Issue 5 : Mar/Apr 1999
Second to sailing, bike riding is my favorite recreational activity. I’ll give cross-country skiing a distant third since I’m so bad at it. In recent years we’ve seldom had enough snow in Minnesota to hone those skills, and it shows. Sailing and bike riding — and cross-country skiing, too, for that matter — have much in common as pleasurable activities.
These are outdoor activities. The weather is not always pleasant, which is why many choose to stay indoors, but I’ll take the occasional squall or blowing snow, and I’ll pedal through rain showers and puddles for a chance to observe the changing cloud formations and enjoy fresh air around me.
These are quiet activities. I will always prefer hearing the sounds of nature to the roar of engines.
These are slow activities. The scenery goes by at a speed at which I can take it in, comprehend what I’m seeing, and enjoy it. Why, I wonder, would anyone want to go noisily at 12 or 15 knots (or much faster), when they could go quietly at 5 or 6 knots (or much slower)?
These are activities which can take us to remote areas where other people aren’t as likely to be found. I love nothing better than anchoring in a cove that is ours alone for the night and serenely quiet the following morning. But a picnic and a bike can get me away from civilization, and a pair of cross-country skis can do the same.
These are activities which can be done alone or with a few friends. Unlike tennis and other group activities, I don’t have to make advance arrangements to schedule courts and partners. I can pick up and go. Have skis, bike, or boat. Will travel. There’s a sense of freedom in the flexibility of it all. And, if I do go alone, there’s peace in solitude.
No fancy outfits are required for these activities. I don’t own a pair of spandex bike shorts; I can pedal just as fast without them. Cross-country skiing demands warm clothing, but resort wear is unnecessary and reserved primarily for the downhill skiers. Sailors, too, wear whatever’s comfortable or nothing at all (so I hear . . . it’s way too cold where we sail to contemplate wearing bathing suits or even shorts most of the time). Obviously there’s no dress code in an activity as lax as that! Certainly I’d be out of place in a navy blazer with brass buttons.
All these activities keep those of us who enjoy them healthy, happy, and actively engaged in living life to the fullest. As lifetime sports, they allow us to age gracefully while remaining vigorous and vital. If these activities also bring smiles to our faces and serenity to our souls, who could ask for anything more?
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
