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Greetings from Port Washington, Wisconsin, a little harbor town along the western shore of Lake Michigan into which we sailed today

“We” is Bryan Kapteyn, his son Nick, Cyndy Keesler, and me.

Bryan is the owner and captain of Torenvalk, a 38-foot Down Easter cutter-rig sailboat.

We sailed out of Holland, Michigan, last night (June 6) at 8:00 pm, crossed the big lake overnight, and arrived in Port Washington at noon today.

It was a peaceful, albeit cold, ride with steady winds of 10 to 15 knots out of the southwest, which means that we set our sails on a broad reach and didn’t change course until we were close to the Port Washington harbor.

This is but the beginning of a summer of sailing. Our general plan is to be on each of the five Great Lakes and return to Holland in September.

Torenvalk is a beautiful vessel. 1977 vintage with one global circumnavigation under her hull.

Steady and heavy at 20,000 pounds. Shoal draft keel. Roomy enough to sleep six, although, for us, four is cozy.

The name, a Dutch word, means the bird “kestrel” as well as “wind-blown.”

Being blown by the wind is what we intend to be for the next 3.5 months.

This story began on September 24, 2020, when I posted my sailor’s profile on Find-a-Crew, a matchmaker web site for boat owners who are looking for crew and sailors who are looking for a boat on which to crew.

Bryan’s profile matched mine. I “waved” to him, he responded, and we began to exchange emails that confirmed our potential compatibility. At that time, Cyndy and I were in Arizona.

When we visited Michigan last November, we met Bryan and Nick for an evening meal in Holland; all four of us got along well, and we agreed to continue our get-to-know-you conversations.

Our bonding concretized this past April when Cyndy and I came back to Michigan again, choosing to camp in Holland.

For six weeks, we helped Bryan retrofit Torenvalk. Sanding, epoxying, and varnishing wood trim. Masking and painting decorative stripes. Painting the bottom of the hull with an anti-fouling agent. Placing a new fiberglass dodger (windshield for a boat) that Bryan had made in his garage.

We helped two to four hours on most days, depending on the task at hand.

Then, in the past week, we invested more hours attaching new sails, cleaning the interior, provisioning food, and organizing lockers and cabinets to stow our gear.

After one night of sailing, we’re still happy with each other, and we expect that good atmosphere to continue.

Nick and Cyndy are taking charge of cooking so far … chicken salad for lunch today, steak and asparagus for supper. I’ve been washing dishes and so has Cyndy.

Bryan is educating us about Torenvalk’s nuances, which includes advanced electronic systems, some of which are brand new: auto helm, weather radar, automatic identification system (AIS) to locate nearby vessels, and navigational charts.

Bryan has also subscribed to a really cool satellite Garmin location tracking service that shows our route and our current location. Check it out at share.garmin.com/Z2MWP.

Over our evening meal tonight, I asked each one: “What are you enjoying about this trip so far?”

Bryan: “Going on an adventure with good people and being able to take our home with us.”

Nick: “New things and getting into the groove of working together. Dad and I have sailed to Port Washington before, but everything north will be new.”

Cyndy, who has sailed before but not to this extent: “I appreciate Bryan and Nick and you taking time to teach me things about this boat.”

Me, who started sailing in 1992: “Torenvalk’s size, beauty, and seaworthiness. Bryan’s attention to safety and the instrumentation he has installed.”

From Port Washington, we intend to sail north along the Wisconsin shore to Sheboygan tomorrow. A little rain is in the forecast, but we have our foul weather gear – “foulies” – so what the heck?

On ensuing days, we will head farther north on the west side of Lake Michigan until we turn east to pass under the Mackinac Bridge that links Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with the Lower Peninsula.

We will pull into a port fairly often, but we will also anchor out when a safe harbor is available.

I intend to post a blog periodically—not every day.

Again, that link to follow our progress is share.garmin.com/Z2MWP.

Torenvalk photos

You can find Cyndy's photos of this sailing adventure as well as other places that she and I have visited in the past two years here.

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