Thursday, July 29

Over this summer I have come to know the boat, by which I mean that I have come to feel comfortable with it. I can now jump in and out and tie it up properly, without having to think. I also understand the mechanics of it.

Any proper Finn would find this a ridiculous thing to say for several reasons. Firstly most Finns get introduced to boats in the same way they get introduced to skates and skiis. They figure in their lives in one way or another every year as they grow up.

Secondly boats like ours have more in common with lawnmowers than sports cars, in terms of their mechanical complexity. In my defence I will point out that I didn’t understand our lawnmower until quite recently.

If that counts as a defence.

I walk down to the bay to check the boat after the bursts of heavy rain. Everything seems as it should. The ropes still hold.