Without a doubt, fall has arrived. Schools and universities are back in session, the leaves have turned orange, and folks are starting to pack away the shorts and sandals of a warmer season.

But before layering up in flannel or foul weather gear, here's one more look back at summer from my perspective.

Bellingham, Washington, has been my home for all my life, and getting out on the water is deeply meaningful to me and remains a major facet of my identity. The joy of being on the water in beautiful Bellingham is a feeling I have tried to capture and one that I hope to share with the world. 

Working on Bellingham Bay opened my eyes to all the hustle and bustle of the Pacific Northwest's waterways. Seeing everything from environmental cleanup efforts to the movements of commercial cargo ships put into context my role in something much bigger than myself.

My passions for environmental stewardship, teaching sailing, and storytelling through journalism all shaped the ways I interacted with the water and felt like a member of a community. My perspective is just one of many, but I hope these pictures show the ways anyone can find their home out on the water.

During my seven weeks working as a sailing instructor at the Bellingham Yacht Club, I took pictures of whatever caught my eye. Here is a selection of photos that I feel are illustrative of life on the bay:

The Bellingham Breeze regatta brings generations of sailors to the water: Competitors age 8 through 71 participated in the Community Boating Center's annual regatta. Sailors from all walks of life—from those sailing an RS Quest with a parent to those single-handing an RS Aero at over 70 years old—participated in casual races on August 16.

Dinghies of the Bellingham Yacht Club youth program sit de-rigged on the dock after a day on the water. These FJ sailboats are used by campers ages 8–18 for beginner through advanced classes.

• Brochures for a variety of Whatcom County attractions are displayed at the Port of Bellingham's Marine Life Center. The Marine Life Center, located at Squalicum Harbor, is outgrowing their space and has plans to move camp once their new building is completed. In the meantime, the Marine Life Center is a staple of the port for locals and passers-by alike.
  
• On a windless day, campers from a Bellingham Yacht Club youth camp huddle around a tank at the Marine Life Center. The center is a favorite field trip location on days where there just isn't enough wind to send the kids out on the water.
  
• A poster for the Department of Natural Resources' vessel turn-in program. Hung up on Harbor Loop at Squalicum Harbor Gate 3, this was one of many posters advertising the program across the waterfront. Both KING 5 and The Bellingham Herald reported on the turn-in program, which safely destroyed 29 derelict vessels.

• In mid-August, floating barriers were deployed at the mouth of Padden Creek to block a diesel spill from entering Bellingham Bay. The spill, caused by an equipment leak during a salmon restoration project, was cleaned up in a scramble before an impending rainstorm.

• Lady Rosebay, a 143-meter refrigerated ship, docks at Bellingham Cold Storage on August 16. In 2024, BCS was named the 23rd-largest refrigerated warehousing and logistics provider in North America. Every day, a selection of vessels, from fishing schooners to refrigerated cargo ships, could be spotted unloading at Bellingham Cold Storage.

• Foothills are seen beyond Bellingham's skyline; docked sailing program powerboats are visible in the foreground. From the waterfront, the campus of Western Washington University can be seen below the Sehome Arboretum. The foothills of the Cascade Mountains roll into the water across Washington's coast, including on the shores of Bellingham Bay. The docked boats are used by the BYC to monitor the safety of sailors in the sailing camps and regattas.
• At the Bellingham Yacht Club's Inati Bay Outstation, an instructor motors out to check on the overnight campers' anchored sailboats. Lummi Island sits directly across the bay from Bellingham, and holds scenic locations to camp.

• Mount Baker is visible beyond Bellingham as a sailing instructor watches boats large and small exit the marina. Squalicum Harbor is used by boats of various sizes, and is often a hub for day-trippers to the San Juan Islands. On clear days, the Cascade stratovolcano Mount Baker is visible behind Bellingham's skyline.

Now living the dorm life at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, I miss the salty smell of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing on the beach. The swim and dive team keeps me in the water, while Minnesota's thousands of lakes still allow me to take a sailboat for a spin, but nothing beats the now-nostalgic feeling of looking out my window to a fleet of boats on the bay, cutting across the waters I call my home.