Independence Cup race kicks off this weekend, giving sailors with disabilities a sense of freedom
Just days after the Race to Mackinac, some other elite sailors from all over the country are getting ready to race.
Some of the sailors went on a practice run ahead of the race.
"Okay, now I have maximum volume," Tracy Schmitt said. "So, under the boom is an outhaul cleat."
There's no salty language, but Schmitt talks like a sailor—because she is one.
Mastering the lingo is hardly a challenge for someone who is used to challenges.
The sailor from Toronto has more than 40 years of experience on the water.
"You know, I'm with no arms, no legs, and Ginny with vision loss, and here we are, we're about to go out by ourselves," she said.
Sailors at Burnham Harbor are practicing for this weekend's Independence Cup, featuring three days of boat races on Lake Michigan, sponsored by the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation.
On water, differences sailors feel onshore disappear.
"I have my little arm here, and that helps me steer. So, I'm better at steering on the port side."
Crew members rely on each other's strengths.
"So Ginny has many, many years in a keelboat, so she is our keelboat expert. Dan is our muscle. He's got arms and legs and eyes."
Schmitt is captain, in charge of strategy and reading the wind.
"So, on the water, it's darker ripples, so that's how you can tell where there's wind," she said.
She and her crew are among more than 30 competitors in three classes of boats.
After a morning of hearing sailors talk, you'll start to feel like one, too.
The organizers make ensures there are no barriers for sailors by providing free hotel stays and even specically-designed boats for the competition.