You Know You Suffer From “Obsessive Compulsive Rigging Disorder” When…

Yeah. That’s a made up name.

There’s no such thing as Obsessive Compulsive Rigging Disorder.

I mean, it’s not in any manual. And of all the things in the world to obsessive over, or be compulsive about, rigging wouldn’t be one of them. Would it?

Nah.

Wrong!

Rigging and rowing equipment are EXACTLY the things a normal, well-adjusted person can obsess or be compulsive over.

I’ve suffered from OCRD. Others have been afflicted. Maybe you’re feeling it right now.

How can you tell? Well…try this…

You Know You Suffer From Obsessive Compulsive Rigging Disorder When…

1. You use an oarlock for a key ring.
2. You always carry a 7/16 in or 10 mm wrench in your pocket. ALWAYS. At the dentist, in the grocery, at the beach. There’s ALWAYS a wrench at the ready.
3. You own multiple pitch meters, and when you measure pitch you use them all, because, well, y’know, one might just be off 1/10th of a degree.
4. You use a micrometer to measure your rudder for straightness. (And you actually know what a micrometer is.)
5. Each of your riggers has a name, and, of course, you talk to them.
6. You have a speciality seat top made, and get an extra one made a wee bit larger, just in case you gain a few pounds.
7. You get your boat a birthday present, each year. And the date is marked with red on your calendar.
8. You try to impress people at parties by reciting all the important numbers of your boat, like: serial number, heel cup height, foot stretcher angle, catch length, and seat wheel size. And you get mad if they don’t know their’s.
9. You wake up screaming with nightmares about your lateral pitch being 1/4 degree off.
10. You shrink wrap your boat for winter storage, even though you store it inside.
11. You’ve spent all-nighters rigging your equipment, and you call it “bonding time with my height stick.”
12. You recharge all your rowing electronics before you even think of recharging your smart phone.
13. You’ve worn a CLAM for a bracelet, or snap spacer for a ring.
14. You don’t wash rigger-grease off your hands, because it “becomes you.”
15. Your pet is named after a piece of rowing equipment. Y’know, like “Front Stop” the dog, “Wing Nut” the cat, or “Bow Ball” the gerbil.
16. You change your oar handle grips more frequently than your socks.
17. More than once your significant other has told you, “If you mention inboard/spread/span/pitch/height/etc one more time, I’m outta here!”

You afflicted?

No worries.

There’s help out there somewhere.

Maybe.