“I tell you about my first time on a boat (and why I’m already in love with sailing)”

First time sailing, like first love, is never forgotten. In the wake of excitement after his “debut” on the water at age 34, new sailor Matteo Borghi wrote to us about his experience drifting. Read on to understand how, in Matteo Borghi’s words, “a single day was enough to fall in love with sailing, with only a few hours of sailing.” And tell us about your first time, too, with a nice comment or by emailing us at speciali@panamaeditore.it.

Matteo Borghi: First time sailing is never forgotten

Going sailing for the first time is truly a one-of-a-kind thrill: to be at the mercy but at the same time in control of the wind and the waves, in a “not stubborn and not contrary” direction, following one’s instincts, one’s own but most of all those of nature.

If one then finds oneself having the good fortune, and at the same time the thrill, of learning a new sport such as this on the windy shores of upper Lake Como, alone at the helm of a Laser 1, in fact aboard an “unstable soapbox,” the excitement can turn into pure adrenaline, which will remain a positive memory only if one does not immediately experience the breezes of a scuffle, escaped at least for this time!

My name is Matteo Borghi and last weekend I started, together with my wife Anna and a group of friends, a basic drifting course at the Orza Minore center in Dervio. We had long wanted to resume a sport that Anna’s father was very passionate about in his youth, and after years of wavering and procrastination, we decided to break all hesitation and begin this beautiful adventure. Clearly, we do not expect to finish the course and find ourselves to be seasoned skippers, far from it; but we are aware that we are trying a sport that is not for everyone but at the same time can broaden the horizons of anyone who tries it, whether as passengers, as we have experienced in the past, or as helmsmen.

The course is captained by Andrea, an experienced sailing instructor who by necessity has to have the edge to give the right tips, in the tones that are needed, strictly at high decibels. Classes are structured over four days, theoretically over two weekends, weather permitting. But it is well known that with the unstable weather that is characterizing the summer of 2024, hoping to find two days of sunshine in a row in these latitudes is an almost impossible feat. Thus, at the end of Saturday, the first full day of the course, heavy rain raged the latter part of the afternoon, by this time with boats already moored thankfully, soon becoming a storm that was destined to last and prevented the course from continuing on the following day, which was postponed until a date to be determined also because of the difficult lake conditions.

Then again, the laghé in these parts say that “el lach l’è baloss,” and it is not to be trusted when the ripple of the waves on the opposite shore changes abruptly. In fact, unlike the waters of the sea, the winds here can be much more erratic, even depending on the area and branch you are in. The well-known Breva and Tivano that blow around here now are increasingly unpredictable, especially with such unstable weather.

A single day was enough to fall in love with sailing, with only a few hours of sailing. The memory will always remain of what is only the beginning of a breathtaking adventure, full of strong emotions, a few foiled risks, a few bumps on the head (the boom is really low on Laser 1) and of course a lot of fatigue as well. In fact, I admit that the next morning, still overwrought and with some lactic acid in my legs from squatting and always tensing up for several hours, one of the first thoughts I had was relief that that rainy Sunday would be one of rest: perhaps it was needed….

But after just a couple of days already the urge to test myself again, to put myself back on the water, at the helm of that “soapbox,” so unstable but at the same time a wonderful excuse to find oneself on new shores, to plough not only the lake (or the sea, the ocean, whatever one wants), but also to go beyond one’s limits. The first time at the helm of a sail was truly an unforgettable experience. It will happen that you will capsize, take a wrong direction, get a little hurt: but learning to find the right air and your own direction, following the natural course of the wind is a bit of a metaphor for life. See you next class!

Matthew Borghi

Tell us about your first time sailing, too, with a nice comment or by emailing us at speciali@panamaeditore.it.