Rolf’s new piece in Forbes: “Windsurfing Where Jesus Walked”

Rolf has a new story in Forbes about his experience windsurfing in the Sea of Galilee, called “Windsurfing Where Jesus Walked.” In the piece, Rolf’s experience of the modern-day Middle East is greatly informed and influenced by the region’s rich, fascinating history. The essay opens:

Whenever I tell people how I learned to windsurf on Israel’s Sea of Galilee, I’m usually met with a bemused pause, as if a Bible-themed punchline should come next. Some zinger about Jesus walking on water, perhaps, admonishing me to drop my sail and become a windsurfer of men.

Though Rolf writes that splashing around in the Sea of Galilee didn’t feel that different from being in the waters off the coast of Oregon, his experiences with his instructor, Aryeh, and two female Israeli friends are thoroughly unique and hilarious. He writes:

Since Aryeh’s English was only slightly better than my Hebrew, I never learned much about the technical aspects of windsurfing. Mostly he coached me with inspirational plaudits like, “get up, and relax on the board,” or “no, up!” or “more relax!”

When I swam ashore for a break after the first hour, the girls complimented me on my windsurfing form (“you looked like you were trying really hard not to fall off the side of a building”)…

Check out the whole thing here.