Having just moved to Marblehead, I know next to nothing about sailing, everyone’s favorite pastime in this lovely little nook of a town. So I was thrilled when Chris invited everyone from the office to join her and her husband on an afternoon adventure on the waters around town. Making sure to wear my most appropriate “sailorish” attire (complete with coral sneakers, of course) and take my Dramamine (which I learned about AFTER a nightmare fishing trip last summer) I was ready to hit the open water alongside CGPR.

Oh, Sailing, how I love thee. What more could anyone ask for? Being able to connect with the outdoors from the safe distance of a cleverly named vessel (Backdraft, in our case), the wind at your back, a delicious homemade lunch and the water only a few feet away (but not close enough to ruin your manicured hair)…it’s all a girl could ask for!

That being said, I still have one issue with the sailing world: the lingo. Before anyone’s first time stepping foot on a sail boat, they should be handed a “Guide to Know What the Heck everyone on a Sail Boat is Talking About.”  Jib, halyard, berth, beam, port, galley – AHHH! They all begin to sound like one giant onomatopoeia (boom, bam, eek!). The one sailing terminology I made sure to remember, just in case, was the “head” aka the bathroom. Because unlike a house bathroom, the one on a sail boat is so complex you actually need instructions. And not “Oh, the handle gets stuck so you have to jiggle it sometimes” kind of instructions, but rather “Umm, I just won’t have anything to drink the entire time on board because I’m too scared to screw up” kind of instructions. Thankfully no one on board had any issues.

Needless to say, I now have the “sailing itch.” I went to bed dreaming of the cool winds through my hair and the warm sun tanning my skin, slicing through the water as we gain knots. I can’t wait to get back on deck and start to fine tune my sailing skills.

Now all I have to do is make a friend who has a boat…