Sea and shore

Santos, a former Marine, demonstrated the joys and travails of sailing in Provincetown's large natural harbor, where Flyer's offers the largest fleet of sailboats on Cape Cod. It is one of a handful of places on the Cape where sailors can rent and sail on their own or with an instructor.

On this jaunt, Santos's crew took in his lessons with wonder and consternation at the geometrical and linguistic conundrums. ``Haul in the sheets," ``let out the main," ``let go the jib," ``push away the tiller," ``hard a lee" -- the terminology was as intimidating and exhilarating as the unbridled force of the wind propelling the boat.

Despite the daunting learning curve, a first-time student under Santos's wing quickly picked up the idea of tacking and was soon dashing under the boom as spryly as a seasoned sailor, releasing the jib on one side and pulling it in on the other as the boat came about.

This was a day for white knuckles and slickers and tales of a brief seafaring stint that sounded even better over apres-sail beers and chowder at Clem & Ursie's. But Provincetown Harbor is just as likely to provide a quiet sail.

Curled within Long Point, the curving, slender beach that forms the tip of Cape Cod, the harbor is well sheltered from the prevailing southwesterly winds, as well as the occasional easterly breezes that send long, green ocean swells crashing into the dunes of Cape Cod National Seashore.

Flyer's offers the ingredients for a perfect sail for anyone who does not own a boat: a large area with plenty of water, even at low tide; sturdy Rhodes 19 sailboats, roomy enough for a small picnic but hardy enough for a bracing sail in high winds and choppy seas; plenty of guidance -- but not too much.

That's important for the occasional sailor who remembers how to come about and jibe and, most importantly, sail a boat to windward, but feels less than comfortable bringing a vessel into a 20-knot wind back to the mooring.

The Flyer's team, led by dock master Malcolm Hunter , asks prospective renters questions about their sailing experience, but generally will rent a boat to anyone who seems fit and knowledgeable to sail.