Winter Cometh

By Mark Ward

It’s grey today.  The clouds fill the sky and touch the snowy ground.  They are low overhead; thick and dark on the horizon.  Frozen like a black-and-white photograph, the  absence of color is instead more a variation of greys.  I can see my breath, but the grey dulls my depth perception, turning the world into a two-dimensional experience.  It is winter.

Already, vivid green leaves, iridescent flowers, the infinite blues of water and even the oranges and yellows of fall seem a distant dream.  It’s as if the world has always been this way; like Narnia under the spell of the white witch.  It’s mid-November and spring seems years away.  I have reluctantly accepted the unstoppable onslaught of winter, mowed the grass, drained the hoses, readied the snow blower, and traded the lawn rakes and planters for snow shovels and ice-melt.  The family sailboat has been stripped down with sails unbent, canvas folded, tanks drained, systems winterized and extra mooring lines added for the inevitable violence of winter storms.  Like an embalmed corpse, she lies lifeless alone in her berth. 

Spaced neatly to keep us occupied through the dark months, we are temporarily occupied by the diversion of the holidays.  January comes.  Save for the celebration of a new year, it’s a dark and hollow month.  As our planet tips, the light and warmth of the sun will creep back into our lives. 

The longer days will bring thoughts of spring….and sailing.  Archived memories of unfinished boat projects will emerge.  We will renew our endeavors to ready our boats for opening day.  We will carefully plan our summer weekends and extended summer cruise.  Then, just as it was leached away, color and hope will seep back into our lives.  Without warning, we will begin to feel the sense of urgency and excitement that spring bestows.  I’ll be driven to organize, itemize, prioritize and finish boat projects to make our boat ready for sea and for the adventures of summer.  I’ll have the sails serviced and spend my lunch hours collecting parts and pieces from the local chandlery so my weekend boat projects will not be delayed.  There will be excitement on the docks.  Radiance will be ready to come out of hibernation.  As her caretaker, I’ll reassemble her, bend on sails and tune her rig, breathing life back into her.  Then there will be that first sail of the season and a million dollar smile will beam from my face and in my heart. 

When mid-summer comes, I’ll have Radiance in top shape for our summer vacation cruise.  We’ll explore some new coastline and I’ll relish with my kids, the exquisite adventure of cruising.  Until then, I’ll hunker down by the fire and lose myself in glossy sailing magazines...and try to survive the holidays, awaiting that first sign of spring.