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Ben’s life in pics

So, I solo sailed for the first time in my life! I was in a hurry and had to motor a chunk too—but I made it 20 miles safely. I have much to learn about safety at sea I’m sure, but if felt pretty damn amazing getting the sails up and trimmed on my own. I howled as a wolf when the boat heeled over. #solosailing #huntersailboats #hunter36vision #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakss #mkesailing #sailingmke

Took me a sec to figure out how to get the dinghy onboard but with the help of the main halyard and a winch it was a snap. Well, maybe not a snap. But it did get done without injury!

534 feet deep!!! Holy dizzle that is a lot of water. We read that there is enough water in the Great Lakes to cover the continental USA in 9 feet of water. I believe it! #deep #deepwater #deeplake #raymarine #depthobsessed #sailinglife #greatlakessailing #sailinggreatlakes #sailinglakemichigan #sailinglakemichigan

Ya yaaaa. Another sunset pic. I can’t help it! They make sunsets extra pretty out here in Lake Michigan. Pretty thrilled to see my Hunter sailboat turn peachy colored too. #huntersailboats #sunset #marinalife #greatlakes #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakes

They make beacons and lighthouses super good out here in Lake Michigan. #lakemichigan #sailinglakemichigan #lighthouse #lighthouseport #greatlakessailing #sailinglakemichigan #fujixt2 #fuji1855mm

I will never get tired of the view from a cockpit. I’m looking forward to parking this boat at Racine Riverside Marina. They are super professional over there and their yard is nice and clean. This Hunter 36 Vision deserve it! #huntersailboats #hunter36vision #huntervision #huntervision36 #sailboats #sailingmilwaukee #milwaukeesailing #sailingthegreatlakes #greatlakessailing #sailboats

I took one last joy ride in the dinghy in the fog. Gonna miss this boat and my tohatsu outboard! #dinghylife #galaboats #galainflatables #tohatsu6 #tohatsu #tohatsuoutboards

Ugh! We barely squeezed between these two systems to avoid lightning. If we had known the weather was going to be like this today we would have probably stayed in port. Doh! #greatlakesweather #greatlakes #greatlakessailing #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #wtfarewedoing

Ugh. Our engine stalled miles from shore. It wouldn’t hold rpm above 2k. We slowly lined to shore and found a stare harbor that was closed for the season already. Luckily they still had the electricity on. Although, it was rather creepy being the only boat in a harbor other that what appeared to be two abandoned tiny sailboat. I figured the fuel filter was the culprit as so many sailors are weary of and sure enough, it was full of gunk. I changed the filter, cleaned the bowl, and put in our last fuel filter. Onward to the nearest west marine! #troubleatsea #fuelfilter #sailinglife #sailingexperience #sailboatmaintenance #marinemaintenance

The fog rolling in was a bit eerie today! No adjustment or filter necessary here. Jeez. #fog #foggy #mkelife #greatlakessailjng #sailingthegreatlakes #mke #mckinleymarina

Well, that’s it for the season! My main goal was to become a better sailer with a decent sized boat and by that measure of success, I kicked butt. A little sad to be parking the boat on the hard when there are weeks of decent weather left but dang—marinas are pricey! Next year we’ll be sailing more, entertaining more, and attacking some cleaning and safety and comfort improvements in the spring. Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement and for checking out my adventures in sailing. Huge thanks to my mom for coming along as crew and helping move this boat 1200 miles from Cleveland to Milwaukee through three of the Great Lakes. Big shout out to @julieewald too for being relatively cool with me taking off on such a long adventure. She puts up with a lot and then some. Looking forward to sharing more sailing pics soon. And by soon I mean six months. #huntervision36 #huntersailboats #milwaukeesailing #wisconsinsailing #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakes #sailboatlife

We crossed Lake Michigan! We set out early from Luddington, MI and arrived in Sheboygan, WI around six. It was just 55 miles across but for us that was the longest jaunt yet. And. Ugh. The weather was not cooperating. In the AM the weather reports said GO! But an hour into our voyage we were dodging thunderstorms, in rain gear, and enjoying 6 foot waves. The boat heeled over 40 degrees every few min and the weather didn not let up the rest of the trip. By the time we got to Wisconsin, we were both beat to hell. I am really looking forward to land life for a while. #gradient #naturalgradisnt #sailinglakemichigan #sailingmichigan #sailingthegreatlakes #greatlakessailing #rainysea #sailinglife #sailing

Geese for days up in Mackinac Island. These guys are beasts! They’d peck your eyes out for fun if ya humans couldn’t run. And they poop a lot. So much poop. #geese #mackinacisland

These are the boats I really learned to sail on. If you’re on the #Milwaukee area and want to learn the ins and outs of sailing, the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center (@mcscsailing) is THE place to learn. I had a ton of the time on the water with these boats. Plus, avid sailor volunteers go out with you the ropes, er sheets. The folks there really put in the time and effort to make sure you legit know how to sail before the course is over. These training boats are awesome too. They’re restored early 60’s boats called Pearson Ensigns and they were designed by legendary naval architect Carl Alberg. Even though they are full keel boats, they can point nearly straight into the wind and are incredibly simple and safe. They feel like sailing a park bench in a way. I’d own one in a heartbeat. They look pretty darn classy on the water with that raised stern. #carlalberg #pearsonensign22 #sailingschool #milwaukeesailing #sailboats #sailingmke #mkesailing #wisconsinsailing #greatlakessailing #pearsonsailboats

My friggin’ awesome cousin in TX, Clay, asked if we had a fridge on board. Yup! It’s a fridge freezer. Although, the shelves are misusing so everything in there dances around with the waves. Gotta get on that! #huntervision36 #huntersailboats #sailinglife #sailing #galley #sailboatinteriors

Free gradients! I love it. #gradients #naturalgradients #marina #marinalife #boatingmichigan #marinalife #nofilter #ludingtonmichigan #harborlife

Passing under Mackinac Island Bridge. What a trip! You can hear traffic and the seas are just nuts as the two lake waters collide. Good times. #huntersailboats #mackinacisland #mackinacbridge #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #greatlakessailing #huntervision36

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So, I solo sailed for the first time in my life! I was in a hurry and had to motor a chunk too—but I made it 20 miles safely. I have much to learn about safety at sea I’m sure, but if felt pretty damn amazing getting the sails up and trimmed on my own. I howled as a wolf when the boat heeled over. #solosailing #huntersailboats #hunter36vision #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakss #mkesailing #sailingmke

Took me a sec to figure out how to get the dinghy onboard but with the help of the main halyard and a winch it was a snap. Well, maybe not a snap. But it did get done without injury!

534 feet deep!!! Holy dizzle that is a lot of water. We read that there is enough water in the Great Lakes to cover the continental USA in 9 feet of water. I believe it! #deep #deepwater #deeplake #raymarine #depthobsessed #sailinglife #greatlakessailing #sailinggreatlakes #sailinglakemichigan #sailinglakemichigan

Ya yaaaa. Another sunset pic. I can’t help it! They make sunsets extra pretty out here in Lake Michigan. Pretty thrilled to see my Hunter sailboat turn peachy colored too. #huntersailboats #sunset #marinalife #greatlakes #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakes

They make beacons and lighthouses super good out here in Lake Michigan. #lakemichigan #sailinglakemichigan #lighthouse #lighthouseport #greatlakessailing #sailinglakemichigan #fujixt2 #fuji1855mm

I will never get tired of the view from a cockpit. I’m looking forward to parking this boat at Racine Riverside Marina. They are super professional over there and their yard is nice and clean. This Hunter 36 Vision deserve it! #huntersailboats #hunter36vision #huntervision #huntervision36 #sailboats #sailingmilwaukee #milwaukeesailing #sailingthegreatlakes #greatlakessailing #sailboats

I took one last joy ride in the dinghy in the fog. Gonna miss this boat and my tohatsu outboard! #dinghylife #galaboats #galainflatables #tohatsu6 #tohatsu #tohatsuoutboards

Ugh! We barely squeezed between these two systems to avoid lightning. If we had known the weather was going to be like this today we would have probably stayed in port. Doh! #greatlakesweather #greatlakes #greatlakessailing #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #wtfarewedoing

Ugh. Our engine stalled miles from shore. It wouldn’t hold rpm above 2k. We slowly lined to shore and found a stare harbor that was closed for the season already. Luckily they still had the electricity on. Although, it was rather creepy being the only boat in a harbor other that what appeared to be two abandoned tiny sailboat. I figured the fuel filter was the culprit as so many sailors are weary of and sure enough, it was full of gunk. I changed the filter, cleaned the bowl, and put in our last fuel filter. Onward to the nearest west marine! #troubleatsea #fuelfilter #sailinglife #sailingexperience #sailboatmaintenance #marinemaintenance

The fog rolling in was a bit eerie today! No adjustment or filter necessary here. Jeez. #fog #foggy #mkelife #greatlakessailjng #sailingthegreatlakes #mke #mckinleymarina

Well, that’s it for the season! My main goal was to become a better sailer with a decent sized boat and by that measure of success, I kicked butt. A little sad to be parking the boat on the hard when there are weeks of decent weather left but dang—marinas are pricey! Next year we’ll be sailing more, entertaining more, and attacking some cleaning and safety and comfort improvements in the spring. Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement and for checking out my adventures in sailing. Huge thanks to my mom for coming along as crew and helping move this boat 1200 miles from Cleveland to Milwaukee through three of the Great Lakes. Big shout out to @julieewald too for being relatively cool with me taking off on such a long adventure. She puts up with a lot and then some. Looking forward to sharing more sailing pics soon. And by soon I mean six months. #huntervision36 #huntersailboats #milwaukeesailing #wisconsinsailing #greatlakessailing #sailingthegreatlakes #sailboatlife

We crossed Lake Michigan! We set out early from Luddington, MI and arrived in Sheboygan, WI around six. It was just 55 miles across but for us that was the longest jaunt yet. And. Ugh. The weather was not cooperating. In the AM the weather reports said GO! But an hour into our voyage we were dodging thunderstorms, in rain gear, and enjoying 6 foot waves. The boat heeled over 40 degrees every few min and the weather didn not let up the rest of the trip. By the time we got to Wisconsin, we were both beat to hell. I am really looking forward to land life for a while. #gradient #naturalgradisnt #sailinglakemichigan #sailingmichigan #sailingthegreatlakes #greatlakessailing #rainysea #sailinglife #sailing

Geese for days up in Mackinac Island. These guys are beasts! They’d peck your eyes out for fun if ya humans couldn’t run. And they poop a lot. So much poop. #geese #mackinacisland

These are the boats I really learned to sail on. If you’re on the #Milwaukee area and want to learn the ins and outs of sailing, the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center (@mcscsailing) is THE place to learn. I had a ton of the time on the water with these boats. Plus, avid sailor volunteers go out with you the ropes, er sheets. The folks there really put in the time and effort to make sure you legit know how to sail before the course is over. These training boats are awesome too. They’re restored early 60’s boats called Pearson Ensigns and they were designed by legendary naval architect Carl Alberg. Even though they are full keel boats, they can point nearly straight into the wind and are incredibly simple and safe. They feel like sailing a park bench in a way. I’d own one in a heartbeat. They look pretty darn classy on the water with that raised stern. #carlalberg #pearsonensign22 #sailingschool #milwaukeesailing #sailboats #sailingmke #mkesailing #wisconsinsailing #greatlakessailing #pearsonsailboats

My friggin’ awesome cousin in TX, Clay, asked if we had a fridge on board. Yup! It’s a fridge freezer. Although, the shelves are misusing so everything in there dances around with the waves. Gotta get on that! #huntervision36 #huntersailboats #sailinglife #sailing #galley #sailboatinteriors

Free gradients! I love it. #gradients #naturalgradients #marina #marinalife #boatingmichigan #marinalife #nofilter #ludingtonmichigan #harborlife

Passing under Mackinac Island Bridge. What a trip! You can hear traffic and the seas are just nuts as the two lake waters collide. Good times. #huntersailboats #mackinacisland #mackinacbridge #sailinglakemichigan #lakemichigansailing #greatlakessailing #huntervision36

COPYWRITE Ben Schkade 2015