Let's Sail Away

 

This past summer I had some amazing opportunities (hence why posting has been light/absent), and as the nights get longer and the days get colder I am harkening back to a warmer time. Towards the end of the summer, an old friend invited me to go sailing (in Canada) with her and her husband (note: to clarify, my friend is not old, we've just been friends for a long time).

 

The glamour girl in me pictured white decks, tanned skin, breton tops and a cocktail (most of which was true), but my inner green goddess rejoiced when she learned the basics of the 27 foot Catalina sailboat and what the afternoon would entail.

 

 

Thankfully not eco-preachers, my friends are, however, eco-friendly, and small details had been well thought out. For example, solar panels (and energy collected on the beautiful sunny day that we sailed) powered the safety lights required on boats in Lake Ontario. I was told the the lights inside the cabin have been replaced with LED bulbs so that they draw less energy from the boat's battery, and there is a solar camping shower (for days when a dip in the lake is TOO refreshing). The motor (when winds are too low) uses diesel gas and has only needed refilling three times in the four years my friends have owned the boat. Solar lights provided illumination (and a touch of romance) after dark, and with the sails open, no power was needed other than the wind. 

 

 

 

 

 

How refreshing it was to have the sun on my shoulders, the breeze in my hair, whipping over the lake at 10 knots (I was entrusted with the steering wheel on more than one occasion), and the sounds of nature avoiding competition with the humming, buzzing or intolerable droning of a motor. We were able to speak to each other in a civilized way, instead of shouting over a loud whir.

 

Reaching our destination, the sails were lowered, a hammock hung from the main mast, and a general sense of peace and contentment ensued ... or was that the G&T in my hand, ice cubes chinking quietly as the hammock rocked gently from the subtle waves below? I am happy to say it had nothing to do with the G&T, and everything to do with the quiet calm of sailing; this is the watersport of gentlemen and ladies. It is peaceful, refined, and at the end of the day I was as relaxed as if I had been worked over by three Thai masseurs for an hour. A quick dip in the cool clear water, and my life was complete.

 

 

 

 

My hosts provided healthy snacks (veggies and hummous), and a beautifully barbequed vegetarian dinner courtesy of a small BBQ on the back of the boat (nothing like a portobello mushroom burger on the open water), and I couldn't contain my excitement or gratitude for the chance to experience something so wonderful. 

 

Sitting on the deck on the way home, watching the sun glow a fiery red as it slowly sunk behind the shore, I knew that my friends were on to something very special. 

 

 

 

Van Morrison sums it up best:

 

“hark, now hear the sailors cry,
smell the sea, and feel the sky
let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic...” 

Mystic, indeed!

 

 

GG rating - good for Spelt Supporters, providing you have access to a boat and don't get seasick on open water.