Pictures: Pre-Trip Life

Living in Chicago can be a challenge in the winter. Here are a few reasons we're headed for warmer climes...

Before we discovered sailing, we did a lot of canoeing in Quetico (also known as the "Boundary Waters") in Canada. Portaging over narrow, rocky paths and through mosquito-infested swamps can be challenging...

But the fishing in Quetico was fantastic and the isolated, pristine wilderness was breathtaking. We were always excited to catch fish -- especially since we never brought along enough food. Walleye, pike, trout, and bass were delicious over a camp fire...

Even before we got the bright idea for this voyage, we had gotten interested in sailing. Our first boat was a Hobie 16 (which we sailed across Lake Michigan) and then we graduated to a Nacra 5.5SL...

Later on we got involved in frostbite sailing. We'd sail El Toro's all winter long in Waukegan Harbor -- as long as the harbor wasn't frozen! We also tried some kayaking during the winter in the local rivers around Chicago, but it was always a challenge to find places to put in...

Small sailboat racing was tons of fun and really helped develop better sailing skills. We also raced a JY15 in Waukegan Harbor during the summer...

We got our first large sailboat in 1996. "Havoc" was an Express 37, racer-cruiser and we had our share of adventures on her sailing Lake Michigan...