Boating Memories

Ship Ahoy
By Stanley Friedman

Our boating lives began in 1969 when a good friend conned me into partnering the purchase of our first boat, a 28 foot Chris Craft, named Gypsy that we docked at Diversey Harbor. It wasn't fancy, but fun and all our weekends were spent abroad her. Our wives and I with youngest child Ruth, were always together aboard, and often ventured across the lake for great times.

From The Gypsy, we advanced to the 28 foot Concorde we christened, The Odd Couple. That's what we were, my friend and I, along with our wives, Cookie and Minna Rae. With pictures of the boat in hand, M.R. even met a real member of the TV Odd Couple, Tony Randall, when he appeared at McCormick Place.

After a trip to Florida, the next craft in the family was the La Vie, a 36 foot beauty that we docked in Burnham Harbor, across from Soldier Field. It had a fly bridge, beautiful appointments, a wet bar in the upper salon... you name it, we had it. The only drawback was the diesel fuel. After every foray on the lake, our clothes were gray from the exhaust fumes from sitting on the back deck. We never did sell The Odd Couple during that year and with the ending of our partnership, M.R. and I chose to keep it and we became The Odd Couple, (not a stretch). We gave up The La Vie, which sadly, was destroyed in a fire shortly after.

During all our forays across Lake Michigan, and there were many, we always seemed to have a Poseidon adventure in one direction. If the going was smooth, the return was a nightmare and vice-versa.

After our happy move to the Great Lakes Marina, we bought The PJ, a 32 foot Trojan from Col. James Voskovitch, MD and had many years of great boating and camaraderie with the Great Lakes Yacht Club. The PJ is now harbored at the 5th Street Yacht Club in Racine with its new owner (also, ironically named Friedmann) and we still visit it.

Along the way, on one of our overseas trips with Revere Copper & Brass, we dropped in to the Yacht Club of Greece. You have heard of it. Its most famous member was Aristotle Onassis. Sadly, Ari wasn't there the day we arrived. I think we toasted him. They had all the U.S. Navy pennants hanging in the clubhouse.

Our 31 years of boating days are happy memories...
Our happy days with friends at GLYC are endless...