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I started sailing when I was 12 years old. I took the money I had earned from delivering newspapers and bought myself an 8' fiberglass sailboat. A Ranger, she had a wood mast and not much sail, but she was easy to sail and pleasant to look at. At the time, none of my family or friends knew how to sail, so I had to teach myself. I spent most of that first summer, sailing downwind and having my father tow me back upwind behind his ski boat.
As I got older, and went to summer camps I was able to get my hands on faster boats, such as the Laser. By the time I got to college I had sailed a number of boats and wasn't a bad sailor. But I still had no formal training. At college I got involved with the school's racing team. There I was able refine my skills and get some professional coaching. I became a certified sailing instructor and taught sailing at the University.
Along with racing dinghies on the school team, I joined a crew on a Beneteau 36 and got the chance to compete in a number of races in the Puget Sound, competing against some of the best sailors in the area.
Now, when work allows, I just cruise around the Salish Sea.
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