...Beats the gym!

Soundtrack: STYX, "Come Sail Away"

Last week I picked up and sailed away. Literally. 

I work for a non-profit organization where our main attraction is a 17th century sailing ship, a replica built in the 1990's. We have a shipyard and educational lessons, but let's face it, what brings the people in is the ship and the chance to take a sail on it. And that's just what I did.

Taking advantage of a free afternoon, I forwent heading to the gym and instead headed towards the dock, bordering the ship with an educational group. I wasn't looking to join the lessons (I had already sailed once with an education group earlier this summer, so had seen the stations), just to spend some time out on the water and enjoy the afternoon experiencing something different. 

The weather was a bit overcast and a little chilly, but that didn't stop me. I arrived down at the dock, waited to board the ship...and it started to rain. Not hard enough to cancel the sail, but enough to get wet. I was still undeterred and walked the gangplank onto the ship brimming with optimism it wouldn't rain more. We set sail down the river and under the draw bridges; I sat enjoying the view, half listening to the learning station right in front of me, soaking up the freedom of being outdoors. And, again, it started to rain, though this time a little harder. I was able to take cover back at the helm where I watched our progress down the river by the passing landscape and the electronic tracking devise, which I found endlessly fascinating. The ship turned around and we sailed up the river back to our dock, passing the shipyard and the other riverside attractions. 

An hour and a half after we started, we pulled into dock and departed the ship. It rained for the majority of the trip, but that didn't take away the fun of being out on the water, in fact, gave me a new prospective for sailing. Because it is true what they say, "A bad day on the water beats a good day on land."