I assume it is like the bike riding example, only using the experience of working on a ship (ballast being brakes, etc.)?

"Wise Mind is like riding a bike, which takes effort, balance, and steering. You can learn Wise Mind, like you learned to ride a bike, only by experience. Just like you must pedal to start a bike rolling you must be willing to expend a little extra effort to initiate Wise Mind. As you would fall over if you were too far to one side or another on a bike, find Wise Mind by making the effort to find the balance of your emotions and thinking. Intuition steers you toward Wise Mind. The negative emotions (anxiety, depression, anger, shame, and guilt) are like putting on the brakes. Like you can jump on a bike and ride, you can learn to activate wise mind and do the best you can."

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Dialect..._and_Intuition