Sailing

Wakeboarding

SCUBA

When I was little, my dad would take me sailing on a little sunfish my grandparents had at their cabin. I would sit on the bow oblivious to any effort being put forth by my father and enjoy the wind and sun. Several years later when my friends began racing, it occurred to me that there was a little more to the sport and I joined the Hoofer Sailing Club where I learned some of the basics. I learned considerably more about Friday night Hoofer socials that year instead and came to the conclusion that if you can get someone else to put forth all the effort, sitting on the bow is the way to go. Since then I've done my best to get myself invited to sit on bows all over the world and have thus far made it to the Bahamas, the coast of Mexico, through BVI, across the Ionian Sea, across Lake Michigan, New England, Southern California, the San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands, around Antigua and Barbuda, Desolation Sound, and even participated in a few regattas. After visiting the mangroves for the third year in a row in the 2007 Cancun regatta, I once again joined Hoofers and learned a little more about sailing. Bring it on Luis.

The Virgin Islands
Door County
The Bahamas
The Ionian Sea
The Channel Islands, CA
The San Juan Islands, WA
New England
The Gulf Islands, B.C.
Antigua and Barbuda

My first long sail was with my parents, Uncle Bill and Aunt Sue (and our hired guide Ray), through the American and British Virgin Islands in May of 1991. It was a fantastic trip... great wind, warm weather, incredible scenery and a beautiful boat. Definitely a trip I'd like to repeat.

Our boat, "Sweet Illusion", a C&C 47, sitting in the mooring field at Bitter End Yacht club. Standing on the bow is our guide Ray, my mom, Bill, Sue and myself. Photo by Dad.

Approaching Monkey Point, where we jumped over board and snorkeled. Pictured are my dad at the bow, myself and Sue. Photo by Mom.

Snorkeling at "The Baths" on Virgin Gorda. Huge granite boulders form hidden pools and grottos to snorkel and swim in. Photo by Mom.

The aforementioned honeymoon spot, Little Dix Bay, on Virgin Gorda. Photo by Dad.

In July of '95 my dad, JeffO, Kris Dressler and Matt Schroeder chartered a boat out of Sturgeon Bay, WI and sailed across Lake Michigan and back. We then met up with the rest of our family and another family (who chartered as well) and spent some time sailing around Door County.

Due to a burnt-out light bulb, I was afforded a top-down view of the "Do Vidjenja", (a C&C 42) which means roughly "I'll see you again" in Yugoslavian.

The crew (from L-R)... JenO, JackO, Mom, me, Matt, Kris Dressler and JeffO. Photo by Dad.

A view of our small berths and my friend Dressler, who is 6'-8" with his boots on. Photo by Matt.

January '97 saw the Hoofer SCUBA Club off to Miami, where we boarded a Blackbeard charter and sailed to the Bahamas for a week of diving.

Our first five days were cloudy with rough seas, which made diving all the more enjoyable. Oddly enough a lot of people found relief from seasickness by getting into the water.

Between dives we ate a lot of excellent food, lounged on the deck and did some deep sea fishing.

Our divemaster, Brad, was extremely difficult to look at.

One of the rare sunny-sky days with good wind.

In April '99, my dad and I flew with Bob and Inger Kay to Malta, just below Italy where we boarded the Kay's boat, the Vega Maria, which had been stored there for the season. After preparing the boat we sailed across the Ionian Sea to Corfu, a small island off Greece.

Malta: When we arrived the boat was on the hard, so we spent a couple days touring Malta and preparing the boat for our trip across the Ionian.

On the Vega Maria at a marina in Corfu - behind me are the mountains of Albania, which becomes interesting when you take into account the political situation in Kosovo at the time. (!) Photo by Dad.

Corfu: Our Marina at sunset.

To see more of Malta and Corfu, click here.

In August of 2000, my family and Matt all met in LA at Marina Del Rey, where we chartered the Emerald Sea, a 47' Jeanneau Sun Odyssey boat. We sailed out to North Catalina and back, then down to South Catalina and around the far side out to the island of Santa Barbara. Highlights of the trip include the seals, dolphins, Austin Powers, THE SQUAL and Coors Light.

The main harbor outside of "Two Harbors", where we moored the first night.

The Emerald Sea at sail off the north coast of Catalina. Almost as entertaining as sailing was watching Matt trying to get a good picture of us while fighting 4' waves in the dinghy. Photo credit: Shraydogg

Jack down below, trying to stand upright. There are more of these.

The crew from left to right... me, JenO, JackO, JeffO, Mom and Dad in port called ??? on the NW side of Catalina. Photo credit: Shraydog

Matt, JenO, Dad and JeffO in port at Avalon. I volunteered to take the picture as none of us had showered in days.

For our second annual family sailing trip, everyone gathered in Anacortes, WA, which is about 90 miles Northwest of Seattle in early August of 2001. From there we took a ferry to Friday Harbor where our charter boat, a 42' Catalina named "WindSeeker", was kept. We spent the week sailing, eating and island hopping, including a trip to big Vancouver Island in Canada. Below is a map showing our route, and the harbors we stayed in. The last 2 days are shown in orange because the routes overlap.

WindSeeker in Prevost Harbor.

On Monday afternoon we anchored in Prevost Harbor (3) off Stuart Island, took the dingy to shore and went on a 7 mile hike. The picture shows a view of Reid Harbor which is on the other side of Stuart Island.

Our post-dinner view at Prevost Harbor. Photo by Dad.

When sailing from Prevost Harbor (3) to Roche Harbor (4) on Tuesday afternoon we had several Dahl's porpoises jumping at our bow. Dahl's porpoises are black and white and look like miniature Killer Whales.

Jeff with one of his friends which he and my family then butchered and consumed. Sick people.

The main restaurant at sunset in Roche Harbor, which is a luxurious port for wealthy people with big boats. Every evening they have a flag lowering ceremony. When we were there the charter members of the yacht club were honored - (now old) men who had a bit much to drink but were surprisingly agile when it came to doing all sorts of dives off a 15-foot pier when the ceremony ended.

After a stringent check in with customs (my siblings and I have still never legally been to Canada), we toured Victoria. (5) Victoria, "the city of gardens" has more flowers than conceivable - my mom was in heaven. While there, we toured the Royal British Columbia Museum, took in an Imax to get out of the hot sun, wandered around Parliament and then had a great Italian meal at "Julia's".

Back in Friday Harbor. (1) Thanks to Greg Michlig for joining us for a day and taking the picture!

In 2002 we decided to try the other US coast. Our trip originated in Mystic, CT, at Sail the Sounds Marina, where we boarded our vessel, "Joyful Noise", a new 46' Beneteau Oceanis, on July 31, 2002. We picked up Jen and Jeff in Newport and then continued east to Nantucket before heading back. In spite of several less-than-joyful boat noises (low battery indicator, whistling mast, dingy issues), nearly swinging into 2 different boats our second night (one worth about $5 million) and being rescued in an oncoming storm with a disabled vessel, we all managed to have a great time.

We covered a lot of ground on this trip - 4 states! Check out the map.

Joyful Noise under sail in Narragansett Bay.

We spent 2 nights anchored in Edgartown Harbour on Martha's Vineyard, which gave us a whole day to wander and play. Thus the invention of Dinghy Frisbee.™ Basically this consisted of one of us whipping the frisbee off the boat and then Jack, driven by Jeff in the dinghy, would attempt to catch it, often diving from the dinghy at high speeds.

On our way from Edgartown to Nantucket, we ran into high seas. About 2 miles from the harbor our shifter broke disabling our engine, so we couldn't motor in. Lots of wind, rain, radio contact and mild panic on the part of my mother ensued. A few hours later after numerous discussions with the our charter outfit and the Nantucket harbor master, we were finally escorted into the harbor under sail.

Check out Jeff's crab sandwich. If you want to see what someone looks like when they turn green while extremely sunburnt, check out my face. (Picture by JenO)

We had sunny skies for our departure from Nantucket and great wind. (Note the horizon line.)

One of the things I didn't like about the East coast as opposed to the West coast or the Caribbean or any of the other places we've sailed is that there are boats and people everywhere. If you're wearing high heels on a sail boat you're not really sailing. (Picture by JenO)

Another moment of excitement was taking our vessel of unknown height underneath a 65-foot bridge up the Sakonnet River. Upon the assurance of a local, we made it and found out later we cleared it by a solid 3 feet.

We have a lot of bridge shots.

The brady bunch returns to Mystic. (Photo by nice stranger.)

After the east coast adventure the family took (read: needed) a three-year hiatus from our annual week-long sailing trip. By July 2005 though we were ready to head back to the west coast to explore the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, just a few miles north of the San Juans. Unfortunately Jack wasn't able to make it but we picked up a couple brave men from Michigan to complete our group. We took about a thousand photos (984 actually) so narrowing it down to ten thumbnails was hard. Still working on a map. For more photos check out my flickr account.

Everyone but Jen and Anil (who drove up from Portland) flew in to Vancouver, bused down to Tsawwassan and then took a ferry over to Schwartz Bay, which is in Sidney on Victoria Island. Jenil then drove us to Bosun Charters where we boarded our 44' Hunter named Mithrandir II.

Having fond memories of crabbing, Jeff was eager to put a crab trap out the first night once we were moored in Montague Harbour. So eager that he didn't check the tangled line and got to watch the buoy sink about 10 feet below the surface. With no other options he stripped down and dove into the 50° water to rescue the trap. The photo at left is him and my mom coming back to the boat - we were quite surprised to see him soaking wet.

We celebrated the 4th of July in Telegraph Harbour off Thetis Island, complete with flag napkins, great munchies and an amazing sunset. They also killed and ate their first crab, much to my dismay.

The next day the weather turned foul. Rain gear was donned and the men sailed us through Dodd Narrows which is a small passageway with strange currents that cause lots of whirlpools. Not knowing exactly what was ahead we sent Jeff and Bryan out in the Dinghy to investigate first. I'm still amazed they returned.

We spent the next two nights in a slip at Newcastle Island Provincial Park across the water from Nanaimo. We ate at the Dinghy Dock Pub the first night and liked it so much we went back for lunch the next day. Apparently the chowder was outstanding.

Newcastle (or Pleasure Island as it was once called before WW II) is a small vehicle-free island covered with lush forests, sculpted sandstone cliffs, and sandy beaches in numerous bays and coves. We spent a morning hiking and saw some amazing scenery and a lot of interesting wild life.

This is one of my favorite photos, tho it requires some explanation. We had been seeing 1-2" jellyfish fairly often and every once in a while a 3-incher. So when Bryan said there was a huge jellyfish, we weren't prepared to see anything quite this big. This shot is taken off the back of the boat looking down, the sky reflected in the surface of the water. For reference the little jellyfish below this one was about 2 inches wide.

Leaving Newcastle we had some nice wind and were able to do some great sailing.

Our next destination was Maple Bay Marina on Vancouver Island. We all have to make a dinner so for our night Bryan and I made lemon chicken with salad, seared green beans, cheese bread and wine. I think everyone was particularly glad Bryan came along that night. Otherwise it would have been popcorn for all.

I'm trying to limit myself to 10 thumbnails, but I still have sunset photos from Bedwell Harbour and Lyall Harbour so I'm sneaking them in here. The photo at left is of Anil and Bryan checking the crab trap in the dinghy, carrying on Jeff's work after he left.

This was the trip I had been waiting for. Warm air, warm water and a long, open-water crossing between the two islands. Present were the whole fam, Anil and Schroeder. See the map here. For more, check out Flickr for my photos and Jack's photos.

Jeff, Matt and I arrived in Jolly Harbour ("S" on map) in Antigua, Saturday, March 11, 2006, to meet up with Mom, Dad and Jack who were already there. Our boat was "Daddy's Girl", a 2004 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 43 DS from Horizon Yacht Charters.

Sunday the six of us got checked out on the boat and then went for a brief sail around "Five Islands" and returned late in the afternoon to meet Jen and Anil. We all had dinner together in Jolly Harbour at Mellinis.

Monday we departed Jolly Harbour and went southwest through Goat Head channel to Carlisle Bay where we went snorkeling. Visibility was only about 10' in some places but we saw several fish, urchin, conch shells, etc. We went on to English Harbour ("M" on map), anchoring near the entrance, among a lot of BIG boats. Matt caught a red snapper and then the fish eaters went out for dinner at "Life", a restaurant on the water.

Tuesday morning we explored English Harbour. While the rest went grocery shopping and exploring, Jenil and I docked the dinghy at Fort Nelson and climbed the hill through Fort Burkley. Great views, interesting plants. One really big boat. Mid-afternoon we left harbour, continuing around the east side of the island, motoring through 6-8' swells to Green Island, anchoring in West Bay ("Tu" on map). We went snorkeling again although vis was poor, so quickly gave up and returned to the boat for fajitas, rum and a night of Taboo. Team A (me, Anil, Mom, Jeff) prevailed.

Wednesday we departed Green Island at 8 a.m. heading north to Barbuda at 355° on a beam reach. Seas were a bit rough. Mom threw up. Jen threw up. Anil stayed horizontal and survived. The weather calmed and was beautiful by the time we arrived at Cocoa Point on Barbuda around 3 p.m. The water and beaches were pristine... and we had them all to ourselves! Jenil, Jack, Schroeder and I went snorkeling at a nearby reef and saw several fish. Grilled for dinner during a beautiful sunset and watched a movie afterward. (Anchored at "W" on map.)

Thursday morning we sailed up the west coast of Barbuda to Low Bay. Several of us took the dinghy out to a reef to snorkel and saw many fish and, apparently, a shark, which I missed out on due to mask fog. Having a fogged mask when Schroeder is gesturing wildly at an approaching shark is not a pleasant situation to be in. Later in the day we decided we needed to get to Codrington, which is the main (only?) town on Barbuda and has a population of about 1,000 people. We portaged the dinghy across the spit and it was a long ride through a murky, jellyfish infested, saltwater pond to get to Codington where we spent $30 for much-needed water and some diet coke. The excitement continued on our way back when we ran out of gas going from the beach to Daddy's Girl. Rowing ensued. Jack had appetizers waiting for us and they were delicious. (Anchored at "Th" on map.)

Friday morning came with good weather and a decent wind so we decided to cross back to Antigua. We arrived mid-afternoon and sailed through the north channel up to Long Island and anchored in Jumby Bay ("F" on map). We took the dinghy out to play in the shallows but there were a lot of sharp mussels and clams. That night Jeff, Jack and Anil made friends with a local, hitched a ride on a ferry back to the mainland and he took them to buy beer, pizza and chocolates... all the luxuries of home.

Saturday we sailed over to Great Bird Island and went snorkeling again. Interesting plant life and fish. Then we returned to Jolly Harbour, did some last minute shopping and had dinner at Mellinis again. Jenil, Matt and Jeff and I wandered over to a bar on the water to watch some karaoke. Jen stole the show with her polished rendition of "I will survive" before retiring. The rest of the night is a little fuzzy but Jeff, Matt and I wound up in the casino next door, doing a little bit of gambling, making friends and having drinks with questionable ingredients. We all arrived safely back home to the boat though, just in time to say goodbye to Jen and Anil, who were on their way out to catch a very early flight.

Sunday morning was spent packing and cleaning up the boat and then we hired a cab to take us to the north side of the island to drop Jeff off at the airport and then take the rest of us to Club Colonna, a sailing school run by Sunsail. Normally families stay here for a week, and the extremely-expensive, all-inclusive price buys you most of your meals and access to their extensive fleet of sailboats, kites, windsurfing equipment and even scuba equipment. My dad managed to get us a great little villa for just one night though, and he and Jack made good use of the amenities while Schroeder and Mom and I lounged by the pool. Would be great to return!

Monday, Schroeder and I took an early flight to San Juan where we had a long layover, and were able to tour the city. As it turned out we could have toured the city much longer, as our flight was canceled and we didn't fly out until late. Beautiful city though, very European. Another place to add to the list of places to visit!

I love wakeboarding. One of the best experiences in life has got to be boarding through the reflection of your surroundings on completely flat water, second only to the little acceleration you get when you land on the down-side of the far wake. I don't have either of these experiences often enough — In the grand scheme of things I'm not very good at wakeboarding yet, but I'm having a great time while I wait for my natural-born, awe-inspiring talent to kick in. There isn't much better in life than a warm summer afternoon, still water, Zima Citrus, a boat with a good wake and friends to share it all with.

Wakeboarding behind the boss's boat on a warm day in July, 2000. Photo by Mike Benton.

Jeff in his wakeboard boat on one of the breezier days of our vacation. Life is hard. July '03. Shadow Mountain Lake, CO.

Probably Jeff. Inverted and flailing. July '03, Shadow Mountain lake, CO.

JeffO, frontside 180. July '03, Shadow Mountain Lake, CO.

Spanky, mid-tantrum. July '03, Shadow Mountain Lake, CO.

JackO, frontside 180 method. July '03, Shadow Mountain Lake, CO.

On the Wisconsin River up near Kev & Cyndy's cottage in July, '03. Photo by Cyndy Woods.

Schroeder on the Rock River. Sept. '03.

Tammy on the Rock River, just before sunset. Sept. '03.

Jaron on Lake Mendota. In addition to being a natural athlete and nice guy, Jaron has a really, really nice camera. See the following few photos. Sept. '03. Photo by Big Mike.

Lake Mendota. Really need to work on my facial expressions. Sept. '03. Photo by Jaron.

Tammy on Lake Mendota. Sept. '03. Photo by Jaron.

Big Mike on Lake Mendota, mid-roll. Sept. '03. Photo by Jaron.

Suite Pat on Lake Mendota. Sept. '03. Photo by Jaron.

Lake Mendota. Sept. '03. Photo by Jaron.

Jack on the Petaluma River, near San Francisco. May 2004. Photo by Tony.

I joined the Hoofer Scuba Club and became PADI certified in '96. (If you're looking for certification, Hoofers has one of the best instructors you'll find.) THEY dive year round, all over Wisconsin. I like to dive in the Caribbean. Luckily, they also go on a winter trip... in '97 we went for a 1 week sail in the Bahamas on a live-aboard, the following year we went to Cozumel and in '03 we went to Roatan, Honduras. All trips were a blast and the diving was fantastic. The highlight for me was the shark dive in the Bahamas — you come to an interesting realization when one chopped-up fish brings 50 sharks out of nowhere in a matter of seconds.

Below are a few underwater pictures we've taken from the Bahamas, Cozumel, Cancun and Roatan. Although I've lost track, I think it's safe to assume any photos on this page have been taken by myself, John Brady, Eric Stiers or Yaniv Lazimy. If I'm wrong, or if you would like to identify the creatures on this page, email me at me@julieolsen.com. Thanks.

Lobster

Me & JenO

Fish

Group o' fish

Eel

Angel Fish