How We Got Here

Let’s get this blog up-to-speed. Since we started at the sailing club in 2020, a few things have happened.

Here is our timeline:

• Summer 2020 – University of Iowa Sailing Club
• February 2023 – Sailing school at Offshore Sailing School in St. Petersburg, FL.
• July 2023 – Our maiden voyage as skippers of a chartered boat in Grand Traverse Bay, MI.
• August 2023 – Fractional boat membership at a marina in Chicago.

University of Iowa Sailing Club

The sailing club at UI is a student rec club, run by students, that is open to the wider public! Situated in a cove on Lake Macbride (a small lake in central Iowa) the club has a boathouse, a not-small fleet of sailboats, and a long history in Iowa City. Students can learn to sail, and host and compete in regattas. On Saturdays and Sundays, the boathouse opens, giving experienced sailors an opportunity to teach the new sailors. This is where we learned the ropes.

Offshore Sailing School

We attended a weeklong training program (Fast Track to Cruising® Courses) in Tampa Bay that consisted of 2 days of day sailing on a Colgate 26 (a boat designed for training sailors), and 5 days on a 48-foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey with 3 crew mates (2 other aspiring sailors and an instructor). We learned hands-on and earned with flying colors our OSS 103/104/114 credentials. These credentials will allow us to charter boats on our own. 

Chartered Boat in Grand Traverse Bay

We chartered a boat from Great Lakes Sailing Co. in Traverse City, MI. She was a Marlow Hunter 31, Dark Horse. For 5 days we puttered around, enjoying all there is to do in the bay. We had light winds, rain, and sunshine; crystal clear blue waters, anchoring practice, etc. It was our maiden voyage and it went as well as it possibly could have. 

SailTime in Chicago

Late in the season, at a discount, we signed on for fractional boat membership. Sister Sail is a Beneteau Oceanis 31 with 2 cabins and 1 head. We will have until October to enjoy getting to know the boat and getting to know Lake Michigan!

See our story here:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eF9gp0tpPwE%3Fsi%3DYOOFopFgqJr5l_C5