Favorite Pastime: Sailing

One of my favorite pastimes is sailing. When I was in 6th grade my best friend, Christopher, and I started taking sailing lessons at the Manitowoc YMCA. We learned to sail 8-foot Sinbad dinghies. They had no jib, just a small mainsail and they were like little tubs. Nevertheless, they were an absolute blast to sail around the harbor. We would race each other, catching enough wind to cause our boats to take on water or capsize. We always wore life vests and had supervision, so it was a very controlled environment to experience some would-be frightening moments.

Every summer we would return to the program and as the classes got more advanced the boats got bigger. We moved up to 17 foot Flying Juniors, which were open-cabin 2 person boats. I ended up buying a 12 foot AMF Puffer, like a smaller Flying Junior. It was a great boat, but I sold it for a Precision 18 (eighteen-footer).

I got a job working at the marina during the summers and I sailed before and after my shifts. I eventually sold the Precision 18 to go to college, which I have always regretted.

I hadn't been sailing in ages until 2017 when my Dad found a great deal on a incredible boat. Her name is Omar and she is a 17-foot Holder; almost exactly like my old Precision 18, but one foot smaller.  My wife and I keep her docked on Percy Priest Lake at the edge of Nashville and take her out as often as we can.