I hear this question surprisingly often. And the answer? Well, life is sometimes a mix of absurdity, coincidence, and a lack of consistency—just like my story with learning to swim.
The first time water really stood in my way, I was under ten years old. It was the ’80s, and my dad took me to a swimming pool—quite the attraction back then. I remember the kiddie pool—full of children, the water warmer than milk in a bottle. Leaning on my elbows at the bottom, I pretended to swim. In my imagination, I was a freestyle champion, and my newly made friend had no doubts about it either. Together, we decided we were ready to move on to the “real” adult pool.
Of course, my dad had no idea. Back then, parents had their own business to attend to, and kids made their own rules. I climbed onto the freezing cold ladder, and—to my surprise—the water was not only deep but shockingly cold. My feet didn’t touch the bottom, and instead of swimming, I desperately clung to the grooves in the pool’s tiles along the edge. I slowly shuffled back and forth a few times, then triumphantly returned to the kiddie pool. “Mission accomplished!” I thought.
A few years later, at a scout camp, fate once again threw me into deep water—literally. The pool was so massive that people got lost faster than kids in a shopping mall. I ended up with an instructor who taught me the “arrow” technique—head down, arms forward, feet pushing off the wall. That was the moment I felt like a fish in water. I was convinced I could do anything! Naturally, instead of practicing in the safe zone, I headed straight for the deep end. This time, there was a lifeguard, though I’m not sure he even looked my way.
The following years were a series of failed attempts at swimming in ponds, lakes, and reservoirs. The truth? Every time, I ended up clinging to some edge, branch, or simply walking out of the water thinking, “Maybe this just isn’t my thing.”
Even the army didn’t help. There, the pool looked like a scene from an action movie—a giant tank-testing reservoir designed to check whether armored vehicles could float. If you wanted, you could try swimming in it, but I was happy just watching the braver ones. Seeing sunken tanks being pulled out of the water reassured me that my current strategy—staying dry—wasn’t such a bad idea.
And so, the years passed. Water fascinates me, but swimming never became my strong suit. Today, when I tell people I plan to sail across the ocean, they ask, “How can you go out to sea if you don’t know how to swim?” And I smile and say, “Because swimming is just a bonus—the real thing is the dream!”
I’ve always wanted to cross the equator, see the Southern Cross, and experience the vastness of the ocean. I know that dreams require courage, and sometimes, all you need is a little bit of craziness. Luckily, I’ve never been short on that.