Sailing for Freedom, Adventure and Fun - By: Ben Franklin

If you are an adventurer like many people are nowadays, you have surely considered sailing at least once in your lifetime, and the prospect of a sailing vacation attracts you very much. Escaping from everything, from the city rush and sailing into the sunset is an appealing concept. Even if you have never set foot on a sailing ship before, there are still possibilities for you to have a wonderful holiday.

Sailing is an expression of freedom. The boat that’s under your control and moves with the wind, the sound of the waves as they go under the boat, everything is in harmony. Many people get addicted to this, and there’s really no wonder why. A sailing boat is very much different from any other types of boats, because it doesn’t use a motor to get propulsion. It simply moves using the wind. Without going into very much expert detail, I am going to present the main components of a sailboat.

The sails are the parts that actually give the name of the boat, and they are used to transform the power of the wind into "fuel" for the boat. They are made out of Dacron or nylon, materials which are more resistant to salt water and sun. The mainsail is the most important of them all, and it’s attached to a high pole called mainmast.

The masts are usually hollow, and made out of light material like aluminum or light wood. They also need to be strong, so these are the two main qualities that masts "must" have: lightness and strength. Ropes or lines are used to manipulate the sails, either raising or trimming them.

As for the best sailing locations go, there are too many and would take forever to present. From the coastal Florida to the incredible beauty of the Caribbean, you have a wide selection array at your disposal. Not to forget the Mediterranean Europe, in countries like Italy, France, Spain, Greece, etc.

As far as the sailing instruction goes, there’s no way around it. You need to do it with an experienced captain or seasoned crew, persons who will give you high quality lessons. If you ever plan on going alone or with your family out there, you need to know what you’re doing. Not only that you need to know how to effectively sail your boat, but you also must know what to do if an imminent storm approaches, for example.

Naturally, you can always decide for a cruise aboard a boat with experienced crew, without buying or renting your own boat. It’s your decision, of course, and it depends on the degree of privacy you want to have while sailing. The majority prefer cruising without having to learn the skills of doing it themselves, while the passionate ones live their lives around it.

Many people say that there’s nothing that compares to sailing. For example, the beauty of the Caribbean islands is much more fascinating when taking a tour of them. Well, at least that’s what they all say. In the end, it’s all a matter of perspective though. People who like to sail are generally people who like adventure, like the freedom and enjoy getting in close contact with the nature, the sea, and ultimately their inner selves. Enjoying a sunrise or a sunset while away at sea, with nothing but ocean in sight, seeing the bored seagulls fly by, is a unique feeling, no doubt about it. And if I were to make a top 10 list of things to do in my lifetime, sailing would surely be on that list.

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