A Word (or Three) to the Wise

 

Sound carries remarkably well over water, and not everyone shares the same tastes. What you consider beautiful music, your neighbor may regard as an infernal racket. Why should you care? If not out of neighborly solicitude, consider that a visit from the sheriff can cast a pall on an otherwise gorgeous summer day (or night.)

If you have a particularly loud boat, and you take it out early in the morning or late in the evening, a lot of people who are enjoying the stillness will be thinking ugly thoughts your direction.

And keep in mind that the private remarks you murmur to your companion over the purr of the outboard motor can probably be heard better by the folks on shore than by the person sitting right next to you in the boat.