sail away...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

what seems a lifetime ago i posted this quote on my "about me" page (soon to be resurrected) on victoire.za.net... and then i got the opportunity to do just that these holidays! i went sailing - for the first time ever - on the vaal dam.

and what an adventure it was... the three expeditionists mr p, mr k, and i started off early on a sun-shiny monday morning full of excitement. we were almost there when the rain hit us, and fearing that we were going to be rained out we assured ourselves that it was all part of the adventure. it cleared up just in time, and we put on our brave faces when faced with a yacht full of bird poop, which had to be washed off!

as for the rest... it was mostly sun, wind, sunscreen, and cool waters.

i got to sit at the helm and steer us into the blue yonders... believe me it's not as easy as it looks! especially when the winds come up, the whole boat starts tipping, and you have to counter-steer!

i got to sit at the front of the yacht with my legs dipping into the water as we rolled over the waves, and got a little more wet than i bargained when a really big wave hit!

i learnt to tie knots. seriously. the first rule of sailing is "know how to tie knots". ok well maybe that's not the *first* rule, but i'm sure it's pretty close to the top. i learnt to tie knots under the patient guidance of mr k. man that guy has a gift in patience. and now i practice my l33t knot tying abilities at home on the blinds. a really useful ability to have i am sure. and i need to stay in practice just in case i *have to* go sailing at the spur of the moment! ;)

and this little gem of an embarassing moment occured, which i promised mr p i would not tell anyone about. all i can say is that my bottle of sunscreen was safe through it all, and mr p survived! :)

we anchored in a bay and had lunch and a long swim. the water was wonderful... but i kept wondering whether anything was lurking in the depths, watching me (the plumpest of the 3), waiting to strike...

mr p and i were dragged (me first, him after i had proved it was safe enough ;)) behind the sailing yacht, holding on for dear life till my arms ached. (i have hilarious video footage of this, i just have to get permission to publish it...)

and then the rains came! wow. what a storm. thunder. lightning. water. rain. us in the middle of it all. large waves jostling our little yacht about. tipping us till the water came up the window and threatened to hurl mr p and i across the cabin. being the only girl onboard i got to stay inside the cabin through the whole storm whilst the boys kept us afloat. after the storm had passed the wind died, and we ended up with the engine put-putting us back to land.

what excitement! what an exploration! what an experience!

Explore. Dream. Discover.