A boat sails into the sunset during a sailboat class on the Sheepscot River. (Maia Zewert photo)
“Ready to come about?” our instructor asks, letting us know that he is preparing to turn our 19-foot sailboat in the opposite direction.
“Ready!” another student and I answer. We are manning the main sail and the jib, a smaller sail at the bow of the boat.
For three weeks last August, a group of about seven people and I went from novice sailors to being able to sail on the Sheepscot River and safely make it back to the dock at the Wiscasset Yacht Club.
Meeting for two-hour periods in the afternoon twice a week for three weeks, I learned how to tie basic knots, how to read the wind on the water and in the sails, how to rig a sailboat, and finally how to use wind to maneuver the boat in the direction I am hoping to move in.
I kept a log of what I was learning each day.
This story originally appeared in its entirety in the 2019 Outdoors edition of Lincoln County Magazine. To read the full story, click here.
