Sail Away

Our weekends are now packed with sailing, which takes up a good part of the day, but in an amazing way. Now that we are used to this lifestyle, I can't imagine doing anything else on weekends. Relaxing in the park, by the pool? Sounds way too bland for my taste. The routine has been pretty well formed now, wake up at a decent hour, do chores like laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning if need to, then head over to Beaconsfield either by car or bicycle, which we did last Saturday. The ride was pretty, but entirely dangerous with so many pedestrians and crazy people riding on the road! Have a little road respect please! That's is a problem that comes with being such a bike-friendly city, a whole different topic I won't even get into. Anyways, once we arrive Beaconsfield yacht club (which is past Royal and Pointe Claire Yacht Clubs), have a snack or just set up the sails right away. The only boats we are allowed to use as junior members are the tiny, 13-feet squadrons. Still quite nice. Saturday, the wind was calm, Z and I took the boat out and had a lazy afternoon, put the boat in control position so that even without a heavy object, we can still stay in one place. We drank our beer, relaxed, and swam. When we bring the boat back, if it's nice and we are feeling lazy, we would relax by the lawn chairs facing the marina, read, eat, and chat. Or, we would have a snack or dinner at the yacht club, which was what we did on Saturday before getting back on the bikes and heading back to the city. The food at the club is surprising delicious and reasonably priced. The dishes are all quite homey and unique. For a plate of lobster roll at $12, I was amazed at how delicious and reasonable it was even though we were not in Maine or the Maritimes.

Sunday we returned anticipating a mad day out sailing because the wind was strong and scary almost. After lunch, we asked John the caretaker of the boats for the plug (so the boat will not sink in water), and he did not want us to go into the water. Club policy when the wind is so strong, it appears. We were so disappointed that we did not know what to do. He suggested we catch a ride with some people who are heading out, which was what we did. We made friends with a family of 3, their son was on a laser sailing separately. Their 27-ft boat is apparently an antique from the 80s but kept in great condition because of the fresh water and short sailing season. The wind was terribly strong that day. Their son, a veteran sailer, took the small laser boat out, within minutes capsized. That could have been us. Their other son, also a skilled sailor, was on our sailboat, manning the ropes of the gibe and controlling the wheel. The entire two hours we were out in the water, the boat was on a 60-80 degree angle due to the push and pull of the wind. The father says that sailboats would never topple over so not to be worry. We were being pulled so vertically that I just needed to reach over and could feel the water.

Usually, after an hour or two of sailing, we are back on shore, and call it a day. After enjoying the good weather in this way, how could we possibly return to the madness of city parks and fight for spots on the tennis court and the bike lanes?