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Photos: Tom Wooldridge
Sailing is one of those sports which is universally recognised, and has existed in some form for thousands of years, but is notoriously misunderstood in a competitive sense. During the Olympics, we were updated by the BBC on Ben Ainslie’s progress, but neither the presenters, nor most of the viewers, had any idea what was really going on.
For this reason, I decided to partake in a sailing session organised by YUSWC (University of York Sailing and Windsurfing Club) on a lake near the town of Goole, to find out what all the fuss was about.
Meeting up with the members outside Derwent garages, we ventured south in a convoy of Ford Fiestas. Fortunately, the weather was perfect; a slight breeze swept through the air and the skies were relatively clear.
However, if I thought my day was going to be plain sailing, then I was very much mistaken. Upon arrival my first task was to thrust myself into a drysuit, a word which now causes my left eye to twitch from the memory. It was incredibly difficult to get into, and eventually after about fifteen minutes I succeeded and let out a little cry of joy (I later realised I was wearing it the wrong way round).
After shifting the boats out onto the water, the time had come for some action and we departed in pairs. To alleviate my fears of drowning, and to compensate for my general incompetence in the sport, was Matt Goacher, one of the more experienced members of the club.
At first, I was tasked to control the jib – the smaller of the two sails – while Matt dealt with the main sail and rudder. My job was relatively easy to carry out; I just had to assess which direction the wind was coming from and try and pull the jib sail into a taut position. This way, our speed was maximised and we sailed along at a healthy four knots.
The lake itself was beautiful; a line of trees crossed the lake from one side to the other, interspersed by a small gap through which we had to sail. You could always tell whether or not a strong wind was coming judging by the size of the ripples, allowing you to prepare for the stretch of water ahead. However, the wind was occasionally tricky to predict depending on how close you were to a bank or any other obstacles, creating a buffeting effect.
Turning the boat 90 degrees was a complicated and dangerous task. I had to release one rope whilst moving swiftly to the other side of the boat, ensuring the boom, being moved by Matt, did not lop my head off. Thankfully, that did not happen and I escaped with just a bruise to the forehead and no serious injury. I was a proper sailor now, Matt reassured me.
Before long, we switched roles and I was controlling the main sail and rudder, operated by a stick called the tiller, and could therefore control where the boat was going. I just had to make sure not to crash into any other unassuming sailors or windsurfers and things would probably be fine.
Turning the boat was a logistical challenge as I had to pull the sail rope the other direction while moving the tiller behind my back as I switched sides. Occasionally the boat veered wildly to one side as I struggled to control it but I seeon grasped the movement. My awareness of space had clearly improved since that tango session.
After a quick break for lunch, where virtually all members of the club tucked into their delicious Brown’s sandwiches, I was back on the water but with a different partner – a fresher in fact – who had some prior experience at her school. However, the session did not go especially well. Half way through our trip, in the middle of the lake, we realised the rope connected to the main sail was caught underneath the boat around the rudder. As a result, the boat veered wildly from side to side as my partner struggled for control, and I nearly fell out in my attempts to untangle the rope.
Eventually, the boat was returned and I was able to clamber out, spending the next ten minutes getting out of the drysuit. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The club members are extremely welcoming and are looking out for new talents, or just enthusiastic people wanting to try something new. So seize the opportunity and set sail!