All along the northeast coast, from Newport to Nova Scotia, there are charming harbors that beckon you with names such as Sorrento, Friendship, Roque Bluffs, Seal cove, Fishers Landing, and Birch Harbor. Dinghies are a mainstay of these harbors. These small boats, including prmas, skiffs, and tenders, can be very rudimentary in their design or works of exceptional craftsmanship. Dinghies remain at the ready, in service to their owners. They provide safe passage between the docks, floats, and shore and the lobster boats, yachts, and other large crafts moored in the deeper waters of the harbor. The wooden dinghy is symbolic of the people and landscape of these coastal regions: hardworking, pragmatic, picturesque, and rugged.

Paired with quotations from great thinkers, and the short story "Rowboat" from author Peter H. Spectre, the photographs in Afloat on the Tide offer a reflective journey through strikingly beautiful world of small wooden craft.