I suppose that when it comes to the genre of music headed ‘Yacht Rock’, there is no finer exponent than Christopher Cross. His 1979 song ‘Sailing’ probably started the whole thing off and having spent yesterday afternoon sailing in the waters off Vancouver, some of the lyrics make perfect sense.
Sailing is what my brother Vaughan does for a living, more specifically teaching people to sail, and yesterday we were privileged to join him on one of his boats. It was a day I’ll never forget.
There seemed to be a million things to do before we even left the harbour and that was before the engine was switched off and, as Christopher Cross put it so eloquently “the canvas can do miracles“. So it does, too.
A baffling myriad of ropes, pulleys and all the rest of it – this is as technical as I can get, I’m afraid – saw us moving, at speed, simply by using the sails to their intended effect. If only I had the knowledge and understanding to explain how it all works. As it was, we simply followed Vaughan’s simple instructions and enjoyed the moment.
When you lose the wind, the silence, the tranquility is like nothing I have ever felt. Just bobbing and sploshing around until the sails are somehow changed and off we go again.
What it felt like, mostly, was freedom. Obviously, there are rules to ensure safety on the water, which are beyond the understanding of some sailors, but here you could go where you liked. The Vancouver skyline, from the mountains and hills to the modern skyscrapers by Stanley Park was awe-inspiring, as small planes swerved and dipped above us.
It was the most tiring afternoon of seemingly doing next to nothing I have ever experienced. And I am pleased that, in common with the real sailors in my family, my sea legs didn’t let me down.
‘SailingTakes me away to where I’ve always heard it could beJust a dream and the wind to carry meAnd soon I will be free.’
Very well put, Christopher.
