I'm near Keswick in the Lake District for a week long Back-Up sailing course. There are twelve of us: five people with spinal cord injury (including one of the two leaders), four buddies and two carers. The course itself is run by and based in the Calvert Trust by Bassenthwaite Lake. I'm happy in the Lakes, and happier than I expected. I used to do a lot of walking and camping here. Before I came I wondered whether I would be upset that I could no longer walk high in the mountains. I'm not. I may be ignoring something but I don't think so: I'm simply grateful that I can be surrounded by such beauty. I feel at home here. Looking at the dark rocks and purple gorse and green bracken and black water I feel deeply peaceful. I plan to read, write, sail and learn new skills.
Yesterday was our first day on the water. Because I've sailed a little before, I was given a Windrider to sail. It's a 12 foot, broad beam trimaran with space for two sailors, a main, jib and dual controls. And it's pretty fast. With unexpectedly strong winds, we cut through Bassenthwaite Lake far quicker than I'd expected. Water sluiced over the deck and I was glad that the boat couldn't capsize. The problem was tacking: without a reefed mainsail, there was too much power. We couldn't turn into the wind, only away from it. Which meant we got further and further from the boathouse. Finally the rescue boat came to get us, took us back to reef the main and then I went out again, this time with one of the trainers. I wanted to discover what I'd been doing wrong. Nothing, it turned out. We had exactly the same problem although we found a compromise solution that allowed us to return to the pontoon after a fabulously exciting ride. It's going to be a challenging week.
