Sailing is like going on a beer run. You park, run in the store, grab your favorite 12-pack, pay, and you’re done. But if you don’t know what kind of beer you like, the choices can be daunting. Imported, domestic, pale ale, lager, porter, cans, bottles, hoppy, fruit-infused, and so much more. Like beer, there are many ways to enjoy sailing, and each has a different characteristic and attitude. Not all kinds appeal to all people, and everyone seems to have their favorite.
Like a cold bottle of Coors, daysailing is one choice. On a small boat, it may be just you or one other person. You go out for a few hours, enjoying the brisk breeze, sunshine, or moonlight, or maybe hot hazy skies and biting flies. Whatever the conditions, chances are you are back when you plan and home in time for dinner. Day sailing on a bigger boat could involve inviting friends, some of whom may not have sailed before, who show up with a cart full of food only to discover the cafe table tilts. This kind of sailing involves relaxation or exhilaration, great conversations, and bonding.
Racing is another type of sailing. More complicated, like a porter. Here you have a schedule and need to be on time. It is a sport and someone will win. The more practice, the better. When crews race together over a long period of time, they work as a unit. Crossing the finish line in the top three on a regular basis makes it all worth it. And still, you’re back at the dock and home or at the club in time for dinner. Unless it’s an overnight race. But even then, you’re done and home the next day or so.
The big ocean races such as the Volvo Race, or Around Alone, are for such a select few, it would be like having a designer brewery craft you a custom beer with your boat on the label.
Cruising the Chesapeake Bay is all about the joys of its protected creeks, singing crickets, historic towns, great day sailing, and a new anchorage every night. Like it says on a can of Nattie Bo, the Bay is “The Land of Pleasant Living.” The Chesapeake Bay offers some of the best cruising places in the world. This is the opinion of many sailors we’ve met who have sailed around the world multiple times! And now that I’ve experienced cruising in many other parts of the world, I totally agree with my new friends.
Sailing can also include tall ships, dinghy racing, windsurfing, and lots of small crafts. Even some kayaks have sails.
When a cruise ship or a Navy PT boat leaves a port, they say it “sets sail,” but these vessels have no “sails.” So I am not including them in my beer run analogy.
Then there is passage making. In this case, there is often an ocean involved, and several days at sea. You decide on your destination. You load up the boat with weeks’ worth of food. When it’s time to go, you point the boat out toward open water, and the magical feeling that comes next is like nothing else. There will be a certain amount of anxiety. Even a perfect weather forecast can be totally off, and even a perfect boat can experience major issues. You’ll get butterflies in your stomach, not from the motion, but more likely from the realization that you’re heading out into a vast expanse of water and an unknown short-term future. Whether it is across a whole ocean, or up or down the coast, your boat becomes your “planet,” and it is the thing that keeps you on the breathable side of the water.
With passage making, the whole sailing thing changes. You don’t worry about being home before dark. Or being back to work the next day. You can’t worry about stopping at night. You may worry that the squall on the horizon is packed with sideways rain. You may not worry about anything at all! And instead be completely in awe of the brilliant setting sun expanding the entire horizon, or the billions of stars dazzling above you at night like twinkling diamonds.
In passages, the sails still need tweaking. But not as much as going around marks or in and out of rivers and creeks. You might want to reef if the wind picks up enough. Often the wind direction stays the same for days so once you have the sails trimmed correctly, you just go. Sometimes direction does change, but out in open ocean, if you don’t feel like beating, you can fall off a bit and reach. It may take a bit longer to get to the ultimate destination. But so what? It’s a big ocean. And you may even decide to head somewhere different.
Then there are the moments when everything is trimmed just right; the boat sails herself. No steering or auto pilot needed. This is pure magic. It’s like your boat is a living thing, moving through the waves as it was born to do. Add to this dolphins, whales, and change of time zones, life becomes as rich as it can get. When it’s time to steer again, it’s also wonderful as you become one with the boat. For me, sailing in the ocean, especially crossing the ocean, has been the most spectacular days of my life and I hope to never forget every moment.
If I had to choose which type of sailing is for me, in the same amount of time I would have to choose beer, I would leave with two 12-packs: one for cruising the Bay, and one for crossing an ocean! But that’s okay, beer doesn’t go to waste. And neither does sailing.
About the Author: Liveaboard cruiser Cindy Fletcher-Holden sails, writes, and paints custom murals out of Annapolis. Visit amazon.com to find her book “The Most Excellent Adventures of Tenacity: Big Waves, Cheap Wine, and Farting Camels” and fletcherart.net to see her artwork.
