Why?

Boats get a grip on people. Though I am one of them don’t ask me why. It has been so since I was a kid. And despite being prone to seasickness and terror during some of the worse weather Lake Michigan can throw at a small boat, my obsession has not faded.

I have like minded friends with whom I constantly chatter about boats but never does this aspect of boating come up. Many of us have blogs or Facebook sites. These venues do not usually lend themselves to psychobabble, so the topic is not discussed.

This year’s (2019) cruising is ending early. There are health issues that should not be delayed but believe me, when to end the cruise was given much thought. The common refrain being, “Well, it will only be a four . . . . three . . . . two months delay. What difference can that make?”

I should and do know better, so two months was decided on and here we are anchored in thirty feet of water at high tide with two days remaining.

There is a warmish south wind blowing over the North Haven bluffs. The sky is clear and a kind of blue grey. A classic Herreshoff 12 ½ sailboat is tacking back and forth across the harbor. The occasional gust surprises and it points into the wind to spill the air captured in its sails. This is an ideal spot.

We both had luxuriant hot showers by Carrie Rose’s standards. Soon the water will be drained and we might as well waste it on ourselves.

There are only a few sounds. The drum like dinghy plops in the short chop that streams by the boat. On shore, children exclaim their joy. A small plane appears over the treetops buzzing into the wind as it slowly climbs. The flag rustles.

See, this is what happens. I began with a philosophical purpose and now I have devolved into listening to a flag rustle. I mean what the hell else is a flag supposed to do!

Augusta, Maine