Fair Weather Experience

Oh, Starbuck! it is a mild, mild wind, and a mild looking sky. — Moby Dick, Chapter cxxxii, The Symphony

By Scott Alumbaugh 
Published: June, 2007 

June is the perfect time to go sailing. Aside from being a pretty mild month, June also has the longest days of the year. Or, as a sailor would say, the longest sailing days of the year.

It is also a perfect time of year to take up sailing. But for those who don’t sail, it can be a little intimidating to figure out how to get started. Taking lessons is a natural step, but how do you choose a school? How much does it cost? How long will it take? These are natural questions, and are easily solved with some research. But then there is the possibility of a larger problem.

Everyone likes the idea of sailing. I mean, what’s not to like? Put this paper down for a second and look out across the Bay. Chances are it’s gorgeous out there. Search around for a sail boat. Watch it glide by for a minute as it moves effortlessly, gracefully over the water. Feel the wheel in your hand and the wind in your face. Smell the salt air. Where else could anyone want to be?

Well, like most things in life, the world looks different from the other point of view. The skipper of that boat is checking the wind, the trim of the sails, feeling the wheel to see if the boat has too much weather helm or not enough, scanning the crew for signs of seasickness, rubbing her leg because she bruised it during the last tack, looking around to see if the ferry’s going to run her over, deciding when to change course, how long it will take to get to her destination, planning how to dock so as not to put another scratch in the hull . . .

You get the idea. Or the reality, I should say.

But in between the bruised knee and the effortless glide of the boat lies the real joy of being on the water — the companionship and momentary isolation from the pace, noise and clutter of modern life, the pure pleasure of being with friends away from the mundane distractions and the time to have the longer conversation. Here in the Bay Area we have that unique opportunity of getting away from it all right in the middle of it.

So, how do you find out if sailing’s for you? You might have a friend who sails and can take you out. If not, there are sailing schools to try [see waterfront activities p.19], and this month, local sailing enthusiast John Arndt has organized Summer Sailstice, an international celebration of sailing and a chance for everyone who wants to get out on the water for free during the longest days of the year. For people who sail, it is about connecting with other boaters around the world. For those of you who might become sailors, it’s an opportunity to get an idea of what all the excitement is about.

Can you really know if you will like sailing just based on one experience? Absolutely. Almost everyone remembers the first time they sailed and what kind of seed that experience planted. Put the paper down and look around the Bay again, and ask yourself: How can anyone live in this area and not spend all the time they can on the water?

Scott Alumbaugh is a US SAILING certified, Coastal Passagemaking instructor. He holds a 100 Ton Masters license, has worked as a delivery and charter skipper in the United States, Mexico and in the Caribbean, and is a sailing instructor at OCSC Sailing in Berkeley Marina.