The end of summer rituals have already begun. And pretty soon we will start raking leaves, taking trips to pick apples and pumpkins, and bringing out the winter clothes. And before we know it the 22nd annual Oyster Festival, (Oct. 15 and 16,) will be upon us and then the colder weather will thicken. Before all this is forced upon us though, many are sneaking in a few more outdoor barbecues, a few more laps in the pool before it closes, and a few more boating excursions before the cold weather takes hold.

As the racing times get earlier over the next few weeks, captains and crew will also be racing more than ever on the roadways from all over Long Island, Manhattan, and even northern New Jersey to try to get in a few more moments out on the boat. Charles Baldanza, a builder from Paramus, New Jersey, is one such person that will be trying to beat the traffic for his weekly fix of sailing. It is the anxiety of the lazy long summer days slipping away that these sailors are all experiencing who still beckon them to get through traffic and work hassles to race and socialize every week at Sagamore.

Many local sailors know another turning point in the boating season is when one of the last large races of the season occurs. This race is the Stamford Danish Friendship Cup, which draws almost 200 boats from all over Long Island and Connecticut. It is organized by the Stamford Yacht Club in Stamford, Connecticut. On September 11th Sagamore's, Dave McSorley and his crew on Ranger were the overall winner of the Jib and Main Division. Dave respectably beat over 75 boats in this division. He had much to celebrate at the after-party in Stamford, which features flowing Danish beer and cheese.

The weather this season has been great for Wednesday night races on Oyster Bay Harbor, but as fall weather approaches the sailboat racing season will be coming to a close. Sagamore Yacht Club's racing chair, Glenn LaMay said, "These warm nights can make you forget that our season is rapidly coming to an end. The only noticeable difference has been the lack of daylight." The law of nature is that at this time of year the daylight gets shorter and the sun sets earlier. For this reason starting Sept. 21 Sagamore will be starting its races a little earlier at 1815 hours. On Sept. 21 they will have finished 9 races out of the 10-race season. Glenn also said that after the last official recorded race that the racers will still be out on Wednesday nights for a few more weeks just for the fun of it even if they have to start the races even earlier. The racers also participate in an annual traditional spoof Halloween race in some interesting costumes.

As the fall air starts to trickle in many boaters are sadly reminded that they have to find another activity to keep them content until the warm weather cycle hits again. Sagamore Yacht Club's Commodore Dave Roach recently reminded the club's members that, "While the long sunny days will be hard to come by soon, don't forget that fall and winter are great times to stop down and enjoy your favorite beverage by the fire, play darts, come to the [monthly] family nights, etc." Another winter activity Sagamore offers is skeet shooting. The season will start on Dec. 4 and run through March 26.

In closing I would like to remind all boaters to savor the few warm days left and that as they glide past the shoreline that they should take a moment to ever so deeply inhale the salty air and smile contentedly knowing that in a few months that nature will bring back warmer times.

For more information about skeet shooting, boating, racing, or taking safe boating classes over the winter contact Dockmaster Phil Rhoads at 922-0555, visit www.sagamoreyc.com, or look up SagamoreRacing on Yahoo!Groups.