From sea to sky

He was always the last to be picked for the football team. The word exercise meant a high scrabble score. Then at 51, Steve Foster discovered the thrill of sailing. Today, at 52, he has visions of flying. Shiva Kumar Thekkepat reports

Old adages. But the best of them don't wash with Steve Foster. In fact, he's twisted one particular one around to read: "You can teach an old (sea)dog new tricks". The 52-year-old Briton did just that when he was posted with the UK Maritime Trade Operations in Dubai a couple of years back.

Foster, then 51, decided to have a go at learning to sail with the experts at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Jumeirah. And learn he did though he had sailed only once before at the age of 16.

"I successfully completed a Royal Yachting Association approved Level 1 beginner's course and signed on for the Level 2 course which would qualify me for going solo," he says.

Why should hitting 50 mean that you can't keep active and acquire new skills, even if in this case it was competitive sailing?

Golf is not the only sport for the 50-somethings, at least not for Foster.

And it wasn't as though Foster had always been interested in sailing or been the sporty type. Why, he wasn't even into fitness.

"To call me a sportsman would be something of a joke - I was always the one picked last for football and have the more unflattering claims to fame for my contribution in team sports," he says. "Exercise to me is just a long word that scores high on a scrabble board."

So what was the reason for taking up sailing at 50? And what does this say about him?

"Well, exercise may have been anathema, but I don't like it when I get too big (weight-wise) and sailing is a wonderful way of combining exercise with fun - the very best way I have come across to date if you ask me,"
he says.

Then he gets down to answering the second question. "What does taking up sailing at 50 say about me? It says I need my head examined for leaving it alone so long. I look back now on a long string of wasted opportunities when I could have been out there on the waters, enjoying myself, developing new skills, keeping myself fit … you name it!"

For Foster, sailing was a happy accidental discovery. You see, as already stated, he was never interested in sailing. But that was for a reason.

"Regrettably, I am something of a fair weather sailor," explains Foster. "I like the sun on my back and the absence of freezing cold water swishing around my feet. I know that wetsuits and dry suits and other items of protective clothing are all very wonderful but, sorry, it's not the same, is it?"

Which probably explains why Foster took to the sport in Dubai rather than in native Britain.

But then Foster has spent much time away from home. "Although born in the UK, I have spent long periods of time overseas. My father was an engineer and corporate administrator and we did an awful lot of moving around while I was "growing up". I say growing up but I don't think I actually have - I am still very reluctant to settle down and be serious."

Which probably explains his boyish enthusiasm to learn new tricks.

"I was born in the south Yorkshire town of Doncaster - the more unkind people suggest that the best thing to come out of Doncaster is the train to somewhere else but I like the place despite the fact that I have, collectively, spent probably less than a couple of months there during my life (thus far).

"My father worked down south and my early years were running around in Kent with regular visits to London as our ‘days out'".

The first of the many countries Foster lived in was Africa. "In 1963, my father got the chance to work for Williamson Diamond Mines in Tanzania and we spent a very enjoyable year, and then a bit in East Africa in a small place called Mwadui when I was 9 before returning to the UK - ostensibly for my schooling. (My mother hated the idea of having to pack me off to boarding school in Nairobi, which was pretty much the only viable option at the time).

"I have some exceptional memories of Africa including running down a road, panga (a large bladed knife) in hand, chasing a hyena that had managed to infiltrate the compound to wreak havoc among the chickens.

"As I recall, I was well ahead of the pack of African lads from a nearby farm who had been running for some time before I joined the chase and I have no idea what I would have done if the hyena had decided to confront his pursuers - but he didn't!"

Thus was born the love for adventure. Then came the move to another country - a move that was to kindle the interest in sailing.

"A few years in Edinburgh were followed by another two in Coventry and then a move to Hong Kong," he narrates. "This was a turning point for my family and my parents set down roots staying there for 15 years - from 1970 to 1985."

Foster missed out on much of this unfortunately, having had to go back to university in the UK after only three years there and continuing his father's lust for wandering.

"It was in Hong Kong, however, when I did my first bit of dinghy sailing at the age of 16 or 17 - I was crew for a friend who had entered a race only to find that her original choice of partner had not turned up in time," says Foster.

"It was my first sailing venture and to everyone's surprise, we won the race. I ought to confess at this stage that we won omly because everyone else went the wrong way round the final buoy and since we were so far behind the pack, we were able to navigate it properly and cross the finish line before the rest could recover from the mistake!"

From there to learning sailing properly in Dubai was a long haul.

"Upon graduation (I scraped a lower second class honours degree in Business Administration), I moved from company to company at roughly two-year intervals with jobs up and down the country from London to Edinburgh and back," he says.

Did his shift to Dubai have something to do with taking up sailing more as a leisure pursuit?

"I came to Dubai originally in October 2001 for a few months and was in and out of the country on a regular basis throughout 2002 before returning on a more formal basis in mid-2003," he says.

"Rather stupidly, I dismissed the idea of taking up sailing in 2003 on the basis that I had too much else to do and it was only really as my end date approached that I started to think about missed opportunities.

"Leisure time in my job was always a bit of a problem but not really the excuse I made it out to be."

How did his family react? "They were initially incredulous that I was even considering anything so energetic," he laughs.

"I have a squash racket (or rather I did before it was stolen a few weeks ago) that I bought over three years ago and have never used - along with a pair of light-soled trainers bought at the same time that have yet to see the light of day.

"I tend to take-off on flights of fancy and I think the family saw this as just another of those - until I got into it and then they turned quite envious! In fact, my wife has expressed serious interest in sailing as well so we can share the experience - and I am delighted!"

For all his enthusiasm for sailing, Foster doesn't feel it has been a life-altering experience. "I can't say that it has changed my life but it has certainly given my life extra zing.

"That said, I have struggled with being a bit overweight (pause here for a a giggle those who know me well!) for more years than I care to remember - a few hours a week sailing would have provided a wonderful boost to my weight management efforts."

So, has he found his purpose in life? "I have always had a bit of a problem knuckling down and staying motivated - in fact I have been accused of having a ‘butterfly approach' to life - hover over something for a while, then flit on to something new ..." says Foster.

"In short, I get bored easily and am constantly looking for something new. When I find something I like though, there is no holding me back. And if my new found-interest can keep me hooked, without becoming a chore,
then I stay hooked."

So what's next? Surfing? Snorkelling? "Mmmm, why not? But wait, I haven't mastered sailing yet and would like to get a good few hours under my belt, including moving on to bigger boats and, if possible, involving my wife in the pastime as well," he says.

"We have already started looking into what it takes to hire a larger boat and sail round the Mediterranean, for example."

Foster hopes his experience will encourage to others be in the same boat (pardon the pun) - consider taking up sailing as a leisure activity that is.

"Just think," he says, "the over-50s learning to ski at Ski Dubai or learning diving at Al Boom!" Amazing!

As for himself, he is very clear about what he will do next - once he has mastered sailing that is.

"I have always quite fancied the idea of learning to
fly - originally rotary wing (helicopters) but as time runs out and money refuses to become an incidental concern, I may have to re-assess my options and look towards fixed wing or even a microlite aircraft."

Another flight of fancy? Nah. It's another milestone to reach - this time, in the sky.