sailing.

November 4, 2013

sailingsailing sailing sailing sailing sailing

I don’t know how to sail, but I’d like to. There’s something satisfying about learning a wholly new skill and when it comes with its own special set of vocabulary, all the better. There’s so much satisfaction in learning when to use new words, trying them out, seeing how they roll off the tongue or get stuck there.

I’d buy a small wooden boat and paint it a cheerful coat of white so that it gleamed. All alone, I wouldn’t notice that my hair was getting matted or my cheeks were getting ruddy. There’d be too much else to pay attention to.

I’d fly a patchwork flag from the top of the mast and count up the barnacles on the boat bottom as prizes. If I was feeling generous, I’d bring along a friend, but mostly I’d set out for watery ambles by myself. A boat of one’s own, you might call it.

On Saturday, James and I rebooked our anniversary sail and sat under a drizzly grey sky while a double rainbow arced its way across the city. It felt good to get rained on. Especially surrounded by all that glimmering gold.

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12 Comments

  • Reply Danielle E. Alvarez November 4, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    I am so eager to go sailing… anywhere! But to do so in New York would be extra special šŸ™‚

  • Reply Julia Barger November 4, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    what a perfect way to spend your anniversary! and so very romantic.

  • Reply Le Dub November 4, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    Your pictures are gorgeous.

  • Reply Caitlin F. November 4, 2013 at 6:10 pm

    Beautiful day. Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply Inge November 5, 2013 at 12:44 pm

    What a beautiful dream, and accompanied by such beautiful photos too!

  • Reply Daina Ankrum November 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    I would love to do this. It is definitely on my NYC bucket list! Amazing photos. That last shot is so beautiful!

  • Reply Gregory Brown November 5, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    Sailing is such an intimate connection to the water. Perhaps diving or surfing offer a similar proximity, but me I want to feel the waves and wind through my hands on the main sheet and tiller.

    You absolutely should learn. Sailing is one of those beautiful endeavors that is simple enough for a child to learn, yet so complicated you can master it over a lifetime.

    …and of course if your an aesthetically minded person you just can't beat the lines of a sailboat on the water. This is a great post. I'm so jealous, and am going to look for a place to rent a boat close to me. Thanks.

  • Reply kristyn November 5, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Sailing is so much fun! Even if you're just along for the ride šŸ™‚ But I'd love to learn how to sail, too. Looks like a beautiful time!

  • Reply Anonymous November 6, 2013 at 6:26 am

    Beautiful prose. I draw so much peace and strength from living near the same body of water as you do.

  • Reply dee November 9, 2013 at 7:58 pm

    I agree with ^Anonymous. I think I love the words of this post more than the pictures. Ok, ok the pictures are equally awesome. šŸ˜‰

  • Reply LeeLee November 11, 2013 at 7:53 am

    Wow, beautiful photos and words. This is such a lovely post and I love NYC.

  • Reply Niki November 17, 2013 at 9:20 pm

    beautiful.xx

    dreaming is believing

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