Ahoy mateys! There is nothing quite like the open sea, its vast open waters, endless diversity, and unexplored depths. Similar to the call of the mountains for me, people have felt the call of the ocean for millennia and have ceaselessly explored its furthest reaches and greatest depths. I have felt a tug of the open ocean for years and always said I wanted to go sailing someday… well it finally happened!!!

Several weeks ago, two of our customers invited us to go sailing for a few hours out of Herzliya, which is just north of Tel Aviv. We met at the marina at 8 a.m. and made a quick stop at the market to buy some sailing essentials: beer, ouzo (a anise flavored alcohol – gag!), a baguette, smoked salmon, and cream cheese. The Herzliya marina is quite lovely and is adjacent to a mall with restaurants and shops that spill into the marina. There are also some very nice beaches to the north and south.

Our crew consisted of Amir, Assaf, and Yosi who have been getting their sailing license in Israel together the last several years and recently sailed to Cyprus. Then there were the freeloaders of Josh, Yael, and myself who were just along for the ride. Our ocean steed was a fine looking 30 foot vessel, with some nice looking masts, bitts, fraps, bumpkins, capstans, and jibbooms. 😉

After untying from the dock we were off and motoring through the marina…

The sea had some rolling 1+ meter waves, although it is difficult to tell in the photos but I could definitely feel it in my stomach… Once out on the open sea, we raised the main sail… did something with a spanker (?), which sounds dirty… and started saying “Aarrr” a lot – JK…

Then we ate some grub, drank orange juice and ouzo, and some beer… Is this sport just an excuse to drink? From the marina, we headed west and then south paralleling the shore and generally just trolling around for a few hours… drinking, philosophizing, and lamenting about XYZ at home. Overall, it was an awesome experience and I am excited to do it again sometime. I will have to start saving a lot more in my Fun Fund for a boat though (Kelley: NO BOAT!).