For years,
"The Sailboat," whose sleek, towering mast is plainly visible from a distance even in rough seas, has been both a beacon and a favorite destination for the West Neck Pod in its northerly swims along the Causeway. Its stylized image adorns the bathing caps of Pod members, whose message exhorts them to swim
"To the Sailboat and Beyond..." Indeed, achieving the first "Sailboat swim" marks a badge of honor for "newbies" and a season-opening milestone for returnees. So when several weeks into the 2013 open-water-swimming season the Sailboat still had not taken its customary place off "the house at the end of the Causeway," and even its mooring ball was missing, the West Neck Pod was left disoriented and discomfited. With no Sailboat to sight on, swimmers zigged and zagged their way north to the "virtual-Sailboat," eventually assembling in a ragged cluster somewhere in front of the house....
That house -- still colloquially known as "the Billy Joel house" -- has always been a mystery to us swimmers, who see only the water and sky reflected in its blank windows...Its current inhabitants were unknown and unseen, and as we rested alongside their magnificent and -- as far as we could tell, little-used boat (since it was always there when we were!), we often wondered if they ever saw us out there and if so, what they thought about the fact that a dozen or more oddly coifed and -suited swimmers would regularly come stroking up the Causeway to loiter in their littoral back yard....
So when Sunday morning's pack of virtual-Sailboat swimmers converged in front of the house, tuckered out from a challenging swim northward against the incoming tide, we were shocked to see a woman's tiny figure waving to us from atop the seawall. Too far away for conversation, Susan Robinson and I quickly swam towards the narrow beach at the base of the wall, while the woman (to our alarm and consternation), commenced climbing down the rocks to meet us. She greeted us warmly and introduced herself, then
"Cathy" told us the sad fate of her -- and our -- beloved Sailboat,
"Eos II." With the approach of Hurricane Sandy, the boat had been moved to a sheltered marina deeper in Oyster Bay where they thought it would be safer, but Sandy's high winds and violent seas tore the boat loose from its mooring and smashed it to smithereens....
 |
| Carol and Cathy getting acquainted |
 |
| Susan, Karen, Eliana, Ken, Brandon & Margot at the "house at the end of the Causeway" |
 |
| "Eos II" |
 |
| Farewell, "Eos II" |
Though the West Neck Pod is deeply saddened by the loss of "Eos II," we were heartened by Cathy's news that the "virtual-Sailboat" will soon be replaced by a real sailboat, as "Eos III" takes its place at the mooring alongside the "house at the end of the Causeway." But now, when we swim north "to the Sailboat," and look up at the windows of "the Billy Joel house," we'll smile and wave to our new friend within -- now an honorary member of the West Neck Pod!
See you in the Salt!
Late Friday afternoon, the long-awaited "Eos III" finally took her place at the mooring alongside the "house at the end of the Causeway." Though this morning’s sky was grey and cloudy, and a light rain was falling, a huge throng of swimmers battled a stiff north wind and incoming tide to pay homage to the new "Winged Goddess of the Dawn," her slender, beckoning mast once again visible in the distance atop the waves. At long last, "The Sailboat" has returned! 
Tomorrow morning, the Sailboat will guide us northward again, as we "go long" to Fort Hill Beach against an incoming tide then ride it back to West Neck Beach -- or all the way to the South Buoy, for those looking for some extra distance (especially those of us who are training for next Saturday's 5K for the "Swim Across America"!). See you in the Salt! 
