Amanda goes sailing

Between the ages of 6 and 17, I doubt there was a single summer that I didn't spend some time on a boat. It's not that I had any particular love of boats or sailing. I was more of a swimming pool kind of gal.

But lots of my friends and family members had a yen for the nautical arts. My father used to compete in sailboat races when I was growing up in Michigan. My aunt owned a boat, and used to take me sailing when I came to visit her in Connecticut.

My uncle sails. Many of my friends in Michigan sailed.

I'd love to say I have fond memories of these outings, but the two things I remember most about them were nausea and sunburn.

I just never really grasped the appeal of sailing. Sure, there's water and fresh air and the sense of accomplishment involved in maneuvering a boat despite rough winds (or no winds), and navigating your way from point A to point B.

But it wasn't for me. I prefer more low-maintenance hobbies. Like sitting poolside with a magazine in one hand and a cold drink in the other. No navigation skills required for that — and a very low risk of motion sickness.

But my Amanda Goes outings are all about expanding my horizons and stepping out of my comfort zones. That doesn't just mean trying new things, but also revisiting activities that I never thought I could like.

Translation: it was time for me to go sailing again.

I contacted Tina Ostrowski, secretary at the Milford Yacht Club about setting up some time to go out on the water.

Ostrowski connected me with club member Tina Tremo, owner of the 26-foot sailboat Symphony. Tremo, who lives in Milford, has been sailing for more than 20 years.

She told me she always loved the water and, as a kid, she was fascinated by sailboats. When she was in her 20s, Tremo finally began sailing with her boyfriend at the time, was immediately hooked and set out to learn all she could about the sport. She gained some knowledge from reading up on sailing. But there's only so much you can glean from a book, she said. "Sailing is definitely learn as you go," Tremo said.

After she joined the yacht club in 1997, she joined the crew of a racing team headed by a veteran skipper. Since then, Tremo has been active both in racing and casual sailing.

For our voyage, Tremo brought along her friend Kate Cavallaro, also of Milford, who was to serve as first mate. Ostrowski joined us as well. We were to sail from Milford Harbor out into Long Island Sound and back.

After giving the boat a quick once over, Tremo turned on the boat's motor, and we left the dock. When we were well underway, Tremo and her crew hurried about preparing the boat for sail, which mainly involving raising the main sail and fastening it in place. There are two sails on the boat — the main and the jib. The jib, which the crew raised later, helps the boat pick up speed. Once the main sail was in place, Tremo turned off the main engine, and let the wind power the boat. Silencing the annoying whirring of the engine is "the best part of sailing," she said.

The day was, on the surface, a great one for sailing — sunny, beautiful and not too rough. But there wasn't much wind, which concerned Tremo. Even though you don't want there to be too much wind, Tremo said, a certain amount is necessary to power the boat along, and she worried there wouldn't be enough.

Wind plays a pretty complicated role in sailing. Even if there's the right amount, you have to approach it from an angle — sail directly into it, and you won't go anywhere. To help her determine which direction the wind was coming from and, hence, which direction she should sail, Tremo has a device attached to her mast. Called a wind indicator, it's basically a little arrow that shows her the direction the wind is coming from.

Throughout our trip, Tremo would change direction, hoping to find better wind. It never quite got to where she wanted it, and we had to occasionally turn on the motor for a few minutes. But, other than that the trip was peaceful.

In fact, for most of the trip, there wasn't much for me to do. Tremo and her crew did most of the real work. My main task was to sit and enjoy the ride. Admittedly, I was beginning to rethink my distaste for sailing.

Yeah, it was complicated, but there was an undeniable appeal to the sport, particularly on a beautiful day such as the one on which we sailed. I loved the breeze (however slight) that floated by as we cruised along. I liked feeling the sun on my face and watching it reflect off the water below. I liked watching others float by in their vessels, and feeling that we were all part of the same experience.

Most of all, though, I liked Tremo, Cavallaro and Ostrowski. They were all so cool and laid back. Maybe sailing makes you Zen.

Of course, I did have to do a little work. Tremo eventually put me to work steering the boat, and walked me through (sailed me through?) the process.

First, she taught me how to use the boat's tiller. The tiller, which resembles a long vertical handle, is attached to the rudder, a board underneath the boat.

As you move the tiller from side to side, the pressure of the water against the rudder steers the boat. This is where it gets slightly confusing. To move the boat to the right, you shift the tiller to the left; to steer left, move the tiller to the right. This annoyed me. Was sailing not complicated enough already? Was it necessary to thoroughly mess with my concept of left and right? I can barely keep them straight as it is.

Tremo steered the boat for a while, then eventually let me do it. It's relatively simple — all you do is decide where you want to go and turn the tiller accordingly.

Kind of like driving a car. Except you turn the wheel in the opposite direction that you want to go.

As I steered, Tremo talked me through tacking the jib sail. Basically, this involves moving the sail from one side of the boat to the other. The jib sheet (or the line attached to the sail) was hooked to a winch, a mechanical device that helped pull in the line and, by connection, the sail.

Don't worry if you can't follow this explanation. I can't either, and I was actually involved in this activity.

As far as I know, all that happened was someone (Cavallaro, I think) hooked a handle onto the winch, and I just cranked the handle until I couldn't crank it anymore. Other than that, I was kind of lost.

But Tremo understood what I was doing, and that's the important thing.

With that done, I was back on the tiller. I actually liked working the tiller. Sure, sometimes I forgot myself and turned it the wrong way. Overall, though, I think I did OK.

After a while, I decided that I'd been completely wrong about sailing my whole life. This was so much fun. How had I been so misjudged it?

I was actually kind of dreading the moment when I'd have to head back to shore and, subsequently, back to my office. Sadly, that moment came. Tremo had me direct the boat back to the harbor and, too soon, my voyage was over.

Once we were done, all I wanted to do was go back out again. Maybe it was that I had an exceptionally nice day, and was out with exceptionally nice people.

All I know is that my attitude about sailing changed completely. True, I'll probably never own a boat. And I know I'll never grasp all the intricacies of the sport. But the next time someone invites me out on a boat, my first thoughts won't be of sunburned thighs or motion sickness. They'll be of sunshine, fresh air and good company.

That's an achievement in and of itself.