Aug
21
Sailing
Filed under Sweden 2010
My last full day in Sweden was full but not rushed. In the morning, Fredrik went over some sailing theory with me on a white board which helped me get a better grasp of things while out on the water. By 11 a.m. we were in the harbor and putting up the sails on the C55. The sun was out and the wind was perfect for probably the most gorgeous day of sailing we’d had, which is probably why we spent three hours on the water. This time around, I handled the sheets like a pro. And I finally worked up the courage to steer the rudder while tacking the boat, multiple times!
Being out on the water is such a fun experience, especially having grown up in the middle of the U.S., as far away from open waters as possible. Not only is it calming to be rocking up and down as the waves pass underneath the boat, but also it’s mesmerizing to watch the waves come toward you and watch the boat follow the water’s surface. Waves can get pretty big and look scary as they approach, but the boat just glides up, over, and down. It also amazes me that you can get from one place to another just by the use of nature’s elements, harnessing water and wind to your advantage. I don’t think we sailed more than 7km from the Halmstad harbor, so it’s amazing to think of the great explorers who crossed multiple oceans to circle the globe.
