There is no better feeling than being on the water. The rush of adrenaline takes my breath away as the waves crash into the starboard side of my 420- sailboat. I can feel the mainsheet ropes cutting my cold wet hands as I pull harder, keeping my eyes on the mark. The wind begins to pick up, making the sails harder to hold on to. I watch the water waiting for a dark patch in the waves, warning me when a puff of wind will hit. I brace myself and prepare to tack around the mark to the finish line. I count down from 3..2…1, I tack around the mark and immediately place my feet under the hiking straps throwing all my weight over the side of the boat trying to level it out. I yell loudly over the whistling wind at my crew to pull in the jib sheet as tight as possible so we don’t capsize. These moments are the moments I love. Making quick decisions as the wind pattern changes in a matter of seconds. This is what I do and this is what I love.

One day my friend told me what he pictured in his head when I told him I sailed. He said “I picture you sailing past a lighthouse in Jamestown at sunset on a hot summer night.” I responded to that by just looking at him and laughing. What I do is nothing like the romantic scenes in movies when the characters are on a boat at sunset in the summer. I sail in competitive regattas where everyone swears like a sailor. I sail in 20-degree weather with rain, snow and sleet. The wind can reach 35 knots flipping boats over. The water is rough rocking boats uncontrollably. I gear up in my dry suit, gloves, boots, and life jacket hoping I wont end up in the freezing water. I grab the sails and the rudder and head down to the docks. It will take me about 30 minutes to put the sails up and get the boat ready to go. By the time the boat is ready to go in the water, my hands and face are already numb from the cold wind. Before pushing off the dock I check to make sure my hiking straps are not ripped, and the centerboard is down, and then I’m off. I’m off sailing, with the waves crashing up against the boat spraying the salt water in my face. I squint my eyes as the wind picks up and the boat glides faster over the waves. I am free. All my worries, troubles and problems are left on land.

When I told my friend what sailing is really like, he asked why I put myself through the cold weather, numb hands and feet, the sleet, the snow and the rain. I thought for a minute and said, “Because I love it.” Sometimes when I am in the boat on the water, I ask myself the same thing. I can never come up with another answer to that question other than “because I love it.” That answer is so simple, yet I cannot explain why I love it. I have never been able to describe how I feel when I am on the water. All I know is that it is something I love.

Before I started to sail, I was a dancer. I was a dancer since I was little. For eight years dancing was my life. I danced five nights a week, only getting a break on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Family and friends knew me as “the dancer”. It was all I knew. In seventh grade I made possibly one of the toughest decisions in my life; to quit dancing. I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I quit, I just knew I didn’t want to dance. Then out of the clear blue I said I want to sail, and that’s exactly what I did. That tough decision ended up being the best decision of my life. I found my true passion. I found something I love. I love knowing that I have somewhere to go when I have a bad day. The water will always be open for me to clear my head.

I have made some of the best relationships with the people I sail with; other girls on my team, sailors from other schools, and my coaches. I have made friendships with sailors older than me, and younger than me. The older sailors have taught me how to sail, as well as other life lessons that I will always carry with me. I share those lessons, and some of my own with the younger sailors that look up to me for guidance. I take away memories that will be with me forever. These memories are the memories I share with the people who have the same passion as I do. When we would sail in the sleet and 20-knot wind, my coach would always tell us not to complain because it builds character. He was right. I believe I have become a stronger woman because of those rough practices and regattas. I have learned how to face problems on and off the water. I have learned the meaning of trust, friendship and teamwork. Nothing will get done unless everyone works as a team. But after all the capsizing, numb hands, wind burnt faces, nothing else matters when I am on the water. It’s me in control of the boat. This is where I am happy and this is what I love.