This summer, we've been on the watch for wind. When the weather's right and the time is our own, we walk across the park, curving to the south of the Great Lawn and hanging a right, heading south until Alice comes into view. Sean and I spare a handful of minutes to peer inside the Kerbs Boat House at the rows of model sailboats, marveling at tiny brass fittings and planked teak decks and deciding which one we most wish was ours. A lucky handful of folks get permits to store their treasures there, but in all New York things we're renters, not owners, so we step over to hire a boat ($11 for 30 minutes). The radio controller adjusts the sail and the rudder, but there is no motor except the breeze and getting the boat to go takes trial and error for newbies like us. Once our half hour is up, we walk west, with a detour for lobster rolls and ginger beers. It's the perfect way to spend an afternoon in the city. It has me dreaming of shipbuilding.
