Mike and Sharon Crothers of the Hunter Sailing Association (HSA) took a year off from work starting last April and have spent the year sailing their Hunter Legend 40-foot sloop Monarch along the East Coast from Maine to the Bahamas.
They say, “The trip has gone extremely well.” They took some time last month to answer SpinSheet’s questions:
Sharon and Mike Crothers.
What is your home port?
We keep our boat at the Selby Bay Marina on the South River and have been there for five years before taking this last year off to cruise.
How did you get into sailing?
Mike grew up sailing in New England; Sharon took some sailing classes as a teenager. When we moved to North Carolina 20 years ago, we rebuilt a Cal 20 and used it to teach our children to sail. When we moved to Maryland, we purchased the Hunter to live on and cruise.
What’s the best thing about being in a cruising club?
When we purchased our Hunter, the seller recommended we join HSA, and we are glad we did. A 40-foot sailboat takes a lot of knowledge to operate and maintain, and the sailing club gave us ready access to people willing to help. But the best part is making friends to join up with out on the water.
Have you held an office within HSA?
Mike was commodore for two years, and it grew our friendships with many of the club members much deeper.
Do you have a favorite recent memory from a club rendezvous?
We sailed down to the Bahamas this winter, and several of us from the club who also happened to be in the area joined up at Green Turtle Cay for brunch. It was fun to join with others from the HSA, who had worked hard to make their dreams come true and be in the Bahamas.
Tell us about someone special you’ve met through sailing.
Carl and Sue Reitz have been extremely helpful not only on the mechanics of running a large sailboat but also helping us get the most from the club as a great social experience.
