ABOUT ME
&
HOW THIS SITE CAME TO BE

Hi! Thanks for stopping by.

My name is Michael and I am the author of this site. I have loved sailing and the Great Lakes since that fateful afternoon nearly 30 years ago when I first set foot on a friend's sailboat in Bayfield, ON. I was hooked!

Within months I had bought a sailboat, doing just about everything wrong. My friend asked me what I had bought and all I could say was that it was a sailboat and it was green! However, I had done one thing absolutely right and that was buying it from a superb sailor who was scrupulously honest and fair and who then set about the task of teaching me to sail it!

That purchase began a life-long love affair with sailing and with the Great Lakes.

And me and my Hughes sailed countless miles on Lake Erie, exploring ports and harbours on both sides of the lake. Summers will usually find me exploring hidden anchorages along the fabulous North Channel and northern reaches of Georgian Bay. Over the years, I have sailed and explored Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior and each experience has only deepened my love of these inland seas.

Throughout my career, I worked in education - (as a teacher and as an administrator) and in business as the President of a multi-site learning company and as a consultant in Canada and in the United States. Learning, teaching and writing are in my blood. When I got my boat, I joined the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron and took their sailing and navigation courses. I have served as Education Officer for my Squadron.

I joined the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. In time, I was promoted to 2Coxswain. I was eventually promoted to Vice-Commodore responsible for unit training. Inter-agency activities included inter-agency training exercises and participation in the maritime security plan for the 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto, ON.

I serve on the Governance committee for CCGA - Central & Arctic Region. I hold a Master's (Limited) license as well as a PhD. I am President of Leahy Research, a research and analytics firm based in Toronto Ontario.

For years, I have sailed, taught navigation, weather & seamanship, written course material, led training exercises and delivered seminars.

This website grew from my experiences as a sailor. There are many places on the internet where you can find information. But, there was no one place where you could get all the information on ports, port descriptions, ideas on navigation and cruising, weather, safety, etc.

My goal is to provide readers with a comprehensive listing of ports-of-call around the Great Lakes basin and a selection of articles that cover a broad range of topics that matter to boaters - whether power or sail.

This is also a place for readers to offer their own input. Its not just a one way flow of information. There are lots of opportunities to add your thoughts, to make your comments and I hope you do (please keep it positive – there is enough negative, unpleasant stuff out there without us adding to it).

If you have had a great cruise to a port, let us know; we'd ALL love to know the location of a welcoming yacht club (see the review of Cleveland OH for my personal experience with a terrific club) or marina. Everyone likes to know the name of a great pub or restaurant. And ... locations of good ice cream shops should NEVER be a secret!

I would love to hear from you. You can contact me here.

Fair winds!