The joys of not sailing | Ammi Midstokke

“The joys of not sailing” is a humorous take on sailboat ownership, arguing that actual sailing is rare compared with the rest of the experience. The piece describes how owners often spend long periods watching the boat—parked in a driveway or even a different parking lot—while dreaming of trips on Lake Pend Oreille. It highlights maintenance and projects such as woodworking, along with the interruptions of nature, from yellow jackets and stink bugs to spiders drawn to boats. The narrative also covers transporting the vessel by trailer, getting supplies like takeout, and the stress of operational tasks such as hiring a crane to raise a mast and dealing with permits.