As a child I lived in Sochi and fell in love with sailing at the Yacht School there. Sailing for me was the ultimate way to play with the wind, waves, and sea – loving friends. Sailing is not only a pleasurable and exciting sport, but also a great physical conditioner as sailboats to be controlled, maneuvered — and sometime fought — every second. But at the same time sailing is one of the intellectual sports, so excellent physical conditioning is often not enough.

 You need to be versatile, have strong nerves and strong confidence in yourself, as racing demands one to think clearly and logically, planning a few steps ahead…. like chess on the water. Mistakes can cost a victory … or even risk a life. The excitement — and danger — of it all spawns an adrenaline rush which is a great mood enhancer… and to me, very sensuous.

Sails are my romantic butterfly wings, my key to getting the most pleasure out of sea, sun, and sand. even though behind the romance lies a huge amount of work, endurance and concentration, time still evaporates for me when sailing: I can be out seven to eight hours a day and still want more.

Wouldn’t you love to have me as your sailing mate? 🙂