Getting the Band Back Together
Published: Thursday, August 12, 2021
By: Ken Quant, Broad Reach Marketing
This past year of Covid was certainly an unusual one to say the least. Besides the obvious health concerns, the imposed social restrictions created a lot of unexpected outcomes. When it started, no one knew that the limits on people gathering would cause a boom in boat sales as people searched for ways to get outdoors while remaining socially distanced. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense because what better way is there to escape society than on a boat?
For us, our biggest boating related Covid-fear was that our race crew would fall apart due to a self-imposed limit. Being socially responsible, we decided to run with only five people max throughout all of last season. That led us to reluctantly say no to several of our regular crew. That was really tough for us. Our entire program has been built over many years by saying yes to anyone that asked. Having to turn some people down was just against our grain. Yes, we made it through our reduced scheduled season with our “bubble” crew, but I was worried that many of our regulars would not come back this year once things opened up.
So this spring, it was with a bit of trepidation that I composed an email to everyone on our crew list announcing that we would be running a thorough schedule of races with full crew this summer. How many would come back? Did some of them maybe move on to other boats? Did some of them even just give up sailing altogether? It was hard to tell given everything that has gone on the last year, so I had no idea what to expect when I hit send. The responses were quick to come back. Much to my delight, just about everyone on the list was in. It truly does seem like absence makes the heart grow fonder, and a summer of cancelled races and limited crew seems to have done just that for our sailing friends.
Now that the season has started, it was with great joy that we welcomed everyone back onboard. The two races we’ve already completed at the time of this writing filled the boat with more than just crew. It was filled with true friends. The smiles on everyone’s faces as we gathered before leaving the dock were those of pure delight knowing that this promises to be one of the greatest summers of our lives. For us, those smiles just reconfirm why we continue to keep pushing the same old boat around the race course. It’s really not for the competition anymore, it’s really mostly about creating a gathering place for friends.
About the Author
Ken sails his T10, Eclipse, out of McKinley Marina in Milwaukee. He races regularly with the South Shore Yacht Club and MAST sailing club.
A version of this article appeared in the Summer Issue (July/August) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: COVID-19, Feel Good Story, Lifestyle, Racing, Sailing
