Our experience enjoying the 4th of July in Edgartown by land and sea
Some of my earliest memories as a child were of walking to the Esplanade in Boston to watch the Boston Pops Orchestra and the legendary 4th of July fireworks. These were also my first memorable introductions to the Charles River. When I was nine years old, my mother and I stopped at Community Boating in Boston to check out the boathouse. Soon thereafter, I was enrolled in sailing lessons there, which blossomed into six summers of sailing most days on the Charles River, supplemented with trips to Martha’s Vineyard and sailing rentals from Winds Up on Lagoon Pond.
Looking back, it’s amazing to me how these memories have come full circle with my present-day reality: still sailing as much as possible, taking kids out sailing—hopefully inspiring them to take lessons—and my niece, who is doing so well in her third year at Community Boating, right where I started 36 years ago.
This 4th of July we sailed to our favorite place to celebrate, Edgartown. We arrived in the late afternoon with enough time to have a snack and dinghy to town to catch the Independence Day parade. As we arrived at the dock, we ran into some friends and their family who were also staying on a boat in the harbor. We walked towards the end of the parade route and found a place to sit and enjoy the floats going by. Surprisingly enough, many of the floats still had enough candy to throw our way.
After the parade, we walked around a little and then went back to the boat. We had tacos, and I took a lot of photos of the great sunset while standing watch in the very busy anchorage.
At 9 PM sharp the fireworks show started, and it was great.