Whether you are sailing a small boat across a lake on a quiet afternoon, or watching the sun come up in the harbour, there is truly no sport like sailing. Whether you’re already an active sailor or have never set foot on a sailboat, Fair Winds Sailing School in Mumbai offers many exciting opportunities to experience sailing. If you are a beginner, its best to learn more about boat handling under sail because one can really take the boat to the edge of the envelope and beyond! When you learn to balance attentive boat handling with navigation and cruising you can never be beaten and destroyed by any situation, such are the lessons of sailing. You will never place yourself in situations you couldn’t manage. It is more about learning systems than sailing. A sail boat is rock solid safe, unless one goes a seeking gale conditions or throws all of the sea sense gained to the wind, there’s no risk or challenge in the harbour or coastal waters, just an excellent recreation to indulge in on every breezy day!

Whether you are considering the activity for your children or colleagues, the benefits are immense. Learning how to sail has all round can teach one lessons for life. Here are a few:

1. Self-Confidence. There is simply nothing like being able to pilot your own craft at the age of 9 years old. Riding a bike is one thing. Skillfully steering and docking a sailboat is quite another. All of my athletic endeavors helped to shape my sense of self as a kid, but sailing was without a doubt the most instrumental. I have not only noticed this in myself; during my ten years as a sailing instructor, I have seen it again and again in my students.
2. Spatial awareness. When kids learn how to navigate a boat through narrow spaces and tight turns – how to avoid collisions, coast to a dock with finesse, or squeeze into a packed starting line at a regatta – they develop a spatial awareness that will bring them prowess all activities that involve coordination. Like driving, for instance.
3. Sense of direction. Sail all week with your instructor, then go out on weekends by yourself. Pack a lunch and hire a sailboat for a couple of hours to explore. Believe us when we say that it is on these trips that you begin to develop a good sense of direction. Noticing which direction to come from, picking out landmarks, and knowing how to get back becomes a regular part of your stream of consciousness. That awareness is crucial to having a sense of direction.
4. Weather knowledge. Do you know from which direction thunder storms normally come? Do you know what the water temperature normally is in May or December? If you’re a sailor, you would know. Weather knowledge will come in handy both on-the-water and on land.
5. Shipshape habits. Sailing students learn how to properly rig and unrig a boat. Kids learn to put things away in the right place, and keep them tidy while on the water. That’s a skill no mom or dad can argue with. Infact everyone should encourage the behavior.

So if you haven’t tried sailing, give it a try. For more information on sailing lessons, club memberships, sailboat hire or purchase of your first sailboat, get in touch with us on +91 9820673466 / zinia@indiayachtpage.com

Fair Winds Sailing School is the oldest sailing school in Mumbai, started in the year 1978. If you are looking to learn sailing in Mumbai, visit their website – www.fairwindssailingschool.in or call +91 99202 35492.