SUMMER 2019
SW
050
Q At 13, my world revolved around my bus pass, bike and life jacket.
I had some great sailing options, but I lived 10 miles away. After
school and on weekends, often I would take the bus to the yacht
club for Laser sailing on Lake Washington.
I earned my life jacket as payment for a summer job teaching
younger kids how to sail. My mom bought me my diving wetsuit.
I made my own weight jacket out of old sweatshirts—they were
still legal back then, remember— and I found old bits of discarded
rope on the dock and used them as my control lines. Going sailing
was logistically challenging, but in my mind the rewards were always
worth time spent on the bus and the trying sail through the narrow
Montlake Cut.
At the time, the Seattle Laser Fleet was on top of the world.
Stars like Chris Maas, Dennis Clark, Craig Thomas and Carl Buchan
would battle it out in the often fluky and weed-infested waters of
Union Bay, honing their skills in preparation for the coming world
championship and U.S. Youth Championships. As an aspiring racer,
these guys—there were a few women too—were role models.Product of My
Environment
It’s now easy to see the lasting impact
of the local sailing talent of his youthSTARTING LINE
M
C
KEE MINUTE
BY JOHNATHAN MC
KEECARLO GIAMBARRESI