As we age, we tend to look back and try to understand how we got where we are. So much of our time is spent trying to fit in; first at school, then in a career. We seek true love, a family of our own and possessions. Our lives become driven by other people and things. We lose sight of who we were and what we cared about when we were 10. But life is busy and demanding, there is no time for introspection...until one day there is.
In 2000, I was divorced and on my own. I took time to assess my life and realized with chagrin, I was responsible for my happiness. I didn't have a lot of money, but more importantly, I didn't know what I wanted.
Introspection led me to remember who I was. I grew up in New Jersey on the Raritan Bay, a short drive to the ocean. I loved the ocean, it’s bays, and tidal creeks then. I swam, fished and crabbed all summer. I enjoyed watching boats leave the marinas, especially the sail boats. I was sure they were headed towards adventure but always without me. Remembering how good it felt to be by the water and now living miles from the ocean, I bought a kayak and began to explore the rivers and tidal creeks of my childhood. This was good for awhile.
It was about this time Cecile started working at my office. She was about my age and in similar circumstances. However, unlike me, she would often show up full of stories about sailing vacations and long sailing weekends on the Chesapeake with friends. When I inquired how she managed this, she explained it was her membership in The Sailing Club, Inc. (TSC). The club organized and skippered bareboat charter trips to the Chesapeake and almost anywhere in the world. It was affordable and open to anyone. Cecile suggested I come to the Annual Meeting to learn about the club, the training and upcoming cruising trips.
Tilghman Island trip 2012 (L-R): Diane Valeri, Kathy Gilchrist, Mary Ann Gordon, Bob Rainey, Linda Baker and Henry Gibson.
I went to that meeting in March 2001 and found that trip costs are based upon sharing expenses among the trip participants/crew. A nonprofit club, it is open to anyone who wants to learn about sailing and is willing to share space, time and work with others. I could afford this, but I knew absolutely nothing about sailing. I had never set foot on a sailboat. Imitation is the truest form of flattery and I decided to imitate Cecile; I signed up.
During annual basic skills training, I was taught parts of the boat, navigation, chart reading and basic knots. I learned that sailboat “cruising” trips provide a balance of sailing and land time to explore new places. I soon was taught how to read a compass, set a course, steer and safety rules. Each year I signedup for more and longer trips. I learned to love living on a boat. Patient teachers, TSC skippers and first mates, never seem to tire of explaining a knot or a task I know they taught me last season, or two months ago! I learn something new on every trip, and not just about sailing.
I thought that sailing away from my life would fulfill my need to explore the world. It has, but it has also given me much more. My experiences with the club have taught me about myself. I’ve learned never judge a book by its cover, to work better as part of a team, to ask why only when there is time and to accept my limitations. I also learned that swimming, like life is a matter of attitude. If you set reasonable goals and think you can; you can.
Mary Ann Gordon on a trip to Bora Bora
Each skipper and crew is a little different than the last. We learn about and from each other. I have been crew in Tahiti and Bora Bora, the Maine coast, Chesapeake Bay, New England, and sailed Newport to Martha’s Vineyard and back. I’ve swam next to sea turtles, danced on the beach to a steel drum and followed schools of tropical fish through colorful coral reefs. When I’m on a boat, I’m living a life I only daydreamed about as a child.
I have made strong friends in the club over the years and continue to meet new ones. It turns out, most people who like sailing also like to bike, hike and travel inexpensively; so we often group up for land trips. I am grateful everyday for the life I lead. Life is an adventure and I keep sailing through it….not away.
by: Mary Ann Gordon
The Sailing Club, Inc.
Charter liaison and Publicity Chair
