New Englanders look forward to it all winter: the few months of the year when the water and air are warm enough to sail in shorts and a T-shirt. And it’s here: High Summer. Between Memorial Day and the dog days of August, the crazy dreams of ice-bound February still all seem possible: I will Sail Every Day. I will Swim Every Day. I will Go To the Beach Every Day. I will Sail Around Conanicut Island. I will Go Cruising in Maine. I will Sail Every Snipe Regatta.
This year I’m doing a good job of checking off that list, except for the really crazy ones (I don’t even like the beach). The past two months, Narragansett Bay has been teeming with boats large and small, criss-crossing from Newport to Jamestown or beating out East Passage to the open waters of Rhode Island Sound, and all of them are filled with sailors trying to check off their summer lists. The breeze has been strong and consistent, but warm—a combination we only get during High Summer.
I haven’t sailed every day, but I’ve been averaging 4-5 days a week which is pretty good (especially compared to February). And I haven’t gone swimming every day either, but I’ve been jumping in after most of my morning paddles. A few days ago, I paddled, swam, sailed, did a few chores, and swam again. That was a great day.
The sand in the hourglass of summer is already emptying, and I won’t achieve several of those crazy thoughts from February this year—or probably ever. But for once I feel like I’m taking advantage of living so close to the ocean, balancing the demands of work with the seasonal potential for play, spending as much time on the water as possible without letting too many things slide. I’m building up a nice reserve of memories, which might just help keep me warm once February rolls around again.
I hope many of your High Summer dreams are coming true as well.
Read High Summer, 2018 Style
