*Originally published in the September 2014 Freshwater News*
It couldn’t have been a more perfect day on the Columbia River. The sun was shining and the wind was picking up little tufts on the water’s surface. I was about to have my first ride on a large sailboat, a Hunter 28.5 to be exact. There was quite a bit of hustle and bustle as we set to work preparing this large vessel. Winches were winched, sails were raised, bumpers were pulled in, and we set our course to sail the Columbia. We were in fact only one sailboat of many out on the Columbia that day, just one part of a majestic flock. Once we had settled into a calm glide down the river it was easy to see the comfortable camaraderie between the sailors on board. You wouldn’t even know that the majority of sailors had only met each other that day. Each sailor had their own unique story behind how they discovered sailing. It seems that sailing, like many hobbies, attracts people from all walks of life.
Matteo Luccio, our boisterous captain for the journey, has a 40-year sailing background. Matteo has sailed in Italy, Greece and the United States. For the majority of his sailing background Matteo chartered or sailed other people’s boats. It wasn’t until about 6 years ago that he was finally able to purchase his first sailboat, an Islander 21. The Hunter 28.5 is his third boat.
Joshua got his start in sailing four years ago through a Groupon for a sailing class in New York. “It was a two day class and it was half off, so I thought why not,” he said. He fell in love, joined a sailing club, and has been sailing ever since.
Susan was introduced to sailing while she was learning to scuba dive. “I actually liked the sailing more than the scuba diving,” she said while laughing, “You get to relax more while sailing.”
Jerry has a naval background as an officer on an aircraft carrier. He went to two sailing Meetups last year and has gone on two this year as well.
Manca sailed as a child with his father in Italy. He started sailing again recently when he met Matteo in a coffee shop. The two of them have been making plans to sail from the East Coast to Italy together.
Sailing back to the docks is an entirely different experience from sailing out of them. Moving with the wind and current transformed our meandering jaunt into exhilarating adventure. There is certainly a level of agility and quick thinking required when the wind kicks up and fills the sails. The group certainly got a chuckle out of my shocked facial expressions and my nervous giggles as we tilted ever closer to the water’s surface and what I envisioned as my inevitable doom. Joshua informed me “it’s not fun unless water is coming in the boat”, while Matteo reassured me that it’s virtually impossible to capsize the sailboat.
At the end of the day, after we had brought down the sails, docked the boat, and wrapped everything up, I knew I had had the opportunity to be a part of an enthralling voyage. I had become one with the elements, conquered them even, and used them for my own fantastical purposes. Even better, I had made friends along the way. So for anyone else that is intrigued by the thought of a seaward voyage propelled by the fickle elements of nature, you should check out either the Sailing in Portland Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/Sailing-in-Portland/) or the Island Sailing Club (http://www.islandsailingclub.com/). Adventure Awaits!
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