A Brief Foray Into The World Of Sailing

Living in Britain is more often than not a little strange; it is possible to experience all four seasons in the space of a couple of days and last week was certainly no exception. Last weekend the whole of Sussex was basking in uninterrupted waves of blissful sunshine that reminded me more of the south of France.

I cannot deny that I certainly am something of a sun-worshipper, and that is why whenever it is sunny I aim to be out and about, and if possible, relaxing on Brighton beach. For those of you who are reading this from outside of the UK, trust me when I say that making the most of the sun is a British necessity as you can never be sure when (if ever) it will return.

I was more than aware that last weekend could well have been my final chance to feel the warm sun on my skin and that is why I headed down to Brighton marina with several friends of mine who are keen sailors. Despite living by the sea I do not possess much sailing experience, and I must confess that I used to suffer from sea-sickness when travelling back to my native France back in the day.

As we made the slow and arduous journey along the traffic-laden seafront in Brighton, my friends excitedly discussed their shared experience at the Southampton Boat Show; it felt as though they were speaking a foreign language and I suddenly had an image of the waves crashing against the sea-defences of Boulogne-sur-Mer flash into my mind, making me wonder if my queasy stomach would be able to hold out for the duration of our time out on the water.

I decided to keep my reservations to myself and try to enjoy the September sun as much as possible before spending the rest of the afternoon staring into the English Channel. I foolishly began to enquire as to what the weather out at sea would be like, which then led to repeated attempts by my friends to encourage me to admit that I was feeling a little apprehensive about my journey on the water.

Having decided to ignore their goading and try to relax, we left Brighton Marina and tentatively made our way out into the Channel. I quickly began to forget my initial timidness of getting out on the water and started excitedly learning from my friends the world of all things chandlery (the term boat people use for boat things!)

As we made our way west along the coast, passing all the big attractions of Brighton, it truly felt as though we were in a much more exotic location. There was a cool and pleasant breeze that was a perfect contrast to the heat of the unseasonal Sussex sun. As I eagerly finished my bottle of Peroni, the mood was suddenly lost as a seagull swooped down and helped itself to my friend’s sandwich, and in the process, nearly knocked me overboard.

Undeterred by the behaviour of the oafish seagull, we carried along the coast and stopped to relax and take in the sights of a more than busy Brighton beach. Enjoying the blissful feel of the sun against my skin and the gentle rocking of the boat, I closed my eyes and began to drift off, listening to the cries of the seagulls in the distance.

I awoke as we commenced our short journey back to the marina and I began to imagine owning a boat of my own and the opportunities this would present to me. I started daydreaming about sailing out into the middle of the English Channel and finally composing the novel I have been telling myself I will write for the last couple of years. Since dipping my toes into the world of sailing I have been reading up as much as I can about learning to sail and have made tentative enquiries about joining up to a sailing course.

However in typical British fashion, after several days of beautiful pleasant sunshine, as I write and look out of my window, you would be forgiven for believing we are currently in the depths of winter. Oh well, there is always next year.