sailing!
Today was a fun fun day spent sailing with Zi Chong, Geordie and Eden! We went to SAFYC at East Coast, slacked around, had lunch then went out to sea in Laser Picos (Eden and I sailed one, Zi Chong and Geordie sailed the other). The weather today was really quite pleasant! It was not too sunny, then it drizzled a while before lapsing to cloudy weather. But it was cold with the wind blowing when I got out of sea with wet clothes.
For the first leg of the journey, I was crew. It was supremely pleasant lying comfortably in the cockpit (is that what it's called?), manning only the jib sail, and occasionally hiking out for fun. It was much harder helming the boat on the return leg of the journey. I capsized both of us TWICE while Eden didn't capsize us once (though we NEARLY capsized one time)! After all, I've not sailed a boat since P5 (and that was the Optimist boat), and the other time I sailed in a Pico, I was crew and didn't really do anything. There's an additional pressure when helming the boat, as you're responsible for the direction, the speed, the mainsail and the tilt of the boat etc etc. Not exactly very relaxing, but that's where the kick comes in. :D
All in all, I fell into the sea THREE times. Which is not that bad, though I suspect of all those who sailed with us, I fell into the sea the most number of times. The first time, I was crew, Eden was jibing and somehow I just fell into the sea. I think the boat was tilting but I forgot how I dropped in. The second time, I was helming the boat and the wind was quite strong and I was hiking almost fully out. But alas, without Eden's weight adding to the hike, the wind blew the boat over and I just slid vertically into the sea. Quite amusing, thinking back. The third time, we were both hiking out so it was quite alright, but the tiller slipped right out of my hand (the extension was jammed under a rope) and the boat just flipped over. And I ended trapped under the main sail, which was quite funny too. Actually capsizing is not that bad, though seawater tastes totally horrid and hurts your eyes. But now I finally understand the importance of lifejackets, since wet clothes really weigh a ton, and it's not that easy to climb back into the boat.
Towards the end of the journey as we headed back towards shore, Zi Chong helmed my boat and Eden helmed the Geordie's boat. Then we had an amusing 'war' where we threw a coconut found at sea into each other's boat. Unfortunately for the other two, Zi Chong the Pro Sailor was very fast so we zoomed off after throwing the coconut at them. They only got to throw the coconut back after when we were almost at shore. I got hit by the coconut so now my lip's cut and swollen, though it doesn't really hurt. I have to think of excuses to tell Mom when she returns, how my lip got into this state. I hope my face's not darker too, so she won't suspect anything.
Now I'm tired, but happy! Sailing and skiing are my favourite sports! And I think it's more fun to sail 2 ppl in a boat than to sail alone, but I'm keen to learn to sail a Byte (though the bottom weight limit's 50 kg).
Lessons of the day:
1. Being 44kg puts you at a SEVERE disadvantage when sailing (unless you sail an Optimist which is meant for kids.) though the lightness's very good for your partner if you're crew.
2. Wearing a cap is good because it provides protection against the Sun, the rain, and the boom. (oh, and: Beware of the Boom) OUCH.
3. A significant amount of plastic bottles found drifting at sea belong to capsized sailors.
4. Steer clear away from people with coconuts in their hands. :P
5. You can get as black as Zi Chong even with SPF 50 sunblock. My SPF 60 sunblock owns! So either wear a LOT (longsleeved shirt and long pants like me) or little (at least you tan evenly).
6. Never sail at Sembawang if you are prone to capsizing.
7. I LOVE sailing! But never sail alone. You never know what might happen.
For the first leg of the journey, I was crew. It was supremely pleasant lying comfortably in the cockpit (is that what it's called?), manning only the jib sail, and occasionally hiking out for fun. It was much harder helming the boat on the return leg of the journey. I capsized both of us TWICE while Eden didn't capsize us once (though we NEARLY capsized one time)! After all, I've not sailed a boat since P5 (and that was the Optimist boat), and the other time I sailed in a Pico, I was crew and didn't really do anything. There's an additional pressure when helming the boat, as you're responsible for the direction, the speed, the mainsail and the tilt of the boat etc etc. Not exactly very relaxing, but that's where the kick comes in. :D
All in all, I fell into the sea THREE times. Which is not that bad, though I suspect of all those who sailed with us, I fell into the sea the most number of times. The first time, I was crew, Eden was jibing and somehow I just fell into the sea. I think the boat was tilting but I forgot how I dropped in. The second time, I was helming the boat and the wind was quite strong and I was hiking almost fully out. But alas, without Eden's weight adding to the hike, the wind blew the boat over and I just slid vertically into the sea. Quite amusing, thinking back. The third time, we were both hiking out so it was quite alright, but the tiller slipped right out of my hand (the extension was jammed under a rope) and the boat just flipped over. And I ended trapped under the main sail, which was quite funny too. Actually capsizing is not that bad, though seawater tastes totally horrid and hurts your eyes. But now I finally understand the importance of lifejackets, since wet clothes really weigh a ton, and it's not that easy to climb back into the boat.
Towards the end of the journey as we headed back towards shore, Zi Chong helmed my boat and Eden helmed the Geordie's boat. Then we had an amusing 'war' where we threw a coconut found at sea into each other's boat. Unfortunately for the other two, Zi Chong the Pro Sailor was very fast so we zoomed off after throwing the coconut at them. They only got to throw the coconut back after when we were almost at shore. I got hit by the coconut so now my lip's cut and swollen, though it doesn't really hurt. I have to think of excuses to tell Mom when she returns, how my lip got into this state. I hope my face's not darker too, so she won't suspect anything.
Now I'm tired, but happy! Sailing and skiing are my favourite sports! And I think it's more fun to sail 2 ppl in a boat than to sail alone, but I'm keen to learn to sail a Byte (though the bottom weight limit's 50 kg).
Lessons of the day:
1. Being 44kg puts you at a SEVERE disadvantage when sailing (unless you sail an Optimist which is meant for kids.) though the lightness's very good for your partner if you're crew.
2. Wearing a cap is good because it provides protection against the Sun, the rain, and the boom. (oh, and: Beware of the Boom) OUCH.
3. A significant amount of plastic bottles found drifting at sea belong to capsized sailors.
4. Steer clear away from people with coconuts in their hands. :P
5. You can get as black as Zi Chong even with SPF 50 sunblock. My SPF 60 sunblock owns! So either wear a LOT (longsleeved shirt and long pants like me) or little (at least you tan evenly).
6. Never sail at Sembawang if you are prone to capsizing.
7. I LOVE sailing! But never sail alone. You never know what might happen.
posted by Qintan at 8:58 PM
2 Comments:
Sounds like a lot of fun. Hope you go sailing again soon and write about it here.
Hi! Thanks for commenting!I read your blog and your life sure sounds like a funky one too! :) I hope I go sailing again soon too, and I sure will write about it!
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