I bought my first 14 foot dinghy sailboat for something to do on vacation because my two sons were old enough to want to go off with their friends and I need something to do at the shore (Penboscot Bay Maine). I had always been a water bug but never had a boat before, thoujgh I had sailed a little bit. I never dreamed how much it would take over my life. I quickly moved up to a 19 foot Rhodes Mariner then after six years bought a Ranger 23 keel boat, and now sail a Ranger 29 (and have a share in an 18 foot power boat).

For those that have time to read it, the little prose poem below is something I posted when a similar question was asked about 10 years ago on this board.

Why do I love Sailng

I love getting out on the water
the clean, sharp, salt air
the wind in my face, the rhythm of the waves, and the tiller’s pull
the expanse of water stretching to the horizon
the rush of the wind flowing over the sails
and that crisp sound of our bow slicing the water.

There is purity and wonder in the harnessing of the wind
how can a sailboat go against the wind?
every tack is a physics lesson
every jibe is an invitation to disaster
sailing all day costs nothing, burns nothing,
leaves nothing but ripples on the water

I love the feeling of speed,
barely faster than walking, it feels like flying
the tiller like the tail of a tiger over which I have control
and yet, when the wind is light, and our wake just a ripple
and we make way with just a feather’s touch on the tiller
Tranquility is ours

I love the competition of a sailing race, win or lose
the start, a microcosm of mayhem and confusion
transformed by the gun into a slow motion ballet
to the casual spectator, a dawdling parade
but for the skipper and crew, a dance of stateliness and grace
broken by occasional flirtations with disaster

I take pride in the particular qualities of my boat
and in the work I have done to keep and improve her
I don't completely enjoy all of that work
but like a parent changing a diaper, I'm glad to do it
my daydreams are filled with ideas to make the boat better.

I love all the gadgets on a sailboat
cam cleats, clam cleats, jam cleats and vangs
goosenecks, gudgeons, gaffs and fiddle blocks
turnbuckles, travelers, winches and whisker poles
it is a collection that would delight Archimedes

I can spend hours dreaming of new toys to get for my boat
my boat is really the ultimate toy
so important to me, yet so unnecessary
my boat could bankrupt me if I let her

On the water a sailboat is a world unto itself
you must learn her peculiar language
to tie her many knots, fix things that break
tend to her needs and she will tend to yours
you must listen when she speaks
she’ll let you know when she is unhappy

I love the places I can go on my boat
I can see places and perspectives not possible from land
my boat can take me anywhere
if I want, I can cross the Bay today
Ii I dare, I can cross the Gulf tomorrow
next year, maybe an Ocean.

I feel closer to the natural world on my boat
sunrise and sunset become dramatic events
clouds take on much more significance
at any moment a seal can pop its inquisitive head out of the water
or a pair of porpoises may surface off the bow
we could see cormorants diving, or ospreys soaring
hear a loon’s call, or even bump into a whale.

I love to sail alone, but it’s even better to share it
being together on a sailboat can foster a closeness
the conversation flows like the water beneath the hull
the sharing of so much beauty can forms a bond.

I love just to look at my boat
from shore, it draws my gaze with irresistible force
I love to look at other people's boats too
and as with lovers
my admiration for another’s boat does not diminish that for my own

A good boat, though made by mortal hands
seems to have a soul of its own
Each one different, each one unique
with its own curves and personality
a boat’s beauty is not just skin deep
and is a truly subjective quality

I love talking about sailing and boats,
who has what boat, who wants what boat
how do you do this, why do you do that
which boat is faster, which can take the sea
how was the wind, the weather, the fog.

There is a fellowship between sailors, it is an unofficial fraternity,
glad to provide all the free opinions and advice you could want
and when real help is needed, it is there before you can ask

Putting my boat properly away at the end of a sail is a holy ritual
it is never tiresome, no matter how many times I do it
But even more joyful is the rite of: make ready, hoist sails, cast off!

So why do I love sailing? There isn’t any one thing.