Life "Up North"

After Beaver Island, we sailed to East Jordan, MI. Not even 10 minutes at anchor and a bald eagle flew by. We hung out there for a few days and kicked back. Me and Maren took out some kayaks out and paddled up the Jordan River. We got to see a turtle sunbathing on a stump. Unfortunately the little bugger was too quick and jumped in the water before I could get a photo. 

The last stop on the great adventure "up north" was Drummond Island. Tim had an old high school friend with a cabin up there who invited us to come for a visit. 

This cabin was one of the coolest I have ever visited. It was built almost 100 years ago by Mary's (Tim's friend) grandfather. Who sounded like quite the eccentric. He built his own windmill before the island got electricity, it's some true rustic living though. I used my first outhouse, which happened to be a two-seater. (No one could really figure out why there were two seats...) 

I also got to use the outdoor shower, which was awesome. You can see over the curtain, and halfway through I saw a mama deer and her fawn. You just can't write this stuff. There was a ton of wildlife here too. 

Drummond Island was a lot like Washington. Very lush and lots of pine trees. Collecting firewood made me miss the Pacific Northwest for sure. 

And of course, a banjo duel was in order...

This was definitely my favorite part of the cruise. There's nothing better than good people, good food, and living the simple life. 

It's a 30 hour sail back to Detroit. I'm writing this on the boat after being on watch through the night. It's true what they say, the starts are absolutely amazing out here. I can't even count the number of shooting starts I saw last night. I was the only one up for about 4 hours, with nothing but the stars, the water, and some freighters off in the distance. Getting away from the city lights, you can't look away from the stars. Somehow they make you contemplate the bigger picture in life. It's easy to see why humans have always looked to the stars for answers. 

Now it's back to Detroit for Crownival, definitely switching gears. (If you don't know about Crownival, you should, and you will.)

Just Like the Caribbean Only Different

Me and Maren, my cousin, left Detroit Tuesday morning to head up to Mackinac. We met up with Tim and Fast Tango to go on a cruise around northern Michigan for the next week or so. 

First stop was Mackinaw City for fuel and a slip to wait out a little blast of bad weather. I was able to snap this photo of some derelict ships on the hard. 

You know that sitting right there is someone's dream, waiting for them to drop their day job and make it happen. 

Cruising was the reason I wanted to start sailing, with an ultimate goal of sailing around the world. Dreaming this stuff up, you put together all these plans and ideas of how to make it happen. It's sad to see my fellow dreamers stuck, and there's a little fear of ending up that way myself. 

Not yet though, I still have things to see here in northern Michigan. First stop was Beaver Island. The place my mom used to visit as a kid with her family (and the place Tim took on three guys at once by clotheslining them with a pool cue.)

It's a quaint little island, and basically the opposite of all the insanity of Detroit. We did the touristy stuff like visit the beach...

 

This one is Bonner's Bluff. It's named after Patrick Bonner, the fiddler from Beaver Island. We learned about him in a traveling presentation about the work of Alan Lomax. If your an old-time music fan like me, you know the name Alan Lomax. He recorded folk music from around the country back in the 30's before it was all ruined by radio. 

We also visited a lighthouse...

I don't know any cool history about the lighthouse... (but it did get me thinking about how cool it would be to live in a lighthouse.)

We lived life at anchor...

Which is awesome by the way. I like to describe it as "having your own private island." It's definitely a hassle getting to land by dinghy, but I think it's worth it. Someday I will live this life full time. 

We had a great time at Beaver Island, reliving old memories (without the bar fights), seeing some nature...

and doing all the things that make a vacation a vacation. 

Until next time Beaver Island, my mother is dying to get back to you (and she's super jealous that I made it here first.) On to the next place in the Caribbean of the north. 

Last Weekend in Detroit

After the long drive back from Chicago, the last thing I wanted to do was bike the 10 miles to downtown. But being my last full weekend here, I decided it was worth the trek. 

I heard about a tour kickoff for this Detroit hardcore band called Collapse. (Check them out.) The flyer was a little confusing. It said the show was at Recy-clean, a recycling center. I looked the place up online and there was no talk of a venue. I decided I'd roll down and just check it out. It was pretty quiet when I rolled up since they were changing bands. The first group was pretty cool. They also had a gigantic, fire-breathing dragon outside, I missed the pyrotechnic show though. It was at the marching band festival thing that I didn't get back in time for. (I was really looking forward to it.) 

The second band, Space Band, was super trippy. They jammed out to some weird, noise, instrumental stuff. I sat on the floor with two other kids, right in front, and soaked up the weirdness. It was great. 

There were rumors of an after party to the after party at an art gallery. After Collapse played I waited outside to try and ride the night through and keep from missing out on a good story. Be careful what you wish for kids. 

I made it to the after party with two of the guys that I met at the show. It was about 2:30am so we thought it was winding down for sure. We went inside and some random guy helped us to the kegs of beer and cocktails. I've never had a kegged cocktail before. There were the remnants of a glitter/punk marching band walking around, and a guy in a speedo. Keep in mind this is an art gallery, at 2:30am, with about 12 people.

So I'm chatting with the speedo dude, since he seems weird, and he offers me some plum brandy. I humor him by obliging, and his friend comes to talk too. Next thing I know, I'm backed up against the wall and his friend (male) puts his hand on my hip, while he's like, "Have some more brandy." Luckily when I pulled away they realized I wasn't into it. 

I looked around and my friends were gone, like every bad story, but they were just outside with more friends from the show! So it turned into a good night and I got hit on for the first time ever probably. Talk about a confidence boost. 

Sunday I figured I'd take it easy and do nothing, of course someone calls me and asks if I want to go sailing. It was Blake, one of the guys I did the delivery to Chicago with. It's always better to have fun than to not, so I went. We had some beers with two of his buddies and went to the coolest Coney Island in all Detroit. It was one long bar with indents rubbed where people's arms have rested over the decades. You can get a plate of hashbrowns and two eggs, with toast, for $2.50. 

Turns out he and his friends are semi/professional photographers and go watch all the fires in Detroit. We listened to the scanner and went to one. We were too late and all that was left was smoke and flashing lights. 

The next day Blake took me out on his dinghy and we checked out the canals near the yacht club. Turns out you can get a house on the canal, with a boat lift and huge yard, for 80 grand. It was a beautiful area too. 

Monday night was my last Slow Roll (so sad). Slow Roll was my first awesome Detroit experience and it's sad to say I won't be doing one for a while. I went to the good ol' Tap Room to have a beer and meet up with the crew. These people are the best people. I'm seriously going to miss nights like these. 

I swear I will be back next year no matter what it takes. I'll be back Detroit. 

Chi-town

I managed to get all my stuff onto Fast Tango in preparation for the delivery. In order for boats to race from Chicago to Mack, someone has to bring them to Chicago. 

The awards ceremony was on Tuesday and after getting my stuff on the boat, I was running a little late for the party. As I'm walking across the field I hear, "Beneteau 36.7 class will line up next." That's my class! Then they had to check my ID and give me a bracelet! So I ran as Weather Edge was called to the stage and made it just in time for the photo. 

I still can't express how thankful I am for the Weather Edge crew, all the people who stuck their necks out to get me on a boat, and everyone who helped me gear up for the race.  

The party was pretty fun too, but after only 4 hours of sleep I was absolutely pooped. As soon as we got back to Fast Tango I took a nap. 

The delivery was a lot different than the race. We motored the whole way, blasted 

tunes, and drank beer. It was a blast. We waited for a storm to blow over before we left and the whole first night the water was still all churned up like a washing machine. We had 5 foot waves crashing over the bow. Seasickness medication was a must. After that, it was smooth sailing (well,motoring), which makes time for things like selfies. 

In case you hadn't noticed, neon hoods are totally in this season. We're rocking the latest trends in foul weather fashion. 

Pick up a neon hood for yourself at www.linehonors.com and be the talk of the town. All the cool kids are doing it.  Thanks for the hookup Erika! 

We finally made it to Chicago early afternoon on Thursday. It turns out that Chicago is the 3rd largest city in America. It's big. 

After arriving, we got signal and all the sweet photos from the race were getting posted. If anyone would like to know what sailboat racing looks like, it's basically this... 

Mix hours of sitting on the rail with moments of hectic intensity, where being a photographer would be inappropriate, and you get the idea. (Also being cold, tired, hungry, and wet, lots of that too.)

We went to dinner at an itialian restaurant. It was apparently enjoyed by Al Capone, and we got the private booth that he always requested. Talk about living the high life. The interior looked like the Moulin Rouge. (Yes that waterwheel on the left is spinning.)

I decided to go out for a night on the town while everyone else went to bed. I assume there are cool parts of Chicago, but the part within walking distance was ALL martini bars (not exactly my scene). But as soon as I got a little lost, I found Buddy Guy's "Legends" bar. I got to see some live blues and complain about how lame this district of Chicago was with another out-of-towner. The live blues made the evening with it though. 

We went to the "best BBQ in Chicago" on Friday with the Fast Tango crew. Of course being a vegetarian at a BBQ joint is like being behind enemy lines, but they had better blues than Legends. 

The yacht club party was also on Friday night. The Chicago Yacht Club is a pretty ritzy place. I dressed the part with my killer wool blazer and tore the place down. Let's just say I'm glad to not be on a boat after a night like that. 

We sent off the boat in the morning and headed off to Detroit. I'm definitely glad to be back in The D. Big cities just aren't for me. 

The Race to Mackinac

The race starts in Port Huron. Friday night before the race is one huge party that has been planned to coincide with the Blue Water Festival. It's basically a mile of the Black River that's nothing but sail boats and parties. Up and down the river there were probably 4-5 different tents with live music. Overall 233 boats were signed up for the race. I really couldn't believe how big it was. This race thing is a big deal. It really feels like the biggest event in all of Michigan. 

I slept on the boat last night knowing that the rest of the crew would be in around 8:00 am. I went to bed early to the sounds of live music and all out rager about 100 yards from the boat. After everyone arrived and packed the boat, it was time to leave. 

Everyone lines up at the yacht club to send you off. They have bagpipes and drums and it's the most insane feeling. It's like going off to war. As you go under the bridge to Canada, there are people lining both shores. I had no idea this was such a big production. We motored out to the starting line and waited for out start. 

The first bit was pretty exciting, just having that many boats in the water at once. The whole first leg was down wind, so there wasn't too much excitement until the rain came that evening. 

As the sun started to set on the first night, we could hear a couple rumbles of thunder in the distance. It started sprinkling, and we all got our foul weather gear on to prepare for a wet one. By 10:00 pm it was absolutely SHITTING rain, an absolute downpour. No one on the boat had sailed in that amount of rain before. Luckily it wasn't blowing too hard, but we had to change the sails and take down the spinnaker. 

I've been learning the position of bowman, and it's the one I like the best. You don't need to know all the subtle nuances of sail trim or driving. Just get up front, get wet, and do what's needed. So in the middle of the downpour, the real bowman was below deck sleeping and I got to change the sail. I'm clipped in with my tether, it's pouring rain, super windy, the waves are huge, and I get to go to the front which is bouncing up and down the most and wrestle with this huge sail. I think it was the most fun I've ever had. 

Another exciting event that night happened while I was off watch and sleeping down below. One of the halyards (the lines that raise the sails) went to the top of the mast. With out a sail attached to it, someone had to go up and get it back down. So one of the more experienced sailors took it upon himself to go up the mast and retrieve it. With Kelly, the 18 year old champion dinghy sailor at the helm, and all the rain and darkness and wind, he was raised by the only other halyard up the mast. Normally you'd use two halyards, one for raising and one for safety, but with two of them up already there was only one left. It was the coolest story from the race for sure. 

The next day was upwind for the majority of the day. When going up wind, the boat heels a lot. Which means everyone has to sit on the high side, with their feet hanging over the edge, to try and keep the boat flat. No one was allowed to go below for like 6 hours. We sent the lightest kid down when someone needed water or snacks, but no meals were eaten. Other boats were surprised that we were that hardcore when I was talking about it later, but going below and being comfortable isn't fast. I basically slept the whole time, waking up only to tack, and got super sunburnt. It was also awesome. 

The next night was a lot calmer, and the wind shifted so we were going down wind. As the sun was setting, I saw my first moonrise. Coming up over the water the moon was totally orange, just like a sunrise. It was spectacular. I started thinking about how crazy it was that I was actually out there. I've been dreaming about this for years, absolutely obsessed with sailing, without ever actually DOING it. I was afraid that it might not live up to my expectations. I was so wrong. It was so much more than I ever could have imagined. Everything comes to life when you're out there sailing at night. I totally understand old sailing superstitions. Everything seems to have it's own personality: the water, the wind, the boat. Sailing is intimately connected with nature. You're actually battling the elements. Sailing is more excitement, romance, and boredom than I ever could have hoped for. I guarantee this is not my last Mackinac. 

We finished at 2:01 am, 2nd in our class and 15th overall. We were only behind Tim by a little over half an hour, which is really saying something. I was extremely lucky to have landed on such an awesome boat, with such an awesome crew. I couldn't be more grateful. 

I didn't know this, but Mackinac Island is a crazy place too. Someone described the race as, "A minor inconvenience between two parties." When we arrive, it's a party on the dock. When we wake up it's Bloody Mary's and party. All afternoon it's a party. And the island itself is a magical place too. There are no cars, only bikes. All the goods are moved by flatbed carts pulled by Clydesdale horses. Yeah, horses. 

All the buildings are historic, and painted in pastel colors. This place is like the Caribbean of the north. I've never been anywhere like this. We went for a bike ride around the island and played mini golf for the afternoon. We ate dinner at a restaurant so fancy, I literally had 7 pieces of silverware around my plate. There was a guy in a black suit playing piano in the corner. It's hard to believe I've ended up here. 

The night was just as crazy. I had heard many crazy stories of nights at everyone's favorite Mackinac bar, the Pink Pony. It lived up to it's reputation. Live music, dancing, and random Canadians make for a good time. We rescued Tina (Tim's girlfriend)'s blind friend from being kidnapped, and overall had a rockin' time. 

I slept on a sail on the bottom of the boat, but woke up early due to the hatch being open and freezing without a blanket or sleeping bag, I'm getting used to the naps-all-day sleep schedule though. My boat should be leaving soon (it's docked behind 4 other boats), and it's raining. This race was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life. 

Tomorrow is Race Day

This week has been all about Mackinac preparations. Trying to acquire all the gear and warm clothes necessary is a daunting task. The weather predictions show lots of wet and unstable stuff. The water temperature is around 40 degrees. When you have no land for miles that means the air will be that temperature too. It will basically be camping in the rain in the winter. I've been extremely lucky and have been able to borrow some key pieces of gear from very generous individuals. A big thanks goes out to all of them. 

Wednesday I helped Tim replace a part on his boat that required going up the rigging. It was AWESOME. (Just pretend the boat isn't swaying so much while you're up there.)

Thursday I got to help deliver Thor, a lobster boat that's supposed to parade the commodores, or something. I'm not sure what it's for, but it was fun. I felt like I was on the Deadliest Catch without all the frozen-hell stuff. We got super close to this freighter too. 

I realized that with this delivery, the race from Port Huron to Mackinac, and the delivery of Fast Tango (Tim's boat) to Chicago I'll have boated from Detroit to Chicago. That's around the whole mitt! 

Thor is a cool boat. My dad would definitely be jealous.

Today is bittersweet. I'm leaving for Port Huron, and besides the weekend of the Chicago race, I won't be back in Detroit. I'll be living on boats for the next couple weeks, basically living the dream. It's crazy to think that only a few months ago this race was literally one of my wildest dreams. I feel extremely privileged to have made it this far, and I'm eternally grateful to everyone who has helped made this happen. I've met some great people here, and I'm already scheming to get back here next summer.

Detroit is Growing on Me...

I was lucky enough to get on a couple different sailboats this week. At the sailor's party last weekend, I met one of Tim's friends, Katie, who crews on a bunch of boats. She was kind enough to take me with her on Tuesday. 

We were on a boat 10 feet shorter than Tim's. It was definitely exciting since we hadn't had good wind in a while. It was easily blowing 20 knots, and the waves were intense on such a small boat. It was really cool to see the different approaches to sailing that different boats have. Wind is fun too. We were heeling (leaning) at least 45 degrees on some occasions.  

Thursday me and Katie went out to a smaller inland lake and did some dinghy racing (even smaller boats.) It was nice seeing the same aspects of big boat racing in a dinghy setting. I love dingy sailing. 

Friday was America Day and I had nothing to do, so I biked around downtown and took in some sights. There's some awesome graffiti around Eastern Market. 

I went home to wrap up a 30 mile bike ride and, still bored, decided to go back to downtown to a 4th annual punk rock BBQ/party thing. I made it all the way there and arrived to people shooting fireworks off a bus, and a parking lot party. Unfortunately I forgot my wallet so I couldn't go in. Biking back to Grosse Pointe, I made it 50 miles that day. I ended up going to the Tap Room, one of the only two cool bars near the Pointes. I met some fellow sailors there who got me super excited about Mackinac. They told me crazy stories, the beauty of being away from the din (glow) of city lights, and the solid chance that I might get to see the northern lights. 

Sunday I did some more sailing, and decided to go to a punk show at Trumbullplex, one of the two Detroit punk houses. Excuse my language, but holy shit it was awesome. Everyone there was so incredibly friendly and nice. It was one of the best experiences I've had here. I met some people from Washington, and even found someone to bike back home with.

"We're here! We're queer! We're anarchists, and we'll fuck you up!"

Yesterday I biked to Warren to pick up a safety harness to keep me tied to the boat in rough weather. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I got on a boat to Mackinac! Thanks to the wonderful Suzanne Scoville, I'll be racing on Weather Edge, a 37 foot Beneteau First. Yesterday was also our practice day to make sure we were familiar with the boat, and to try out a new sail. The boat is really nice, and the crew is even better. They're really organized and have a specified process for everything, which is beautiful. 

So this week a big thanks goes out to Katie for all the help she's been, getting me on boats and letting me borrow some gear, and to Suzanne for getting me a ride to Mackinac. Race starts Saturday!

This week in photos

Holy cow time flies. I've been keeping busy, finding random things to do, and haven't written anything in almost a week. I guess I'll just lay down some highlights. 

I went to a punk rock show on Tuesday and met some cool people. I found out where the punk houses are in town, so I'm definitely gonna have to check them out soon. 

The next day I went downtown to watch the US World Cup game. They put up a huge screen in Cadillac Square and a couple hundred people showed up to watch the worst performance. The US lost, but we still made it through to the round of 16. We could have lost with a little more dignity though. Unfortunately I have to miss the game tonight because of sailing. 

We didn't get to do any racing during the week. There was no wind on the nights we planned to go out. But Thursday, the gigantic 70 footers were out on the water. Apparently I lucked out because they're not always at Bayview. I was also lucky enough to snap this epic photo. 

It also kept raining on and off, so biking was out of the question. I decided I needed to start an indoor hobby for rainy days. What better hobby to start than tattooing? So I bought some ink and hydrogen peroxide (for a total of about $4) and went to town. I wanted to up my street cred being in such a tough town, so I chose to do a skull under my knee.

When the weekend came around, the wind was back so we raced Saturday. Then the Bayview sailor's party was later that night. I made friends with the beer girl and got a free pair of Belle's shades. Ol' Uncle Tim got up on stage and did a little shredding with the band as well. 

Sunday we went out on a pleasure cruise, right before a huge thunderstorm hit. The wind was definitely back. I took a photo before the storm hit. It was pretty fun, and definitely gnar. 

Ya that dark patch on the left there caught up with us. It eventually cleared up and we had a good time out on the water. 

Monday I did another Slow Roll and instead of coming strait back to GP, we stopped at the Atwater Brewery. They have a bar in the middle of the brewery, like dead center. I don't think I've seen so many kegs in my life. 

The Eastside Slow Roll crew did some quality bonding that night. Can't wait until next week!