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So "surfing a weather system" more than really sailing.

No, I read most of it and they were actually sailing, not riding a wave, which is in fact a racing skill taught to sailors.

Yes. He said surfing a weather system, not surfing a wave. Which is exactly what they did. As a person who does surf, his analogy was accurate and meaningful.

Surfing has a specific meaning, where you ride the forward part of a wave and the movement of the wave behind your hull propels the boat forward.

Sailing in front of a weather system to get optimal wind for your sails is not surfing.

Imprecise language is sloppy and problematic for people with a functional vocabulary. Surfing is a technique used in sailing and this isn’t the same thing.

It's called a metaphor.

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