These people – let’s call them fanatics – come alive on board a boat, forgetting the pressures of work and home in the sheer exhilaration of surfing down a wave on a tight reach, or coaxing the yacht upwind in a gusty force five.

I am married to one of these fanatics. He is trying to teach me to sail.

It is a difficult task, I admit, as I have absolutely no desire to set foot on the boat unless the wind (force 1 – 2), the weather (sunny) and the sea (calm) are just right. But, being a man of considerable determination and luck, he finally succeeded in giving me my first few lessons last month.

I learned a lot.

Sailing is, when you come down to it, incredibly simple – a matter of pointing the boat where you want to go, feeling for the wind, and adjusting the sails accordingly. Yet it is also incredibly complicated.

I used to race dinghies, sitting in the pointy end, pulling in the sails, but even so I learned a fair bit about lifts and headers, cunninghams and kickers. It all came flooding back to me as I helmed the yacht last month, dodging the ferries between Largs and Cumbrae.

For the first time I really began to understand the relationship between boat, sail and wind. I could feel the yacht responding to the helm; feel it spin in the water; surge down the waves, slow in the chop. I could see what was happening as the gusts hit and the sails either flapped in the header or the boat tipped over in the lift.

And that was my problem. The boat tipped over. I guess that I will get used to it eventually, but I just cannot be comfortable sitting at a 25 ° angle, staring down into black waves that look perilously close to my feet.

Dinghies don’t tip over, or at least if they do they are not too hard to bring back upright again. Yachts are different. They are supposed to tip over, and you are not supposed to swear blindly and gibber at the helm when they do.

And the noise! I thought sailing was supposed to be quiet! What with the wind on the sails and the boat slooshing through the water and the depth gauge beeping every two minutes, it was hardly peaceful at all.

So I learned a lot: I learned that there was a lot I didn’t know.

And my husband learned a few things too - most particularly, that there some things you just do not say to reluctant sailors who have consented to come on board:

• ‘Right! Well, why don’t you try reversing us out from the berth and then take us out of the marina!’

• ‘It’s only a tiny leak – nothing to worry about!’

• ‘No, of course yachts don’t capsize – not unless it’s really, really windy!’

• ‘I know the depth gauge is beeping. It’s not really working properly at the moment.’

• ‘Look at it this way, the boat really can’t tip over any more than it is already.’

• ‘When I said ‘aim for the buoy’, I didn’t mean for you to hit it!’

• ‘So these are big cabins, are they?’

• ‘Which way is the wind coming from, again?’

• ‘Is this a tack or a gybe?’

• ‘I want to go home!’

• ‘Wow! Is the engine supposed to give off that much smoke?’

• ‘Oh! Sorry! Were those hatches supposed to be shut?’

• ‘What happens if I press this button?’

• ‘You didn’t tell me to tie it on!’; and finally

• 'Well, it wasn’t too bad
  Safe, Nutritious Lunches for Kids with Food Allergies
  Summer’s end means lunchboxes instead of sandboxes and the challenge of getting kids to eat nutritious lunches at school. This task becomes doubly challenging when kids have food allergies.According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, about 11 million people react to eight common foods including wheat, dairy, and eggs––foods that are usually in every kid’s lunch box in one form or another. Parents want to pack lunches that are safe yet they know that kids are more likely
  he finally succeeded in giving me my first few lessons last month.

  I learned a lot.

  Sailing is, when you come down to it, incredibly simple – a matter of pointing the boat where you want to go, feeling for the wind, and adjusting the sails accordingly. Yet it is also incredibly complicated.

  I used to race dinghies, sitting in the pointy end, pulling in the sails, but even so I learned a fair bit about lifts and headers, cunninghams and kickers. It all came flooding back to me as I helmed the yacht last month, dodging the ferries between Largs and Cumbrae.

  For the first time I really began to understand the relationship between boat, sail and wind. I could feel the yacht responding to the helm; feel it spin in the water; surge down the waves, slow in the chop. I could see what was happening as the gusts hit and the sails either flapped in the header or the boat tipped over in the lift.

  And that was my problem. The boat tipped over. I guess that I will get used to it eventually, but I just cannot be comfortable sitting at a 25 ° angle, staring down into black waves that look perilously close to my feet.

  Dinghies don’t tip over, or at least if they do they are not too hard to bring back upright again. Yachts are different. They are supposed to tip over, and you are not supposed to swear blindly and gibber at the helm when they do.

  And the noise! I thought sailing was supposed to be quiet! What with the wind on the sails and the boat slooshing through the water and the depth gauge beeping every two minutes, it was hardly peaceful at all.

  So I learned a lot: I learned that there was a lot I didn’t know.

  And my husband learned a few things too - most particularly, that there some things you just do not say to reluctant sailors who have consented to come on board:

  • ‘Right! Well, why don’t you try reversing us out from the berth and then take us out of the marina!’

  • ‘It’s only a tiny leak – nothing to worry about!’

  • ‘No, of course yachts don’t capsize – not unless it’s really, really windy!’

  • ‘I know the depth gauge is beeping. It’s not really working properly at the moment.’

  • ‘Look at it this way, the boat really can’t tip over any more than it is already.’

  • ‘When I said ‘aim for the buoy’, I didn’t mean for you to hit it!’
  I, on the other hand, now know that it is not good to say:
  • ‘So these are big cabins, are they?’

  • ‘Which way is the wind coming from, again?’

  • ‘Is this a tack or a gybe?’

  • ‘I want to go home!’

  • ‘Wow! Is the engine supposed to give off that much smoke?’

  • ‘Oh! Sorry! Were those hatches supposed to be shut?’

  • ‘What happens if I press this button?’

  • ‘You didn’t tell me to tie it on!’; and finally

  • 'Well, it wasn’t too ba
    Put The Fork Down!
    If you're rushing to eat your meals, there is a good chance you are making it easier to consume extra calories and making it more difficult to lose weight.Eat slowly from start to finish. Take at least 20 minutes to enjoy your meals and you will avoid the speed-eating trap that's been your ticket to overeating and weight gain.The following tips will help you avoid speed-eating:Rate your hunger: Ask yourself if you want to eat because you're hungry. If your not hungr
    nship between boat, sail and wind. I could feel the yacht responding to the helm; feel it spin in the water; surge down the waves, slow in the chop. I could see what was happening as the gusts hit and the sails either flapped in the header or the boat tipped over in the lift.

    And that was my problem. The boat tipped over. I guess that I will get used to it eventually, but I just cannot be comfortable sitting at a 25 ° angle, staring down into black waves that look perilously close to my feet.

    Dinghies don’t tip over, or at least if they do they are not too hard to bring back upright again. Yachts are different. They are supposed to tip over, and you are not supposed to swear blindly and gibber at the helm when they do.

    And the noise! I thought sailing was supposed to be quiet! What with the wind on the sails and the boat slooshing through the water and the depth gauge beeping every two minutes, it was hardly peaceful at all.

    So I learned a lot: I learned that there was a lot I didn’t know.

    And my husband learned a few things too - most particularly, that there some things you just do not say to reluctant sailors who have consented to come on board:

    • ‘Right! Well, why don’t you try reversing us out from the berth and then take us out of the marina!’

    • ‘It’s only a tiny leak – nothing to worry about!’

    • ‘No, of course yachts don’t capsize – not unless it’s really, really windy!’

    • ‘I know the depth gauge is beeping. It’s not really working properly at the moment.’

    • ‘Look at it this way, the boat really can’t tip over any more than it is already.’

    • ‘When I said ‘aim for the buoy’, I didn’t mean for you to hit it!’
    I, on the other hand, now know that it is not good to say:
    • ‘So these are big cabins, are they?’

    • ‘Which way is the wind coming from, again?’

    • ‘Is this a tack or a gybe?’

    • ‘I want to go home!’

    • ‘Wow! Is the engine supposed to give off that much smoke?’

    • ‘Oh! Sorry! Were those hatches supposed to be shut?’

    • ‘What happens if I press this button?’

    • ‘You didn’t tell me to tie it on!’; and finally

    • 'Well, it wasn’t too ba
      Take Computer to a Trained Professional For Computer Repair
      Computers are expensive devices that are changing every day. Computer specialists are working very hard to come up with new computer programs all the time. This means that you need to keep on top of things as well. Sometimes computer’s break down and need to be fixed. If you are not familiar with computers then you need to take the computer to a trained professional to have it fixed. Computer repair can be quite costly depending on the problem and the age of the computer. Some computers
      p>And the noise! I thought sailing was supposed to be quiet! What with the wind on the sails and the boat slooshing through the water and the depth gauge beeping every two minutes, it was hardly peaceful at all.

      So I learned a lot: I learned that there was a lot I didn’t know.

      And my husband learned a few things too - most particularly, that there some things you just do not say to reluctant sailors who have consented to come on board:

      • ‘Right! Well, why don’t you try reversing us out from the berth and then take us out of the marina!’

      • ‘It’s only a tiny leak – nothing to worry about!’

      • ‘No, of course yachts don’t capsize – not unless it’s really, really windy!’

      • ‘I know the depth gauge is beeping. It’s not really working properly at the moment.’

      • ‘Look at it this way, the boat really can’t tip over any more than it is already.’

      • ‘When I said ‘aim for the buoy’, I didn’t mean for you to hit it!’
      I, on the other hand, now know that it is not good to say:
      • ‘So these are big cabins, are they?’

      • ‘Which way is the wind coming from, again?’

      • ‘Is this a tack or a gybe?’

      • ‘I want to go home!’

      • ‘Wow! Is the engine supposed to give off that much smoke?’

      • ‘Oh! Sorry! Were those hatches supposed to be shut?’

      • ‘What happens if I press this button?’

      • ‘You didn’t tell me to tie it on!’; and finally

      • 'Well, it wasn’t too ba
        Article Authors with 300 or Less Articles get 10 Times the Results
        There are at least a few people out there who believe that online article authors who are less prolific get 10 times the results for article as those who are highly prolific authors. And yet the statistics simply do not show this. Recently an online Blogger with an opinion (Yah, don't they all?) stated without any new empirical proof whatsoever that; “Many people in the 300 articles and below realm get 10x the results with 10x less articles.” This simply is not true and it is a complete
        s beeping. It’s not really working properly at the moment.’

      • ‘Look at it this way, the boat really can’t tip over any more than it is already.’

      • ‘When I said ‘aim for the buoy’, I didn’t mean for you to hit it!’
      I, on the other hand, now know that it is not good to say:
      • ‘So these are big cabins, are they?’

      • ‘Which way is the wind coming from, again?’

      • ‘Is this a tack or a gybe?’

      • ‘I want to go home!’

      • ‘Wow! Is the engine supposed to give off that much smoke?’

      • ‘Oh! Sorry! Were those hatches supposed to be shut?’

      • ‘What happens if I press this button?’

      • ‘You didn’t tell me to tie it on!’; and finally

      • 'Well, it wasn’t too bad…’
      Looks like I have another lesson pencilled in for next Tuesday.

      For all the Reluctant Sailor articles go to The Reluctant Sailor.