It’s Term 4 in New Zealand and you can smell the end of the school year even though it is still ten weeks away. An eclectic string of activities unfolds each week---water “experiments” at the Leisure Centre Pool, a visit by “Iron Brion” who is a creation of the New Zealand beef and lamb industry to promote healthy eating in young Kiwis with their generous offer of free burgers and our favorite, a trip to Algies Bay to learn sailing with the New Zealand Yacht Association. Of course, we were all asked if we would like to continue our sailing education after the outing and invited to join a Yacht Club too.
It was a warm and glorious day. There were six tiny sailboats called “Optimists” lined up on the beach and the children got their first lesson in sailing. Then, brave parents donning wetsuits got into the water and held a rope to the sailboat while each child practiced what they learned on the sand. Then, we let go and the children sailed. They didn’t always catch the faint breeze that blew that morning, but they all sailed. As their confidence grew, the teachers capsized their boats and taught them how to set them right. Quentin enjoyed himself immensely. He was eager to take the course that starts in February. Like the devoted mother that Beth is, she called to enquire. Unfortunately, we have to provide our own sailboats. A quick inquiry on trademe.co.nz (the Ebay of NZ) reveals that they can actually be purchased for something in the $300-$500NZ range. But then you need a trailer and a hitch for the car, etc. So this may not be how we get Quentin back in a little “Optimist”, but we will keep searching.
