Sailing

Why Sailing?

Learning to sail may seem complicated or beyond reach for many but there’s really nothing to learning the basics and there are many local organizations (yacht clubs, community parks and private schools) that offer affordable courses to those who want to experience life under sail.

Sailing has the power to change your outlook by spinning you in a new direction with different people and ambitions. It also provides a fresh perspective on how and where you spend your leisure time. Here are some of the most compelling reasons to learn to sail and set a course for new adventures.

Freedom & Sustainability

Boating is fun but sailing is grand. Harnessing the power of the wind and feeling the spray fly is amazingly freeing. It’s a great way to forget about the office and recharge your personal batteries. When done right, sailing is also a green and sustainable activity so you can start a new hobby without increasing your carbon footprint. Whether you just want to reset on an afternoon solo sail or get the blood flowing with a raucous upwind beat, there’s really no feeling like commanding a ship under sail.

Lifestyle and Community

Once you learn to sail (and even as you continue to improve), you’ll notice the strong sense of community that sailing creates. People dedicated to the lifestyle feel a kinship and you may find new friends. Whether you become a racer with strong ties to a yacht club, or a cruiser with a love of isolated anchorages, you’re bound to find like-minded individuals who will be more than happy to gather, share stories and help each other out.

Friends and Family

With busy schedules, it’s hard to carve out time for family and friends to gather and reconnect. However, a fun shared activity has a way of bringing people together and you may even be able to pry teenagers away from their phones to join in a physical endeavor that provides hours or days of enjoyment. It’s true that couples, families and friends who play together, tend stay together.

Competition and Goals

If leisurely daysails and weekends of discovery aren’t enough, you can always step up your sailing game and set some goals. Sailing doesn’t take long to learn but it can take a lifetime to master so there’s always some skill to work on. Become a master sail trimmer, navigator or helmsman and try your hand at racing. Whether around the buoys in a dinghy on a lake or on a large offshore racing machine, there’s no end to the kind and amount of racing you can do and the goals you can set.

Travel and History

Sailing opens up new ways to travel and see the world. Once you know how to sail, you can charter boats at bases around the world and enjoy water-based vacations that will take you off the beaten path. You can choose exotic locales or ones packed with history. Imagine cruising the turquoise waters of Tahiti or following the path of Odysseus throughout the Greek isles on a boat that is yours for the week. Of course, if you become really committed, you may end up buying your own yacht and sailing around the world, which brings with it a new set of challenges as well as accomplishments.

Not all hobbies are created equal. Sailing can be particularly fulfilling and developing the skills takes you well beyond powerboating into a world that is dreamt of and envied by many. Perhaps the best part is that sailing crosses social structures and age groups so you can enjoy life under sail well into your twilight years. Why not start today?

Pro Tip: In general, sails should be relatively flat when the wind is either very light or very strong, and full when there is a moderate wind.