Let Your Dreams Set Sail
By Captain Lisa Batchelor Frailey
10 Reasons to Start Sailing Right… NOW
Have you always dreamed of sailing, but never knew quite how to start? Or maybe you sailed as a kid, and would like to get back on the water. Whatever your reason or experience level, here are 10 great reasons to start sailing right…now!
Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
Your days contain enough stress with work, relationships, finances, etc. Sailing melts away that daily stress – you literally feel yourself decompress when you’re out on the water. Your mind clears, and you focus on the here and now, on the challenge and exhilaration of being one with the elements. You’ll return to your daily routine energized, clear-headed and focused – that is, if you decide to return! An excellent full-body, non-impact sport, sailing lets you discover and tone new muscles without going to the gym. With proper instruction, you’ll learn to use the lines and winches onboard to work smarter – not harder.
Clean and Green
Sailing reconnects you with nature. There is nothing so tranquil as the sound of the wind in your sails and your hull slicing through the water. The most spectacular sunsets are those you’ll see while anchored in a quiet cove. The forces of nature can be humbling, but as a sailor, you’ll learn to “read” the wind and waves and work with those forces, harnessing their power to your advantage. Sailing is green! Eliminate fossil fuel emissions by using wind power.
The Ties that Bind – Friends and Families
Sailors learn to tie essential knots for use onboard, but they also tie knots which strengthen families and friendships. Sailing gets you away from electronic distractions, so you focus on communicating, experiencing and learning together, having fun and forming memories to last a lifetime. While solo sailing gets you “away from it all”, sailing can also be a very social sport. Sailing clubs, marinas and regattas give opportunities to meet people from all walks of life, with the shared interest of sailing. My truest friends, men and women, are my sailing partners. My husband and I were sailors long before we met at a regatta; we fell in love and got engaged while sailing together. There is no hiding on a sailboat– the whole person shines through.
Ultimate Teambuilding
Sailing is the ultimate teambuilding sport. As in business and life, success on a boat depends on a capable skipper and crew, working together towards a common goal. Good sailing crews depend on each other, communicate effectively, and share the load. In strong winds, the crew adjusts the sails to optimize speed and direction without getting overpowered. Light winds require the crew to seek out and maximize all opportunities. Whether your “team” is business or family, our Sail Solomons teambuilding sessions get results.
Women’s Courses
Good sailing schools recognize that men and women often learn differently, and adapt teaching techniques accordingly. Sail Solomons offers women-only courses for those who prefer a single-gender learning environment. Many women find these courses more supportive, and feel liberated to ask questions and experiment with new sailing skills.
Variety – the Spice of Sailing
Sailing is never the same experience twice. Besides the myriad types of sailboats to try, there are always variations on the wind and seas, scenery, and even crew. Southern Maryland is in the very heart of the Chesapeake Bay, where you’ll find innumerable sailing destinations. For more exotic sailing, our Caribbean courses and charters offer a wonderful mid-winter escape!
The Price is Right
Sailing is no longer the domain of the elite. With today’s plethora of sailing clubs and charter bases offering everything from dinghies to cruising yachts, there’s a sailing budget for everyone! Clubs and charters are perfect for those without the time or resources to maintain their own boat, and give sailors maximum flexibility. Proximity to the Chesapeake Bay makes a weekend min-vacation within easy reach.
Instant Gratification
So few of our jobs offer the instant gratification that sailing brings. The immediate cause-and- effect of turning the tiller or setting the sails allows you to learn quickly, adapt, and smile when you feel the effect! You can learn the basics of sailing in a weekend or two; then you’ll have a lifetime of fun applying and refining your skills!
Milestones
At Sail Solomons, many of our students give themselves the gift of sailing to celebrate life’s milestones – graduation, 50th birthday, anniversaries. Couples looking ahead to retirement choose sailing as a new activity they can enjoy together well into their senior years. They are often amazed to discover the whole new outlook that accompanies their sailing!
Lifestyle
Sailing is a sport for a lifetime, and welcomes sailors of any age and ability. It’s never too early or too late to start sailing, or to get back out on the water. Just be careful – you might easily find yourself adopting a whole new sailing lifestyle!
About Captain Lisa Batchelor Frailey
Captain List Batchelor Frailey is a retired Us Navy Captain and licensed USCG Master with over 38 years of sailing experience. She is a certified American Sailing Association (ASA) Sailing Instructor, awarded “Outstanding Instructor for 2009” by ASA. Lisa is co-owner of Sail Solomons Sailing School and Yacht Charters (ASA “Outstanding School for 2008 & 2009) based in Solomons, Maryland. Sail Solomons offers a full range of ASA certification courses, private instruction, women’s courses, teambuilding, charters and a popular sailing club. Contact Lisa at lisa@sailsi.com or 410-326-4917.
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