Under Sail with WhimSea
In this section of our site, you will find information on our life under sail including our adventures on the Big Lake, information on our current boat, WhimSea and our previous boat, Bucephalus as well as miscellaneous things we've learned the along the way such as flag and radio etiquette and tips to make life under sail easier.
But, let's start from the beginning and the story of how Troy and I got into this in the first place.....
I think our love affair with water harkens back to Troy's interest in ships, sailing vessels and stories of the sea. As Troy likes to say "I was born on the river, I'll die by the sea." Having been born near the big water (Lake Superior), Troy has always felt its pull.
Ironically enough, I too was born near water, having been born near the Minnesota River. Though completely unplanned, everywhere we've lived has had a proximity to water whether the Minnesota, the Mississippi or the Rum, we have always had some body of water nearby.
In 1995, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to be sailors. We began to order catalogs and information from boat dealers, read on the pros and cons and determine what type of boat would be within our reach. We eventually decided on a MacGregor 26x as our first boat. We picked her because she was relatively inexpensive, could be trailered and was functional. We could use her as a sailboat or a powerboat and we could sleep in her. She seemed to be a good boat to try sailing on for size. Neither Troy nor I had ever sailed before, but looking at the MacGregor renewed our commitment to learn.
We finally ordered her in April of 2000. Five years after deciding this is what we wanted to do. The wait for delivery seemed interminable.
She finally came and was ready for trial over the Fourth of July holiday in 2000. We christened her the Bucephalus after Alexander the Great's horse and took her to a small lake in northern Minnesota, Little Sand Lake in Nevis, Minnesota. She lived up to all of our expectations and then some.
We moved quickly from the small lake to Lake Waconia and then to Lake Mille Lacs. The largest lake near the metro area. Bucephalus proved easy to care for and easy to prepare and she readily catches whatever wind is around.
By Labor Day, 2001, all lakes were too small but the big Sweetwater Sea, Lake Superior. We were determined to outfit Bucephalus and tackle the Big Lake.
Sooner then we thought, Bucephalus became to small to handle the level of sailing we wished to experience and the distances we wanted to travel so we began looking for a bigger boat. We started out looking at heavy displacement boats, but were concerned about speed and cost, and our ability to handle the boat with just the two of us.
In 2003 we upgraded to an O'Day 40. Though a medium displacement boat, she was much bigger then Bucephalus. This boat is a dream to us. She arrived in April 2003 and we've thoroughly enjoyed every moment aboard her.
Updated: March 10, 2008
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