“There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”-- Water Rat, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
On this first full day of autumn I am celebrating the fact that we have been “messing about” in our little boat more than usual this summer…we have had more free time and the weather has been dry, if not windy. Mr O does the all the hard work and I relax, read, prepare refreshments, and do the little crewing that is needed. We often have lunch or supper on the boat and once a year we try to sleep on board and make breakfast in the cabin. Once a year reminds us why that is enough.
Catnip is a catboat. I’ve looked up how catboats got their name and my favorite reason is that they behave like a cat: quick, agile, well-balanced, and quiet. I would only add that they have large cockpits just made for picnics and napping and inviting friends… Originally, however, they were designed for fishing and carrying cargo. How could I not fall in love with our sail with the beautiful graphic design of a cat in the letter M and with her sweet “lines”. The sales promotion says it all:
“Although 19 feet usually makes a diminutive vessel, the Menger Cat is really quite large for her length. She's big enough to be a real pocket cruiser for a couple, a great weekender for the family, and a very friendly daysailer for eight people. Yet she's still small enough to be easily trailered and can be stored in a garage.
But what does all this matter if a boat doesn't stir something inside you and give that indefinable feeling of a thing that's alive--a vessel you can sail with pride?”
It is a challenge to vary the photos taken on the boat… The light, the weather, and the people we sail with change but everything else basically stays the same. There are only so many shots of the mast, sail, and water that I want to take….
“A sailor is an artist whose medium is the wind.” Webb Chiles
