I just returned from being on a boat for the past 5 days. I have been taking sailing lessons for the past 4 years with the goal of eventually getting my Captain’s license. This last trip was part of the training program that I needed to complete to get my international certification so that I can charter boats in the future. And it was an opportunity to escape for a few days and do something completely different.
During the trip, I was sailing down and up the Chesapeake Bay. I was born on the Delmarva Peninsula, and I have known all these towns on both sides of the Bay by name ever since I was a kid: Rock Hall, St. Michaels, Annapolis, Baltimore, Havre de Grace.
But arriving by boat offered a brand-new perspective. It felt like I had stepped back in time. Arriving in Fels Point in Baltimore with its old warehouses and cobblestoned streets, we sat in the marina directly across from the tall ships getting ready to head to New York for the Sail 250. Then, spending the night in the harbor in Annapolis, I was awakened to the sound of the Class of 2030 at the Naval Academy being drilled by their commanding officer at 6 a.m. Racing up the Bay, wing-on-wing, we tried to squeeze every bit of power out of the sails by holding out the jib far over the beam of the boat.
There is real beauty out there on the Bay, even when the storms popped up. Amazing how quickly they can roll in. The sound of the Bay Bridge’s foghorn was both haunting and beautiful in the misty conditions. There was an element of realizing how small you really are when you compare yourself to the world at large. You try your best to navigate the complex conditions, hoping you are pulling on the right lines to get you through. Occasionally, you catch just the right breeze, and it feels so right.
Is there a relationship to the law? Sure, choose any image you want — it can be tied to what you do. Today, I’m content to just write these thoughts without tying it to my profession. It doesn’t have to be an allegory. Today, I’ll just enjoy the feeling.
Ted Kittila, Attorney at Law 