Jr Sailing Series - Maia

Two years ago I didn’t know anything about sailing. When I first got on a Laser I was with my cousin, who also didn’t know much about sailing. We sailed back and forth, he would tell me “tacking!” and try to tack, but nothing would happen, so he’d say he guessed we were just going in this direction. By the middle of the second week we all knew what we were doing a little better. My partner and I worked fluidly, he did the tiller and I did the main sheet, and now I was able to see what needed to be done before he said anything. I’ll always remember this one day—it was so windy and we were literally flying over the water, the daggerboard was vibrating so loudly, and everyone was capsizing. When we hiked out we were pretty much parallel to the water. Whenever I think of sailing that’s what I think about, and that day made me really fall in love with sailing.

                This year I only needed one day before everything I’d learned the previous year came back. By the second week I was skippering a boat, sometimes even sailing completely on my own, when the week before I’d been too nervous. Whenever we weren’t doing drills, everyone always wanted to play pirate, and I learned so much playing that game. When you have to evade boats with crew that want to capsize you, it really causes you to think “how can I go faster??” Which you’d better figure out pretty quick. And the skills I learned playing pirate helped me when I sailed in the Regatta (which I did alone)—it was my first official sailing race ever. I capsized once, heading to the leeward buoy during the race, and I’d mastered the art of skillfully righting your boat thanks to pirating. I never even touched the water—the boat tipped and I immediately scrambled over the side and pulled it back over. Even I was surprised at how quickly I did it!

                I never thought I’d have a passion for sailing, and I think that having learned to sail at the Ware River Yacht Club made the experience even more memorable and happy. I’m pretty sure all my friends at home are tired of hearing about sailing I talk about it so much.  I’m never going to go a summer without being on a Laser, the things I’ve learned over the past two years have created a solid foundation that I’ll always think back to whenever I’m sailing.