It was late in the summer of 2014 as we wrapped up a beautiful day of sailing on the Boulder Rez when we pondered that it had been 5 years since we first raised a sail. We never had an engine on our first boat, the Coronado 15 aptly named Bosco, after our beloved friend who passed just a few years before. With the wind at about 15 knots our sails were full and we were racing at near max-hull-speed within 20 yards of the dock and we smoothly rounded up into the wind. Jake was at the helm while I very efficiently and without much though unwound the ropes (sheets) that were holding up the main and jib sails. Without missing a beat, I grabbed a paddle and tossed it to Jake as we easily glided our way towards the dock. With just a few small paddle strokes we pulled up alongside the deck cleats perfectly. A small group of people were watching us from the shore and came up to catch our lines. We were quickly met with the comment, "wow you guys look like you've been sailing your whole lives." We both looked at each other and laughed out loud because they couldn't have been more wrong about us. The truth is that we really have only been sailing for about 4 years up to that point.
Jake grew up in Salt Lake City and was always very active in all things outdoors. He grew up so far inland and rarely travelled outside the UT state that the first time he actually saw the ocean was in the USMC training Depot in San Diego. He knew of boats on the Great Salt Lake and had occasionally seen sailing yacht races on TV, but sailing was so far removed from his existence that he really had no concept of that world.
I, Jill, grew up in Chicago and was also extremely outdoorsy and athletic. As a tomboy I would spend hours playing outside getting my hands dirty. I've always been drawn to nature and even though my mother owned a small sunfish sailboat, i never had any inkling or desire to play on it.
Since neither of us grew up sailing, we very deliberately decidied to make ourselves into sailors.
Whether we knew it at the time or not, the dream was ultimaily born on a holiday family vacation. It was Christmas 2009, we were at the famous Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida celebrating the holiday with my parents. Since birth, my parents, brother and self have spent 2-3 times a year vacationing at Disney. My parents are in love with that place and still are to this day. It was a cool December evening at Epcot Center and as we were about an hour early before our dinner reservation, Jake and I decided to hit up the classic Norway ride to pass the time, especially since it was right around the corner from our dinner location. If you've never been to or experienced this ride, its basically a very short jaunt into the magical diorama land on a boat. Afterwards there is a short 5-minute video about the country and culture of Norway. It commences with a small boy in a maritime museum with his grandfather. The boy is passing his hand along one of the old viking sailboats admiring the craftsmanship and worn wood of the galley when the scene cuts to that of men and women sailing, catching fish, transporting cargo, playing and racing on boats. The video goes on to talk about the pride and spirit of Norway, ie- sailing. At this, both Jake and I look at each other with the same thought...
We simultaneously blurt out, "we should sail to Norway" followed by, "we should sail everywhere."
The smallest seed of an idea was planted that night and it quickly took root in our minds that sailing everywhere would really be the ultimate adventure that could show us the world in a completely different light. It also made us think that we could pull it off on a "relatively" small budget because the sailboat is the home that follows you where you go, and sailing is more-or-less free transportation after you own the boat and all materials needed to run it!
The First Taste of Sailing
The following summer, a fellow adventurous couple that we befriended came into a small O'Day 15' sailboat and invited us to their local reservoir for a weekend of camping and sailing. As soon as Jake set foot in the boat, he was HOOKED. I took a bit longer to catch the fever, but from that point on it was full speed ahead. Jake read every sailing book he could find and the more he learned (and myself by association) the more we felt like this is IT.So we did a little searching and found various sailing schools. We chose ASA because it seemed like that organization had more worldwide recognition. Soon thereafter we had our dates selected for early January, 2012 (so it wouldn’t interfere with our climbing), and we picked Florida because it was a fairly affordable destination. Jake found a school that actually highlighted they worked with couples specifically, so we thought it was perfect! The trip was booked with Captain Jennifer Maclean and her company, Sunshine Sailing Adventures. She has been voted Best ASA Instructor for several years and one of the top 50 women in sailing. Most of all she had an adventurous spirit which is just what we wanted!
