sailing away...

i have a very good friend who owns a yacht chartering business
boats owned thankfully by others but managed by him
so occasionally the call comes - wanna go out for a sail?
the first time this happened i said yes
had such a wonderful time i then understood
why it is that this activity is so revered
and so now as with a few other things in my life now
the rule is never say no to such invitations
get out on the water as much as possible
enjoy the company and the experience
get back to basics and be at the mercy of weather
turn up or otherwise look down noses at stink-boats
on this day i was asked to crew a boat in a race
gulp - my reaction was that all i could offer was ballast
which in fact was really all that was wanted and expected
and so it was that 4 lads crewed up on the good ship orinoco
a fine vessel designed more for speed than comfort
hoisted the sail and boldly sailed off from the mooring
only to fairly instantly be at the mercy of a gentle breeze
determined to drive us into the wall of the bay of departure
under the watchful eyes of a bunch of landlubbers
though some last-minute leg push-offs saved the day and pride
and out with the motor to get us to the allotted start-line
then a stalled motor as we manoevred for position
20 or so other craft already jostling for a good start
us - becalmed - and well off the pace even pre-start
but then the god of wind gave us a gentle blow
crossed the line just as the starter did his/her thing
waved the other crews goodbye and settled in for the race
race to me has always meant speed, aggression, tension, selfishness
but on this day that word is very much redefined
and coming down to a simple competition
where even the various crews assisted each other
e.g. 'you need to go around the high-water mark'
a friendly wave and chat about respective boats
and back to the serious business of sail-trimming
or in my case adjusting ballast by bum-shifting
we spent a good 4 hours out on the water
negotiating a course around 3-4 specific points
all the while seeing sydney harbour the best way
totally on it and amongst it with fellow sailors
fine weather and a gentle breeze added to the day
we came in third in the race so well satisfied
and then retired to the yacht club headquarters
being the blues point hotel - classic stuff
no pretentious, see-and-be-seen sailors here
just a bunch of people aware of this pleasure
fully aware of the rare enjoyment of the outing
sydney harbour, saturday afternoon, sailing away
exceptional - recommended - no is not an option