Sailing the Great Big Data Lakes By @EFeatherston | @BigDataExpo [#BigData]

In my younger days (we won’t discuss how long ago that was) I decided to take up sailing. I had always been fascinated watching sailboats, gliding smoothly along the water, with nothing but wind as their engine. My first lesson on the water was an exhilarating and eye opening experience. The instructor took me out on a 17-foot day sailer. It was a brisk New England April afternoon, what seemed like a perfect day to be sailing. The instructor explained the different techniques and maneuvers required to traverse the lake, which I executed, though somewhat nervously. We were moving at what felt like breakneck speeds, constantly shifting and changing the position of the boat, adjusting the sail to the changing wind directions, while still heading in the desired direction. Suddenly, a gust of wind came from a completely unexpected direction. Before I fully realized what had happened, I found myself treading water, looking back at the day sailer, which was completely turtled (a term I learned that day) upside down in the water. My instructor, amazingly, was standing on top of the upside down boat, completely dry.

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