200k pageviews & t-shirt giveaway

today, the my2fish Sunfish sailing blog passed 200,000 pageviews (all-time), in a little under 4 years of existence.

for those who have just found the blog – thanks for visiting, and I hope you stick around a while!

for those who have been following the blog for a long time – thanks for all the views, the comments, and the feedback over these last few years!  I’ve had a lot of fun with the blogging, and I hope it’s been an interesting journey.

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to celebrate the 200k milestone, I am going to have a t-shirt giveaway (my treat)! the t-shirt will be from gybe-ho boatwear, an awesome supplier of boating and sailing apparel (custom-made gear, too).  the winner of the giveaway will have their choice of a 100% polyester moisture wicking t-shirt with a nice Great Lakes design on the front, in their choice of navy or titanium.

here are the giveaway details, rules, etc.

• to enter the contest, you need to leave a comment on this blog post (you can enter your name as “anonymous”, or whatever you like really) – but I will need an email to contact you if you are chosen as the winner!
• no specific requirement for the comment itself, but I will moderate if need be!
• multiple comments do not equal multiple entries!
• after 1 week, I will randomly select a commenter to receive the free t-shirt.  I will get your t-shirt color and size, and then I will send the winner’s email address to gybe-ho, and they will contact you to get your mailing address to they can ship the t-shirt directly to the winner.
• [ok, realizing that not all my visitors are from the Great Lakes, if the winner would prefer one of the many other t-shirts available from gybe-ho, that can be arranged]

thanks again for visiting the blog! and let the commenting begin!

PYC junior learn to sail classes

we just registered our 2 older boys for sailing lessons this year.  there are a few programs in the Detroit Metro area that offer sailing lessons for youth during the summer, but the location and/or times vary quite a bit.  we chose to use Pontiac Yacht Club (PYC) on Cass Lake.

PYC has a junior/youth sailing program that starts with a “beginner” class, followed by an advanced/intermediate class, which could lead to junior sailing if your child is interested.  we are starting both of them in the beginner 2-week class, and we’ll see how things go from there!

This class includes learning water safety, parts of a sailboat, wind direction, basic sailing direction and knots. The majority of the class time is spent gaining experience on the water in club supplied Optimists, Bics or 420 two-handed sailboats.

today’s tunes: demons (Guster vs The National)

for today’s tunes, you get a twofer Tuesday, as I present two songs – both titled “demons”.

the 1st version is from the band Guster, off their 2nd album Goldfly (1997).  Guster has long been a favorite of my wife and I – I think we’ve seen them live multiple times now.

Honest is easy
Fiction is where genius lies
Cause it’s easier sometimes
Not to be involved
Somehow I make you believe

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the 2nd version is from the band The National, off their brand new album Trouble Will Find Me (2013, just released this week).  I LOVE this band – and have everyone of their albums, plus a smattering of live stuff as well.

The worried talk to god goes on.
I sincerely tried to love it,
Wish that I could rise above it.

But I stay down,
With my demons.

what do you think?  vote in the poll below on which version you prefer:

an interview with my2fish

earlier this week, I did an interview by email for Shoreline Sailboats, which they’ve now posted on their website: interview with my2fish

it’s a nice summary of how I was introduced to sailing, how my passion for Sunfish sailing has developed, and why I started blogging about it here. most of the information can be found on this blog if you want to dig down through the archives, but the interview pulls a lot of information into one place.

Shoreline Sailboats is an authorized Laser Performance dealer in Lake Ontario and Finger Lakes region of western New York, selling Sunfish, Lasers, Optimists and various other sailboats manufactured by Laser Performance. 

Shoreline Sailboats began as an idea in late 2012. My brother and I had noticed a decline in sailing in our area that started in the 1990s…

…we both agree that the Sunfish was the one boat that gave us access to the water on almost any day of the year. Our family’s Sunfish was one of the most forgiving and thrilling sailboats we have experienced….

So, our new business begins out of the nostalgia of youthful days on the water, and a desire to bring families back to sailing. What better way than by offering used and new Sunfish and a line of LaserPerformance sailboats to sailors young and old.

Shoreline has a nice “blog” section of their website to check out as well.

Sleeping Bear movie

this is the official movie trailer for a movie coming out titled “Sleeping Bear” – looks pretty interesting!

HT: @AwesomeMitten

sunfish sailing art: the flip

I found this cool sketch on the email list for the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC).  the sketch is by Anne Knight Weber – “an artist, writer, photographer and cartoonist”.  (the sketch is available as a notecard for purchase.)

The Flip – by Anne Knight Weber

you can see more of Anne’s work at her website:

http://www.anneknightweber.com/

or at her Tumblr page:

http://anneknightweber.tumblr.com/