by Heidy K.
I am slowly immersing myself into the world of sailing, from speaking
in terms of knots (as in unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per
hour) to learning how to tie knots with lines (nautical terminology
for “rope”). Without a doubt, it’s a new language and a different way
to experience the environment for me.
I first tried sailing in 2009 after I had seen Nathalie, my former
roommate and founder of BeatSarcoma.org, come home with a very focused
and calm demeanor after a long day of sailboat racing.
Today was my first time on the water since May of last year. My crew
of 5 included 2 experienced sailors – Nathalie and a former sailing
instructor, who naturally seemed to want to make a sailor out of me,
but I’m a bit slow… sorry, what was that again?
Jib sheet, main sheet, boom, vang, mast, upper shroud, winch, cleat,
tiller, rudder, head to wind (in irons), beam reaching, bearing away,
tack… ok, I’m overwhelmed.
What I like best is the feeling part… Nathalie asked if I could feel
the direction of the wind on my face. Yes, the wind is coming from the
south, southwest! I’m learning to be present and aware at all times,
since the #1 rule in sailing is to stay inside the boat, it sounds
easy but try it when the boat is tilting, and one’s weight shifts when
walking on the deck. I am also learning to not care about how I look
as I’m wearing not very figure flattering foul weather gear in order
to stand the cold temperatures, which barely increase here in the San
Francisco bay area.
As you can see, sailing is not about sipping champagne in fancy yachts
and talking to men in navy sport coats; today my crew opened a bottle
of 2004 chardonnay and talked about our week at work.
As we pass other boats with husbands and their wives or people who
don’t mind solitude or being in a small crew, they smile and wave at
us and I feel understood, though I don’t know which uncleated line I’m
supposed to pull. I figure that egos sometimes are dormant when
sailors face the ocean that is vast and more powerful than them.
Even experienced sailors make mistakes and know that such mistakes are
learning experiences. At the moment, sailing to me is about
forgiveness and developing relationships with crew members, but also
with the boat. One starts to care about the vessel, a man-made
artifact that will not let one down, if one takes the time to
understand it; the boat being a tool that helps one navigate any
situation.
Hopefully, sailing to me will continue to be about learning how to
harness the situation to get to a destination faster, but mostly
working on myself in getting to my destination in a way that feels
right.
