Once you’re out of sight of land for a while, you understand why they speak of “offshore sailing” in the Great Lakes.

Once you’ve been through a few sail changes, you might think of the prevailing wind as “variable.” And once you’ve gone the length of Lake Michigan, you will be, in a small way, a veteran of sailing in the heart of America. I say “in a small way” because there is a lot of water here—one fifth of all the fresh water on the planet—and they don’t call them “great” lakes for nothing.

Click here to read the full story.