On Friday, June 25th, I headed from Madison to the McKinley Marina in Milwaukee, WI to begin a sailing race (The Queen’s Cup) across Lake Michigan to Grand Haven, MI. The vessel for the trip was a 37′ Hunter 376. It’s a fine vessel, with a forward berth, an aft berth, a modest galley, and ample room in the cabin itself to sit or sleep. The trip across Lake Michigan was 76 nautical miles, which translates to 87 miles. We departed the Marina at around 5:00PM and headed to the start of the race. We waited with the other sailboats, which numbered about 170, until the start time of our class which was about 6:30PM. Once the race began we took down the jib and put up the spinnaker (a large triangular head sail that swings out opposite the mainsail) since we were running before the wind. The wind was excellent, around 15 knots, and the boat began cruising between 8-10 knots. The water was calm with maybe 1 foot waves and the weather was pleasant as well. At around 9:00PM after a gorgeous sunset, we took down the spinnaker and put the jib back up. At this point, Jon and I went under to catch some sleep until 1:00AM when we would relieve Ken and Dennis. Coming back up at 1:00AM, the wind had died down some – around 8/9 knots – and we were doing 4/5 knots. Ken and Dennis pointed out a huge freighter off in the distance. These ships follow a specific line and have the right of way. They also do around 35 knots, so it is imperative that they somebody is on watch for them at all times. Ken and Dennis went under the deck to sleep and Jon and I were on watch until 5:00AM. At this time of night the view was amazing. No land was in sight, there were lights of other sailboats off in the distance, there was no noise except the sound of the wind against the sails and the sound of the boat moving over the water. The sky was breathtaking. I can’t remember the last time I was able to see so many stars. The moon was with us for a bit before it set. We didn’t have to move the sails but Jon adjusted our direction by a few degrees to bring us back on course. When 5:00AM came around I was feeling delerious and definitely ready for sleep. I slept until 9:00AM and when I returned to the deck Grand Haven was a few miles out. We crossed the finish line of the race and motored in to the marina shortly thereafter where we found a open slot on the pier and tied up. Then it was vacation time: food, exploration of Grand Haven, beer, stogies, sun, frisbee, and naps. Later in the evening we went out for more drinks, got kicked out of a bar (no comment), and then crashed at 1:00AM. I slept until about 9:00AM and woke up to the boat being around 10 miles out and headed back to Milwaukee. Since there was paltry wind (4 knots) we motored back (the boat is diesel equipped) to Milwaukee in order to make it there at a decent time. It was a relaxing trip back, fairly uneventful. We pulled in to the marina in Milwaukee at about 4:30PM and I headed back to Madison. Now, I can’t quite call myself a sailor but I can certainly say I’ve sailed. And it was fantastic.