EOTC WEEK SAILING
I grip the rough rope as the frothy sea splashes up on me. "Let go of the rope!" the instructor yells, to be heard over the wind. Now I grab the tough, leathery sail. I sit down, one hand touching the cold rail, the other hand running through the fresh, salty water.
I see the sails flapping in the wind. The monotonous low-pitched sound of the of the ropes winding through the pulleys is drowning out every other noise.
Suddenly, without warning, the boat tilts almost 90 degrees. My heart is a pneumatic drill. Adrenaline is rushing like a flowing volcano. The butterflies in my tummy are more like rhinos trampling on my insides. But I am on top of the world. Then the boat flips the other way, and I am almost knocked out by the heavy metal boom. I'm thrilled to the absolute limit.
After the boat settles down, the instructor asks "Can you please steer now?"
"Great," I mutter. "Now I have to steer." As I make my way to the center of the boat, where the steering rod is, I realise a Bluebridge ferry is hot on our tail. Just my luck. Now, not only do I have to steer a yacht with no experience, but I also have to scuttle away from a huge ship. I grip the rod with all of my might and do exactly what the instructor tells me to.
"Do you take sailing lessons?" The instructor asks.
"No, why do you think so?" I reply.
"Well you are a very precise at steering".
Huh, I think, maybe this isn't so bad after all.
By Sol Beckman (Year 6, YT Class).
No comments:
Post a Comment