It's officially time to acknowledge the awesome assistance sailors get from their "windsurfing widows".
We have all seen the loving, beautiful, but sometimes irritated and angry wife on the beach who looks after the children when her husband is having the time of his life sailing away in the open blue ocean.
Sure, it does not have to be a wife; it could just as well be a husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend. However, windsurfing surely can put a strain on relationships and destroy expensive dream holidays to places such as Hawaii, Maldives, Tahiti or Mauritius.
Picture this: the whole family saved money for a year in order to travel to that dream location, and everyone is more than excited to go.
The kids are looking forward to playing in the pool, and the wife hopes to enjoy a good book on the beach or walks on the beach.
The sailor in the family is hoping for perfect weather conditions but sometimes forgets the reality of the situation when family members have different needs and desires.
The awesome "windsurfing widow" will play with the kids, patiently wait on that windy beach and gladly listen to the sailor sharing his stoke after an unforgettable session.
She would sacrifice valuable time away from her favorite activities.
Always With a Smile
Our amazing "windsurfing widow" is always flexible for sudden changes in wind conditions so that the husband can catch that magic wave.
She will gladly talk to other windsurfers on the beach and pretend to be interested in different sizes of sails and fins.
Building countless sand castles with the children come naturally to her, and changing diapers on the beach is a breeze.
This wonderful person will also allow the sailing husband to be too tired to do anything else but eat after sailing and listen to him complain about abrasions.
Actually, she will do all this with a lovely smile on her face.
"Family and windsurfing balance is crucial for a healthy family relationship," notes Henrik Beyer, author of "Health & Fitness for Windsurfing."
"There are no 'right or wrong' ways or set rules for keeping a balance between windsurfing and the personal life of the sailor. However, three things are likely necessary for a family-windsurfing balance."
- Being aware of time. Sailors should be aware of time spent sailing and time devoted to other activities, and most of all, how much time the awesome "windsurfing widow" has for her activities;
- Being aware of the importance of everybody feeling involved. The beautiful wife may not be particularly interested in windsurfing and, therefore, may not feel as involved and even feel left out. Finding different ways to make her feel involved may be a wise thing to do;
- Being aware of the fact that we all strive for satisfaction and balancing your needs with your wife's priorities can only help to keep that cute smile on her face;
"Perhaps it's all common sense, but it's time to acknowledge all the work that our partners put in to support our sailing," concludes Beyer.