I'd just opened the boathouse door yesterday afternoon when neighbor Rich Vishton drove down to the waterfront.
"Want to go out?" I asked.
He thought briefly of the chores he had to do at home and then replied, "Yeah."
So we launched the inflatable, attached the outboard and puttered out to where Bluebird was swinging in the current and a light breeze.
For the next two hours, we sailed gently, heading downstream with the current but against the wind at first, then edging back upstream in what proved to be very light air.
As folks will, we told old stories, some about boats, some about life. Rich steered and I tended the sheets.
The sun was falling fast as we crept toward the mooring near the end of another perfect autumn sail. But we were back ashore before dark. We hadn't needed the outboard. In fact, I don't think that motor is even broken in yet, it's been used so seldom.
This morning, there is a thick fog on the river and only occasionally can you see Bluebird's shadow. I probably won't take her out today, nor tomorrow, when rain is forecast. Then the temperature is predicted to drop, so perhaps the sailing season is about over.
I looked for the license plate and lights for the boat trailer this morning and couldn't find them. I'll need to act on that problem soon so that I can take the trailer to the launch ramp.
Pushing the sailing season is great fun when you get out on the water. But I don't want to find myself actually fighting the ice floes when it's time to haul.