The Idea

Great Lakes Adventure Blog

"Wouldn't it be fun to ........." It started the same way many great adventures do - as a little seed of an idea. In our case, it was Doug giving voice to the dream of sailing from Lake Superior to the East Coast. Over the years the dream kept niggling away, becoming more insistent. I must admit I was not quite as enthusiastic about this dream as Doug was. For many years the dream remained just that. The reasons not to go were endless. We didn't have an adequate boat, we had teenagers, we couldn't get that much time off work etc..... In 2013 we purchased "Long Tail Kat", a Beneteau First 285, from our good friend Don Gustafson. We knew the boat had been well-maintained and Doug was quite familiar with it, having raced and sailed with Don on many Lake Winnipeg adventures. So now we had an adequate boat. The teenagers grew up and became independent and Doug became self -employed. The excuses were dwindling. In the summer of 2014 we renamed the boat "Summer Wine" and spent the summer familiarizing ourselves with her idiosyncrasies and doing a little bit of tweaking of our own. Doug had found a kindred spirit named Andrew Meyer who was totally excited about the adventure and quickly became Doug's willing "partner in crime" .... And so it was the Great Lakes Adventure entered into the planning phase..... Joann

How did you start Sailing - Where do you sail on the Prairies? 

These are the two common questions from people that know I live in Winnipeg and think of ourselves as living in the bread basket of the Country.  Growing up in Southern Ontario, inland lakes or Great Lakes are not far away.  But I don't think I truly appreciated the notion of being on water until a very good friend, Bob Howard, once asked "Hey Andrew, I'm thinking of racing my boat in Wednesday Nights Races, would you like to be part of my crew?"  And the rest is history!

Now after borrowing boats for the first summers and then finding a sailboat of my own - sailing Lake Winnipeg - Chartering boats in the south and developing some of the best kinship one can image, we come to the present, some 10+ years later.

I once heard some people go through life searching for their place, others go through life knowing their place but have a desire to explore.  I don't have a need to search for my place so as discussions about this adventure occurred, I don't ever remember thinking, if we do this trip but rather when are we going to do this trip for I have a desire to explore and to constantly learn in my own way of course:)  With sailing there is something about harnessing the wind and being able to navigate through the various elements for it's not about the destination but rather the journey. Enjoy the moments as tomorrow will always come.

Please take a moment to enjoy this blog, learn from it and I hope you too will develop a sense of adventure! .... Andrew