Why Did it Shrink and Turn Blue?

An Open Letter to Jimmy Buffett

Ahoy Jimmy!

It’s me, your old buddy Capt’n Gordy. Oh, I know it been a while since we last saw each other, but I believe a close friendship like ours doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. Remember the last time we spoke? I think it was 1986. You and a couple of pals were on stage at Le Select in St. Barth’s. My wife, Mary Brigh and I were way in the back. I shouted, “Hey Jimmy!!”

You waved back and shouted, “Hey Parrotheads!!” Man, seems like it was just yesterday.

I’m now running Lake Superior Tall Ships in Wisconsin. We take kids (of all ages) sailing to help them experience great adventures, make amazing discoveries (often about themselves), and become good stewards of Lake Superior, and I need your help.

Whenever I ask people to come sail with us on Gitche Gumee, the overwhelming response I get from folks is, “Are you crazy? I don’t want to die!”. Somehow people have been convinced that venturing out on the shining Big-Sea-Water will put “the good ship and crew in peril”. As they walk away, they usually begin humming an eerie and haunting tune that sends shivers up my spine, like I get when a storm blows across the lake early in November.

I’m sure Mr. Lightfoot and other songwriters don’t mean to scare people from boating on Lake Superior, but I guess they figure dramatic stories about horrific storms, foundering craft and tragic death sell better than songs about a family that sailed to Devil's Island and discover they didn’t have enough Aloe lotion to treat their solar ravished epidermis.

Sure the weather on the lake can occasionally get bad, even in the summer, but I know the wind can get pretty nasty in the Gulf of Mexico and Cane Garden Bay. It is true that severe storms have played a role in wrecking many ships on Superior in the past centuries, but what was it that drove the Spanish galleons onto the reefs of the Florida Keys? Could a lack of navigational aids and inadequate weather forecasting have been contributing factors too?

We teach our trainees to practice good seamanship and to keep a weather eye when they’re sailing on our sixty foot schooner, the Abbey Road. Boating on Lake Superior isn’t that much different from cruising the coastal waters that encircle our great nation, as long as you are properly prepared. Plus, there is nothing in this lake that will eat you!

Like the southern waters that you often sing about, this sweetwater sea has sandy beaches, pristine islands and "that one particular harbor, sheltered from the wind, where the children play on the shore each day and all are safe within".

I think Lake Superior needs happier songs for people to hum along with, and I know you’re just the guy to write them. You might start by taking a few of your old songs and changing the lyrics around a bit.

For instance, a song poking fun at the Scandinavian heritage in the area could include (to the tune of “Fins”), “Finns to the left, Swedes to the right and you’re the only Norwegian in town.”

And a song celebrating the lake's deep clear cool water might contain a refrain of (to the tune of “Why don’t we get drunk?”), “Why did it shrink and turn blue?”

There are so many natural wonders to capture in a song; the rugged North Shore, the warm sands of the South Shore, the Apostle Islands, Isle Royal, Pictured Rocks, the Ice Caves, and the aurora borealis, to name a few.

There were no "Pirates of le lac supérieur", but there is a rich history here that began long before the Anishinaabe arrived at Moningwunakuaning (Madeline Island) after a multi-generational migration from the East Coast in search of the food that grew on the water.

The adventurous “coureurs des bois” were the first Europeans to visit the region, including Étienne Brûlé, Médard des Groseilliers, and Pierre-Esprit Radisson. Then came the missionaries, fur traders, miners, and voyageurs. Later, immigrants arrived to log, mine, farm, and fish. Goods were hauled by men of steel on wooden ships, while lighthouse keepers kept the lamps lit to warn them of the dangerous shoals.

Now "Salty’s" and "Thousand Footers" traverse the lake caring cargo to and from ports around the world. There are so many wonderful, happy stories (where nobody dies) to be told about the largest fresh water lake (by surface area) in the world.

Come sail with us on the Abbey Road and I’m sure you will be inspired to produce a whole album about Kitchi-gami.

Bring your family, and all your pals. You can take the wheel, plot the course, raise the sails and crank winches; or just strum your guitar. After your adventure on the water, you’ll find even more to experience on shore.

You might take in a show at the Big Top Chautauqua, I’m sure they’d let you sit in with the band.

I’ll be in the back yelling “Hey Jimmy!” and waving as you sing your new happy songs about Lake Superior.

Wishing you fair winds and following seas!

Captain Gordon Ringberg
Executive Director
& Devout Parrothead

Family Adventure Sails

The Abbey Road is available for Family Adventure Sails with up to six Related Family Members or Covid Safe Friends. We offer day sails and overnight sails up to ten days.

You’re welcome to participate as much, or as little, as you like. Take the wheel, plot the course, raise the sails and crank winches; we’re happy to teach you about sailing! These trips can be customized to suit your desires.

Depending on the length of the trip, we may explore the islands, sea caves, beaches, or lighthouses of the Apostle Islands archipelago. On overnight trips, we will anchor for the night in protected bays or tie up to a dock.

You may board after 7pm the night before your trip start date and sleep at the dock. We will be back at Pike's Bay Marina before 4pm on your departure day.

Contact us for more information or book directly online using the "Book Now" button.