There is a young lady in my school who is an extraordinary sailor. She has been truly bitten by the bug and can be found out every Saturday morning on the waters of the Tamar with the local charity sailing group. So keen is she, that she has completed RYA levels 1 and 2; seamanship and the practical day skipper courses with success.
For her it isn't the massing of qualifications but the gaining of experiences. And I am privileged enough to remember the first time she stepped into a dinghy, on a sailing course I was helping to lead at Salcombe. Who would have thought that three years later it would lead to what will be for her a life long passion. This young lady is intelligent, warm humoured, humble, quick to learn, brave and caring and it is an immense privilege being around her. Whilst on gate duty last week, she and I got to start talking about why we love sailing so much.......and bizarrely we struggled to put it into words.
So I have reflected this week as I have pottered about my school and tried to tease out what draws some of us to sail in small boats.
For me it is the realisation that I have built something from scratch with my own bare hands. Using plans by a gifted designer I created an object of beauty (well Arwen passes the 10' test at least!!). I know my boat, every nook and cranny, every bolt, joint and screw. I know the hidden scars, the bodged bits; the areas of which I am most proud. I learnt to read plans, take measurements, craft wood into shapes; take my time and visualise what 'could be' as well as 'what was'.
And now I have learnt to develop intricate relationships between tiller, sail and wind; between waves and tides. That sense of empowerment as all fall in to place and a boat surges ahead, bow cutting through the waves under the power of wind alone. As we meld together, boat and helmsman, my spirits soar and we fly. Five knots becomes an exhilarating speed. Time becomes meaningless as I ease in to reading the puffs of wind scuttling across the distant waters; watching the wake against distant shore markers. I tack to catch breezes, adjusting halyards and sheets intuitively to get the maximum life from my sails. When a sail fills and the boat surges forward in life, it takes your breath away. My heart slows, I take deep breaths of clean salt air and work pressures become a distant memory. The discomfort of dollops of spray, of rain cascading off sails and down the neck are ignored; of blistered rough hands as jib sheets bite raw, contentment is gained from the labour of drawing them tight. Serenity descends. There are small but deep pleasures to be gained from bending on the top gaff boom; of coiling warps neatly; of trimming mizzen and jib just so that a boat sails itself. A deep satisfaction as the skills of pilotage become clearer and the realisation takes hold that this is just the beginning of a life long learning curve and banking of varied but valuable experiences. Sailing has taught me to be humble, persistent, accurate, courageous, respectful. It has opened to me a camaraderie of new friendships, some worldwide.
As my young student friend and I leaned against the school gates struggling to put in to words why we loved sailing so much, we both knew it didn't matter. Respect for the sea, a love of marine life, and all of the above we have shared. We really didn't need words to express it.....we just both knew what it really meant.
Steve
For her it isn't the massing of qualifications but the gaining of experiences. And I am privileged enough to remember the first time she stepped into a dinghy, on a sailing course I was helping to lead at Salcombe. Who would have thought that three years later it would lead to what will be for her a life long passion. This young lady is intelligent, warm humoured, humble, quick to learn, brave and caring and it is an immense privilege being around her. Whilst on gate duty last week, she and I got to start talking about why we love sailing so much.......and bizarrely we struggled to put it into words.
So I have reflected this week as I have pottered about my school and tried to tease out what draws some of us to sail in small boats.
For me it is the realisation that I have built something from scratch with my own bare hands. Using plans by a gifted designer I created an object of beauty (well Arwen passes the 10' test at least!!). I know my boat, every nook and cranny, every bolt, joint and screw. I know the hidden scars, the bodged bits; the areas of which I am most proud. I learnt to read plans, take measurements, craft wood into shapes; take my time and visualise what 'could be' as well as 'what was'.
And now I have learnt to develop intricate relationships between tiller, sail and wind; between waves and tides. That sense of empowerment as all fall in to place and a boat surges ahead, bow cutting through the waves under the power of wind alone. As we meld together, boat and helmsman, my spirits soar and we fly. Five knots becomes an exhilarating speed. Time becomes meaningless as I ease in to reading the puffs of wind scuttling across the distant waters; watching the wake against distant shore markers. I tack to catch breezes, adjusting halyards and sheets intuitively to get the maximum life from my sails. When a sail fills and the boat surges forward in life, it takes your breath away. My heart slows, I take deep breaths of clean salt air and work pressures become a distant memory. The discomfort of dollops of spray, of rain cascading off sails and down the neck are ignored; of blistered rough hands as jib sheets bite raw, contentment is gained from the labour of drawing them tight. Serenity descends. There are small but deep pleasures to be gained from bending on the top gaff boom; of coiling warps neatly; of trimming mizzen and jib just so that a boat sails itself. A deep satisfaction as the skills of pilotage become clearer and the realisation takes hold that this is just the beginning of a life long learning curve and banking of varied but valuable experiences. Sailing has taught me to be humble, persistent, accurate, courageous, respectful. It has opened to me a camaraderie of new friendships, some worldwide.
As my young student friend and I leaned against the school gates struggling to put in to words why we loved sailing so much, we both knew it didn't matter. Respect for the sea, a love of marine life, and all of the above we have shared. We really didn't need words to express it.....we just both knew what it really meant.
Steve
Dedicated to my young sailing friend who has inspired me so much
the call of the open sea and voyages afar and near
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking a look at my blog. All comments and advice are welcome - drop me a few lines. You can always find videos about Arwen at www.youtube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy. Look forward to hearing from you.
Steve