I'm on a boat.

To mark the start of The Boy's birthday week, we took a cruise around Boston Harbor on the Hestia, a 32-foot sailboat with a crew of two.



To be fair, Capt. Todd did most of the work.



Ensign spent her time on lookout.



The boat held six passengers, so it was us and two other couples. We chatted some (and shared restaurant suggestions), but mostly we just sat and took in the scenery.



It was a lovely evening for a sail, breezy and sunny. We got to help a little, pulling the lines to move the sail (yeah, I know, there's a technical term for this. Tacking, maybe?).

We went out as far as Spectacle Island and hung out for a while, the boat bobbing gently, the sun on our faces, the Boston skyline visible in the distance.



And then we came back, past Castle Island, past the cans on the docks (insert obligatory reference from The Wire here), under the Logan flightpath, alongside the ICA, and over to the Constitution before looping back to the North End.

As we stepped off the boat, I realized something had changed; I'd had a stressful week, but now felt completely relaxed and at ease.

Maybe it was because we'd done something other than fight rush-hour traffic; maybe it was the salt air; maybe it was the presence of a solemn sea-dog in a red jacket.

Whatever the reason, it was a great way to start the weekend.