Sailing is such a fantastic sport. I am still deeply grateful for having found this hobby.; it brings me great joy. I got my first clue that it would be so about 11 years ago in Vancouver. My dad and I got inadvertently invited to sail with Bruce Winfield, currently CEO of Defiance Silver, out of the West Vancouver Sailing Club.
That was a fantastic day, and even though it was a race and we mostly tried to stay out of the way, it was meaningful. It would be almost 8 years later, after I moved to Australia, that I would get another chance. And I seized it. I’ve been sailing ever since with Niel Burling and a great bunch of people on his boat, the Baltic Lady., a 42-foot beauty. I’ve occasionally gone on other boats but keep going back because Niel is such a funny skipper, his good humor is infectious and everyone who comes to this boat is wonderful as well.
In 2015, Baltic Lady won the Winter Series. One of the races was particularly fun because most of the crew were female, and we had a blast going through the finish line!
I wasn’t able to sail as often this 2016-7 summer series, but I was onboard for the last sail of the season and we won, you can view the results here; we were on division C. Here’s a fantastic pic that was taken by Erika, a swiss pastry chef -and experienced sailor- that sails with us. Stunning isn’t it!
If you’ve ever wondered what would it be like to come sail, you should just go for it. You can start with lessons (such as those provided at Pacific Sailing School) or just come by the club before a race, put your name down on the board and most often than not you’ll get a skipper ring you to join the crew for that day. The winter series starts on April 30th, races go from 11.30am to 4 pm. I suggest come early and join us for breakfast; our skipper runs the Breakfast Club, and many of our crew and others help out, so you are welcome to join anytime from 8 am for a tasty energy boost.
Let me know if you decide to join!
PAOLA ROJAS' BLOG 