Saling class and other lessons in patience

My husband has always wanted to learn how to sail. He comes from a sailing town and not to mention a huge Naval family. Me on the other hand, I like to have my feet on solid ground. Even though I'm a strong swimmer and have never had any bad experiences in the water it's just not my thing. So we signed up for sailing classes in the Bay Area and wanting to be a good sport and not to mention a good wife I reluctantly went for it. On the first day of our dinghy class (a two person 12 foot boat) it was quite windy and cool. We got the basic instructions and learned the what the parts of the boat are called. After that we were told to get into the wet suits they provided us with and meet up at the dock. After squeezing into the wet suits we were notified by the instructor that there had a been a change of plans. She decided it was far too windy for the small boat so the five students and her would pile into the keel boat which is a 24 foot boat. There were other instructors at the dock with their students getting out of their boats. My first thought was, why are we the only ones on the water? I felt a small knot in my stomach grow a bit. So we push off the dock and for the first 10 minutes or so I think, this isn't so bad. I can handle this. What was I so afraid of? Then the instructor announces that we are about to tack which means change directions and that we should hold on. Then it became clear why I was so afraid. The boat changed directions and when that main sail caught the wind we nearly capsized! I screamed like a little baby. Finally after going through this thing a few more times she said we would head back for the dock because it was "too windy". I was so happy when we stepped off the boat and decided that I didn't need to finish the course.

After many discussions with my husband, he talked me into finishing the course with him. He pointed out that the first day was the worst case scenario and all the classes after that would seem much easier. Good point. If I could weather that first day, no pun intended, the other days would be a piece of cake. I am so glad that I listened to him because he was right. This past Saturday was our last class and I had so much fun. I never thought that I would say this but I love to sail. It was exhilarating to be on the water and have a pretty good idea of what I was doing. I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go but I feel much more confident going out on the water and I am really looking forward to more lessons and more adventures with this new found hobby.