Sailing Changed the Way We Do Summer

Our summers used to look a lot different.

We’ve always been outdoorsy. When we moved to Utah in the early 2000s, we learned to ski as adults and spent every chance we could in the mountains.

One of Kent’s passions is fly fishing, so our weekends have often revolved around chasing trout streams (which are not conveniently located here in Iowa). I’d tag along with the dog and my camera, hiking nearby trails and soaking up nature and the quiet.

In Iowa (much later), we bought a small fishing boat and explored every lake within a hundred miles — even the Mississippi River! Every so often, we’d haul that little boat up to Lake Michigan (that’s a tiny boat on a very big lake 😳).

But in recent years, our summers have taken on a new rhythm. A new focus.

Now, every couple of weeks, we scramble to gather our things after a full week of work. The dishes get left undone and the laundry piles up, and we grab our “go-basket” — a basket full of sailing sundries and weekend supplies — and head out. We gas up. Point the car east. We drive to Lake Michigan, ready to set off across the open water.

It’s a different kind of summer nowadays.

The Logistics We’ve Come to Love

Sailing days actually begin the night before. A good night’s sleep helps us stay clear-headed and keeps the seasickness at bay. So we head to bed early and wake up fresh, ready to move.

Packing is its own ritual. We throw food in the cooler on our way out, and stop at the gas station on Dodge Street for fuel and a good cup of gas station coffee. I usually take the first driving shift so Kent can drive us through Chicago later — he’s getting really good at it.

All of this — the prep, the planning, the packing — can be a hassle. But it’s starting to feel like a mission. There’s momentum to it. Anticipation. We listen to audiobooks on the way — often about sailing — and learn as we go. Heavy-weather sailing, trim techniques, anchoring tips. It’s literally part of the journey.

Prep is becoming second nature. Our toiletries are pre-packed and we’ve got checklists for nearly everything: day sails, overnights, meals, systems checks, safety. Somehow, it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like progress!

Sailing as a Seasonal Anchor

Sailing has affected how we mark time. We’re counting sailing weekends now — not just days. We scan wind reports and weather windows. We plan our lives around what the lake is doing, which makes things feel more grounded.

And yet, every sail feels fresh. It’s the same boat. The same harbor. The same stretch of Lake Michigan. But it’s never the same experience. That slow repetition — the familiarity that still surprises us — is one of the things we love most.

Little Lessons Stack Up

Sailing gives us more than stories and sunrises. In our middle-age, it’s given us skills and mindsets we didn’t even know we needed.

• Patience. With wind and the weather. With the learning curve. With each other.
  
• Presence. We listen more now, pay attention — to the water, to the sails, to ourselves.
  
• Trust. We’re learning to trust our own hands at the helm, to course-correct when we get it wrong, to try again.

These aren’t just sailing skills. They’re life skills sneaking in under the surface.

Looking Inward, Looking Ahead

Sailing has definitely changed our summers — and maybe changed us too.

Our weekends have purpose, even if the laundry piles up while we chase the wind. From our pre-dawn coffee to easing into the slip at the end of the day, there’s a rhythm we’ve come to love.

Some sails are full of laughs. Some are full of learning. Some are both. We don’t always stick the landing — but we’re doin’ it, and that counts for something.

How’s your summer shaping up?