Biding the Time

The leaves are changing colors, the morning air is crisp, the nights are chilly and the water temperature is only inviting to those with a layer of blubber. The emptying of the harbors will certainly send you the message loud and clear: It is that time of year again to pack away the seersucker and pull the sailboat from the water. When die hard boaters “seal it up for the winter,” they oft ask themselves the old age question: What do I do until spring?

There is, of course, the option of Frost Bite Sailing to feed the need of catching some wind. However, the gear is expensive, the idea of leaving your cozy home for the frigid waters is not motivating to most and finding friends to join you is much easier said than done. So that option is most likely out just as fast as it entered your head.

Onto the next thought, which has been bouncing around your head for years: to begin that passion project of building your own boat. Planning the specifications to your exact needs, shaping the wood yourself and really getting back to old fashion American hard-work and craftsmanship is enticing indeed. There is probably nothing more satisfying than manning the helm of the boat you built with your own hands, right? Then you realize that the last time you had more than an hour to spend on a hobby (let alone the hours upon hours for weeks upon weeks needed to build a sailboat), was back when the idea popped into your head in the first place. And that’s when you quickly shove that idea aside as well.

Then you ask yourself, Well why don’t I just work on the boat I currently have? There are always a few small repairs that can be made and you know that between ordering parts and finding time to do the work it will take you all winter. You might as well get a jump on it now before you fall behind. However, you are usually too tired to move off the couch during the work week, and the Patriots play on Sundays so... that only leaves Saturday, which is normally reserved for errands and/or family time.

So that still begs the question, what on Earth is a sailor to do after they pull in the boat? That is when you do what sailors do best, drift away in a day dream. Kick up those feet like you are relaxing in the stern of the boat, on an even keel, keeping control of the entire beast with one sun-kissed steady hand and holding a beer in the other. Dolphins play off your starboard side and the sun sets on your port. You don’t have a care in the world and spring is right around the corner.