Sailing Resumes, Romantically

As the weather warms up, sailing season on the York River has resumed. We turn now to why people sail in the first place, including the romance of sailing.

Pick up any boating magazine and look at the full-page ads. They often depict a fast motorboat, with an attractive woman in a bikini. Now thumb through and find a comparable full-page ad of a sailboat. It’s shown on the open water with sails full and hull heeling gently from the wind. What’s missing is the woman in a bikini. The first ad was selling sex appeal, while the second was selling romance. The woman is implicit and would only clutter our view of the sailboat.

Sailing is implicitly romantic. Nowhere else does a situation lend itself to such a sensitive setting that can melt the hardest heart. These three illustrations capture the moment better than any words can.

The romance of sailing is the romance of the sea, of solitude, of silence, of mystique. People just naturally associate sailing with a romantic life. I’ve done enough wedding and engagement cruises to know that sailing adds a special dimension to any experience.

To name three experiences, check out the info-graphic above. Among five reasons cited to go sailing, three are directly connected to romance. Couples cruises have become so popular that Let’s Go Sail now provides deck cushions on the bow so people can enjoy their privacy in an isolated yet majestic section of the boat. Some couples stay there for hours at a time. It’s another world up there on the bow.