When we took our boat out a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be our last sail before winter. I was wrong. Yesterday it was warm enough to layer up for a couple of hours on the lake. Even if there wasn’t going to be any wind, we wanted to be on the boat.

The peace that comes with the silence of a November sail is a rare gift. Most people have pulled their boats out of the water by November, and for those whose remain, it’s too chilly to be on the lake. What that means for us is a flat, wake-free surface and enough quiet to hear the sploosh of a fish, the gurgle of our hull moving through calm water, and the honks of Canada geese echoing off the mountainsides.

When the lake is smooth, our little sailboat can be moved by the slightest breath of wind. Without boat wakes to break our light momentum, we glide along in liquid silence. It  is one of the most soul-satisfying feelings I know.