Taking time out to learn the ropes

Sailing by Lisa James

Taking time out to learn the ropes

Sailing packages offer an exciting alternative to the beach during a visit to Greece

Writers often hide plenty of sound fact in their fiction. Take this quote from Ratty in The Wind in the Willows: “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolute nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,” he went on dreamily: “messing…about…in boats.”

Lisa James, heeding this advice, booked a Neilson learn-to-sail holiday in Greece.

Day 1

Today, like every day, starts with a 10am briefing by the pool where our instructors tell us about all the activities on offer that day.

Then, after getting fitted out with our buoyancy aids, my group of 16 would-be sailors wander across the road toNeilson’s private beach for our first lesson.

We begin with the basics – how to tell which way the wind is coming from, and what to do should you capsize.

Our first sailing vessels are small, bright yellow Picos which are lightweight but have very little scope to manoeuvre. After learning how to rig one up, we’re taught move number one – tacking – how to turn the front of the boat across the wind.

To rapturous applause from the other 15 members of the class, we take it in turns to sail out a few metres to a spot marked by a buoy, tack and then return to the shore.

While the wind is calm in the morning, it’s a very different matter in the afternoon.

We rig up our individual boats and head off further out into the bay. The idea is to keep together and tack a triangular course, but within seconds, it begins to go pear shaped as the first of many casualties goes overboard.

Amazingly, I manage to stay afloat – but more by luck than judgement. I scramble from side to side in a desperate attempt to keep upright, while all I can see on the horizon is a sea of upside-down Picos and our instructor, Tash, tearing around in a powerboat to their rescue.

By the end of the day, three-quarters of the group had mastered one crucial art of sailing – the capsize.

Day 2

I’d heard that Neilson operations director Pip Tyler was in Porto Heli on business, but this wasn’t quite how I’d envisaged bumping into him. After launching the Pico, I veer off sharply to the right, and only just manage to tack in time to avoid being caught up in the ropes of a moored boat.

I spend too much effort congratulating myself on my near miss to notice that I’m heading straight for one of Neilson’s 30ft luxury yachts, moored on the pier to my left.

Worse still, I’m being watched by Pip, who is standing on the deck on the yacht I’m heading for.

“Round about”, shouts Pip (sailor’s talk for tacking), but I have lost all co-ordination, and go careering into his boat.

“Er, sorry about that,” I mutter, as Pip gives me a much-needed push in the other direction, while at the same time offering plenty of words of encouragement. I vow to buy him a drink in the bar later to apologise. But moored luxury yachts aren’t the only hazard I have to contend with.

We share the water with windsurfers of varying levels, experienced sailors, as well as having to run the gauntlet of Mario’s water-ski lane.

We now have the chance to put into practise what we learned in our first theory lesson – the angles of the dinghy’s sails in relation to the wind, and gybing – how to turn the back of the boat through the wind.

Gybing requires precision timing as, no sooner have you turned the rudder, the sail swings across and you have to move to the other side of the boat. If you don’t remember to duck, you can get hit by the boom – the bar under the sail.

Needless to say there were many sore heads that evening.

Day 3

My arms ache, my knees are grazed, my body’s covered in bruises and I’ve got a bump on my head that’s getting bigger by the minute.

My only consolation is that I’m not alone. Everyone in the group is suffering.

But on the plus side I now know how to tie a reef knot, figure of eight, and round turn and two half hitches.

Ropework is another essential the beginner sailor has to master before gaining their level one Royal Yachting Association national sailing certificate.

Other theory work today includes rules such as what side to overtake on, who has the right of way if two boats are heading towards each other, or turning at the same time.

We head out into the bay, but a minimal breeze makes progress difficult and I find myself sitting for a while just waiting for a gust of wind to move me on. I’m also dangerously close to the buoys that mark out Mario’s water-ski run, so I keep my eyes and ears open for him, though if he were to come along right now, there would be little I could do to get out of his way.

Finally the wind whips up and, like baby ducklings, we follow our instructor, Dan, tacking and gybing in a zig-zag route.

It’s all starting to click into place and my confidence is building, until on the approach back to shore, I lose control and capsize.

My clean slate is tarnished, but Imanage to put all my weight on to the boat’s daggerboard, flip it back over and scramble back in.

I now feel I well and truly deserve my level one national sailing certificate.

Plain sailing:beginning with the basics, learn-to-sail students quickly get the hang of how to handle their vessels and avoid hazards on the water

Time out: while learning to sail, guests can recharge their batteries at the Porto Heli resort

Lazy days: what could be better than messing about on boats?