Sailing Weekend Part One

Wow, that was hard! I went away with a youth charity for the weekend and I was put through my paces. I think the overall level of the volunteers in terms of sailing was high. As a small-time hustler not yet a sailor it was all somewhat overwhelming but I learnt a great deal. 

I learnt about apparent wind, actual wind, some very complex stuff about how to work out the strength of the tide without a machine, if you have no books on the tide us a point to see where the waves splash etc, sailing towards a fixed point on land, try to predict what will happen next, being responsive to changes in wind and tide, how quickly conditions can change, how reefing can stop you being dismasted, how to not let the bowline end up in the water, navigation was also all new to me. I had a go at basic course charting,, and filled in a log book...there was just so much. 

The first day I fell in love with everything. I saw a bird flying beside the boat and my heart felt as free as that bird. The second day I hated the sea and everything. I was just cold, and seasick, and frustrated. I wondered if I had been realistic to look into sailing as a hobby or as a career etc. I was cursing myself for being a fragile and crazy poet when I was sitting on the side sea-sick and unable to do my duties below decks. I was tough on myself. I made mistakes, and I got shouted at mildly. I was too hard on myself - I hadn't sailed in twenty years. 

I have remembered some things from my sea cadet days. I remembered a round turn two half hitches how to coil a rope and some basic points of sail. I can't even believe I used to be so confident on the water that I would borrow boats and have fun on my own in the estuary. I am not almost clueless with a winch, sails and ropes all seem too complicated, but the helm is alright. 

On the lighter side my debrief was mainly being laughed at by the skipper and first mate for my sea sickness because they thought I could take it. Which I could. ;-). The charity liked me and I liked the charity. I just need to recover from being thrown in the deep end sailing-wise. 

I think I will never go to sea again and then I find myself considering sailing open days. Craziness. No idea if I will ever make a sailor, but you have to start somewhere.