What is a telltale? Look at a sail up close and you may spot short strands of red and green yarn fluttering near the front edge. Those are telltales. When both stream straight back, the sail is trimmed just right. When one droops or spins, the sailor knows to adjust. A small thing that tells you a lot: we liked that, so we named this paper after them.

Haul-out season: Across the harbour, boats are coming out of the water for the winter. Cradles are going up, masts are coming down, and shrink wrap is going on. Seasoned hands say the secret to a stress-free spring is a good list made in the fall: note every squeak, drip, and wobble now, while you still remember it.

The lake that never sleeps: Lake Ontario rarely freezes over completely. It is the deepest of the Great Lakes for its size, and all that water holds the summer's warmth well into winter. That's why lake-effect snow can bury towns along the shore while the water itself stays open.