Gone Sailing

So, on my Summer 2012 hit-list was seeing the white cliffs of Dover, which was on it because I thought we were going there. We weren't. However, we did see some white chalk cliffs, which means I checked the box with pride.

And here they are. 

This is on the eastern coast of the Isle of Wight (I think). I can't remember the name of the beach, unfortunately. It was such a blessing to have island native Sam choose the activities and drive us around everywhere, but it meant that I can't remember the names of all the places we went. I think the positives way outweigh the negatives on this one.

Here is beautiful Jen manning our little sand patch. The fabric thing on sticks behind her is called a wind break. I couldn't figure out what it was for, and then she said, "This is what the English are usually huddled behind in horrible weather on the beach so we don't get sand in our sandwiches." I think it's also meant to provide shade, but we had the sun directly overhead for most of our time there. We Americans have umbrellas for the sun, and we don't stick around for wind storms on the beach.

And now for the main event... sailing! Nathan was so, so excited about sailing with Sam. He read two books about sailing before we left for our trip, and he talked about it multiple times a day. Sam is a great sailor and a great teacher, and they had a lot of fun. 

Here's my sailor and his knotted rope.

Sam's parents are expert sailors who race and enjoy their boat several times a week, and they very generously let us use their Wayfarer a couple times.

Off they go! When they got back, he was boasting about his tacking and jiving (which is actually supposed to be jibing) and how he used the toe strap and hung out the side of the boat to balance it. He's pretty much Ben Ainslie now, who is the most bad#$% sailor ever. I loved watching him in the Olympics. 

Basically, two guys teamed up on him and said he hit a buoy, which meant he had to take a penalty turn and lose the lead. However, he had the last word when he won the gold medal in the Finn class a few days later. He's won medals (one silver and four golds) at each of the last five Olympics. Nathan accused me of having a crush on Ben Ainslie, and I didn't deny it. Whatever. He has a huge crush on Christy Brinkley that I don't bug him about. 

The boys talked me and Jen into sailing around the harbor a little. I was so, so, so nervous. The water was cold. I left my insulin pump with Nathan because I didn't want it to short and break if I went overboard. That would have been... *shudder* disastrous. A funny little difference in vocabulary: life jackets are called buoyancy aids.

I can now say that I had fun, but I won't be doing it again. 

Coming back to safety!

After our sailing adventures, we enjoyed the best burgers in all of England from the sailing clubhouse. What a gorgeous night!

Next up, we visit Queen Victoria's summer house. Coolness!