What I love about Bombay
My friend from work, Viraf, is a regular
sailor – yes, that’s what I want to call him. He’s been doing this for years
and has even introduced his sons, all of five and three respectively, to the
sport. He’s been telling me for weeks to join him, so I finally did, this
Saturday – as part of my ‘let’s try new, different and fun things in life’
plan. I invited my college buddy Danny to come along too, since he had just
given his GMAT and needed a fun break.
We set off from the Gateway of India jetty
around 4:30 in the evening, the sun blazing on our heads. Now, anyone who knows
me knows that I’m quite scared of water, more so because I can’t swim. I also
get seasick when travelling by ferry to Alibaug. Having said that, I have also
jumped into the rushing and gushing Ganga on a
backpacking trip a few years ago – white water rafting, as it is called.
So there we were, cautiously stepping into
a dingy that would take us to the sailboat. A few minutes later, I was grabbing
both my friends’ hands and stepping into the motor-less sailboat that even has
a boom! Kingfisher, as the sailboat was aptly called.
The winds were crazy and the waves lapped
dangerously onto our boat. And yet, I felt no fear. There was no giddiness since
I had taken a strong anti-seasickness pill that worked wonders. We were out in
the open seas, the cool salt water splashing against us, the salty wind
settling in our hair. We popped open some beers and munched on snacks as we
passed a number of other sailors and literally sailed towards the sunset.
But the highlight of the trip was yet to
come. On our way back, we (well, Viraf and the boat’s caretaker) let the winds
sail us back. However, we were soon moving towards a giant Navy ship that
looked daunting in its mere presence. Before we knew it, we heard someone call
out on a megaphone ‘door jao’ (move away). The boat quickly had to be turned so
that we could sail back to land far away from this magnificent hunk of steel.
We were shooed away by the Navy! Uber cool!
Soon, we were nearing land and were on
calmer waters. Right before we disembarked our dingy at the jetty, we saw a
Dominoes delivery boy, delivering pizza to a boat. Seriously, anything is
possible in Bombay
The rest of the weekend was also great,
with a dinner here, a pub there and a play to close it up. But the sailing
experience was truly exhilarating. I felt the stress and pain of my real life
melting away as the Arabian Sea ebbed and
flowed against the boat. And all I could think was “Now, this is the life.”
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