4 minute read
eye on the bay
With all due respect to Stephen Stills, if you can't sail with the ones you love — just go out with anybody.
Let's face it, unless you're one of those lunatic fringe singlehanders, any meaningful life experience is better when you share it with someone else. And according to recent research, sailing leaves more indelible memories than any other pastime. Okay, okay, we just made that up. But think about it: of the top five best memories of fun outings with family and friends that you've had in the last 20 years, how many involve sailing? Now, how many involved croquet? See? (Margin of error in this poll: ± 3%.)
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We have taken many people sailing
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The unvarnished truth: going sailing with friends is always better than working on the boat.
PHOTO: PETER LYONS/WWW.LYONSIMAGING.COM
EYE ON THE BAY EYE ON THE BAY
PETER LYONS/WWW.LYONSIMAGING.COM
Just between friends (clockwise from right) — the 'Spray' replica 'Bertie' spreads her wings and takes flight; in the Bay you have big friends and little friends; 'Xarifa' in the rinse cycle; it's not just two-legged sea dogs who enjoy sailing; 'Bo power; trading tacks with FDR's floating white house 'Potomac.'
— THE BUDDY SYSTEM — THE BUDDY SYSTEM
over the years. It's one of the funnest aspects of this whole crazy deal for us. And getting folks out who have never been sailing before is usually the most fun.
Unlike the old days when we used to like to give them the 'full experience' by basically scaring the bejesus out of them, these days we go to great pains to make the experience a memorable one for all the right reasons. Plus we don't lose as many friends as we used to.
So it's the classic Bay tour — out under the Golden Gate in mid-morning, when the wind's just coming up, followed by an easy run down the Cityfront, then a spray-drenched white-knuckler across the Slot, followed by the wine and cheese thing at anchor off Angel Island. (If this sounds familiar, that's because we detail it every spring in our Guide to Bay Sailing. Taking friends sailing is one of the main ways we developed it.)
Even if it doesn't seem like it at the time, a day like that can live forever in someone's memory. During the holidays last year, when we had the chance to meet up with (nonsailing) friends that we hadn't seen and barely talked to in a decade, one of the first things they did was thank us for a day like the one we've just described, calling it one of the best days of their lives. And this was before we even spiked the eggnog.
So next time you get the hankering to go out with friends, invite a few new ones along — or invite the friends to invite someone. It doesn't matter who — neighbors, kids' friends, kids' friends' parents, the couple you met on the dock that morning, the local mechanic who's always treated you right, the latest Facebook Friend . . . the 'who' doesn't really matter. What matters is that you're giving something to someone, and that the thing you're giving is a gift that might just be remembered for a lifetime.
Ferry wakes can't be helped, but if you're taking newbies out, try not to scare them too much. If they do get scared or queasy, head downwind and take a break.
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