I’m not going to lie, this week’s practice scared me a little bit. When we got there, the weather was looking not the best, but more importantly, the wind was northeast. This meant that in Cadboro Bay, the wind was coming from over the land. When wind comes from over the land, which I just learnt, meant that it is very unpredictable since it hits houses, structures, and more. So, in our briefing to start the day, we were told there was chances of random wind blows and wind loss. However, we rigged our boats anyways and headed to the water.

Right off the bat, the boat was hard to handle. My skipper and I struggled to figure out which way the wind was coming from, and how our sails were hitting it. After a bit, we were about to get out to the course and start practice. Although, every time we went windward (which means upwind), we would close haul our sails and be going faster than I’ve ever gone before, since the wind was very intense. With the unpredictable winds, our boat was super tippy. This meant we were essentially hanging out the side of the boat just to keep balanced and not capsized. I also realized during this practice that I am so scared of capsizing (tipping over the boat and falling into the water). One group actually did capsize due to the weird wind patterns and random blows, which did make me much more scared to be honest. It is something I need to learn to be less afraid of, for it happens in sailing and that’s okay! It would be a learning experience. Luckily, we never capsized during this practice, even though we had a couple scares.

Another new thing this week, besides learning how to sail in unpredictable winds and doing some drills with this, was learning how to race. I honestly had no idea what racing looked like in sailing, but it was so interesting to see. So here’s a run down of how racing in sailing works:

• Every boat does figure 8’s around the start line
• A count down occurs starting from 3 minutes from the committee boat
• No boat can cross the start line before the timer, if they do they have to turn around and go back

There is so much more, but there are some of the ground level rules! Our course was set up around one mark, which I have included a picture so you can see. Even with the super unpredictable wind, my skipper and I won the first race! It was neck in neck, but somehow we caught slightly more wind and won! Even though majority of this practice I was scared of capsizing, the race was very fun and made me remember that it’s really all for fun and games.

Overall, this practice was filled with a lot of learning and remembering to enjoy the sport rather than fear it! I allowed me to take time to feel the stress in my body, but also learn how to regulate it properly. Although I do hope the next couple practices don’t involve as much wind and scary moments, it was a good experience to learn more about sailing in certain weather types. Take a look at the course image I made down below for a better idea of what the course set up would be!

This past weekend, I was unable to go to sailing practice since I headed back to the mainland for Thanksgiving. However, I decided to still take some time to be out on the water, as well as take some time to do research about sailing instead.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to sail this weekend, so instead I spent an evening paddle boarding with my friends. I wanted to still be able to get onto the water, as well as take some time outside. While doing this, I was reminded of two things. Firstly, I was reminded of how important getting outside is. I wasn’t able to go paddle boarding until Tuesday night (I usually sail on Sundays), and I could feel myself getting restless with a short attention span during the day Monday and Tuesday. I now understand how important outside time is for my brain. Secondly, I was reminded how flexibility is an important trait to have. I was a bit frustrated about not being able to sail and have something to write about on this blog, but I was able to be flexible and still learn lots.

I decided to also do some research in order to learn more about sail boats and the act of sailing. I did readings on the use of the specific sailboats my team uses, 420’s, but also on different aspects of sailing. Through my research I learned many things, but I’ve decided to go through only a few here. I learned that 420 boats, which are actually called International 420 Dinghy, are used worldwide at both club and international levels. The name comes from the size of the boat, which reaches the length of 420 centimeters. There are so many high standing competitions around the world for people to sail, race, and do so much more. Apparently, Poland is a top racing team in the Eastern Europe sailing regatta currently.

To conclude, having a break from sailing wasn’t at first my favourite, but I made the most of it and still learned so much through other ways. I also added a picture taken a week back from the UVic sailing club of a 420 boat which just got rigged.

This past Sunday was the second practice for our JV sailing team, and our first practice learning about working with wind directions. It was a super interesting practice because Cadboro Bay had very minimal wind.

Before we rigged our boats, we headed to the whiteboard to discuss the drills of the day. The drills included a figure 8 course, which I discussed in my last free inquiry post – titled ‘First Sailing Drills’. This course was slightly trickier at this practice, however, because our course was shortened. The shortened course was to force more boat to boat interactions, which it definitely did. After this course, we learned a new one called ‘windward leeward. Windward refers to the boat moving upwind, whereas leeward refers to it going downwind. This course pushes the idea of wind directions and the tautness of your sails in specific wind types. For example, letting out my sail during the leeward side of the course allowed for slightly more speed.

In my last post, I also mentioned watching people rig the boats and trying to learn this as well. This time, I assisted with rigging and did more hands on learning of the knots and ropes. One major knot is the figure 8 knot, which I have pictured below! It was exciting to be able to more fully understand how to rig a boat, and the steps to make sure the boat is rigged right.

The goal of our practice this week was two things: wind direction monitoring, and correcting our tacking (tacking is switching sails to the other side of the boat in order to change directions). I learned so much about both of these during the practice, especially about the implications of tacking too early. On the windward leeward course, tacks can significantly impact your speed maintenance. If I tack too soon, it means the wind in my sail slows, and the turn will be brutally slow. This went hand in hand with learning about wind direction. We learned that irons means when the boat is essentially stopped, close-hauled is when the wind is the boat’s side, and more.

Overall, this week focuses on phoning our skills in tacking, which is one of the simpler skills, but one of the most important in sailing! I also wanted to finish off this post by discussing my inquiry question I began with in the start of this blog. It questioned if putting myself in a position to learn something new would help me try to learn more new things. So far, I think it is evident that being able to learn how to sail (which I never thought I could do!) has for sure given me a boast in wanting to learn more things. If I can learn how to sail, what else can I learn to do?

This week was the first practice our sailing team had together, and it was full of new experiences and learning curves. I was able to watch those who have been doing this for a while, as well as learn with people who know about as much as I do.

The practice started with us being ask to rig our boats, which are 420 boats. 420 boats are used mostly for races, as well as for teaching sailing. They are one of the easier sailboats to sail, but this means they are better for teaching and training purposes. Rigging a boat was tricky at first, but after the first time it is simply mussel memory they said. You have to learn about 3 different knots and how the sails sit on the booms. I got to watch my skipper rig the boat, and then we rolled it out of the shipyard and onto the beach shore. Once we all were told which drills we would be doing, today’s were called sausage and infinity, we headed out.

My skipper and I started by getting used to the boat, and then started our first drill of sausage. This was one of the easiest drills, and it is simply moving in a round shape between two markers. At every marker, we tacked in order to effectively move around the course. During this time, my coach told me to try positioning myself backwards in the boat to see if I liked it more. I turned fully around and tried sailing backwards essentially. At first, it felt super uncomfortable to be unable to see the front of the boat, but it just enforced the trust I had to have for my skipper and their sailing skills. I liked to sit forward as it was more comfortable, however, it was definitely good to be able to try it out.

After this drill, we moved into the infinity drill which allows for more boat to boat interactions as you have to cross each other’s paths. This drill was definitely more difficult for the skippers. However, we all were able to do it. The wind on the shore wasn’t intense during practice, and this slowed us down quite a bit, but it also allowed us to work more on our skills without the idea of capsizing, which is a very real possibility.

After the drills were complete, we headed back in and discussed the practice. We talked about what went well, and things we want to improve on. Then we headed home! Overall, it was such a new experience and pushed me to learn so many new things. I felt exhausted when I came home, but it was a good exhausted!

For my free inquiry topic, I was fully ready to do graphic design. I’ve been doing graphic design for a couple of years now as a hobby I started during COVID, and I thought about improving on it. However, a couple of wrenches were thrown into this plan over the last two weeks. First off, the iPad in which I normally use to create my graphics is my parent’s, in which means it is stuck in my hometown and not accessible. Then, about two weeks ago I was with some friends on a Saturday morning having breakfast. As a joke, a friend brought up the fact they were heading to the sailing try outs later that day and I should go as well. A little bit of backstory to this: I had never sailed a sailboat in my entire life at that point. The joke continued, but slowly it turned into more than a joke. Next thing I know, I’m standing knee deep in freezing ocean water staring head on to a 420 sailboat.

If you would have asked me a few weeks ago if I was going to sail, I would have laughed in your face. However, there I was about to not only sail, but try out for the UVic sailing team. After try outs, I thought it would be interesting to discuss this on my free inquiry instead of something I already know how to do, like graphic design.

Sailing is something completely out of my comfort zone, and I can not tell you what was in my water that morning I tried out for the team, and here’s how it went:

I walked into the sailing club area and met a few people who were very passionate about this sport. Then, a coach got up and introduced himself before asking as to stand on the ‘crew’ or ‘skipper’ side. Not only do I not know how to sail, I also don’t know any sailing lingo. I quickly turned to my friends and asked what this meant. A skipper is the person in charge of steering the boat and handling the main sail. A crew is in charge of switching the jib sail, which is the smaller one at the front of the boat. I shuffled to the crew side and was randomly matched up with a skipper and a coach. The coach was to watch your sailing and determine your ability to be on the team. After watching a few rounds of people sailing, my turn came and I jumped into a 420 sailboat, which is commonly used as a two person boat in races. I have never been put in a situation like this before, but there I was holding two ropes and in charge of a whole sailboat with one other person. On top of this, I had a coach watching my every move. Getting into that boat was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done, but it was so worth it. I was sitting there and I looked up to see the beautiful calming ocean welcoming me. As we went, I learned the basic maneuvers, like tacking. Tacking is what occurs when switching directions in the boat, and when a crew has to change the jib to a different side of the boat. After what seemed like 2 minutes on the boat (which was about 30 minutes in reality), we came back to shore and I got to help derig the boat.

Overall, it was the most eye-opening experience and makes me want to try every new thing now. I was nervous, scared, and honestly unprepared, but it was so good for me to step outside my comfort zone. I was also blessed to have amazing mentors surrounding me, like my friends as well as other people on the team and coaches. I received an email later that week extending an invite to allow me to join the team! I can’t wait to pursue this learning and to more adventures out on the sea.

Through this learning journey I hope to be able to answer this question: Will learning how to sail help me feel more open-minded to learn other new things?