This week was the
Daring Duck sailing camp.
Paul had asked me if I was available for the role of
sailing instructor, to introduce a group of 32 teenagers (13 to 15 years old) to the basics of sailing. Ling Ling was also recruited as logistics manager. The kids were selected by their middle school in Wuming, close to Nanning, to participate in the camp, as a reward for outstanding performance. It is not common for Chinese schools to send their students to summer camp, so this was a rare opportunity for them to get away from the exam-driven Chinese education system. I was actually in Wuming last year May, with Xiao An, to visit the wonderful
Ling Shui natural pool, and had noticed a large middle school nearby, which is probably the school where these kids are coming from.
The kids arrived by train on Sunday morning, accompanied by three teachers. I was at the beach at 7, to help prepare the camp for their arrival. A little after 9 o'clock the kids arrived, and were given a first glimpse of the catamaran with raised sail, a large tent, several
kayaks and
paddle boards all spread out on a otherwise empty beach. After the initial excitement of seeing what was awaiting them, they went to their hostel to unload their luggage and have breakfast. Paul had prepared a comprehensive schedule of activities, assisted by a few other
laowai, most of whom I had already met earlier. There were also a few Chinese volunteers for translation and general assistance. The group was divided into four teams of eight people, and each started with designing a team flag, and
decorating their white caps with coloured markers, basically putting their name (or nickname) on it, in any style they seemed fit.
The first day was pretty windy, and there were some serious waves, so Paul and I had reefed the main sail of the catamaran, and I took each team out for a short but exciting first ride, in sets of four kids at a time. All in all, I took off from the beach eight times that day, and the following days as well, as each day I was supposed to take everybody out for their next lesson. The first tour was just a first experience of being on a small sailboat, which was already quite exciting in this weather, and even a bit scary for some. Most kids had never been on a boat, and some had never seen the sea. All were wearing life vests, of course.
At the end of the third day, by the time I had taught all my students how to handle rudder and jib to make a basic turn (or
tack, in jargon), I had to jump off into the surf while landing the boat, but unfortunately misjudged the location of a large rock hidden under the waves, which was covered with razor-sharp shells, and cut both of my legs open. The right leg was cut badly enough to require stitching. As those things go, I didn't even feel anything until I saw the blood streaming down my leg from a gaping hole. I then quickly ran to the tent where Paul used his first-aid experience to bandage me, and soon afterwards I was in a cab to the hospital, with Ling Ling on my side, and one of the students who had stepped into a piece of glass.
At the hospital we were both treated rather quickly, and in my case stitched up (six sutures), then got a tetanus shot and some antibiotics to take home, and we returned to the beach in good spirits and in time for dinner.
Sailing was over for me, but the students were off to Gulangyu island and Xiamen University for a day trip the next day, and there was no wind the following day anyway, so it didn't really matter that much. Instead of sailing, I was assigned to a new task: assisting the kids in building a 5 meter catapult. This was definitely one of the highlights of the camp. A medieval contraption made entirely out of bamboo and rope, except for a plastic pan which was attached to a 5 meter beam and loaded with water-filled balloons to be hurled 20 to 30 meters across the beach to the opposing teams. A great experience in team work, and even more fun on the final day, when the four catapults were lined up on the beach for an epic water balloon bombardment.
No summer camp is complete without a
camp fire, and we build a nice one the last evening at the beach. We had a serious sound system powered by a generator, so the mikes were going from hand to hand for some impromptu
performances, accompanied by Paul's old-school tunes, or contemporary Chinese pop from the student's mobile phones. Friday afternoon the kids where picked up for their long train ride back to Nanning, after almost a week of seaside adventure and learning. A great experience, also for me. Will be continued...
