Swiftsure 2006

Life if like a voyage at sea ...

And sometimes that voyage is a race.

This weekend I had the opportunity to sail upon Defiance, an Aloha 28 skippered by Wayne Stewart, in the Swiftsure 2006 out of Victoria.
It was a lot more fun than I expected.

There are two courses in the personal development genre.
One is the spiritual, well-being stream and the other is the goal-oriented, success stream.
My path is to bring those two streams together.

There are those that race sailboats and those that cruise.

As one who cruises, I was surprised by the fun I had at Swiftsure. Partly, it was the excitement of the start, the two hundred plus sailboats looking for the best start possible. Then there was the strategy - with the wind, the tide, the course, the boat and the crew.

Our goal was to win our race out to Pedder Bay, around to Constance Bank and back to Ogden Point. Out of 25 boats in the Swiftsure "Classics" Race Class 9 we placed fifth which was a good showing we were all happy about. We especially made good time on the last leg from Constance Point to Ogden when our skipper decided to take a line well out from shore. Tim, our navigator, confirmed that the tide was pulling us around and that we were make three knots over ground towards Ogden despite the fluky light winds and bucking a strong flood tide.

Life too can be a race. Healthy competition can inspire you to the next level. On the spiritual side, you know that you are whole as you are. Paradoxically, you have your goals, you have your competitive streak and you strive for constant improvement and the achievement of your dreams. Hold these two principles in your mind at the same time immersed in the present moment and you are invincible, unstoppable in your dreams.