“The largest group of black sailors of both men and women in the country —cruising and racing.”
My first sail was in high school on a 16-foot Sunfish.
In 1972 a friend and I bought a Snark from Sears which we sailed everywhere. **“Not only Lake Michigan but many smaller lakes in Wisconsin. That boat remained with me for another thirty years. Because of that sailboat, I met another friend years later who became a lifetime inspiration. My sailing was about to move up to another level. It proved to be extremely exciting to me. Learning the points of sail, the elements (wind, current), plotting, and navigating courses to faraway places—sailing was ‘sport.' "
"Alpha Ray Thompson was the inspiration of a lifetime. Al has embraced outdoor adventure for most of his adult life—performing feats most people would consider quite daring. But his ability to ‘McGyver’ anything was the initial attraction. One weekend both of us were going on the same ski club camping trip. To each of our surprise, we brought the same 12-foot Sunflower sailboat and sailed the entire weekend together. It was years later when Al influenced me to move up to a larger boat. It’s been forty-something years, and I haven’t been without one since. We found we not only had camping in common, but sailing, skiing, skating, and tennis.
I learned how to maintain my own equipment. For one, it’s a significant savings, as sailing and skiing are not the most inexpensive of sports. Being informed and knowledgeable about your gear, how it’s constructed, how it operates, and how you want it to perform, increases your credibility and allows you to derive higher performance." mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm —Our Red Skies by P.C. Rice
In 1980 I purchased a 22’ Southcoast; in 1992, a 26’ Clipper Marine. In 1989, I joined JPYC - the first black woman skipper.
I made taking U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Classes every three years as a refresher.
The fall of 1994, headed to upper Muskegon, Michigan to pick up a 27” O’Day and sail it back 180 miles.I sailed that for 21 years. My introduction to the harbors and how to navigate into them gave me a reason to share them with other sailors. That one voyage from Muskegon was the beginning of seven years of annual Lake Michigan cruising. Although I participated in Wednesday Night Beer can races and other local races, I loved cruising,
I created summer cruise trips of up to 11 boats, introducing sailors to Lake Michigan crossings. This lasted six years.
In 2000, I was recruited by founder of the Black Boaters Summit (Paul Mixon) as a captain to cruise the British Virgin Islands. I submited my sailing resume with The Moorings and sailed a 45’, 47’ and 50 catamaran with crew. I sailed those islands for three years.
Currently, I’m sailing a 30’ O’day which I shall hopefully retire from.
Racine, WI - 1982
Below - 1st sailboat- 1972
