Blog Entry # 3: And Now Drawn to Sailing the Great Lakes
In the fall of 2017 I had just completed my trip to Peru. At the time, it was a trip of a lifetime. My itinerary included: Inca trail hikes through the Andes visiting Sacsayuaman; trekking the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Winay Wayna and Machu Picchu – among other Inca sites; white water rafting the Urubamba River; and, canoeing portions of the Amazon River. I found the people of Peru (particularly those with Inca heritage) have a wonderful living motto _ Never lie; Never steal; and, Never sit still. I could live in Peru.
When I returned from my trip to Peru, I began the process to address the other tug in my soul. Since I can remember there was something that has touched my heart and tugged at my soul…sailing and more specifically, to sail extensively in each of the Great Lakes.
Many, many years ago – last century in fact (I’m a 49er), when I was 29 while walking along the shores of Metro Beach, Lake St.Clair, Michigan my eyes caught sight of a white hulled beach catamaran. It was just sitting there like a sultry women. Not knowing how to sail or for that matter, anything about boat design, I concluded THIS cats’ design was right. It was Germanic. Designed with clarity and purpose. Not unlike a Porsche 911. It also had the sultry lines of a 1966 Jaguar XKE. It was right and beautiful and I was (still am) in love. I read NACRA 5.2 on the side of its hull. If I ever owned a boat this was the one – NACRA. On the day of my 30th birthday, I finally came to realize my dream of sailing….
I have acquired some sailing skills over the years. And some 40 years later I still feel the same with regard to my tug to sail and now to circumnavigate the Great Lakes.
Never Too Late For 