Sail Far Live Free

Winning Back Memories (Anchored in Sleeping Bear Bay by K. Walters)

The middle of a sailor’s winter here in the Great Lakes is marked by the occurrence of the Strictly Sail show in Chicago at the end of January. Chicago is the perfect host for such a show, with frozen Lake Michigan as a backdrop, skyscrapers creating one the world’s best skylines and deep dish pizza to feed your hunger. The show itself gives you something to look forward to after the holidays are over and helps you ease into your spring maintenance, repairs and upgrades for the coming sailing season. As the nation’s largest indoor all-sailboat show, there’s literally something there for every kind of sailor. Best In Show: Tartan 4300 While many of my favorite bluewater sailboat builders such as Pacific Seacraft, Valiant and Tayana were not at the show, the Tartan 4300 appealed very well to my salty sensibilities. I have nothing against the higher volume production boat builders like Catalina, Beneteau, Jeanneau and Hunter but you immediately notice a different feel when you step aboa...

The North Channel is a sailor's paradise on Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario.  The channel is overflowing with picturesque islands, crystal clear blue waters and superb wilderness.  This cruising area should be on every Great Lakes sailor's short list of top destination.  We originally considered the North Channel as a destination when we hatched our plan for a 3 month summer cruise in 2010, but ruled it out because of the distance and isolation.  Distance and isolation in and of themselves make the North Channel appealing in many ways.  However, for us, having a 28 foot boat and two young daughters (ages 4 & 7) made the distance and isolation serious considerations.  After doing some research and speaking/emailing with several fellow cruisers and a few staunch North Channel advocates (thanks Rolland !), we've decided to again consider the North Channel for our 2010 itinerary. In addition to the previously mentioned research and conve...

Having grown up boating and enjoying the waters of Lake Michigan, I can truly say that the great lake has played a major role in shaping who I am. I thought it would be appropriate to give the lake some press here in my blog and introduce her to those who aren't familiar.  What follows is my brief background of Lake Michigan. Around 18,000 years ago, the Laurentide glacier dominated the lanscape of northern North America, covering most of Canada and a good portion of the United States.  The glacier was 2.5 miles thick at some points.  As the Earth's atmosphere began to warm, the Laurentide glacier started to melt and retreat northward.  The Earth's surface was scraped and scarred from the glacial movements, carving out the Great Lakes basin.  The meltwater from the retreating glacier slowly filled in the lakes.  Perhaps the first people to enjoy the intrinsic values of Lake Michigan were the Hopwell Indians....