Playing at sailing

Over at the Proper Course Tillerman's theme this month is playing.

Playing gets a bad rap, kids stuff. Maybe its the way we use the word, to mean muck about, as if not serious, just going out and tacking at random before heading in.

But that's not what children actually do: play is much more complicated than that. There are whole worlds in which they are pirates or astronauts, there is action and drama, conflict and resolution.

Of course we could follow their lead and "play" we're Long John Silver (or Ben Ainslie or Ellen MacArthur or whoever is your hero) instead of taking the boat out for a day sail, but that feels odd.

One of the objectives for kid's play is to practice being grown up and we no longer have that excuse. Indeed life is now more serious as we are deep in the territory when we realise that this is not a drill - this our one time around.

However for kids practising being grown up isn't why they play, its just the benefit. The reason they play is to have fun, and that's something we can do too.

Whether its beating the opposition to the start or sailing to one of the remote untouched corners of the world or just admiring the glistening light on the waves sailing brings many pleasures.

Some are only apparent afterwards, when we must pay with pain, cold and tiredness for a wealth of memories or experiences.

But we chose to do that, because we want to.

And that makes it play, of the best sort.