I recently came back from a week’s sailing in the
Aegean. We were a group of good friends with a skipper and his catamaran - a rather
intense intimacy for someone who has chosen not to join kibbutz.
The winds were light, which meant more use of the boat’s motor than its sails. It also meant that none of us got seasick or even uncomfortable. Full disclosure: we all took a daily pill against motion sickness with our breakfasts.
The seasoned and experienced skipper-owner of our catamaran, was good at handling his boat and also knew how to find beautiful secluded bays, where we would anchor for a few hours, for a meal, drinks or a swim. But…
On about day four of our trip our skipper turned out to be a nutcase. After three days of friendly chats, he out of the blue started shouting and ranting. I had just asked him for information about the next day’s course and thus his anger was directed mainly at me. After several hours he calmed down. For a while, we considered disembarking at the next island, for our safety. We decided to stay, but the situation was delicate. The two doctors on board thought that they could diagnose a smoker’s brain: that is damage to the brain from too much smoking.
Despite all of the above, I hope to go sailing again. Unlike two of our friends, who have sailing certificates and who seemed to take great pleasure from playing with masts, steering wheel, anchor chains and ropes, I was interested only in the very enjoyable experience of being on a boat on a calm sea, moving from island to island and swimming in small quiet and sheltered coves. This is something I hope to be able to do again.
However, next time it should be a boat with somewhat bigger bathrooms. I was sort of prepared for small cabins. But bedroom and bathroom ceilings of 1.80m were a real nuisance. As was the toilet procedure, which more seasoned travellers will be acquainted with. It was a relief to be able to use a normal bathroom after the week was over.
Of course, next time I will ask for a doctor’s sanity certificate in addition to a skipper’s license.
The winds were light, which meant more use of the boat’s motor than its sails. It also meant that none of us got seasick or even uncomfortable. Full disclosure: we all took a daily pill against motion sickness with our breakfasts.
The seasoned and experienced skipper-owner of our catamaran, was good at handling his boat and also knew how to find beautiful secluded bays, where we would anchor for a few hours, for a meal, drinks or a swim. But…
On about day four of our trip our skipper turned out to be a nutcase. After three days of friendly chats, he out of the blue started shouting and ranting. I had just asked him for information about the next day’s course and thus his anger was directed mainly at me. After several hours he calmed down. For a while, we considered disembarking at the next island, for our safety. We decided to stay, but the situation was delicate. The two doctors on board thought that they could diagnose a smoker’s brain: that is damage to the brain from too much smoking.
Despite all of the above, I hope to go sailing again. Unlike two of our friends, who have sailing certificates and who seemed to take great pleasure from playing with masts, steering wheel, anchor chains and ropes, I was interested only in the very enjoyable experience of being on a boat on a calm sea, moving from island to island and swimming in small quiet and sheltered coves. This is something I hope to be able to do again.
However, next time it should be a boat with somewhat bigger bathrooms. I was sort of prepared for small cabins. But bedroom and bathroom ceilings of 1.80m were a real nuisance. As was the toilet procedure, which more seasoned travellers will be acquainted with. It was a relief to be able to use a normal bathroom after the week was over.
Of course, next time I will ask for a doctor’s sanity certificate in addition to a skipper’s license.
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