[I]t is time to remind you that festooning a small boat with a lot of gear and supporting systems is a two-edged sword. While it might increase convenience and creature comfort, it also will weigh down the boat, which means it won't sail at peak performance, especially not in light air and it will alter its behavior in a seaway.

But since I ate your present of comfits—and they were admirable comfits, and I ate them with speed—my heart is changed and inclined toward you, I know not why or how, except it be through magic.

‘And another beer! But cold this time, hear that, boy? Muchee coldee, and bring it chop chop.’

The self-taught small boy usually begins with the so-called “dog-paddle.” There his instinct is thoroughly right, and the method is especially valuable for children too young to do much formal practicing. Dog-paddle is the most natural of all strokes, and therefore the easiest of all to learn.