Thanksgiving is a time to come together, often with family, and give thanks for the bounty shared during the last year. It’s a time to celebrate with family and friends.

“In the boating community the line between family and friends tends to get blurred, making for some wonderful celebrations,” writes Dylan Lippert, a longtime sailing and sailboat restoration enthusiast, in the Three Sheets NW online blog. “Boaters are a close community everywhere I’ve gone, and the Pacific Northwest is no exception. Most of us have come to rely on that community — for help, advice, friendship, camaraderie, tools or the occasional drink over a lively story.

Click here for Lippert’s full essay.