 10-11 knots the whole way (violates the law of physics relative to waterline and hull speed but I guess physical law doesn't apply to this guy)
Tom- At Reagan, I saw a 3-star general so I googled his name. Head of supply chain. No big deal
Lying Guy- Yeah, I know that guy. Had drinks with him in Iraq.
OK- you get the picture. This guy is unhinged. But the thing is, he's rather typical of sailors we meet. People claiming to have been in 50 foot waves (when we were 20 miles away practically becalmed). Maybe the reason they're sailing is because this lying habit has burned all their bridges. Anyway, my research continues, but I think there's a few more posts coming.