FOR YEARS I had yearned to sail.

I wanted to know what it was to compel a boat to slice across the water, to feel the exhilarating lash of the wind and be rocked by the waves. There was just one small problem: I don't own a boat and don't have friends who sail. So what to do?

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The answer, as with many things these days, came through Google. Searching "sailing" I came across the website for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week.
It is the world's oldest and largest regatta, held annually in August on the Isle of Wight.

A mecca for competitive sailors, it is also a magnet for those seeking a heady cocktail of sun, sea and fun. Contrary to perceptions it is also welcoming to those new to the sport.

On the Cowes website I found a Crew Search forum where sailors volunteer for crewing the numerous races during Cowes Week. On a whim I decided to offer myself up. Amazingly, a kindhearted skipper replied to my ad and suggested I sign up for one of the two-hour "Come Racing" taster sessions, for ?0, open to all during the week-long event.

A few days later I arrived on the island.

During Cowes Week thousands of helmsmen, women and crew turn up to compete in eight days of races, with spectators lining the harbour front to cheer them on.
More hedonistic types make no bones about eschewing the sailing altogether in favour of the all-day entertainment. Ranging from free concerts and displays by the Red Arrows to barbecues.

Come nightfall there are electrifying fireworks and themed parties tinged with an atmosphere of glamour and fun that seems to permeate the Solent air. In the daytime there is retail therapy galore plus art galleries, pubs and restaurants to dip in to.

After stashing my belongings at Rawlings Hotel (centrally located but in a quiet spot with a secluded garden and heated pool) I made my way to the aptly named Yacht Haven at the marina, the hub of events during the week.

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Here I found a smorgasbord of vessels, many branded with sponsors' logos (boat ownership doesn't come cheap) and sporting multi-coloured sails cordially bobbing around in the harbour.

The crews aboard them (ladies take note) were predominantly male and I'm not talking salty sea dogs either. These helmsmen exuded an air of good health, decked out in a nautical uniform of salopettes, sailing boots and Musto caps.

I started with a two-hour session on a Laser SB3, a sleek 20ft boat with room for up to four people, courtesy of Pelican Racing, a sailing school based at the marina.
In the hands of the safety conscious instructors my fears of capsizing quickly evaporated. So exhilarated was I by the feel of seaspray on my face and the slap of sail against wind that I signed up for Pelican's Royal Yacht Association-endorsed two-day beginner's course. Fast forward three weeks and I am back in Cowes for the start of it.

This time the sun is not shining, the crowds have disappeared and the harbour no longer resembles a scene from La Dolce Vita. Phil Devereux, Pelican Racing's affable director, rings me up. Leaden skies are forecast for the weekend. Am I happy to work round the elements?

"Yes, " I say eagerly, "I am."

There are just two of us on the course, myself and Chris, an islander in her 50s.

Our flame-haired instructor Laura Michael, 24, is a revelation. She's cheerful, endlessly patient and best of all doesn't speak in jargon.
Day one and the skies may be grey and the wind a trifle gusty but I am happily soaking up the syllabus. I learn how to tack (sail upwind) and gybe (sail downwind), the difference between a "sheet" and a "halyard".

I practise man-overboard exercises with a buoy and learn never to hang on to the boom, which is prone to swing suddenly.

There's a moment when my crewmate nearly falls into the Solent but I manage to grab her by the scruff of her windcheater and haul her in. At the end of the day I'm exhausted, sweaty and utterly ecstatic. I can do this sailing lark.
Next morning I peer at the skies.

More clouds, light showers but no wind; a "sloppy sea" as sailors say.

We set off for Beaulieu, a pretty spot on the mainland in the New Forest. Alas, the Solent is so still we soon abandon our efforts to practise manoeuvres, bring the sails down and put the engine on.

Navigating across to and along the Beaulieu river while avoiding the surrounding shallows proves absorbing enough. Over a pub lunch at the convivial Master Builder's Hotel we cast glances at the leaden sky. Thankfully the weather picks up.

Back in open water, we're aided by a stiff breeze. I manage to tack like a drunk (there is only so much information a novice can absorb) and at day's end I proudly show off my beginner's certificate and logbook, eager for more sailing adventures.
Boat ahoy, as the mariners say.

GETTING THERE
Pelican Racing: (01983 201 581/pelican-racing.co.uk) offers a two-day RYA Level One Start Sailing Course, £150 plus £5 for a RYA Logbook.
Rawlings Hotel (01983 297 507/rawlings-hotel-cowes.co.uk) offers doubles from £95 (two sharing), B&B.
South West Trains (0845 600 0650/southwesttrains.co.uk) offers return rail fares from London to Southampton Central from £37.20pp.
Red Funnel (0844 844 9988/redfunnel.co.uk) offers ferry crossings from Southampton to Cowes from £14pp return (foot passenger).
Cowes Week (01983 295744/cowesweek.co.uk) will run this year from August 6 - 13.
Isle of Wight Tourism: 01983 813 813/islandbreaks.co.uk