A Love Letter to Sailing

I love you.

I am never quite sure if you know how much I care about you but the truth is you mean the world to me.

I love the way you smell and feel in the morning.
I cherish the late afternoons as the sun is going down and the breeze glides across the beam.
I love the way you treat me when you are at your fiercest.
When the wind is going wild you give me all that I can handle.
You caress my soul as I chase a sense of calm.
You strengthen my confidence when close-hauled into the wind and you foster my freedom when we run downwind flying a spinnaker.

We met so long ago in the Sea of Cortez. I was young and naive and was enamored by your power, your majestic presence, and your ability to captivate every sense in my body. The warm water would cool my body as we collided with every trough and the sun would shine over every crest.

It was so long ago that I became infatuated with sailing.

When I bought my Catalina 27 the love affair evolved into something serious. Sailing alone in Santa Monica Bay taught me that all I really needed was the wind. When my boys sailed their Aqua Cat 14 in the marina the entire family was part of the affair. The Vanguard 14 was our version of a soapbox racer and all the neighborhood kids wanted a ride. Soon our Ranger 33 became the neighborhood watering hole. Summer in the marina became synonymous with grilled dogs, beach music, and sailing stories. Soon we were enjoying you in St. Barths and Anguilla and then Cooper Island and Virgin Gorda.

The love affair has grown to include destinations around the globe but we never forget that our love is simple. Our love is founded on the principle that if we are out on the water, with the wind in our sails and the sweet smell of the ocean surrounding us that very little else matters.