I love the month of March in the Pacific Northwest. In amongst late winter’s wild weather swings, signs of spring are intermittent but unmistakable. On land, the hopeful beauty of crocuses and cherry blossoms catch your eye or perhaps your nose. In marinas and on the water, however, the new season buzz is in the crinkle of crisp sails, the sheen of burnished bottom paint, and groups of foulie-clad friends warmly getting reacquainted and caught up in spite of still-chilly temperatures as they rig and ready their boats.
Whatever your waterborne plans for the coming year may be, they’re almost certainly taking shape this month. It might be assembling a crew for a long passage or testing some recently-installed system in big breeze. It could be getting to know a new boat, finishing a pesky project that you’ve put off until now, or putting in that PTO request for a summer cruise. Or maybe it’s making use of this month’s longer evening daylight to get out for a few after-work chances to bust that inevitable bit of winter rust.
Though there are exceptions—more cruising events are popping-up early in the season—it’s often the sailboat racing community that is the first to gather en masse and cheer the start of a new season in earnest. To me, nothing on the calendar in this region says springtime quite like Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle’s Center Sound Series. It’s pretty amazing how 500 sailors can transform the marina environment from offseason serenity one day to enthusiastic pandemonium the next. Since it’s the first race of the season for so many sailors, the vibes are primarily giddy anticipation and excitement; though if the breeze is up, some will be expressing (or hiding) a few nerves too. The dreariest conditions can’t dampen spirits on a Center Sound Saturday. It’s a highlight of the year for me.
The change of seasons is thrilling, but it’s also a part of the bigger rhythm. The marine ecosystem and the maritime industry don’t hibernate. The waves and tides never rest. It’s comforting and uplifting to see these seasonal markers and traditions each year; and their repetition is affirming. But after all of the PNW springs I’ve known, somehow I still have the simultaneous, contrasting thoughts: “Wait, it’s March already?!” and “Thank goodness it’s finally March!”
Spring is coming, again, and the sunny season will follow. And how wonderful to be a boat geek in the PNW with that kind of assurance and possibility!
I’ll see you on the water,
Joe
Featured image of the sunny-foggy start of last Saturday’s Center Sound Series race taken by Dennis Lussier.
Joe Cline
Joe Cline has been the Managing Editor of 48° North since 2014. From his career to his volunteer leadership in the marine industry, from racing sailboats large and small to his discovery of Pacific Northwest cruising —Joe is as sail-smitten as they come. Joe and his wife, Kaylin, have welcomed a couple of beautiful kiddos in the last few years, and he is enjoying fatherhood while still finding time to make a little music and even occasionally go sailing.
