Sailing is a passion.
There is nothing like the freedom of being on the water. After a rough race day a good friend once turned to me and said, “you have to enjoy the course.”
I try to take the time to pause and remember to do just that, enjoy the complete emersion of nature, particularly when I need to escape the everyday “noise.”
Sailing challenges your skills.
Sailing is a complete analog of all of the physics around us. One’s physical fitness, balance, ballistic and aerobic endurance, visual awareness, and mental prowess amongst many others can be put to task. And although as complicated and dynamic as sailing may be it can be understood and enjoyed by the simple observation of the feel of the sheet in your hand or sound of water against the hull.
Sailing heightens your senses.
I like to think of sailing as a “6th sense” activity. You can immerse yourself in sailing utilizing all 5 senses. I believe that when you do this you actually “emotionalize” the experience (i.e. the 6th sense). When you become emotionally involved in an activity, particularly in a positive sense you move toward peak performance. An emotional trigger to peak performance is an extremely powerful tool which can be learned at any age and used as an elite mechanism for change, learning and growth.