CHATFIELD STATE PARK, Colo. (KDVR) — When it comes to sailing, Tibor Van den Wildenbergh cuts right to the chase: “I love it. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
Not many a man can speak those words truthfully, but Van den Wildenbergh can. He owns and operates Victoria Sailing School, the oldest and largest sailing school in Colorado.
But wait, how and why is Colorado a big sailing state? There are no oceans here.
“There are a lot of lakes and reservoirs and everything that’s big enough to sail on pretty much has a sailing club,” said Van den Wildenbergh.
You’ll need a certificate to sail, and that’s where Victoria Sailing School comes in.
“Number one, when you have to figure out where the wind is, you can do a finger trick. Do you know how that actually works, though? The cold part of your finger is actually where the wind is coming from,” said Van den Wildenbergh.
Ann and James West learned to sail at Victoria Sailing School just a few years back and they love it.
“We learned all the parts of the sailboat; we learned how to navigate,” said Ann West.
And they learned what to do when the unexpected happens.
“Suddenly, a really strong wind came up and we had the main, all the sails were up, and it tipped us way over and I slid in the water,” said James West.
Is it fun? Yes. Is it safe? Yes, if you learn how to do it and there is a little wind.
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