Letters
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Visitourexciting,newstoreinSeattle
featuringanexpandedselectionof:
Feels Like the First Time
SailboatHardware
The last day of the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show was Westockahuge
a perfect day for those wanting to experience sailing to take selectionofgear&
a free ride. As I stood in the Discover Sailing/48° North accessoriestosuit
booth, I watched as a J-105 full of expectant neophytes
yoursailingpassion.
headed out into Lake Union. I found myself envious that
Visitthemaster
they were heading out and I wasn’t. Why? I’ve sailed
riggersatour
literally hundreds of days like this, so what’s the big deal?
on-siteriggingshop!
It’s a short question with a lifetime of answers.
The answers are different for everybody, but I knew as
Customservicesinclude:
they came back up to the booth after their ride, big grins •AllRunningRigging
on their faces, and told me about their sail, that they’d
•StandingRigging(includingwire,rod,PBOandVectran)
had a glimpse of what keeps us all loving to be on the
•Dock,AnchorandMooringLines
water under sail. Comments like: “It was just like gliding
•NavtecRodRiggingandHydraulics
across the water... It was so quiet and peaceful... It was so
•Lifelines(includingcoatedanduncoatedwire,andDyneema)
exciting with the wind in the sails... I never realized how
•ArchitecturalRigging(fordecks,fixtures,artworkandmore!)
exhilarating it could be.” Of course, it never hurts to have a
bright, sunny day and good wind for your first sail.
What I didn’t hear was what people who haven’t sailed
say about it on shore; “It’s so slow... It’s too much work...
Boats&Motors
It’s so hard to learn.”
Yoursmallboatheadquarters:
The other nice thing was that it was mostly families
•Over20kayaksondisplay,
looking into something they could do together. It was great
plusaccessoriesfromOceanKayakandConfluence
to see the broad smiles on the kid’s faces and the parents •WestMarineInflatablesofferthebestcombination
exchanging those, “this was pretty neat,” looks when they ofqualityandvalue
got back to the dock, and walked away discussing their
•TerrificselectionofMercuryoutboardsfrom3.5hpto15hp
options of sailing clubs, lessons, and buying a boat.
Of course, I’m preaching to the choir with this column.
Most 48° North readers are well acquainted with the joys
of sailing, whatever your particular joys are. But it was
interesting that, after all these years, watching the folks
leave the dock, I was still envious. Envious not only that
they were sailing and I wasn’t, but also about the new
experience that each one of them was being exposed
to. That, even after decades of sailing, they too will still
utter the same thoughts they had that first time they tried
...andmuchmorein-store!
sailing: “It was just like gliding across the water... It was so
quiet and peaceful... It was so exciting with the wind in the
sails...”
Seattle
We want to thank the Northwest Yacht Brokers
Association for supporting the Discover Sailing booth,
1275WestlakeAve.N • (206)926-0356
Seattle Sailing Club for providing a J-105 and J-80, Marine
(AcrossfromRockSaltonLakeUnion)
Servicenter for providing a Laser SB-3, and all the skippers.
And thanks to Sail Sand Point for providing free lessons for
the kids on the Hobie Waves.
Editor
48° No r t h , oc t o b e r 2009 Pa g e 13
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