Songfacts®:

• If you ever wonder why folks go to great effort and expense to go sailing, this song has your answer.
  
  David Crosby loved to sail on his schooner, The Mayan. He wrote "The Lee Shore," where he recounts some of the moments of poetry and adventure he found at sea. There are simple pleasures like spotting spotting shells that look like winking eyes in the sun, and exhilarating journeys to far-off islands. Crosby had a lot of self-destructive tendencies and developed a nasty drug habit, but sailing was a healthy and fulfilling pursuit that kept him alive. It was also a way to bond with his bandmates, who would sometimes join him.
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded "The Lee Shore" at Stephen Stills' home studio at the end of 1969. They played it live, but didn't release it.
  
  The song first appeared on the 1971 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live album 4 Way Street. In 1991, they added vocal overdubs and released the song on two compilations: Carry On and CSN.
• In the CSN compilation, Crosby explained: "Sailing is a mystical experience for me. The Mayan represents everything healthy and positive for me, and has quite literally saved my life on a number of occasions. It gets me out of the whole scene. The ocean doesn't give a damn, it's never heard of you."
• That's Neil Young on harmonica. He also played guitar on the track along with Crosby and Stills, and Nash played organ.
• David Crosby has a tranche of hits from his work with The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, but he still often made room for "The Lee Shore" during his live shows, as it's one of his favorites.