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    Chasing Wind and Wonder

    By Christopher Pascone,

    16 days ago

    What’s more romantic than sailing? And which body of fresh water is more romantic than Lake Superior? Combine the two, and you get an exhilarating pursuit of infinite blue.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0mj1F5_0uiRznWK00
    The Starling boat has sailed on Lake Superior out of Bayfield, Wisconsin, for 53 summers.

    Photo by True North Sailing Charters

    Except, of course, you’re going to need primo sailing skills. Or go with the people who have them.

    Luckily, there are many ways to satisfy your romantic urge for freedom on Minnesota’s freshwater sea. If learning to sail the big lake is on your “I’ve always wanted to try that” list, then tour operators, sailing schools, and training trip captains are ready to help you cast off.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3MEmew_0uiRznWK00
    Students perform navigation exercises over a chart of Lake Superior.

    Photo by All Hands

    To begin, measure your desired level of immersion. Sailing is visually attractive, but romanticism meets realism the second your hull hits icy Superior. How deep do you want to go?

    Want to bask in historical tales of Lake Superior schooners without ever touching a “sheet” (the ropes used to control the sails)? Then go for the two-hour cruise on North House Folk School’s “Hjørdis” out of Grand Marais.

    Want to learn as you go, but fall back on the pros to get you home? Go for daylong cruises in the Apostle Islands with All Hands Sailing or True North Sailing Charters, both out of Bayfield, Wisconsin.

    Willing to get wet, cook on board, and stay up until all hours of the night on watch? Go for adventure training trips to Isle Royale or the Slate Islands with Amicus Adventure Sailing out of Knife River.

    Finally, want to learn all the pieces of the sailing puzzle and build up your captain’s resume through lessons and practice? Become a member of the Duluth-Superior Sailing Association (DSSA).

    Here are four options, based on skill level and motivation, to get you in your Superior sweet spot.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2G8lSV_0uiRznWK00
    The Starling

    Photo by True North Sailing Charters

    Duluth-Superior Sailing Association
    Start from scratch

    Zach Lange, waterfront director of the DSSA, has been working as a sailing instructor since he was 14. He started instructing at DSSA in 2017 and became director the next year. “Anything on the water raises the intensity, even if it’s a great, calm day,” he says.

    He would know—he has new sailors plying their craft daily on DSSA’s fleet of donated sailboats. The DSSA’s mission is to “offer the joy of sailing to the entire Duluth-Superior community, regardless of skill level, physical capabilities, or financial means.”

    “We’re a nonprofit sailing school. We teach you from the ground up,” Lange explains. “If you interview sailors, they say that you start on a small boat and work your way up.”

    Why start small? “A small boat will tell you all the things you’re doing wrong while sailing. That doesn’t always transfer over on a big boat. They don’t tell you when you’re trimming the sails wrong, like a small boat does.”

    A family membership at the DSSA costs $200 for the whole season, giving access to a wide range of boats, from single-person Lasers to Superior-worthy cruise boats.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1FN4GC_0uiRznWK00
    An instructor with Duluth-Superior Sailing Association

    Photo by Duluth-Superior Sailing Association

    With a small additional day-use fee, experienced keelboat sailors can use the DSSA’s motorized cruise boats: a Cal 24, Catalina 22, and Catalina 25. These boats can be taken onto near-shore waters of Lake Superior. DSSA also provides lessons on cruise boats so you can get certified to reserve them.

    The more common entry-level route at the DSSA is to use the day sailer fleet on the Duluth Harbor. The O’Day Mariner, Soling, Flying Scot, and Yngling are yours to sail after a few lessons with an instructor. This is a great way to learn without having to deal with yearly maintenance, winterizing your own boat, or paying for a slip. All the fun without the B-O-A-T (“break out another thousand”)? For $200, the DSSA is a steal.

    Lange promotes the 19-foot day sailers as an optimum starting point. “Taking that small boat experience and then transferring it to a big boat on Lake Superior, that’s when you’re really going to harness the skills of how to manage a boat properly when you’re out on big water,” he says.

    The DSSA’s idyllic harborside location embodies many facets of Lake Superior itself but without as much risk. “There are boats from all around the world coming into the harbor,” Lange notes. “We teach you how to manage in harbors and also how to get out of the harbor and onto the lake. These are skills that you can have for life and will allow you to get out onto Lake Superior.”

    The DSSA also offers $20 day memberships, so no matter where you’re from, there’s a sailboat waiting on Park Point.

    North House Folk School
    Feel inspired by the ‘ Hjørdis’

    Hjørdis is a figure from Norse mythology, whose poetic name means “Sword Goddess.” It’s a common woman’s name in Scandinavia to this day. “Hjørdis” is also the name of one of the most recognizable boats on Superior’s waters—the 50-foot, traditionally rigged steel schooner owned by the North House Folk School and docked in Grand Marais harbor. Look for the wine-red sails looming in the blue distance from any point in this hillside town.

    Hjørdis sets out for daily sails on Lake Superior from late May to early October, and the general public—whether experienced sailors or complete landlubbers—are welcome aboard. Trips are $69 per person and last about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

    Why go? Bill Hansen, the Hjørdis captain, likes to use the catchphrase “Real boat, real lake.” The schooner keeps Lake Superior sailing traditions alive; it’s still up to the crew and participants to make it sail. “Once in a while I get someone who asks, ‘These sails don’t actually do anything, right? This is all kind of fake, right?’” Hansen laughs.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4XpxNj_0uiRznWK00
    The Hjørdis

    Photo by North House Folk School

    “Once people get on the boat, they see that it’s actually a full-on ocean-going vessel. There’s always a little bit of anxiety from people when they realize this is the real thing. Having them participate really helps them settle in, and they just love it,” he says.

    North House Folk School is celebrating its 27th year, and a sailing education was part of the school’s original curricula. The North House board saw the intriguing possibilities of having a “floating classroom,” and Hjørdis became a centerpiece.

    The hands-on aspect of operating the boat has changed slightly over time, Hansen notes. “When the school first opened, they ran it as a class. But they got some pushback because some people just wanted to go for a sailboat ride. Over the early years, it morphed into more of a tourist experience. But it’s a very genuine experience.”

    Nobody is better equipped to inspire admiration for sailing than Hansen, who bought his first sailboat at age 12 using his own money from his parents’ canoe outfitting business. “What really hooks us all is the romance. To my mind, the idea that you can raise a sail and then sail around the world—even right now, just saying it, I get this hollow feeling in my chest.”

    Hansen is all about keeping the traditions going. “Sailing has such a deep tradition. We talk a lot on Hjørdis about boat terms, where they came from, when did schooners get invented, and how are they different from square rig ships? The traditions go back so far. Literally, people think that the sailing tradition in Polynesia goes back 150,000 years, and maybe longer. To me, that’s just incredible. For North House, being a center of craft, sailing is a perfect fit.”

    Participating is optional on Hjørdis. “We get out from the dock and raise the sails. We encourage people to participate if they want to. Anybody who wants to can take the wheel for a while and be the captain. A lot of people really love that, especially kids. I’ve had 4-year-olds on board who sail very well. They love that feeling of control.”

    He adds, “Other people, like couples, just want to go up to the bow and sit together and enjoy the moment and be quiet. We don’t discourage that.”

    The Apostle Islands
    Discover Superior’s ‘secret solution’

    You may be wondering how to sail a lake where 20-foot waves are a regular occurrence. Superior has its nasty days, when sailboats don’t fare well. But there are two sailboat tour agencies operating out of Bayfield, Wisconsin, that have a trick up their sleeve: the Apostle Islands.

    There were 12 apostles, but the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is actually a forested archipelago of 22 islands. Here you can find shelter from the wind no matter what direction it’s coming from. When you sail the Apostles, especially in mid-summer, you’ll probably think you’re somewhere other than the Midwest. The islands are verdant, there’s a lot of sand everywhere, and rugged sandstone sea caves are carved out of the shoreline. It’s easy to think you’re somewhere far away from Lake Superior.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=34RQuM_0uiRznWK00
    True North’s Echo is a 35-foot catamaran.

    Photo by True North Sailing Charters

    Brontë Gross, co-owner of All Hands Sailing out of Bayfield, grew up in Chaska but went on family sailing trips to the Apostles every summer. “That was my formative experience,” Gross says. “I was lucky to have that lifestyle growing up.”

    Gross exudes the lifestyle to this day at All Hands Sailing. “Life aboard a sailboat blows van-living out of the water!” posits the company website. “Each of our boats [is] spacious, beautiful, and fully equipped. All of our boats sleep seven people quite comfortably, and there’s always plenty of space above-decks to hang a hammock or lay out a cushion to watch the stars.”

    But how do sailors handle Superior’s moods? “The Apostle Islands is probably the best place to sail on Lake Superior in terms of relative calmness and warmth,” Gross says. “We’re so protected here from the worst of the lake’s moods. There’s always a place to go to hide out [from] the worst part of a storm.”

    And all those beaches? “The Apostles are all sand. If you run aground in the Apostles, you’ll probably be more embarrassed than hurt.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2oiqAg_0uiRznWK00
    Children play on the Starling

    Photo by True North Sailing Charters

    All Hands also offers an apprenticeship program, on a volunteer basis. Sailors who normally would not sail every day can get an education on All Hands’ boats while performing crew operations. “Participants pull on lines, hoist and lower the sails, and take turns at the helm,” Gross says.

    Another Bayfield gem is True North Sailing Charters. Depart from the slips in downtown Bayfield or from Schooner Bay Marina in the heart of the Apostles. See Stockton, Raspberry, or Manitou Islands firsthand, or sail to the remote Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Trips range in length from two to five hours or cover multiple days.

    “We run ‘choose your own adventure’ trips” says Josh Clark, co-owner with his brother Abe of True North Sailing. “A lot of people are excited to learn and talk sailing, and we get them involved in every aspect, from manning the helm to raising the sails. We talk about wind and weather and how the boat reacts to those things. Other times, people are with family and want to relax on deck.”

    True North’s fleet of two catamarans (two-hulled boats that crouch over the water) and a ketch rig (dual-masted, elegant) can provide a forgiving sail for beginners. All have electric motors.

    The Clarks also operate free local sailing days each spring and fall for Bayfield-area tourism employees who may not otherwise get into the cost-prohibitive sport. This spreads knowledge in the local services sector about the beauty of sailing in Bayfield’s backyard.

    Amicus Adventure Sailing
    Go all in

    The most extreme way to learn to sail Lake Superior has to be with Amicus Adventure Sailing, based out of Knife River, Minnesota.

    Mark Gordon, the Amicus’ captain, says prospective sailors need to recognize Superior’s cold, hard truths. “When working with potential sail training clients, I want to try to paint as accurate a picture as I can. A lot of times people have a more romantic vision of sailing than what it really is. They have a Caribbean ideal of nice and sunny and warm, with a perfect breeze. And that’s really not how Superior is.”

    Gordon’s “sail training trips” have incredible names, like “Isle Royale and the Sleeping Giant” and “The Lonely Island Tour.” This is expedition sailing and education at its peak.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=27gEyq_0uiRznWK00
    A sailor with Amicus Adventure Sailing

    Photo by Amicus Adventure Sailing

    Amicus is a 40-foot expedition-style sailboat. “It can go anywhere in the world,” Gordon says. “I can take this boat to Antarctica if I want to. It’s a very seaworthy boat, and it’s perfectly comfortable.” The Gordon family lived on the boat for a year, sailing from Minnesota to the Bahamas and back.

    “But it’s not a luxury boat,” Gordon is quick to add. “No one has their own cabin. It’s an open cabin layout.”

    Gordon teaches good seamanship, such as handling lines, anchoring, and navigation. “We do all paper charts,” Gordon says, “so we learn some of the more traditional navigation techniques, rather than just relying on a chartplotter. And, of course, we have to cook three meals a day and clean up three meals a day. So we try to involve the folks in all aspects of the day-to-day stuff, as well.”

    All members of the Amicus expeditions have to stand watch, too. But Gordon knows there are limits. “If it’s starting to gust up and we’re heeling over a bunch, and we need to go reef the boat, I’m not going to say, ‘You’re going to come up whether you like it or not.’ I want people to ease into it at their own comfort level, too.”

    On chilly trips, Gordon and his clients benefit from the diesel heater in the Amicus’ cabin. “It’s often bone-chilling cold out there,” he says. “If you’re on watch, it can be cold. But when we get into an anchorage for the night, we can get it to 70 degrees inside. It’s really nice and cozy.”

    If deeply immersive training while circumnavigating Lake Superior in some of the world’s wildest cruising grounds sounds attractive, then the “Lonely Island Tour” to Passage Island, the Slate Islands, Michipicoten Island, and the most remote of all—Caribou Island—is for you.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=14xmcX_0uiRznWK00
    The Amicus II

    Photo by Amicus Adventure Sailing

    Superior Choices
    Pick a sailing identity

    Now that you’ve seen the array of learning-to-sail options on Lake Superior, it’s time to make some choices. In the end, the main objective of any of these outfits is to make sailing a part of your identity.

    “Sailing has this reputation for being difficult, and confusing, and expensive,” Gross says. “Those things can be true, but it can also be so, so worth it.”

    The joy, romanticism, and wonder of sailing are critical parts of the sailor identity. Tourism may be what gets people into sailing, but that sense of adventure and discovery on the open water is what brings people back. Go find out for yourself and find your sailing identity.

    The post Chasing Wind and Wonder appeared first on Minnesota Monthly .

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