Before I launch into this, let me qualify I do know the difference between a bay and a harbor (sort of). Regardless, you simply cannot pull up a bench and gaze out at the Nantucket Harbor without Otis Redding breaking into song in your head.  I’ve often wondered what it would be like to slide onto one of those dock side seats just as the sun is coming up and not move “until the evenin’ comes.”  I realize hunger pains and Mother Nature calling might throw up some obstacles, but it would be fun to try anyway.

Don’t tell the boss, but I did steal a few priceless minutes to sit harborside yesterday.  I grabbed a little basket of delectable clams from Sayle’s Seafood, then strolled along the harbor back into town where I found a bench I was certain had my name on it.  I’m not sure why “wastin time” gets such a bad rap.  When Otis sings it, I’m reminded that a few introspective moments spent gazing at the water is actually time well spent.  I returned to work refreshed, energized and inspired.

I love the Nantucket Harbor in the summertime – all those boats bobbing on their moorings, the ferries coming and going, the Rainbow Fleet splashing color across the water’s surface as they glide along.  It is fun, festive and looks like one big party on the water as you span the horizon on any given day.

But there is also something mesmerizing about this little safe haven in the off-season.  The sheer emptiness of it creates a calm and peaceful sensation – even during the rough storms when there are whitecaps inside.  It doesn’t always behave peacefully as sometimes the high tides can force water up and over the seawall and even into the lower streets in downtown.  But most days the water just lazily laps up to the docks and some days it seems to almost stand still.  One morning this winter my husband and I came downtown for an early coffee and grabbed a front row seat on one of the harbor benches.  The water was perfectly calm and smooth as glass.  We watched the first Hyline round the corner – and then “we watched it roll away again.”  Ahhhhh.

I also love the unique personality the harbor has from different vantage points around the island.  Many of our rental homes have front row views of the dotted sails, steeples, Brant Point Lighthouse and ferry boats. Some, like the wharf cottages feature decks and docks that reach right out onto the water.  Others, like some on Orange Street, boast expansive elevated views of the entire harbor.

Whether you are an owner or a tenant, a visitor or a Nantucket local, why not put some time on the calendar this summer to pull up a bench dockside to let the harbor charm you.  Watch the boats roll in, watch the tide roll away and when your Blackberry friends inquire what you’re up to, smile and type in…

“wastin time.”

Shellie Dunlap