For those of you who are wondering where we have been..... June included a 3-week disruption to our sailing schedule due to medical issues that is a subject for another posting.
BUT. By July 3 we were back in business and took five intrepid teenagers to Isle Royale via Sea Change Expeditions. I never fail to be impressed with the caliber of teens we get on this trip. Somehow they (and their parents) willingly take on a unique challenge--living in a small sailboat with seven others, learning all they can about our changing eco-system, learning to sail for hours at a time, acquiring a necessity-based flexibility, and eating a diet that can only be described as utterly unique and Katya-esque. Lloyd, Loue, Savanna, Amelia, and Evangeline did all this and more with flying colors.
And this year we had Kai aboard--a veteran Sea Changer from 2019 and a counselor, mentor, and wilderness leader all rolled into one.
Highlights included:
- a full day at Passage Island exploring, learning and studying in a most remote and starkly gorgeous setting,
- the MOB (Man Overboard) drill which necessitated learning how to quickly come about, keep an eye on the floater, luff the sails at the exact moment, and above all TEAMWORK,
- the volume of food (particularly oats and beans) that this group managed to ingest (and they are not big people!),
- the full read-aloud of Shackleton's Incredible Voyage in Endurance,
- perpetual laughter,
- deep discussion of how we discuss controversial issues like climate change,
- a gentle overnight sail into Grand Marais on our final night, followed by a 9 a.m. post-breakfast dip just as we were arriving, and finally...
- Loue and Evangeline both learning to dive off the ladder after numerous--dozens--of attempts.
Water temperatures and air temperatures were both very high, which made for a lot of dipping at all times of the day, and thick haze from Canadian wildfires made our climate work relevant and immediate.
But mostly, you just gotta see a few pictures to get an idea.
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