Trust the harness and lean out

5 years ago I did not know anything about sailing, if there were 100 possible things to know about sailing in order to be the complete practical and theoretical sailor, I knew comfortably less than 0.1%


Now, there is a chance I’ve come all the way up to a percent, it’s been a big 5 years. Nearly all 1 percent of my sailing knowledge is about what teenagers from the north shore of Sydney do when they are put into one specific type of boat and asked to sail between Balmain and Greenwich. This, I know about.


Something I learnt about recently is 18ft Skiff racing in the Sydney Harbour. On a bright Sunday afternoon, with a strong breeze, Chris took us out into the middle of a race fleet. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t seem like it should be allowed. Yet there we were, amidst a very fast Skiff race.


The way this particular sailing craft works requires all 3 sailors to attach harnesses and “stand” on the very outer edge of the frame. I say “stand” because whilst they are in a standing posture, they’re also completely horizontal, literally parallel with the water. Observe the image attached. Spectacular!


My main learning though from the race was beyond the physical courage and skill required to sail these boats, I drifted on to other broader ideas. Each 18ft Skiff seemed to take a slightly different line around the course as they looked for more wind, tried to block the wind of their competitors or tacked around the harbour. From our vantage point in the middle of it all there were times when the race leader seemed to be behind the boats chasing and vice versa.


The nature of the open race course; with multiple avenues to round each mark, the shifting nature of the wind and tide and the quite large distances they were travelling, combined to create moments of complete uncertainty about relative positions.


It felt totally reflective of life and the uncertainty of forces that shape the race and our relative position. It’s confusing and deceptive when you look around the harbour and see that everyone is charging off on their own adventure, looking for their version of the best course. It can be hard to judge where you’re at and the best way to chase the goal.


Sometimes it feels like you’ve got space and time to look around and read the conditions, other times you’ve just got to trust the harness, lean out over the water and hold on.


There we go, I might be up to 1.1% of all possible sailing wisdom. All the best to the people in a ex-cyclone right now.


Thanks for the cruise and the lessons Chris.