Els and Ron surprised me by taking me beach sailing or “strandzeiling” in Dutch. It was their first time to try it too. It must have been a good day for it because the beach near Ouddorp was humming with activity! It felt very different than two years ago when Tante Els took me earlier in the year and the beach was as almost deserted and we saw only one person kite-buggying. I learned that beach sailing is when the buggy is attached to a sail on a pole and kite buggying is when the buggy is pulled by a person holding a large moon-shaped kite. Kite buggying is more complicated but can be done in lighter winds, whereas beach sailing requires higher winds but is easier for beginners. We were taught by instructors and it was way easier than I thought it would be. You simply steer with your feet and control your speed by tightening or loosening a single rope that pulls the sail taught or lets it go. The biggest challenge is to pay attention and always know where the wind is coming from. That task was made easy for us as our instructor had us drive between two pylons. It was important which way we turned around each of the pylons in order to catch the wind in the turn. I’m guessing this is something that you would eventually get the feeling for with practice. We took turns in the buggies so that there was someone to push at either end in case someone got stuck in the turn! At first the wind was strong and sometimes you could even feel a rear wheel lift when making a turn (I loved that feeling!), but later on the wind slowed down and we had to stop a bit early. I enjoyed beach sailing and hope I will get the chance to do it again (I would like to try regular sailing too)!
On our way home we stopped for tea at my Oma and Opas. Then we headed back to Ron and Els’s and Opa and Oma came a few hours later for dinner the second day in a row. I feel so blessed to have been able to stop in and visit my family every year or so for the last several years!
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