Pathology members share hobbies and passions

Inhabitants of the Lower Mainland have a unique opportunity to enjoy all water sports. For sailing, BC must rate as one of the best venues in the world. For sailing neophytes I will try to outline the scope of sailing opportunities and how to get started. My sailing career started in 1965 when a fellow medical student asked if I would like to crew in the medical school regatta. We won the regatta, nothing to do with me other than obeying orders, and I was hooked. Sailing downwind made sense, the wind pushed you along but I was initially puzzled as to how one could move forward into the wind, but the sail is like an airplane wing and flow over the convex surface of the sail is faster than the concave side of the sail, creating a lift effect. London University had a fleet of dinghies for student use on a reservoir in North London. It became my new hobby. It was in the pre-cell phone era and casting off from the dock was the personification of freedom from the rest of one’s obligations and most of humanity.

How does one get into sailing locally?

Well there are a whole series of options. All the sailing clubs on both sides of English Bay offer excellent lessons at a very modest cost. Dinghy sailing is probably the best place to start. Dinghies do not have ballast like a large yacht. This means you have to use your body weight to keep the boat upright and balancing the tipping forces from the effect of the wind on the sail.

For most of you Jericho Sailing Centre at the foot of Discovery would be the best place to start. A quick trip to the web will give you all the details on the constituent clubs and opportunities for lessons. Several of the clubs are run as co-ops and are thus excellent value. UBC Sailing Club is probably the largest one and club fees are heavily discounted for registered students. If not a student, the co-op clubs may be better value. Irrespective of whichever club you join, you will be taught basic sailing skills, water safety issues as well as basic navigation skills.

Once you are past the basics you may want to race. The definition of a sailboat race is two boats on the bay! The impulse to compare your boat speed with an adjacent craft is pretty irresistible. There are regular dinghy races out of Jericho Sailing Centre several nights a week.

Is it worth buying a boat?

Well this depends on your anticipated usage and the type of sailing that you expect to do. Once proficient you can cruise in a dinghy in much the same way people do with ocean kayaks and your own boat would make sense. For everyday recreational sailing and basic racing club boats may be better. For competitive racing you may want your own boat or Viking sailing Club at the Jericho Centre has a fleet of tip top racing boats for their members use.

For those of you that want more creature comforts keel boats are an alternative. To understand wind and waves I recommend starting with dinghies but if you want to sample keel boat sailing there are options, largely out of Granville Island which will teach, mentor, and even provide basic racing opportunities. Sailing is great fun. With appropriate tuition and safety gear, sailing is healthy, safe, readily accessible and great fun.