View from the Boston Harbor

We've known our friends Matt and Marge since we were students at Calvin College, more than 47 years ago. Bas and Matt were roommates their senior year, and both of us couples got married right after graduation. Matt and Marge visited us in Portland this spring to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, a few weeks after ours. 

Matt and Marge moved to the Boston area a few years after we had arrived in Boston. Matt has a PhD in astrophysics and had accepted a position at MIT's Lincoln Lab where he has continued to work for his entire career. Marge has had a long and rich career as a school librarian in various school districts west of Boston. They have 3 daughters. One shares the same birthday as our son, Matt, which resulted in our celebrating a lot of birthdays together while we were in Boston. 

When Matt and Marge learned we would be coming to Boston, they invited us to go sailing with them on the Boston Harbor. Matt has been a member of the Boston Harbor Sailing Club for many years and is a skilled sailor. He chose a 26-foot Pearson for the afternoon. 

The day could not have been better for the sail. The harbor was relatively quiet, but the wind was just right. Matt put Bas at the helm as we headed for the Harbor Islands. The view of the city from the harbor was impressive. 

All afternoon we watched harbor ferries, tugboats, schooners, and even a cruise ship glide through the harbor. 

It was a hard decision to turn the boat around to return to land. We wanted to sail on forever. It was so beautiful. 

But, with the sun starting to set in the sky, we headed back to the harbor and to a delicious meal that Marge had prepared for us at their home.

We have seen Boston from many different vantage points over the years. But, none was as striking as the view of the city from a 26 ft sailboat on a clear day in October.