Mum’s the word

I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t a kind thing to do. Mum isn’t a huge fan of sailing, at least not when it’s windy, but we had booked a holiday in the Mediterranean as a family and Dad and I were looking forward to doing some exciting sailing together. Mum was happy as could be in the tranquility of a quaint little harbour, but Dad and I wanted her to experience the same rush of adrenaline as we did out on the waves.

Heading out to sea, however, with the wind building, the flogging sails unsettled her equilibrium. Dad and I couldn’t wait to get going though and set full sails anyway. With a satisfying amount of power, the boat heeled over and was flying along.

It was then that the forecast gusts started to arrive. I was having a whale of a time but Mum was less convinced, so we set about putting a reef in. The wind and waves continued to build so we put another reef. Eventually, the boat speed was back down to 2 knots and a smile had returned to my mum’s face.

She still tells the story of the storm she survived, but perhaps a happy Mum might ensure that we come back next year…