A Simple Change of Hat

摘要

Every now and then, a boat comes along that captures my imagination not because it's what I've always been looking for but because I didn't know I was looking for it to begin with.For some time, I have toyed with the idea of an addition to my little fleet-this time a powerboat, which, if I build it, would be my first. Why? Maine's abundant islands and waterways are a constant siren call for exploration, but the "vacationland" summer is grievously short. The instinct, which too often has to be repressed, is to simply jump into a boat and run out from my town of Brooklin to an island or quiet cove in time for the last light of a fine day, especially during the shortening days of our long and luscious fall. Sometimes the breeze and current aren't right for a sail. The twilight comes too soon for a long row. I have even found myself longing to make for a nearby town for a nice dinner in good company, then walk to the dock to set off on a slow homeward course, running quietly for a couple of hours under an astonishing starlit sky. I don't get enough of that-maybe no one does. Small powerboats have increasing appeal as a means to clear away one more obstacle to getting out on the water, conjuring visions of liberation.