Chapter 70- S/V Denis Sullivan, Sail & Fireworks

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!  Hope you’re celebrating and relaxing.  I wanted to tell you that last night, Theo and I met some friends at the Sailing Vessel Denis Sullivan for a 2 hour sail on Lake Michigan.  It’s been approximately four years since we’ve seen fireworks, so this was a much awaited adventure.

When we boarded, we met with the ship’s captain, Carlos.  He gave us an amusing but serious set of instructions and expectations for the sail.  As it turns out, he’s a really interesting guy who was incredibly easy to talk to.

One of the crew members brought her dog Brody on the trip, and he was a busy guy, checking out everything and everyone on and near the ship.

We made our way out of the harbor surrounding Discovery World, and set sail on the fairly calm water.

This picture of Theo relaxing pretty much sums up the feeling of the sail.  A nice breeze kept us moving calmly, and I felt like we were in a hammock.

We had some great conversations with the captain and crew members.  I was surprised to know that most of the crew live on the ship and spend the winters maintaining the boat.  Everyone we talked to was kind and genuine, and willing to share their experience with us…

…even if they didn’t want to be photographed…

We were served Purple Door Ice Cream, as a 4th of July bonus.  Have you had their salted caramel?  Do it.  It’s amazing.  That’s really all I need to tell you.

When we headed back into the harbor, there were a million other boats getting set up to watch the fireworks.  Carlos navigated the path and we docked right were se started.  At first, I thought the view of fireworks would be obstructed by the masts, but the minute they started I shut my mouth.  It was a great view!

After the show ended, we made our way through the sea of people leaving downtown.  For the future, I’ll never drive or walk to see fireworks at the lakefront again.  Biking would be the only tolerable way to leave.

What about you, what are you doing to celebrate this weekend?  I’d love to hear.

So happy holiday, all.  Enjoy!

A. Storm