first sail of 2012

I finally got my Sunfish sailboat out for a sail over Memorial Day weekend – the 1st time out for 2012.  early forecasts looked great for the weekend – light winds and hot temperatures – good for spending time down at a lake.  as I woke up Saturday morning, though, I was finishing up some quick yard work when a downpour came out of nowhere and was soaking everything.  we had plans to got up to my folk’s house for the long weekend, hoping to leave later that afternoon – but I was worried the rain wasn’t going to let up.

luckily, it cleared up by mid-afternoon, and we packed up and trailered the Sunfish up to their house. after church and lunch Sunday morning, my brother-in-law and I set out to sail on a lake nearby – we were going to try out Pleasant Lake (link to Google maps).  my dad thought there might be a public ramp on the north side of the lake near the county park, but after driving around quite a bit, we couldn’t find anything.

we asked around, and were told about a ramp on the southwest side of the lake at a marina/old party store.  we drove over, and found it – I think the ramp is supposed to be only for residents of the lake, but the ramp guard let us use the ramp for $5.

we didn’t set up my GoPro video camera, and I left my iPhone in the truck, so we didn’t get any pictures until we were driving away.  this picture is taken on the west side of the lake.  to the right is a little island in the lake.  we sailed most of the time back and forth on the other side of the island, as the wind on the back side of the island was disturbed quite a bit.

overall, it was a pretty great 1st sail – the water wasn’t too cold, the air temperature was great, and we cruised along pretty well in a decent, but not too strong of wind.  surprisingly, the lake wasn’t too crowded for it being a long holiday weekend, and all the pontoons, jet-skis and powerboats gave us plenty of room.

Michigan: a great place to sail

one awesome feature of the state of Michigan (distances according to Wikipedia) is that:

no point in Michigan is more than six miles (10 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of the Great Lakes.

with all that water around, there are plenty of opportunities to sail: there are yacht clubs galore established on many of the inland lakes, or spread out along the Great Lakes coastlines, as well as sailing clubs and teams at area high schools and colleges, and there is also the occasional sailing school where you could take sailing lessons if you choose.

several of Michigan’s colleges and universities have collegiate sailing teams that sail as members of the Midwest Collegiate Sailing Association, or the college might have just a sailing club, that often uses the facilities of a local yacht club nearby (Sail Michigan has a good list of both).  in the lower part of Michigan, there is both Michigan State University in East Lansing (collegiate team and sailing club) and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (collegiate team and sailing club), as well as several other smaller colleges with teams and/or clubs.  a few of Michigan’s high schools offer sailing as well, but it is not a huge list (again, Sail Michigan has a good list on their website).

most of the sailing schools in Michigan are situated near one of the Great Lakes, but in the Metro Detroit area, you can find the American Sailing Institute, which sails on Kent Lake in Kensington Metropark, as well as Stoney Creek Metropark and Lake St Clair.

you can also find community sailing in Michigan, as the Traverse Area Community Sailing has been operating up in the northwest corner of Michigan’s lower peninsula for almost 20 years now.  I had a chance to visit their facility about a year and a half ago, and was really impressed!  I really wish that the Metro Detroit area had a similar community sailing system set up, as I think it’d be a great way to introduce more people to sailing.

Traverse City isn’t exactly in my neighborhood, though, and I’ve never taken any classes at the sailing schools or clubs around, so I have taught myself to sail by reading some books, and learning by trial and error out on the water.

so over the past few years, I have tried to take advantage of Michigan’s plethora of water, and sail on a variety of the nearby inland lakes (if I can find a public access point), as well as sailing on the Great Lakes when I get a chance.

I’ve sailed several times on Lake Michigan.  two summers ago, I added Lake Huron on a trip up to Tawas Bay – the “Cape Cod of the Midwest”.  and this last summer, I added another one of the Great Lakes to my list, as I sailed a couple times on Lake Erie.

this leaves me with only Lake Superior and Lake Ontario to round out all 5 Great Lakes, although the last 2 will probably be the hardest to cross of my list, as both will entail serious drive times just to get there.

not every sailing trip has been great though – I got stuck in weeds and then had to sail with dead carp floating around me at Kent Lake – with video evidence!

but the nice thing is that there will always be another lake not too far away that I can try the next time if I get too frustrated with the sailing on that lake.

probably one of my best sailing memories is spending a few days sailing on a couple lakes in Michigan’s northwest lower peninsula with my wife.  we sailed twice on the East Bay near Traverse City, and then had an awesome sailing day on Crystal Lake – an absolutely amazing lake to sail on (and perhaps my favorite thus far of any lake I’ve sailed in Michigan).

but, I think a big key to some of my fondest sailing memories is sharing the trip with someone – often times one (or more) of my 3 young boys, or the 3-day trip with my wife (that’s about the only time I’ve been able to get her to sail with me on the Sunfish!), a friend from college, my siblings, even my father one time on Lake Michigan!  here’s a video from a great day of sailing on Lake Michigan – it was a fairly calm day with light winds, and I was able to slowly sail back and forth along the coastline of Lake Michigan, giving short rides on the Sunfish to my kids, a few of their cousins, and even a few adults who wanted to give it a try!

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so does Michigan offer this more specifically than any other state or exotic sailing island in a much more tropical climate? no, not really.  but, for me, the best sailing place is one that I can get to easily, and enjoy the time out in the wind, on the water, and hopefully sharing that memory with someone as well.  and Michigan has a lot of options for getting out on the water – sailing, swimming, kayaking or whatever water sport you choose, no matter where you are living right now.

so even though my boat of choice the Sunfish can get a little cramped with me and 2 kids riding along, or maybe ride a bit low in the water if I’m sailing with another adult, the fellowship of sailing with a friend, or the sheer joy I see on my kid’s face (or that of any other child I’ve had a chance to give a ride on the Sunfish) has been amazing.  my 3 1/2 year old son has already asked me a few times this spring to take him sailing again.  maybe this year or in the near future, I’ll work in racing other Sunfish – the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club is a local club option that seems like a great place to start.

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this post is for the sailing blogfather Tillerman (at his blog Proper Course) who had requested that fellow bloggers write about the “Top Sailing Destination on the Planet.”  as much as I would like to, I just don’t sail nearly as much some of the other bloggers, and not nearly as much or in as varied exotic places as Tillerman has been lucky to sail.  that being said, the post above is my case: Michigan is a great place to sail.

it is well with my soul

here’s a great acoustic version of “It is Well with My Soul” by Daniel Martin Moore.

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

I’ll be spending the long weekend with my family, hoping to enjoy some time outdoors, some time spent on more coats of varnish on my Sunfish wood parts, and just general relaxation.

have a happy and blessed Easter weekend!

logic of a child

after dinner this evening, my youngest son (3 1/2 yrs old) was full of energy and started jumping on the couch in the living room.

I did the dadly thing and strongly said: “stop jumping on my furniture!”

he innocently asked me, “not even if I have my cape on?”

sailor’s valentine puzzle

on the morning of Christmas Eve, we put a puzzle together, one of our holiday traditions. this one was pretty easy and my dad, brother, and I finished it pretty quickly.

the puzzle is “sailor’s valentine”, set in a little village on the coast, with a few tall ships sailing out on the water.

toronto day 3: CN Tower & Harbourfront

I’ve already detailed our train ride to Toronto on day 1, with The National concert that evening, and day 2 was spent at the Ontario Science Center. for day 3, we decided to try a lighter and quicker breakfast, so we just walked a block from our hotel to the nearby market, and got some various snack foods for breakfast – the boys wanted Pringle chips, my dad got a fresh croissant, my mom and wife both got a fancy Starbucks coffee with caramel sprinkles on the top.  we then hopped onto the subway towards downtown, but we got off the subway 1 stop prior to Union Station, and walked the PATH most of the way over to the CN Tower (the PATH is Toronto’s underground walkway that links a huge section of downtown together via underground walkways, mixed with little shops as well).  after that, it was a fairly short walk outside to the CN Tower.

we took the glass elevators up to the observation floor of the CN Tower (or the “Empire Space Needle” as my 3 1/2 yr old son likes to call it), and took in the spectacular view of Toronto, the surrounding city and suburbs, and the waters of Lake Ontario.  the observation floor is 1136 ft above the ground!

3 boys at the lookout level

we then took the stairs down one level to the glass floor and outdoor viewing area.  it was pretty cool to see the boys jumping and dancing on the glass floor (after their initial hesitation).  several adults walking nearby wouldn’t go near the floor, though.

our 3 boys laying on the glass floor at CN Tower

after the CN Tower, we walked down to Toronto’s waterfront along Lake Ontario. we quickly walked around the Harbourfront Centre (it was pretty cold and windy there!).

my 2 older boys sat down to look at the ships at the docks.

there are several ships in that area that will give short rides out on the lake, but none looked to be open that day, plus it was a bit too cold to take the boys out on the open water.  the tallship Empire Sandy was docked there – it was an impressive looking ship: 200 ft overall, with 11,000 square feet of sail per the ship’s website.

we kept walking along, trying to find Captain John’s Harbour Boat – a restaurant on a boat, but when we got there, we found out it wasn’t open until dinner time! the boat was pretty big, and looked like it would have been a really neat place to eat though (the tower cranes are behind the boat.)

so we walked to a nearby sports grille for lunch, before jumping on a streetcar that took us directly up to Toronto’s Chinatown.  Chinatown is fascinating – with people walking everywhere, looking at all the various stores and vendors along the street that are selling their goods – sometimes clothing, but a lot of small markets, with interesting foods that I’d probably never buy.  a lot of dried tiny fish and dried shrimp, strange looking mushrooms, and a ton of fresh vegetables.

after Chinatown, we headed back to our hotel to grab our luggage and get ready to head home (my parents were staying a couple extra days, so it was just my family).  we made the short walk to the subway station, ready for our last ride on the subway.

we were taking the evening train back to Windsor, and the boys were pretty exhausted.  it didn’t take too long for my 3 1/2 yr old to fall asleep.  after that, my 7 yr old wasn’t too far behind.

when we arrived in Windsor, he woke up and said, “wow, that was a lot faster train ride home.”  we tried to tell him it was because he had been sleeping, but he didn’t believe us!

after that, it was just a short trip back through the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, and then back home.  overall, it was a great trip to Toronto – we had a great time and would love to do it again and visit some of the other area attractions next time.  maybe next time it will be in the warmer summer months so I can try sailing on Lake Ontario (and cross 1 more of the Great Lakes off my list).

toronto day 1: train ride to Toronto

last week, we loaded up in the car, and drove through downtown Detroit to take the Detroit Windsor Tunnel under the Detroit River over to Windsor, Ontario.  after clearing customs, it was just a few short minutes from the tunnel exit to the Windsor Train Station where we met up with my parents (they had taken the bridge over from Michigan).  it’s a pretty small train station, and really easy to miss! my 2 older boys were dressed with warm clothes for lots of walking around Toronto, but for now they were keeping occupied with their little video games at the train station.

shortly after arriving, we boarded the VIA Rail train to Toronto.  my parents had taken the train several times, so we decided to try it with the boys – and it was a great time.  the time to get to Toronto is probably about the same, but there was plenty of room, the kids were able to walk around a bit, and us parents/grandparents got to ride comfortably and talk together and not worry about traffic, parking, etc. once we got to downtown Toronto.  from the station, you walk right across the tracks to board the train.

after arriving at Union Station in downtown Toronto, it is a very short walk to the subway loop.  we jumped on the subway, took it north a few stops, and walked about a block from there to our hotel to drop our luggage off. it was really easy, even with all 3 boys – we had packed all of our luggage into 3 smaller rolling carry-on size luggage pieces, and my 2 older boys each rolled one.  I told my wife we had our own little sherpas.  we grabbed a late lunch after arriving – my wife got a plate of chicken shwarma from a little restaurant right near our hotel.

my wife had specifically requested adjoining rooms when she made reservations at the hotel since my parents were going to keep an eye on our boys while we went to a concert that first night. but when we arrived, our rooms were on the same floor, not close together at all, and very cramped.  as we settled down for a little bit in the hotel, my wife called the hotel management to complain – and without even raising her voice or anything, was able to get them to bump us several floors up to a 2-bedroom suite with a large living room.  it was a VAST improvement, as the living room gave us room to sit on the couch and chairs and relax, and it made the evening much easier for my parents to watch the boys.

for dinner, we again didn’t have to walk too far, and found a nice little Chinese restaurant.  my oldest son (now 10 yrs old) is getting to the point where he always wants to order off of the adult menu (the kids menu is just too simple and “never enough food”).  that night, he got crazy and ordered a stuff crab claw.  you can see my wife picking it up in the background of the picture below – it was a large ball of crab stuffing the had been breaded and deep-fried, with a small hunk of crab claw stuck in the middle, and hanging out a bit from the ball.  my son loved the claw – he even brought it home to show his classmates.

we just ordered a few dinner plates — chicken and snow peas, something seafoody with noodles in the foreground, shrimp wontons, a big plate of chicken fried rice, and a plate of egg foo young (not in the picture) — and just all shared some of everything.  it was all delicious, although I skipped trying the squid pieces off the seafood platter.

more details on the concert and Friday and Saturday sightseeing to follow.

sailing = family friendly

We spent a few days in Toronto last week for a mini vacation and I saw this great sign down along the waterfront near the Harbourfront Centre.

climbing the ladder

over Thanksgiving weekend at my folks house, my oldest son got a little life lesson – climbing the ladder doesn’t always lead any where.

actually, my father needed a new string attached to the pulley at the top of his flagpole (you can just see the flagpole next to my son’s right leg), so that we could fly a Michigan State flag that weekend.  my dad, my brother-in-law and I held the ladder almost straight up and steadied it so that my son could climb up and replace the rope at the top.

Thanksgiving weekend was like the previous weekends this November – quite warm for this time of year, so we spent some time outdoors – with the cousins playing in my folks yard, and my wife and mother finding grapevines and the like to make some fall/winter themed crafty house decorations.  and as usual, we had several amazing meals with large quantities of food – and this year’s turkey was amazing!  my father used a brine solution on the turkey, and the white meat was much juicier than usual.  my sister made these cute little walnut sailboat namecards for the main Thanksgiving meal.

visiting Detroit’s Eastern Market

last weekend my folks were in town, and we got up early on Saturday for a trip to visit the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit.

At the heart of Eastern Market is a six-block public market that has been feeding Detroit since 1891. Every Saturday it is transformed into a vibrant marketplace with hundreds of open-air stalls where everyone from toddlers to tycoons enjoy the strong conviviality served up along with great selections of fruits, veggies, fresh-cut flowers, homemade jams, maple syrups, locally produced specialty food products, pasture and/or grass-fed meat and even an occasional goose or rabbit.

we all had never been there before, so we were pretty excited to check it out.  both my older boys had soccer games that afternoon, so we got down there early and found a very close parking space and started walking around.

the public market hours on Saturday start at 5:00am, and while we weren’t THAT early, I do think getting there early was a great idea, as by about 10:30am or so, you could tell it was already getting much busier.  I’m sure the afternoon brings other opportunities as well, though, as there was a place that had an outdoor barbecue that I’m sure was grilling up some great food later that afternoon.

there are several shelters or “sheds”, some with walls and some just a roof overhead, and you can just wander around soaking it all in.  many of the more experienced Eastern Market shoppers brought re-usable grocery bags and some even were pulling wagons to load up with whatever they found shopping that day.  my boys loved walking around and seeing all the market had to offer – they particularly enjoyed the warm donuts and fresh apple cider!

I snapped this picture of them posing by a giant apple – there were several of them strewn through the sheds, each decorated slightly differently, maybe with a unique theme?  this apple was highlighting one of Michigan’s greatest resources – the Great Lakes – with a lighthouse, the Mackinaw Bridge, a freighter, and a sailboat, too (on the side of the apple)!

there were several vendors selling locally grown produce from Michigan farmers (as well as the occasional vendor selling produce that looks like it was direct from a wholesale place or major grocery chain… I’m pretty sure the fresh pineapple we saw wasn’t grown locally!).  but plenty of fresh vegetables to be had.

you could tell that fall is in the air here in Michigan, as there were pumpkins, hay bales, corn stalks, gourds, and Indian corn at several of the vendors.

and there were gorgeous rows and rows of hardy mums, with a WIDE variance in price – these ones were really cheap, 4 pots for $5 maybe!

even though we didn’t stay down there too long, we had a great time at the Eastern Market, and we’re certainly going to have to plan for more time down there next time to explore the surrounding shops as well.