Sailing my greatest adventure

Adventure lasts a lifetime? I certainly hope so. My greatest adventure has many more years to go and many new places to visit and friends to make – it’s sailing! Life is full of many little fantastic adventures, but there is a theme in mine – the best are always near to the sea!

“Ocean air, salty hair” – sailing my greatest adventure

Click To Tweet

Here’s why it is such an adventure for me:

It taught me to cry

I used to hate sailing – as a 9 year old I adored my yellow Optimist dinghy with blue sails, but I didn’t actually like sailing it! I even took up horse-riding for a few years before finally seeing sense…

It taught me to teach

And that I would never be a teacher.  Much fun as it was teaching 10 year olds to sail in my holidays sometimes it was actually more stressful that my day job today.  ‘The other push’ was a common phrase uttered when the little ones pulled the tiller/steering towards them rather than pushing it away and went careering off in the wrong direction…

It made university awesome

The passion was re-ignited. Ladies team-racing was a blast and sailing and partying in the best uni-club in the UK was even more fun. Dabbling in yachting for the first time I found my sailing cup of tea. I chose my degree based in part on wanting to be by the sea and haven’t looked back!

It taught me to drink

What sailor doesn’t like rum? A sport where the best conditions are called ‘champagne sailing’ is clearly going to suit me! Friends for life are made bonding over a warm pint in the beer tent stood in soggy sailing kit!

It taught me how to weight dip

Very much linked to above, red wine and G&T are very good for dehydrating to dip for a weigh in… As is a sauna. This isn’t a healthy eating blog! I no longer sail on boats where my weight gets taken on a saturday morning and broadcast to all and sundry standing near by… No need!

It taught me how to work in a team

If you don’t work as part of the team then there is no place for you on the boat.  Some boats have shouting and grumpiness – but it’s miserable for everyone.  The team works with trust, laughter, fun and an honest debrief even when things go wrong.  Leave gripes on the water and enjoy each others company unencumbered ashore.

It let me fly

My first ever flight was to St Tropez (darling) for a regatta, age 20. It was actually quite traumatic – the crew teased me for the entire flight pointing out potential issues with the aeroplane and wincing at any turbulence as it was unusual, suffice to say I was glad to disembark and we had a lovely time yachting and enjoying the local rosé!

It has given me my self-confidence

Yachts are owned by successful people and crewed by grown-ups from all walks of life. Sailing and socialising with these people as a youngster gave me confidence at work, and gave me great advice on the people I didn’t need in my life! In fact it still does.  There is always something new to learn for work or life!

It’s allowed me to travel, it probably caused the bug

I’ve been to some amazing places – Italy, St Tropez, Sardinia, Cornwall, Ireland… Queen Mary reservoir in the snow… Singapore, Palma.  The love for visiting news places must have come from some of the trips to fabulous places, and that only scratches the surface of some of the amazing places friends have been to race!  Boats take us to places otherwise hard to visit – like the Daymaniat Islands off Oman which were quite gorgeous.

It taught me to pack light

Caveat that – I can pack light when necessary.  I got all my sailing kit, thermals, underwear, shorts, tshirts and wash kit into the bag in front of me for 5 days at sea.  Some (many) would say that it’s a big bag for the job, but to be brutally honest, I was impressed with myself.  As were the teddy bears, that didn’t fit!

It’s made me jump into a pool

I hate going underwater.  But I have forced myself to do sea survival life raft training twice (needed for offshore racing).  The worst bit for me is jumping into a pool, fully clothed.  I did it 5 times on the course last summer, once from a diving board.  Never say never – I’ll do it again, it always proves I float, of which I am never convinced…

I know the importance of warm and waterproof clothes

I have less than I once did as I was burgled, but I’m well stocked up again.  I could probably live in the Arctic Circle the amount I have but normally it’s just needed for ‘balmy’ summer UK sailing…  I know how to wear my layers!

I have made many great friends of all ages all over the world

Having a shared passion is an easy way to make new friends. Be it the university sailing club, meeting new crew members, sailing on different yachts, traipsing around the UK and Europe to different events, general bar banter – an endless source and one big highly-connected family.

I met my husband

Let me hear you say ahhh.  Of course I met my husband through sailing – a shared love of the sport and being by the sea.  We’ve done a lot of sailing together and had plenty of fun and success but we have decided it is less stressful for everyone if we sail on separate boats!

It brings out my competitive side

A competitive Anna after a stressful week at work in a boat with Mr P is actually overly competitive and stressful.  But you have to be competitive to do well – looking for something to do better or working out how to beat the boat that snuck ahead.  There is nothing better than winning, Queen Victoria famously was told ‘there is no second place’ when she asked where the British came in the very first America’s Cup!  I also learnt that when I am scared in a dinghy I emit a sound a little like a whistling kettle and my leg can shake uncontrollably…

I know how to achieve things

Little things or big things, it doesn’t matter.  Little things – lovingly hand-making ginger, lemon and honey tea for a crew of 14, in the dark, with a red-lamp head torch with the boat heeled at 45 degrees crashing through waves feeling green.  Big things – 600 nautical miles of racing in difficult conditions with not enough sleep and seasickness.  Doesn’t matter which – they are all achievements. Sailing makes you goal oriented and ensures you aren’t a quitter.

It brings out the best in me (and the worst)

Less about the worst, but the best is that it is a hobby that makes me laugh and smile.  I have a family of friends and a collection of memories that make it all the more fun to be sharing my adventure!

I have seen the most incredible sunrises and sunsets at sea

There has to be some perk to a 4 hours on 4 hours off watch system when sailing long distance… One of those is definitely a sunrise or sunset at sea.  Totally undisturbed with a cup of tea, there’s nothing on the horizon to get in the way, apart from perhaps another yacht or passing container ship traffic.

I know I need to be by the sea on holiday

Not all of our holidays are by the sea, but I can probably count on one hand the number that haven’t been in 12 years… We know what we like and like what we know – a gorgeous sea view!

Reading this back, I think it is fair to say that it helps make life into one big great adventure! Head over to  Angie, Jessi, Emma or Andrea‘s blogs to see the linkup and some fabulous other great adventures!

 “She loved the sea. She liked the sharp salty smell of the air, and the vastness of the horizons bounded only by a vault of azure sky above. It made her feel small, but free as well.”