You Gots-ta Research

(photo credit)

My brother and I were talking about learning how to ski this winter.

My cousins who already know how to do winter sports responded with, "you just have to go up and do it."

We said, "nope, that's not how we learn... We need to google techniques, acquire some research and testimony books, then devour all the information, wait a couple of weeks and find more books... then devour those... then maybe do even more googling and youtube watching... then take a person to person hands on class, then finally try it on our own." You have to be prepared... ;)

My brother and I are the biggest academic nerds ever. We must research everything! I've been researching weaving techniques for a year now, and haven't even felt ready enough to buy materials...

This stringent research technique has also applied to sailing. Currently I have 15 sailing books, 46 websites book marked, 6 sailing magazines, and 4 survival books.

I threw in the survival books because I don't want to be stuck on a dessert island and not know how to survive. You have to be prepared for all scenarios! No one wants to be Gilligan, or a character on Lost. 

In my first sailing class I was the keener who read the entire book before the class started. I had to pretend I was dumb and not answer all the questions he was asking just to tone down my keenerness...

I was starting to look like a nerd, and not in a cute way, but in an I Know Everything about Everything ha ha ha... Kind of way.

Sailing People are super laid back. My hyper overachieving ways don't jive well with the ways of the sea. I know the sea and I can work it out. :)

An Amazing Sailing Documentary

(photo credit)

Have you ever watched a documentary that made you feel compelled to do something? A couple of years ago I watched Maidentrip. It's about Laura Dekker sailing around the world by herself as a teenager. 

After this documentary I started sailing lesson and it has been amazing! There is no peace like the peace you feel on a sail boat. There are no motors, only the peaceful sounds of the waves splashing against your boat. 

I often think about the feeling of sailing when I'm having a stressful moment. Remembering the rocking of the boat and the peacefulness of it all brings a calm over me. 

If you can afford it, I would highly recommend taking private lessons. This way you get to spend your entire time learning and enjoying the quiet of the ocean :)

Keep Focused when Sailing

(photo credit)

The hardest part of sailing is being the person who steers.

Sailing is so peaceful and serene that sometimes I forget that I'm not just there to relax.

I often mind doze, which leads to instructors saying, "Watch Your Angles."

The sound of the waves, the rocking of the boat...

It's all so magical.

Living Life Through Research

(photo credit)

The best thing my bachelor's degree taught me was, 'how to live life, via research.'

I've purchased 6 sailing books, 2 survival books, and googled the bejesus out of sailing before I stared my lessons... 

I'm an academic at heart and can't get away from research no matter what I do.

Oh the life of a graduated History in Art Major :)

No one can ever say, I don't use the skills I learned in the process of acquiring my degree...


p.s. My new thing is weaving. I've been researching and pinning on Pinterest for over a year, but still don't feel I have enough research to start ;)

Directionally Challenged...

(photo credit)

I think one of my best qualities is my love of getting lost. 

The best adventures come from wrong turns!

You think you are going the right way for a long time.

Then you finally look at a road sign 

and realize you are on the road to Whistler

when you were supposed to be headed to East Vancouver...

Other people don't always find it as exciting as I do.

This is why I always give a disclaimer when getting into my car:

I'll try my best to get us where we need to be,

however you must be up for an adventure should we get lost 

and never end at our intended destination.

Should you not accept the terms, please exit the vehicle to your right :)

This lovely trait of mine, unfortunately, is not conducive to Sailing.

In Sailing, you have to know where things are...

Direction of the wind...

Land marks...

North, East, South, and West...

You know, normal stuff, normal people know ;)

So... This Happened One Day:

One day I was out on the water with my Sailing Instructor. It was getting late so he wanted us me to steer us back to Kit Yacht Club. I of course obliged... and pointed us into the direction of Kits...

I was minding my own business... sailing us back to our dock, but the Sailing Instructor kept on saying, "Head Up". In this case, it meant steer closer to the left. 

He said this about 6-10 times, and every time I would adjust the boat. However, after about a minute it didn't seem like we were going in the right direction to head to Kits, so I would altimately steer back to my original posisiton. 

I guess the Sailing Instructor was getting really confused as to why I kept steering us back to my original state even though he was telling me to keep more left... Finally he ask, "Where are you going?" 

I was like, "To Kits, over there..." And I pointed to Kits.

He then had an ahh-haa moment and said, "That's not Kits, it's Jericho! Kits is to the left of that, over there." And proceeded to point to the Real Kits...

I started to laugh, "No wonder you kept telling me to 'head up'. I was thinking you were crazy because you kept pointing me away from kits, and you were thinking I was crazy because I kept on steering us to Jericho!" 

Zen and the Art of Sailing

(photo credit)

Love is in the air and thy name is Sailing...

I have fallen fast and hard. 

There is nothing better than feeling the wind on my skin

and having the waves rock me into a meditative state. 

This meditative state gets me into trouble though,

but more on that later...

I'm exciting to share more about this with everyone in the coming weeks :)