Sailing Story: Cynthia Forsch

Not all sailing stories are individual experiences— many are intertwined with another person’s journey to becoming a sailor. That is certainly the case for Cynthia Forsch, Captain Genevieve’s mom.  

“My first big sail was when Genevieve was working in Belize and she invited several family members [on a sailing trip],” Cynthia said. “We rented the boat that she was teaching on for a week— that was my first big sail.”

Cynthia never guessed that her daughter’s weekend hobby sailing with the neighbors boat on Montana’s Flathead Lake would later become the foundation for her owning Go Sail Virgin Islands. 

“I didn’t think sailing would [be her passion] but I knew thrill would,” Cynthia explained. “Every time she went sailing, she came back with such a big smile on her face. She was so excited.”

Cynthia found sailing to be a bit frightening at first. “I don’t like it when the boat tips over so I’m more of a catamaran girl,” she laughed.

“Watching her display her level of confidence is just wonderful,” Cynthia said.  “She clearly knows what she’s doing, she has confidence, she is able to explain to everyone what’s going to happen.”

Now, Cynthia loves going on longer trips with Genevieve too. One of Cynthia’s favorite memories was on a trip in the Virgin Islands, where Genevieve encouraged her to swim to shore from the boat one evening. 

“She encourages me to step outside of my comfort zone,” Cynthia said. “She gave me a noodle and said ‘go for it mom!’ I jumped off the boat, grabbed the noodle, and tried to swim to the shore.”

However, Cynthia said the swim was a bit harder than anticipated and by the time she got to shore with her husband they were both exhausted. 

“We just laid there in the sand laughing about how much fun it was,” she recalled. “I don’t think I would have done that if she wouldn’t have said ‘go ahead mom! You can do this!’”

However, while Genevieve has pushed Cynthia to try new things, Cynthia has no plans of becoming a captain herself. 

“I have a captain,” she laughed. “It’s Genevieve and she is a delight to sail with!”