Sailing Away ... to Ireland

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Apr 27, 2006 12:59PM

Chicagoist has a friend, who has a friend that owns a sailboat, so we've gotten the chance to enjoy a Sunday afternoons out on Lake Michigan. When things get stressful at work or winter begins to drag into its 8th month, we begin dreaming of getting a sailboat and just sailing away. Maybe blog about the trip to help support the adventure...

Unlike Chicagoist, however, some actually embark on their crazy voyages. Yesterday, the Naomh Barbara set sail for Ireland from Montrose Harbor. The Galway Hooker-class sailboat is 47 ft. long with a 49 ft. mast. A little bigger than the boat Chicagoist has been on, but not by much! And the Naomh Barbara, with a crew of five on their incredible two-month journey to Ireland.

For those of us sailing vicariously through the crew of the Naomh Barbara, we can track their progress on the interactive map, showing their progress. We see they're in the middle of Lake Michigan heading toward Mackinac Island at the moment -- when our friends particpated in the Race to Mackinac last year, we were duly impressed. After hearing of these guys, that sounds like an afternoon cruise...