The weather is getting warmer here in the northeast; sailing season is imminent. People ask if I’m getting ready to put the boat in the water. When they learn that it was sold, their next question is “do you miss it?” My consistent answer is “nope, well, not yet anyway”. It’s complicated.
As a non-boat owning sailor, in April, my thoughts would be on the upcoming season and, maybe, racing. As a boat owner, this is the time to figure out when the requisite, pre-splash work will get done. The clock is ticking and the erratic spring weather can render a well-planned day off useless for outdoor activities like painting. Inevitably, time gets tight and any projects that can happen on the water are postponed (sometimes longer than expected).
All that work happens for a reason though. The thing that keeps a sailor going while sanding, engulfed by a toxic cloud of bottom paint dust, is the promise of the season ahead. Great times and stories are almost guaranteed, and there will be at least a couple, true champagne sails. Is this made just a bit sweeter by having to work for it? Ask me after this season.