To the stars

Perched on a low stool next to the sailboat in front of Community Boating on the Esplanade, the old guy (my age perhaps) was carefully peeling off the backing of stenciled letters applied to the hull to advertise the programs.

'See,' he pointed out, 'how bubbly the paper is? It's because the surface is curved in two directions, but what matters is that the letters lie flat, and they do.'

The font was big and relaxed: LEARN.... followed by (hard to read) 'to sail' and phone numbers. Fourth best community program in the country according to Yacht magazine, he said with pride. Judging by the number of boats I see out in the river on summer evenings, I'm moved to agree.

In the mornings, when I run by, I see the kids sitting outside, waiting for the doors to open, I remarked.  The kids program has already started, he told me; they're taking classes now and soon everyone will be out on the water..

It's been going since the forties, he said. Leonard Nimoy of StarTrek grew up in the West End over there and used to sail here all the time. 'From the sea to the stars,' with a big smile and an upward sweep of his hand, that accidentally flipped off his hat.

The mission of this community organization: to bring people into encounter with the wind. Who's to say where that ends.