ESSEX, MASS. — Summertime on the Cape conjures images of Ralph Cahoon’s (1910-1982) whimsical scenes of sailors and mermaids frolicking on the backs of whales, in hot air balloons, on majestic ships and countless other fantastic settings. So it was fitting that the top lot in Blackwood-March’s June 30 sale would be a Ralph Cahoon oil on board view of a sailor and mermaid on a velocipede, which sold for $20,060, with buyer’s premium. It measured 12 by 16 inches and was signed lower right. Michael March said it was won by a Newport, R.I., gentleman who just began collecting the artist. He was thrilled to have prevailed. Cahoon’s success as an artist derived not only from his unique and lively style, but also from his business acumen, as he would often incorporate his patrons’ businesses, homes or professions into his paintings along with mermaids and sailors. A full review of the sale will appear in a future issue of Antiques and The Arts Weekly.