Free as the Wind

In former times, boaters relied on the wind to get them where they were going.

Some of us still do.

The sailboats were out in force on Sunday, and we were among them. But even though the weather was perfect, the motorboats were absent. I think I saw one for every five or six sailboats.

With the high price of gas, many people at our marina use their motorboats as summer homes but rarely go out on the water. One October a few years back, we filled our tank to replace the four gallons we had used getting into and out of the marina during the season. At the next pump, a man with a fancy motorboat watched the numbers rise into the hundreds of dollars.

Sailors don't understand motorboaters any more than Cubs fans understand White Sox fans, and vice versa.

It's the difference between a slow but peaceful ride and a fast but noisy one, and between an afternoon on the lake and an afternoon at the dock.

It may take us longer to get somewhere, but at least we go.

Because our fuel is free.