This week we celebrate the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun has reached the Tropic of Capricorn, which is at about the same latitude as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil or Sydney, Australia, where of course it is the beginning of the southern summer. Now, it begins the traverse northward again and our northern days begin to get longer. There are a lot of celebrations at this time of the year but for sailors the Winter Solstice is the day when the next sailing season begins. Over the holidays we’ll make plans with our friends and families on what we need to do to the boat for the new year and where we hope to sail. Is this the year we’ll cast off and head to the remote north for the summer, or the year for a passage south for a winter in the sun? Will the kids or grandkids join us for a few weeks along the way? Who will help us with the longer passages? We’re making our boat lists and we’re penciling dates in the calendar, all in the hope that the new year will be a great one full of sailing, cruising and the amazing lifestyle that goes with them. Fair winds and Happy New Year.
