Sail Britain - Finding Home At Sea
They say that not all those that wander are lost. On a fine Saturday afternoon I found this statement to be true, not only for myself but for a group of strangers I met in a pub in Falmouth Harbour prepared to set sail for the Cornish coast.
image shot by kelly greener of boat ‘Merlin’ with Olympus TG-5 film camera
Now these group of strangers weren’t just the local townsfolk. We’d all come from far and wide to partake in a week of sailing and exploring with an organisation called Sail Britain.
From reading the news and understanding the world around us, we know we’re faced with some drastic changes in the future if we continue on our trajectory of living … the all known buzzword ‘Climate Change’. With this in mind, Sail Britain aims to bring people back to and closer to nature, while moving at natures pace through the art of sailing.
In our week we explored the south Cornish coastline towards St Michaels Mount, where we spoke about what we could see, the colours, the textures, the stillness. We spoke about how we got there, what walked us down this path and what it was we’d like to aspire to do. We all had our own mediums, whether it was social media, art, photography, videography or writing. Together we created dreams and aspirations for the ocean, had positive and emotional discussions, spoke about our worries for the future and ways in which we could work together to do something great. Getting people together, away from the world with nature as your only distraction can lead you to learn wonderful things.
Sail Britain’s ethos is ‘a positive change for the ocean’, and with the power of people it does just that.
With the restrictions we have felt over the past year or so, for me, a positive was that I gave myself the patience and time to explore more of the British coastline, and wow what a magical place it is. The ocean has a magical property that is very difficult to explain, but with like minded people that you find on Sail Britain it has the potential to be even more.
Learning to sail on Merlin with a few days of salty air, inspiring company and a great food, I realised I wasn’t lost, I was right where I needed to be. This week and the people and nature around me ignited my passion and ambitions once again to keep going. Sometimes you need to do something outside your comfort zone, to be able to find it again, find your inner home.
With that, I will be running an expedition with Oliver next year! So if you’re interested follow the link or look on my collaborations page for more information.
