
A fabulous fall day today. As predicted by the hour by hour forecast of the Weather Channel (how did we go sailing before the Internet and hour by hour forecasting?), the winds picked up after lunch to a brisk steady north wind of about 8 to 10 mph. And the temp was in the mid-seventies. Perfect sailing weather.
I asked my wife and daughter to join me in a sail, but they declined, occupied with a new game they invented, "bounce back" where you try to bounce back acorns off our tree back to the deck. Riveting. Drives the chipmunks nuts. So for company I decided to bring along some music and disturb the serene, peaceful, quiet post-Labor Day Keuka lake bliss by bringing along my iPad and external speaker on the sailboat. Yes, I am willing to risk my iPad getting ruined by a rogue wave just so I can enjoy some music while sailing. Yes, it would be smarter to just bring along an iPod and some headphones and enjoy the music politely on this post summer serene lake. But today I decided to crank up the rock and roll and make some noise. And to be honest, the number of folks on the lake today most likely equaled the number of readers of this blog. I was really bothering no one, because no one was here.


So anyway, it was a great sail. With a steady wind from the north, I probably sailed a good two miles up the lake, tacking several times, till, at the onset of Sugaree I came about and coasted home.
So why am I telling you, gentle reader, all this? Well I am wondering if anyone else has ever taken along portable music while sailing their SS. If you have, and you'd like to share your experience, please leave a comment. We do know that music was in the air (or at least in the minds of those sailing) when Dreamer was recently launched (an excellent Bob Dylan song I must add!). Perhaps there is a particular genre that naturally accompanies sailing (though maybe I am the only one who listens to the Clash's London Calling on the beach when I take #150 out of the water).
Well I hope you have moderately enjoyed this post, and for that matter, your sailing season (frankly this blog deserved another post than to have the last one at the top -- FYI #8 has been released from captivity and is now back at the Long Island Maritime Museum, soon to be restored in the Moonbeam Shop! HOORAY!)
Summer has come and gone all too quickly. At least this winter whenever I play the Dead I can think back on the great fall sail I had today, and be Grateful ;-)