Sailing has been described as “the art of going nowhere slowly, while getting wet, cold and scared.” If that’s the truth of it, then why sail at all? All sailors have their own personal reasons, of course, some of which may be very private and never expressed in public.
By Captain Ray
Published: November, 2009
Sailing has been described as “the art of going nowhere slowly, while getting wet, cold and scared.” If that’s the truth of it, then why sail at all? All sailors have their own personal reasons, of course, some of which may be very private and never expressed in public. However, there are some more general reasons that I would like to share with you.
When viewed by the non-sailor, it often appears that sailing is just long periods with nothing happening—while the sailor is just sitting there, hopefully enjoying the ride—punctuated occasionally by a few brief moments of furious activity, noise, and yelling when the boat changes direction. Contrary to appearances, however, much more is going on.
Sailing is remarkably engaging, and it is this complete engagement that so many sailors find attractive—the here and now of the experience. You’re not thinking about the grocery list, getting an oil change, or repairing the fence. (Some boats even have a “no cell phones” rule. What a concept!) You are in the moment; your concentration is focused on what’s happening around you immediately and what will be happening in the next few minutes. The arbitrary decisions of some corporate office in Omaha are not part of the experience.
This complete removal from the work-a-day world proves to be amazingly invigorating. We all know that; that’s why we take vacations! Think about how a week or two in Hawai’i can do wonders for your outlook and attitude. Many of my students refer to their sailing time as a “mental health break.”
It is true that sailing can be quite physical at times. The wind will change direction as it bends around an island or as it comes through the Golden Gate. And, of course, boats often change direction in relation to the wind. In all these cases, the sails will need to be reset in order to keep them at the correct angle to the wind for maximum efficiency. Wind speed also changes frequently. As it speeds up or slows down, we must make adjustments to those changes. With light winds, we need more curvature in our sails, in stronger winds we need less. If these changes in wind speed are significant, we may need to increase or decrease our sail area. Depending on how a particular boat is rigged, this process, called reefing, can be quite labor-intensive!
These adjustments are responses to the real world and the effects are felt immediately. You will know almost instantaneously whether (or not) you have done the right thing. As sailors, we quickly learn what we do not have control over—the wind, waves, etc.—and what we do have control over—our responses and reactions. We learn about ourselves and gain confidence in our abilities and our judgment.
Focusing on the task at hand and physical effort of sailing in the often-brisk winds on the Bay are satisfying to the soul. At the end of the day, although we may often find ourselves physically tired, we also find ourselves remarkably refreshed and our spirits restored.
And that’s why we sail!
Ray Wichmann, is a US SAILING-certified Ocean Passagemaking Instructor, a US SAILING Instructor Trainer, and a member of US SAILING’s National Faculty. He holds a 100-Ton Master’s License, was a charter skipper in Hawai’i for 15 years, and has sailed on both coasts of the United States, in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Greece. He is presently employed as the Master Instructor at OCSC Sailing in the Berkeley Marina.
