Ready to Thwack !

Two weeks into the Australian Adventure and it has been a sweet ride so far.

Last Saturday I was invited to join my roommate and his team on a sail race on the Swan River. That was an offer I could not refuse. For someone who never went sailing before in his life it was bound to be an interesting adventure. My part of the team work was being ballast and switch from the one side of the boat to the other whenever the sailboat turned without getting decapitated by the swinging mast. This is called tacking in proper terms.

Because this was a very short race tacking happened quite often and in the tacking process you only have a couple seconds to get to the other side before the boat turns the other way or you’re in trouble.

I missed that moment nearly once.

Thinking the race was over (because we celebrated with beers) but we were only halfway. Didn’t get the memo until the captain yelled : Ready to tack.

I was still enjoying my beer and was trying to make it to the other side with only one hand and a late warning. I got stuck halfway my journey and held on for dear life… with a beer in my hand. What a funny sight it must have been.

So sailing is pretty popular in Perth.

Another popular thing to do is taking a stroll through Kings Park. This beautiful landmark gives you a magnificent view over the city. People meet there for picnics, family walks and it also is the perfect workout to for runners to make it up the hill.

And of course you have to check out the beautiful white sandy beaches when you are there. Scarborough Beach is a great example for that. You can even have a barbie there before dipping your feet in the Indian Ocean while watching the sunset.

You won’t be disappointed.