Nordic Tall Ships in Bergen

The tall ships of the Nordic countries were in Bergen when we arrived. They are used by these countries as part of their navel officer training program. There was to be a sailing race as well as other contests pitting one set of officer candidates against the others.

I love the water, especially the ocean. I love sailing, although it is not part of my routine. I learned to sail when I was in my late twenties. It was at a sales meeting in Miami. I didn't play golf at the time; so, spending an afternoon sailing seemed like an adventure. There were only 3 of us with a skipper on an Ensign which is about a 20 foot open but sea worthy boat. The skipper was a commercial pilot and I was enthralled by his explanation of how the wind and sails pushed the boat through the water. I had the opportunity of sailing the boat for a couple of hours under his instruction. This is where I got the bug.

We didn't do much in the way of boating when I was a kid. I went fishing a couple of times with an uncle but no sailing. I bought a small plastic boat. You may know the name of the company; it was Snark. It was an inexpensive, plastic sailboat. I wore it out.

I did some racing as a crew member when I lived on the western edge of Lake Erie. I've chartered a sailboat for a self sail vacation in the Chesapeake Bay. I even owned a fast , one-design, racing dinghy, a Thistle. I even have a few place and show awards from the The Red Dragon Canoe Club; I was a member.

Even though sailing is not part of my life anymore, I still get the urge when I see sailing ships. There is nothing like the sound of the boat slicing through the water, and the wind filling the sails to pass the time.

Maybe, it's time to charter for a week in the Caribbean.