Their Ship Has Come In
THE ONGOING STORY OF TWO PEOPLE, THEIR BOAT, AND THE PURSUIT OF A DREAM
Alfresco sailboat of Gregg and Andrea Timm at port in Marquette Michigan. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Marquette, MI – The pursuit of our dreams will always involve challenge. On a sailing vessel – as Greg and Andrea Timm discovered – sometimes that challenge can even be terrifyingly life-threatening…
When I greeted them on return to their home port of Marquette, what struck me was the far-off look in their eyes. Sitting with them aboard their sailboat a couple days later over coffee that look was still lingering. Though they’d only been sailing the salt-less seas for twelve days it was the look of the adventurer and of connection to the greater rhythms of life. The smile of the seafarer had settled upon them.
Departing from Lake St. Clair near Detroit, the two and their sole crew member, Scott Binkley, had traveled nearly 500 nautical miles in less than two weeks aboard their new thirty-three foot Sailboat. Along the way they weathered storms, marveled at the vastness of the Lakes, met others living the sailing life, experienced joy and fear, learned and grew and above all; realized the wonder of a dream come true.
The thought of the sailing life conjures images of carefree living on the water. But the reality of life aboard when faced with the boundaries of a timeline is different.
Greg and Andrea Timm share thier story of sailing from Lake St. Clair, MI through the Great Lakes to Marquette, MI. (photo by Ron Caspi)
The wind through the rigging after a long and tense day’s sail, the mast resonating with haunted house noises and the adrenaline from close calls coursing through a sailor’s veins can lead to going days without sleep. Ten to twelve hour days, often punctuated by the boat being buffeted by slamming waves and wet, forty-degree temperatures on the open water are the experience of Great Lakes sailors on a long-haul voyage.
For Andrea, this was somewhat unexpected. She’d departed with the notion of an enjoyable ‘vacation’ in mind that would likely be their longest until retirement. For Greg, the unexpected was near-constant anxiety. The skipper of a sailboat must keep in mind hundreds of threads of data, both the real and the possible. Holding the fate of not just the boat but the lives she carries in one’s hands is no small order. For Greg, this meant rising with the light each day to plan and prepare, and not leaving the helm for pretty much the entire journey.
Yet even the most-prepared Skipper can be taken by surprise…
Greg Timm works on his radio and navigation system aboard the Alfresco. (photo by Ron Caspi)
It was a pretty un-threatening day when they got going from Harrisville to Rodgers City. Some clouds on the horizon, but no severe weather in the forecast. “It’s funny” says Greg “Sailors will consult myriad weather sources – and find all of them are wrong”.
They had just finished enjoying their first warm meal underway when suddenly things turned ugly. From a peaceful day with rain in the distance sprang winds directly on the nose of the sailboat, gusting 20-30 knots. Soon the three were being beaten by four foot seas slamming the bow and shaking the entire boat, slowing their progress to about 3 miles per hour. Still a few hours away from their ‘ditch point’ they had no alternative but to press on.
To all of their gratitude, they found a small island en route and sought shelter in its leeward side when they faced a brush with disaster. Experiencing trouble getting their anchor to set, they found themselves drifting toward a 3-foot deep, rocky shoal on rough seas in a sailboat with a 6-foot draft. It’s times like these when multiple things start to go wrong and a sailor finds that little things can mean life or death.
Gregg stands at the helm of the Alfresco sailboat. (photo by Ron Caspi)
Realizing their situation, Greg threw the engine in reverse to keep them off the shoal just 100 feet or so away and closing quickly. With the boat’s engine in reverse, the dingy line was sucked into the prop wash, under the boat, wrapping around the prop shaft and seizing the engine. Without time to do anything but react, Greg grabbed a knife, shed himself of the auto-inflating life preserver he wore, and dove into the thrashing waters.
In an adrenaline-fueled flurry, he managed to saw free the dingy and get back aboard in time to prevent the sailboat from being ripped apart on the rocks. With everyone in a borderline state of panic, Andrea brought them all back to reality; “We have to go after that dingy!”.
Their lifeboat was half-filled with water and adrift on the open water. They managed to retrieve the dingy and make their way to another island to take refuge, but all three were left shaken and grateful to be alive.
Further delays led them to abandon their goal of spending some time on Mackinaw Island, but they did spend a fun-filled night at Presque Isle where they shook off the nerves of their harrowing experience with the discovery that you can get a three-wheeled rental bike up on two wheels with a little practice.
They watched the bugs change as they journeyed north; from Mayflies down below the bridge to mosquitoes and then black flies once they’d experienced crossing the Soo locks into Lake Superior. Incredible sunsets guided them westward toward Marquette. They spent two nights at Whitefish Point, having a bonfire on the beach one evening while waiting out more bad weather.
Two nights at port in Grand Marais were the last stop before catching sight of Grand Island and the feeling of being home settled in as they reached familiar waters. Coming in under full sail, a steady breeze and beautiful blue skies they both felt the joy of a dream attained.
This wasn’t the first time they’d done something that seemed unattainable, but jumped on the dream and rode it full circle. In Greg’s words; “That’s how cool things happen”. Finishing another cup of coffee I asked the couple what they’d learned along the way; about themselves, about partnership.
Andrea and Greg Timm share a laugh aboard their sailboat while at port in Marquette, MI. (photo by Ron Caspi)
“Whatever we weather, we’re gonna get through it” said Greg. Andrea smiled and said simply “It’s comforting to know that no matter what happens – when we’re together it’s all going to work out”. Leaving them relaxing in the sun I couldn’t help think we could all learn a little something from the wisdom of the sea and people like Gregg and Andrea.
Join us next month as Keith Glendon takes a look at what it takes to own, maintain and sail a cruising sailboat on the Great Lakes.
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