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PHOEBE WANG

105

a southwesterly direction. “It’s supposed to rain,” my friend said as we boarded the QCYC tender with tickets I’d bought years before. “No, I think the wind’ll push the clouds over the lake,” I said. From the beach, I watched thirty-foot sailboats heeling in what looked like at least eight to ten knots. As it wasn’t whitecap conditions, on the Beaufort scale it would be termed a gentle to moderate breeze, perfect conditions for lake sailing. I was happy just swimming in the warm July water, yet as I looked out across the horizon I could almost hear the sails crackle. Sailing has not only made me more aware of wind and weather conditions in a region I didn’t grow up in, but it has also spread its influence to how I pack my bag for work, how I dress, and how I move through the world.

It can be tricky to locate wind direction, and when you do, the wind could still push you off course. It takes constant adjustments, experience, and luck to reach your destination. You may see other boats going faster or pointing better, but others’ performance makes no difference to your own. Afterwards, in a safe port, eager to describe your setbacks and successes to others who were watching your progress, you’ll find yourself in possession of a uniquely tragic, harrowing, and astounding story, a story with its own uncommon language.

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