5 Reasons I love Sailing

You know that feeling when you look at a photo and get all nostalgic - a little bit tearful because you miss that particular moment, but it also makes you smile because of all the fantastic memories it brings back? I had that feeling this afternoon when I was sorting a few old photographs out on my laptop and came across these. I have been sailing since I was 6 months old and most of my childhood memories are boat related. I was lucky that I had a fantastic childhood and although my parents boat isn't a 40ft luxury yacht, they did and still have a reasonably sized boat that gave me many experiences others my age could have only dreamt of seeing or doing. As i'm feeling nostalgic, I thought it would be nice to do a 'five reasons why I love sailing post' to show you what I love about being on the open sea and why my childhood was so fun.

Being able to explore places others cannot see

The first thing I love about sailing is coming across quiet beaches and islands that are only accessible via sea. One of my favourite places to visit when I was younger was the Tudwal islands, along the South Caenarvonshire coast. The islands are uninhabited and a wonderful place to sail around on a sunny day. One of the highlights of these islands is the giant piece of rock situated between commonly covered with sunbathing seals and seals using it as a diving platform.

Being able to drop anchor in the middle of the sea and go swimming

My parents always said that I was a water baby, so it comes as no surprise that the second reason I love sailing is being able to drop anchor in shallow waters and go swimming, even better if there's a reef nearby where you can go snorkelling.

The feeling of relaxation as the winds fill up the sails and the waves swish in the background

Imagine those massage songs that you hear when you go to a salon with swishing waves and the odd bird singing in the background and now imagine those sounds in real life accompanied by being rocked to sleep by the subtle swaying of a boat and a calming gentle breeze crossing over your body. Of course not all sailing is like that, but on a good day it can be.

The views that you can only see from the water

One thing that always fascinated me about sailing was the spectacular views of the coastline that you can only see from the water. Seeing land from a distance made me really appreciate how beautiful the world can be and how everything fits together in the landscape. The above image isn't of the coastline, but it was taken on a long sail back to our harbour and we found ourselves in the middle of a beautiful sunset.

Seeing wild life in their natural habitat

Last but definitely not least, is seeing wild life in their natural habitat. I have been lucky enough on numerous occasions to see dolphins so close that I could touch them and to see them jumping and enjoying themselves in their natural habitat instead of being locked in an aquarium and forced to perform. The above image was taken in North Wales and a pack of dolphins stayed with us for almost an hour watching us sail.

Have you ever been sailing?