what is sailing

[kickingbug1]

   recently, well about two seasons ago, i purchased an 81 cp16. my wife and i had previously owned three other sailboats but had been out of sailing for about 18 years. i was coming up on retirement and found the 16 for sale. the price was more than right so we bought her and gave her a home in our garage. after sailing her for two seasons with a lot of singlehanded trips i have concluded that the com-pac was one of the best purchases i have ever made. the other day my neighbor walked over while i was waxing the com-pac getting her ready for her long winter in the garage. he is a hunter and fisherman and spends most of his free time outdoors. while i waxed he began asking me questions about sailing. i gave him the benefit of what little knowledge i possess and then he asked "what is the best thing about sailing?" well, i had to think about that one for a while. its a lot of things i guess. quiet, peaceful, challenging, fun, and exciting. but my answer was theraputic. when i sail, especially alone, it clears my mind of all the little troubles that plague all of us. it demands attention and at least for me fully engages my mind. some would call it a "zen" expierence. all i know is that i am richer when i return to the dock. i have owned a few power boats and still fish from a 16 footer but unlike power, sailing requires more feel for the environment. as sailors we are constantly aware of wind direction and speed and the wave action all around us. you become one with the boat and in so doing you seem to find a special spot on this earth. a spot not found elsewhere. just some ramblings of an old man.

[romei]

Perfect.

[nies]

kickingbug1, I have been sailing for over fifty years and can not find a greater way to experience life than a sail boat. In all those years there has been times when I experienced the 'ONENESS' of being in the "GROVE". The boat, set of sails, heel, wind, temperature of air, wave, sun, sky, tiller, and GOD are at one with the me the  sailor. The quest to repeat those times is what  keeps me on the water ............Phil

[Bob23]

Ramble on. old man- you got it right!
   I think the most appealling thing about sailing is our inablity to put into words why we love it. We can all try to describe as best we can and, judging from the above, can get real close. But for me, it's very hard to describe in black and white. Kinda like when you view a masterpiece painting or  photograph or hear an outstanding piece of music. You know you love it but can't quite put your finger on just why. I suppose it's the wonder of being on the water in a fine ship that appeals to me. It's hard to describe "wonder".
Bob23

[kahpho]

I imagine that at one time or another we've all been in the position of trying to explain to a non-sailing friend or acquaintance just why we enjoy sailing. Reading your posts, they all seem to nail it. But then I sail, so they make perfect sense. What I usually get is a blank look and a polite "ohh, ok". So, I had to think about this for a bit. Tell me if this works...

Think back (some of us have to think waayyy back) to when you first learned to ride a bike (without training wheels). Remember when the whole balance thing finally, suddenly, kicked in? It felt like flying, right? No noise, wind in the face, speed of your own making, kind'a scary but not wanting to stop, the potential you could go anywhere, suddenly master of your own world? It feels like that. Or at least as close to it as I'm likely to get at my age.

Ya, for me that's it.

mel

[newt]

Imagine that you could create a world that was peaceful, and that nobody bothered you for anything. While not completely safe, it was beautiful and always felt like home. That is what sailing is to me.

[adifferentdrummer]

I've been thinking on this one for a while, and it is a difficult one to put into words. Some have said that sailing is hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. Although this is a cute saying and does contain an element of truth, sailing is much more than that.

I like Mel's bicycle analogy, and I agree, it's 'the potential you could go anywhere,' and being 'suddenly master of your own world.' It's the possibilities it affords as much as anything that makes it such a rewarding and fulfilling activity.

Sailing is about the sailboat, but it's about more than just what a sailboat is; a hull, a keel, some hardware, some ropes and wires, a pole or two and some sails.  It's much more than the fiberglass, the wood, the metal, the cloth.  What it really is, is what it represents.  It represents a getaway, an escape, an adventure, a journey; it represents freedom.  It's all this, and so much more, because it can represent whatever you can dream; whatever you can imagine; whatever you want it to be.  It can take you to distant lands and new horizons, even if those distances are just across a local lake. It's your magic carpet.

And there certainly is a Zen to sailing. It tunes you in to the present moment and focuses your attention on the here and now, making all the 'where and when - there and then,' fade away into your wake.

It can even make you a better person.  It will teach you to think more carefully and make better decisions. It can educate you in the ways of nature and give you a deeper appreciation for all of creation by bringing you into a closer relationship with your natural environment, making the success of your voyage, and even your very survival, dependent upon how you interact with those natural forces.

Perhaps it is like that expression, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.' Perhaps it is a little different for each of us, but one thing is sure. Sailing is a very special thing, offering a sense of soulful satisfaction that can be found in few other endeavors.

Milt  CP16  #635

[newt]

Well said.

[adifferentdrummer]

Thanks, newt. Just the ramblings of another old man. I might have said it in fewer words, but I have a tendency to get a bit long winded when it comes to the subject of sailing.

I like what you said, that it feels like home. I get that. The destination is a secondary concern, because you are already there, right where you want to be; where you belong to be. You're home!

I think kicknbug had already summed it up nicely with, "you become one with the boat and in so doing you seem to find a special spot on this earth. a spot not found elsewhere."

I think we all find that special place when we are 'out there.'

Sailing. It's something you can't really 'tell' someone about. It has to be experienced to be understood. And I think it's the glue that binds all us sailors together. Sailors know. Everyone else can only guess.

[Joseph]

"I have heard of men of antiquity
who fled from the world to distant rivers and lakes
and refused to their dying day to return.
They must have found some source of pleasure there.
If one is not anxious for profit, even at the risk of danger,
or is not convicted of a crime and forced to embark;
rather, if one has a favorable breeze and gentle seas
and is able to rest comfortably on a pillow and mat,
sailing several tens of miles in a single day,
then is boat travel not enjoyable?"

Ou-Yang Hsiu (1007-1072)
Song dynasty poet, essayist and scholar
Written on the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the renwu year (January 25, 1043)




J.

[newt]

I might just frame that for my cabin

[Salty19]

fo48 hits it on the head for me.   I work in high tech with many ways to contact me and it's refreshing to spend some time on quiet waters and enjoy the beauty of nature for a short time without any complications or interference.  I turn all company blackberrys and laptops off (leave them at home!).

The freedom from being tied to technology and the daily grind is essential for me. Charges the batteries and clears the soul.

Sailing is a great chance to relax after work and on the weekends for me, not to mention spending some quality time with the wife.

[Craig Weis]

Nap Time. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ah, So Good.

Just my    skip.

[HenryC]

The sea and the weather are just there. There is nothing you can do about them and they will do what they please regardless of what you want.  The boat is there too, and it represents thousands of years of accumulated human trial and error, forethought, self-discipline,  science, skill, common sense, experience and luck.  In spite of that, it is severely limited in what it can do.  You are the factor that brings the two together, and keeps the former from overwhelming the other. 

Your rig points into the atmosphere, your keel digs into the world ocean, and your hull rides the thin interface between the two.  They all meet where your hands touch sheet and tiller. The distant stars and the earth's magnetosphere guide your way. Sailing is the human mind and body dealing directly with the universe, no abstractions, no intermediaries, no excuses, no BS. It used to be almost everything we did was like this, now it is one of the few things left that can still remind us of that.    Most of the rest of what I do with my life is just glorified stamp collecting.  Sailing is a human soul confronting infinity directly. It is life in real time.

[B.Hart]

    "sailing is a state of mind" You have to work with mother nature, not try to controll her, a power boater will complain it's to windy to go out and a sailor will say "what a great day for sailing"  my 2 cents   BILL