In this delightful sailing adventure, we set sail on Lake Michigan, and our successful day’s sail affirmed our confidence. Fog, gentle winds, and a vision of our future selves unfolded. We stumbled on a gem in Michigan City, sipped cocktails (which I've tried to recreate: the “Gin Ginger Lime & Thyme.”) But the heart of it all? Sharing the water with our loved ones—a true “proof of concept” for our sailing dreams.
“Sailing Alone Around the World” by Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail around the world alone, and he wrote a memoir about his journey called Sailing Alone Around the World. The memoir was published in 1900 and became an international best-seller. Slocum completed his three-year solo circumnavigation in 1898 sailing his 37-foot sloop, the Spray, for more than 46,000 …
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Sailing School Part II
This is part two in a three-part series where I describe our sailing school adventure in St. Petersburg, FL. See Sailing School Part I here. Tuesday: February 7 Morning Coffee Tuesday morning brought a pleasant surprise: The boat had a coffee percolator! It had been a long time since any of us had percolated coffee, …
Sailing School Part I
We are approaching the one year anniversary of our Offshore Sailing School adventure where we spent 8 days learning to sail. It remains one of the most exciting things Kent and I have ever done! Thought I'd put together a little write-up of the series of events. Here is how it went: One good thing …
Boats, Trains, and Automobiles
As I mentioned before, we signed on in late August with SailTime Chicago, a fractional membership sailing club, and have enjoyed several outings in Lake Michigan since then. The club keeps their boats in Burnham Harbor in Chicago during the sailing season, but winter is coming and it’s time to move the fleet up to …
Kent Won a Contest!!
A few months ago, Offshore Sailing School (OSS) announced they were going to run a contest in celebration of their 60th anniversary. They invited their graduates to "create an original photograph or artwork (painting or sketch) that illustrates or was inspired by taking a sailing or powerboating certification course…. Include a 100-word, typed essay about …
12* Ways We Get Into Sailing Without Owning a Sailboat
If you’d have asked me 5 years ago if I’d ever thought about sailing, I would have guffawed - it’s not feasible, not practical, and frankly, not possible here in Iowa. (Isn't Iowa a fly-over state?!) So when we tell people we’re learning to sail in Iowa, we sometimes get the side-eye. I’m not saying …
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New Boat, New Water, New Skills
Last Sunday we crossed another set of firsts: we sailed our new club boat out of Burnham Harbor in Chicago. Read about our new club membership here: We did something…. This is new. Weekend before last, we spent a night on the boat and practiced docking just inside the harbor. But this time, we took …
How I Earned my Light Weather Helmsman Ranking
In October 2022, on Lake Macbride with the Iowa Sailing Club, I earned my light weather helmsman ranking. This credential qualifies me to sign out an FJ, Laser, or Hobie Wave in light weather. To earn this ranking, I had to demonstrate competency in the following skills: Rig, launch, retrieve, and stow an FJ Leave …
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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 …
