Sunshine, Jimmy Buffet and relaxing on the sundeck are what people typically think of when sailing, but there's a whole competitive sport behind those crisp, white sails.
Greg Florian is one such sailing connoisseur with a taste for the sporting side.
A Decatur native, Greg attended Roosevelt Middle School and MacArthur High School. Greg started sailing at the age of 12 with his uncle, Roger Grohne.
In 1971, Greg and his father split the cost on a 1938 beginner boat. The boat needed a lot of tender loving care but was a great boat to really learn the ropes of sailing. With the help of his family and comrades at the yacht club, he quickly picked up the skills to fix a boat, tie a knot and all the special tricks of the trade when out on the water.
"The 1970's were a great time," Greg recalls. "The yacht club was very family-oriented with moms and dads racing sailboats together. I would drag every cousin and friend I knew out in the water with me."
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He really got into the competitive side when his high school history teacher, Bill Buckles, introduced him to the intense side of sailing.
"There are two aspects of sailing," said Greg. "You can cruise, which involves getting in a boat and aiming it in one direction depending on the wind.
"The other side is racing, which is like a chess game where you have to develop a strategy to figure out how the wind shifts will affect speed and distance. Wind direction is everything - the strength of the wind determines everything when sailing."
Competitive sailing involves more than just a strong wind. In order to advance in competitions, a team has to qualify at the local district in order to advance to the nationals. A team involves three people - a skipper and two crew members. Everyone works together to take care of the main sail, balloon sail, front sail and gib sail. It's a delicate process that involves precision, timing and being in sync with crew members to communicate.
Greg's very first racing event took place on Lake Eerie. He has competed in International Lightning Class Association racing events in Lake Geneva, Indiana and Kansas. The more time he spent in racing, the more competitive he got.
After high school graduation, Greg went to Tulane University in New Orleans where he sailed on school's team. While there his sailing friendships grew, and he even got a chance to race against the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
After graduation, Greg returned to Central Illinois, and for the past nine years has been the vice president of finance and administration at Richland Community College.
His interest in sailing has definitely not waned.
With a passion for sailing, Greg also gets his family involved. His wife, Sylvia "Leenie" isn't as passionate about sailing as Greg, but still enjoys getting out on the water. Greg also recruits his two sons Nick (17) and Colin (16) to join his crew.
"Every weekend I get a chance to go out and do some sailing, and every weekend I come back with a new story," he said.
In fact, one of his favorite sailing stories is a trip to Chile for a sailing adventure. After traveling for 36 hours, on the last leg of the trip he had to take a tiny Chilean government military plane that had a stewardess with a gun. The air strip was so tiny that the plane had to buzz over the grass to chase off the goats and chickens loitering on the air strip. While the traveling conditions may have been extreme, the lake race in Chile is one of his most memorable.
More recently, in July, Greg and Bill Buckles, traveled to Athens, Greece for the Master's Race. They had to qualify in the local district in Cleveland, and then qualified in the nationals in San Diego. The team was one of 20 teams from the United States to participate in the Master's Race. They shipped their own boats to Greece in giant boxes which left from docks in New Jersey.
While not every sailing adventure involves overseas travel, racing in Central Illinois is just as fun for Greg and other sailing enthusiasts.
"It doesn't make a difference what body of water you're racing on, it only matters who wins," he said.
With just a little wind, water and good sailing boat, it's no wonder sailing has taken off as popular hobby - one that can take you around the world.
