Night Watch 2011

One night each summer every member of the Lidingö Boat Club has to spend the night at the marina making sure no tomfoolery is going on.  Last night, 10 July, was our night.  I put the time and date stamp on my photos so you could watch the progression of daylight.
We arrived at 23.40 to a beautifully eerie sky.  The way the clouds reflected off the glassy water top was stunning.Tanner was in the water 5 minutes after we let him out of the car.  This is Tanner's favorite night of the year.  He gets to run freely around the marina, chase herring and other creatures that lurk about, play in the tall grass and generally enjoy a canine paradise all night long. 

Our little sentinel at the ready!

For us, it's a matter of getting through the 6 hours we need to be "on guard."  We spend the night doing "the rounds."  Basically that means you walk the perimeter of the boat yard and walk down every pier making sure that all is well.  It's rather interesting because it's never really dark and by 3.00 it's as broad daylight as 12.00 noon so if you were going to "sneak" in and steal something, you'd have to be pretty bold!  Even so, watching the sky change from twilight to dawn to full daylight in a matter of 3 hours is always pretty special.  Doug threw a fishing line in the water at about 2.00 a.m. and at 2.20 hauled a pretty good size fish out of the water!  Too bad it slipped off the hook before I could capture it on film.  I know, sounds fishy, but he really did catch a good one!  The night sky was an artist's palette of color, ever changing by the minute.  I was totally fascinated by it, but even so managed to grab a snooze along the way!
In fact, all three of us managed naps at some point throughout the night.  The bright daylight definitely makes enduring the night much easier.When we were preparing to leave at 6.00 a.m. the beauty that surrounded us was stunning.  A gorgeous morning had broken through. The water was glassy and beckoned, but alas, the cry of our beds was louder.Another quiet, beautiful night watch had come to close without incident.  Good night or should I say, "good day?"