Sunday Chat is a weekly feature appearing in the Blade’s print and digital platforms each Sunday.
There is just something about the wind and the water that has lured Duane Burgoyne to sail.
The Streetsboro native, who attended Bowling Green State University and is a longtime resident of the Toledo area, spent 45 years in automation engineering and facilities management, but much of his spare time then and now has been spent on Lake Erie at the helm of his sailboat “Flak-Bait”. His boat is named after a World War II B-26 Marauder that flew 207 missions. His father served on the plane.
Burgoyne is a former Commodore of the North Cape Yacht Club who also has served as Sail Fleet Captain for the Detroit Beach Boat Club and the Associated Yacht Clubs. He was also the Commodore of the Inter-Lake Yachting Association in 2015.
Burgoyne, who has taken part in the Mills Trophy Race on Lake Erie 35 times, currently serves as a trustee with the Inter-Lake Yachtsman’s Fund and is a Principal Race Officer with US Sailing. He also works with Spectrum Sailing-Autistic Sail Camp and the
National Museum of the Great Lakes on its H2O committee. He has also taken part in the Chicago Mackinac and Bayview Mackinac races a total of 17 times.
His most recent honor was being selected the Yachtsman of the Year for 2022 by the Inter-Lake Yachting Association, and he was also the Associated Yacht Club Yachtsman of the Year in 2011.
The Blade: How did you get started in sailing?
Burgoyne: I had been around the water for most of my life, mainly playing on speed boats, water skiing and going out fishing in the Port Clinton area. It wasn’t until I was in my early 30s that a guy at work bought a sailboat and asked me to go sailing with him. We went out on Lake St. Clair with a lot of other boats and we trimmed the sails and ran around the marks, but when we finished, I didn’t know if we won or had lost. He asked me to come back the next week and I guess by the time I got home I must have just been hooked on sailing. A year later, I went and bought an old, wooden 22-foot sailboat that needed a bunch of elbow grease and a lot of sewing on the sails. We got it in the water, it floated, and we could sail it. Then I joined a yacht club and met a man named Clark Teal. He showed me how to trim the sails and steer the boat to make it go faster, since every sailor always wants to make his boat go faster. I guess it was the hours with Clark that taught me to love the sport of sailing. A year or so later I met Dave Marriott who has a 39-foot sailboat and wanted to race it. He was a very accomplished racer so I learned the art of winning races. I realized no matter if it was racing or cruising from port to port, I just liked to be on the water.
The Blade: Is there a difficult skill set to learn with sailing?
Burgoyne: Like any other sport, learning the fundamentals is 90 percent. That part is fairly easy if you have the ability to learn how to trim sails and how the boat moves through the water. The other 10 percent comes with time on the water and learning from other sailors. Is it difficult? I would say no -- you just have to enjoy the time on the water.
The Blade: How does the northwest Ohio/southeast Michigan area rate as far as the available sailing opportunities?
Burgoyne: We are very lucky, especially in the Toledo and Monroe area. There are several clubs that have good sailing programs on weeknights along with weekend races. North Cape Yacht Club is known throughout the country for its sailing opportunities, with several programs for adults and youths. Experienced sailors provide the instruction, both on the water and in the classroom. Jolly Roger Sailing Club also offers youth summer camp sailing programs.
The Blade: Do you recommend lessons or a learn-to-sail program for someone interested in sailing?
Burgoyne: There are a number of learn-to-sail options, with some offering one-on-one training. Many people take learn-to-sail instruction so that they can venture out on their own boats. Other people want to sail the Caribbean for vacation without needing a captain’s assistance.
The Blade: What options do people have for competitive sailing in this area?
Burgoyne: If you want to get into competitive sailing, the first thing to do is join a crew at your local yacht club. There are clubs in Cleveland, Port Clinton, Vermilion, Sandusky, Toledo, and Monroe. Once you have joined a crew, you learn the rules, the safety, and how to win races by trimming your sails and understanding the wind and waves.
The Blade: What do you consider the most appealing aspect of the sport?
Burgoyne: The solitude and the quiet, plus the sense of adventure, that you can go anywhere and there’s no gasoline required. It is also a sport you can enjoy your entire life. Whether you are 10 or 80, you still can sail and even race. For me, the best part has been the people that I have met through sailing the Great Lakes. In sailing, the destination is not the ultimate goal. It is the adventure of getting there, and the memories that were made on the way.
First Published September 10, 2023, 12:00 p.m.
