The wind in our sails

The wind in our sails

The Gippsland Lakes is a perfect destination to spend time on the water, it is known for being one of the largest inland waterways in the southern hemisphere, and it may even be one of Australia’s best spot for recreational boating. How lucky are we to have experienced this?

In the four days, we were able to sail on Lake Victoria and Lake King, with a few stops to enjoy the coast. The Gippsland Lakes is a good area to gain sailing experience, as it is easy to navigate, well if you have a skipper who knows what they are doing and love to share their experience and knowledge. Lucky for us we had three who taught us all we needed to know during our time on the yachts.

When sails were out and the wind was blowing, that is when we all felt the excitement. There were squeals of happiness as the boats leaned on a 90-degree angle to the water, we picked up speed, water splashed over the edges and moved across the Lakes.

The skippers kept us pointing in the right direction, so we could enjoy the rush for as long as possible. When the sides of the lake were getting near or the depth of the water was getting shallow it was time to TAC. With everyone in position and ready to move the yachts were turned 180 degrees, the jib and main sail changed sides and crew did what needed to be done to secure them in place, making them tight so we could continue moving along the water.

It was those moments we could feel the wind in our hair, our sea legs moving and hearts beating. It was always a relief knowing we successfully changed the course of our direction to keep us safe and moving to our next destination.

When the boats were still and moored at the jetties we enjoyed casting a line and reaping the rewards, 10 salmon – how’s that for beginner’s luck? There was beauty all around us in this amazing environment that we were able to explore, and then in the evenings when the stars shined in the darkness it was time to stop for the day and let the yacht slowly rock us to sleep.