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Remember college? Me neither. At least not the first few years.
I do remember the summer before my senior year, though. Like a giant spinnaker flying above the bow of an America’s Cup boat, it was filled with wind.
After traveling from Nashville to Florida with school friends and a psychology professor, I rented a beach catamaran and went for a sail. Only 30 minutes had passed before we capsized. Being a greenie, I didn’t think to grab the boat, and within seconds my sailing mates and the boat itself had blown out of sight.
Ah, the joys of bobbing up and down two miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Talk about your summer treats. I was eventually rescued by a couple dressed in street clothes on a waverunner, but not before I managed to capsize their craft as well.
Never mind the bollacks, I returned to Tennessee a sailor, immediately bought a boat and sailed all summer and fall on J. Percy Priest Lake. I graduated in December of ‘98, sold everything I had but my computer, some clothes and my dog, moved to Florida and camped for a few weeks in Osprey.
I didn’t have a job or house. I’d never even been to Southwest Florida.
At the time I was willing to risk anything, even life and limb, to feel the rush of surfing down a steep wave in 20-knot winds. To me, sailing was just that fun, which leads to my point: Go sailing.
This is Florida. You’re on the coast. Although we live in a land of golf courses and pontoon boats, it’s still legal to sail in Southwest Florida. Winds blow regularly here. It’s practically a civic duty.
Arguably the best place to start is with small boats, such as Sunfish or Laser dinghies. Beach catamarans are fast and fun, too. You can read a few books and take to sea on your own, or you can try the Edison Sailing Center in Fort Myers, which is hosting his year’s U.S. Junior Olympic Sailing Festival in October, or the Collier County Sailing Center in Naples.
Both offer protected waters, competent instructors and an introduction to sailing at a relatively low cost.
Edison Sailing Center is on the north side of the Caloosahatchee River off U.S. 41. The main focus is on youth sailing and racing. It’s closed on several weekends during the winter racing season.
Boats launch on the north side of the Caloosahatchee near Pincher’s Crab Shack. For information, check out their Web site at www.edisonsailingcenter.org or call 995-8414.
The Collier County Sailing Center, off Avalon Drive along U.S 41 East at Sugden Regional Park, offers classes for kids and adults. Handicapped sailing is also a focus, and a windsurfing class is new to the schedule this year. For information, call 793-4414.
No one in Collier and south Lee counties is more than a half-hour’s drive or so away from a local sailing center. So, get out and pick up a new hobby, one that’s refreshing, non-polluting and just plain fun.
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