FALL 2020 boatingmagli.com 15
The Summer
of My Content
By William C. Winslow
What an absolutely perfect day for boating! The morning light
reveals a dazzling, solid blue sky and gentle 10-knot winds were
blowing temperatures in the 70s. My marina, reopened after the
coronavirus, had a celebratory feel.
I sped down to my slip to savor the new day, but alas, it was not
to celebrate the new season. I was there to end it, having just sold
my boat. With the new owner to take possession within an hour,
the delivery captain was performing an inspection of operating
equipment, controls, running rigging, fuel, and yes, toilet paper
in the head. The ensign fluttered off the stern; the dinghy bobbed
in the still water.
Captain (I never did catch has last name) backed out of the
slip, turned the cat boat’s bow down Meetinghouse Creek, and
disappeared around the bend in the channel headed for the Great
Peconic Bay and eventually Long Island Sound. I watched the
departure with great visual and emotional intensity, as today my
sailing career, stretching back to 1948, ended.
Why did I do it? Well, it certainly wasn’t the pandemic that forced
skippers and crews into nautical isolation and social distancing. I
had listed my vessel for sale prior to the virus’ arrival. The short
answer is my age — at 85, I thought it was time to quit while I
was still in good health and in control of my seamanship abilities.
Nobody wants to deal with a yacht sale while hobbled with shore
bound disabilities, sickness, or while staring down death.
Was my decision relatively easy to make? Yes, but as with most
things in life, it was more complicated than that. Over the last
few years, my psyche has taken a new direction. I’ve decided to
simplify life, cut back on challenges, and refrain from acquiring
the new skills needed to compete in the 21st century.
Reflecting back on my habits over the years, it seemed that I
relished trying to prove myself: gingerly taking the helm of an
uncle’s sail boat when I was eight, competing in solitary sports like
track rather than team experiences, intercollegiate ski jumping
in college, public speaking, writing for publication, white water
kayaking, and even the social art of dating.
I moved to New York City after graduating from college in 1957
and my boating experience came aground. The Big Apple is too
expensive for nautical indulgences, especially for an individual
toiling in the nonprofit world. Yet decades later, marriage
changed everything. My bride had just bought a tiny house in the
Hamptons, and I suddenly had the space and shared expenses to
build a sail boat. Which I did!
It took me 12 years of mostly weekend work, but I loved the
challenges of building a boat — lofting (drawing the plans full size),
beveling and shaping wood (there are no square measurements in
naval design), installing a motor, and mast rigging. Why was each
a challenge? I knew full well at each step along the way that my life
and that of the boat were at risk if I screwed up!
Over the years I have owned four craft. I have readily enjoyed
maintenance, spring launch, and adding equipment, all while
perfecting skills like heavy weather sailing, dead reckoning, and
weather forecasting. But no longer — I’ve opted out of the fun of
varnishing, painting, and keeping up with electronics. You carry
on, please, until life on the water loses its spice for you. If it ever
does.
The author is the Division 5 - Staff Officer Public Affairs, First
District Southern Region, for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary,
the all-volunteer, non-military arm of the Coast Guard,
teaching boating safety education and conducting search and
rescue operations. Visit http://cgaux.org/ to join the Auxiliary
or for class information.
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