Chinese Version09-04-2025, Wednesday, Sunny
I never dreamed that four years later I would be sailing again at Shoreline Lake in Silicon Valley, California.
Four years ago, I sailed for a first time on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. That day, the wind was quite strong and I soon experienced the force of riding on the winds without efforts. Alex, my future son-in-law, taught me how to sail. Under his guidance, I learned to navigate using tiller. For example, when approaching the Longfellow Bridge, I steered toward the Golden Dome near Boston Common; when approaching the Harvard Bridge, I steered toward the Citgo sign.
(Alex taught me how to sail on the Charles River in Boston, September 11, 2021)
Today, Alex and I went to Shoreline Lake for sailing, he was the driver, and I was the passenger. On the road, I told Alex that I didn’t like air conditioning, and he replied that he also preferred the natural breeze, so we both opened our side windows. While pushing the button to open my side window, I said, “We should have taken the convertible today, we did not plan well for this trip!” Alex replied, “Yes, topdown would be more fun.” We continued on our way, feeling a bit regretful.
It was a working day outside of the rush hour so the road was clear and it took us just over half an hour to drive from our home to Shoreline Lake.
Alex parked his car next to a Hello Kitty enthusiast’s car, which was noticeably covered and filled with Hello Kitty characters inside and outside. As my daughter was a fan of Hello Kitty many years ago, I could not resist taking photos of the car.
Today, there were very few boats on the water, and the small open-air restaurant on the bank still had many empty tables. It was a glimpse into a quiet weekday scene of the park with noticeably less traffic. When we put on our life jackets before boarding the sailboat, we saw a uniformed police officer and a staff member standing face-to-face and having a conversation. It turned out the police officer was performing an oral safety exam on the staff. 
(A Hello Kitty enthusiast’s car, a police officer interviewing an employee, and water with varying shades of color)
Before boarding the sailboat, Alex pointed different areas of water to me and told me that the flat water near the dock indicated there has no wind; the darker water in the distance indicated stronger winds and larger waves.
As we were paying to rent the sailboat, the sail was pulled up before we boarded. I remember that when sailing at the MIT Sailing Club in Boston, the skipper often had to remove the sail from its cover bag and pull it up by himself; I also recalled one of my first time sailing memorable experiences. While closely watching Alex removed the cover bag and pulled the sail up, I immediately thought of “pulling the wind” and consciously tried to experience the feeling of “pulling the wind” while sitting on the sway boat, I quickly concluded that “pulling the wind” was more gentle and romantic while sailing on the water than riding on a convertible on the road.
As my right hand hadn’t healed from the injury of carrying my suitcase on and off during train transfers from Kyoto to Tokyo’s Narita Airport in late July (<- you should link to this story), I originally planned to sit back and enjoy the boat today.
While Alex was sailing, we chatted and I learned more about sailing. The captain of a small sailboat is often called a skipper. The simplest sailing boat turn is called tacking. The far end of a sailboat's boom should generally not be pulled inside the boat. The ideal sailing state is for the two small cotton threads on the sail swaying in the wind in parallel. A sail isn't pushed by the wind, but by the pressure difference created by the wind blowing both sides of the sail, which is known as Bernoulli's Principle in physics.
(Two small cotton threads on the sail, swaying in the wind)
Alex asked if I knew Bernoulli. I said, “My physics was very bad, I don’t know it.” Alex explained: “I work on heat dissipation and fluids, so I’m very familiar with Bernoulli.” I immediately felt fortunate to have sat face-to-face with him, as my instructor is a world-leading expert in thermal engineering and fluids. Looking at the eBay Storefront hat Alex was wearing, a souvenir from the development of eBay’s StoreFront in 2001, I wished I had worn the Nvidia hat he gave me. Over 20 years ago, I worked for eBay, the most popular software company in the Silicon Valley; now he is working for Nvidia, the most popular hardware company here. I can’t help but feel deeply grateful for the opportunities afforded to us by the vibrant high-tech environment of California’s Silicon Valley.
The weather is beautiful today. The sun is shining, the air is neither too hot nor too cold, and the wind is just right for sailing. Feeling the cool sea breeze on my face, smelling the salty ocean air, and looking at the rippling blue water, I was suddenly itching to go sailing. As the saying goes: “A good coach makes a good athlete.” I was soon able to tack smoothly, a skillful demonstration of sailing for a newbie. Alex even praised one of my tackings: “Perfect!” I sincerely thanked him, “You’re a great instructor.”
When I failed at tacking later, Alex quickly took over the tiller and the sail rope. While operating, he explained that the boat just got in a dead zone and could not make a turn. The dead zone is a 90 degrees area, within 45 degrees to the left and right of the headwind. If there’s no wind indicator on shore, you’re facing the headwind when the wind feels the same on both sides of your face. I tried, but couldn’t figure out the dead zone, so I returned the skipper role to Alex.
For the rest of the trip, I enjoyed the gentle swaying of the boat in the nice weather and mild breeze. I felt very comfortable sailing on the boat and thought my grandson Ben would love to sit on this boat too. I am looking forward to sitting with him on a sailboat.
Thinking back on Alex’s lesson and my today’s experience, I feel that sailing requires timely relay of wind direction and speed information perceived by the eyes, ears, and skin to the limbs, so that the hands and feet can steer the tiller or pull the sail rope just right. This is a sport that requires physical agility and a sharp mind, and it is worth trying.
Today, the wind wasn’t strong on Shoreline Lake, unlike on the Charles River in Boston. For the first time, I experienced the thrill of adapting to the changing directions of wind while sailing, so cool!
About sailing, I had previously learnt from Alex in Boston. The skipper always sits opposite the sail. If the sail is on the right side of the boat, the skipper will sit on the left. The easiest way to turn a sailboat is pushing the tiller all the way forward, andkeep pushing the tiller all the way forward during the turn. Also, remember to lower your head to avoid being hit by the swinging mast. Once the boat has reached the desired angle (make sure the boat has turned past the 90-degree dead zone), return the tiller to the center. If the edge of the sail wiggles near the mast, it’s loose and needs to be tightened. To tighten the sail, pull back a little with one hand, then transfer the grip to the hand holding the tiller. Then, use your free hand to pull back a little more and then transfer the grip to another hand again. This way, you can achieve a smooth turn.
Little Episodes
Sailing Short Video on YouTube.
My story of right arm was injured.