As a kid, my life is very controlled. At home I always have to do chores before going anywhere. Empty the dishwasher, vacuum the floor, weed the garden, make my bed – the list goes on and on. Things are even worse at school. There every minute of the day is planned for me. Teachers are always telling me when it is time to read a book, write a paper, or do some math. They even tell me when I can talk, eat lunch, or go to the bathroom. At school I have no freedom at all.
Things are very different when I am sailing by myself in my own boat. I can sail wherever the wind takes me. I can race around the harbor and under the Newport Bridge. I can zip off to Potter’s Cove, explore Rose Island, or even sail in circles if I want to. I can stay out as long as I wish. I can launch at 8 o’clock in the morning and sail until the setting sun is reflecting off the sides of boats bobbing in the mooring field. I can also make my boat go as fast as I want. I can heel until the rail is touching the water. I can hike out until my head is almost dragging in the waves and I am hanging on by only my toes. I love to get up onto a plane and zoom along with a rooster tail splashing out behind me. I love to feel the wind blowing in my face and the sensation flying across the water as if my boat had magically sprouted wings.
On my boat I am in control of everything I do. I am the king of my own little world. That is why I love to sail!
This story placed in the author’s age category in the 2000 Why I Love Sailing writing contest sponsored by Sunsail, Performance Sailcraft, Douglas Gill, Boatscape.com and Interlux. The contest, designed to increase kids’ interest and enthusiasm for sailing, asked kids ages 8 to 18 to express in 300 words or less why they love to sail.
To learn about Sunsail Resorts, visit www.sunsail.com.
Michael Marshall, an 11-year-old from Jamestown, Rhode Island, wrote the essay for Sunsail’s Why I Love Sailing Writing Contest.
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