The Thing About Sailing

There are so many great things about sailing. Just being outdoors is the first major perk. There is nothing better on a hot day than getting off the sweltering land onto the breezy water. My favourite moment is when the engine gets turned off and all you can hear is the sound of the water rushing past the boat as the wind propels you. And this is going to sound corny, but sailing really allows you to get in touch with nature and be one with the elements: the wind, the waves, the sun, the rain. You are truly at their mercy.

The boat is a good place for soul-searching and self-reflection. Once you're away from shore and on the move, on a not-too-windy day, there's nothing to do but let the wind take the boat where it wants to go. This gives you lots of time to watch nature all around you, and think about life and the world, and whatever else may be in your mind. It's a great way to step back and gain perspective.

We love sharing sailing with our friends. Everyone we've taken out has loved it. Because really, what's not to like about being on the water, swimming, eating, drinking, and relaxing? Ok, so there was that one time we brought a couple of friends from the Toronto mainland to the Island and it was super choppy and there may have been some sea-sickness. But that was because we couldn't sail due to lack of wind. Most of the time though, particularly on the Ottawa River, it's super calm and not very wavy, so we can often sail out into the middle of the river and just float around or anchor and go swimming and barbecue some food over a couple of drinks.

When we're on sailing trips like the one we're on right now, I love meeting up with friends. However, this can be tricky, since sailing is unpredictable. You never really know how long it is going to take you to get from Point A to Point B since this depends on so many factors: how windy it is, how wavy it is, which direction the wind is coming from in relation to where you want to go, how familiar you are with the waters and the docking situation at your destination, etc. This was particularly problematic when we sailed Lake Ontario, which was our first big sailing trip. We know lots of people who live along Lake Ontario, so we tried to meet up with a few of them. For example, we had made plans to meet my aunt and cousin in Oshawa one evening. We were coming in from Coburg, and this would be our longest day sail ever. We had no idea how long it would take. Our chart book indicated there was a marina there. However, when we got there, running late, of course, with the sun going down, we found that in fact, there was no marina, and there was nowhere we could dock to go ashore to meet them. So we had to keep going to Whitby, which took us another hour. And my aunt and cousin had to go home without seeing us, because they couldn't wait for us. 

Although meeting up with people is one of favourite parts of these trips, as you can see, it can also be the most stressful part. And for some reason, once other people get involved, I worry more. About being late, about keeping people waiting, about inconveniencing them. I've discovered it makes me quite anxious. I think the solution may be to preface all boating excursions and meetings with a disclaimer that we will very likely be late and that flexibility and patience is required.

So, now that you know what is involved, who's in?