Sea-Fever

The poet John Masefield put it best when he described the call of the sea in his poem “Sea-Fever.”

“I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.” Those of us lucky enough to live near the Chesapeake Bay and its amazing rivers and creeks well understand sea fever this time of year.

What’s calling to members of the Magothy River Sailing Association (www.magothysailing.org), besides the tide, herons, osprey and fair winds, is the kickoff to sailing and cruising season, the traditional sock burning party. Sock burnings began across sailing communities generally in the 1970s; it’s a rite of passage that marks warmer weather, more time on the water, and less need for socks. We’ve been doing it on the Magothy River for as long as our organization has existed (since 1974), and we’d like to invite you to join us this year.

We will gather on May 4 at 4:00pm on Looper Beach on the western shore of Broad Creek. Besides burning socks, we’ll have burgers, hot dogs and the makings for s’mores. For more information or directions by land, please email Ed Tracey at commodore@magothysailing.org.

And if your children are feeling the call of the sea, we still have openings in our Junior Training Program, which takes place July 8 through July 19, from 8:30am-4:00pm. For more information and to register, visit www.magothysailing.org.