Sailing: The Great Unknown

“Mother mother ocean, I have heard you call. Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall.” -Jimmy Buffett

“Although the radius of visibility at sea on a perfectly clear day is only twelve miles, for some reason we grasp the vastness of the world when we are out on the open water more than we ever could on land.”

Terrified, screaming, and ducking from the uncontrollable swinging boom, my cousins and I held onto the side of a sailboat for dear life as it tipped into the Atlantic Ocean. At age 8, you don’t expect to die but I thought I might as the sailboat barely stayed afloat while wave after wave crashed into us. My grandpa lived for adventure. He was not our captain that day, but he was a captain in the sky as well as in the water. He was my superhero. He wanted a sailboat and knew my grandma Joan would not approve so he bought one and named it Joan’s Island to soften the blow.

There is a peaceful solitude when a sailboat gracefully carves through the water. “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.” -May Sarton

July 19th, 2022, was a beautiful yet windy day. I wondered why I didn’t sign up for sailing lessons sooner. I arrived at my first lesson not knowing what to expect. What I did know was I wanted to learn a new skill while having fun and what better place to do that than on the open water? Greg would be taking me out on the 22-foot Ensign for my first lesson as I was training for my “light air” rating. We left the dock in “medium air.” As we entered the harbor, the waves were crashing, water was blasting us in the face and crashing onto the boat. Greg had me controlling the tiller and the sheet as a gust of wind tipped us horizontally. I flew across the boat and slammed my leg hard against the hull. Flashbacks from when I was 8 flooded my brain. When we returned upright, I practiced a few tacks we learned in class. He asked if I had sailed before and was shocked when I said no. I took that as a complement being fully aware of how I have operated vehicles in the past. We watched a sailboat turn over and right itself three times, heard the Coast Guard respond to a different overturned boat, and reported an upside-down sailboat that was slamming into the rocks. The Coast Guard had to rescue all of the crew. As we headed back to the dock, Greg had me tack and jibe through the sailboats in the mooring basin. He was yelling, “put the red boat on your right, put the blue boat on your left, go straight, tack now,” as I was maneuvering through the sailboats trying to get us back to dry land. My first attempt at docking, Greg said, “you’re coming in hot!” He told me to go around. As I was circling through the boats waiting for others to dock, I tried again. This time we were too far to make it. The third pass we coasted in smoothly, and safely. I looked up and noticed the black flag which means no one can sail due to dangerous conditions. My rating is for up to 10 knots. We sailed back in 32 knot winds.

I went back for my second lesson and sailed with a new volunteer and student. The man had a very militant way of teaching and ordered us around the boat. We learned more about tacking and jibing. During a tack, you sit opposite the boom with the wind to your back. After checking your blind spot and for traffic, you push the tiller all the way forward and straighten out before your end point. A jibe is a bit more complicated. Initially, you switch sides as you sheet in your sail. As you slowly push the tiller away, you let out the sail. The drill sergeant also ordered us how to use the jib. After I told him human arms don’t work in the direction he was ordering, he finally conceded that I was indeed correct. What I learned from that lesson was to stick up for myself no matter who it is.

The next lesson we learned right-of-way rules as we maneuvered around buoys taking turns going clockwise and counterclockwise around them while dodging other boats. Starboard has right-of-way over port unless you are on the same course in which the leeward boat has right-of-way over the windward boat. If you are being overtaken, you stay on course because you have the right-of-way. Mary and I hugged the buoys while enjoying our sail with an excellent volunteer. Tom made learning fun. He encouraged us while allowing us to make mistakes even when we almost crashed into the rocks. Making mistakes is the best way to learn. “Failure is only real when you refuse to see it as a learning experience and opportunity.” -Kristin Addis

Our final lesson was learning how to rescue someone or something that goes overboard. One student was so anxious to practice he put himself in the water before even getting into the boat. As he was walking backwards pulling his boat along the dock, he walked right off the dock. I helped him out with a ladder while another student helped me hold the boat to prevent it from smashing into him. While in the water he asked if this was going to affect his rating. Once we were on the water, where the crew overboard is more likely to happen, one person announces, “crew overboard” while keeping an eye on the person and points. If there is another crew member, they count boat lengths as the skipper sails on a beam reach for 5 to 6 boat lengths. Next, you tack hard to a broad reach for 3 to 4 boat lengths. As you luff your sails you can make your turn upwind to the person in the water. We took turns practicing crew over-boards. After successfully rescuing the buoy, I took us back in through the mooring basin. After about 20 minutes of tacking through the boats, our instructor yelled, “Amy! If you ever want to make it back to the dock, you’re going to have to jibe!” As I did what she said another lady yelled, “watch out for the kayaker!” who I almost ran over.

I missed the class the previous day and was preparing to make it up another time. My instructor said she saw everything she needed to see and I received my light air rating that evening. There were close calls, new skills learned, and lots of laughter. “Anything you love to do or are good at, it is important to pursue that. You never know what is going to light a fire in you.” -Reese Arthur