From newsgroup rec.humor.funny Mar 12 1994
Several years ago, I spent two weeks at Mobjack Sailing Camp. We campers tried to learn how to sail by going out on the Bay to sail twice a day under the somewhat inept instruction of the counselors.
Anyone who knows how to sail is sure to know the terms "head up" and "fall off" -- "head up" means to point the boat closer to the direction where the wind is coming from, and "fall off" means to point the boat in the other direction (further away from the source of the wind).
If you point the boat too far up in to the wind (i.e., if you "head up" too far), the sail will get back-winded and start to luff (i.e., flap around wildly.)
One day, 4 fellow campers, a counselor and I were out on one of the boats in a stiff breeze. Ann, a camper who had a reputation for being a little bit of an airhead, was at the helm.
Ann wasn't very good at sailing, and at one point she pointed the boat way too far into the wind, causing the sail to start luffing wildly. She had no idea which sheet (rope) to pull or which direction to point the boat to get the sail to fill again, so she started getting frantic.
Exasperated, the counselor finally yelled "Fall off! Fall off!".
Ann immediately jumped off the back of the boat!
