Sailing News & Views

Fleet Sails

Fleet Sails, a new name in Walker, MN on beautiful Leech Lake, is the materialization of a dream for Tom Beriou, owner. For Tom, summer has always spelled “lake”. Growing up on Big Eagle Lake, Tom quickly learned his way around the traditional water sports of rowing a small boat, fishing, skiing, and driving Dad’s run-about.
Tom’s sailing interest, and now career, began innocently enough with a “multi-purpose” sailboat. It was sufficient, however, to lead him to a day sailor that he used on the Briggs Lake chain near St. Cloud. With hours of practice, reading, & watching videos, the wonders of sailing captured Tom.

Soon there were yearly sailing excursions to the Apostle Islands followed by chartering on the east and west coasts when any business trip was over one day long. adding the Gulf of Mexico and more recently the British Virgin Islands has made Tom a young “old salt”!

Returning inland, Tom and his wife, Judy, purchased a 20 ft trailer sailor for use on Leech Lake. They soon learned that the area was attracting other sailing couples from the Twin Cities and bordering North Dakota locations. The lake offers plenty of challenges as well as protected waters if the weather turns nasty.
Tom also identified the need for a business catering to the unique needs of the sailor. Now located at 201 5th St. in Walker, Fleet Sails offers an ASA certified sailing school in conjunction with Northern Breezes; Windrider triamarans for sale or rent; Trinity Bay kayaks; and a developing ship’s store for the urgent needs of the vacationing sailor. Tom is also a broker for used sailboats in the area.

If you can’t find Tom at the store, amble down to city docks where he’ll be playing with sailboats or sharing tales with other “wanna-be salties”!

Tall Ships Challenge Announces New Web Site

This week the Muskegon County Convention and visitors Bureau (MCCVB) and Torresen Marine, Inc. of Muskegon, MI announced the official opening of the Tall Ships Challenge Muskegon Web Site at www.sailmuskegon.com. The Tall ships Challenge Muskegon is an event coordinated by the MCCVB and governed by an independent board of directors. Up to twenty historic, tall rigged sailing vessels from around the world will gather for special festivities at Muskegon’s downtown waterfront August 9-13, 2001. 

The all new web site provides potential event visitors, Muskegon residents, the media and participating ships with all the info they will need to make the most of this historic celebration.

Joanne Hatch, Tourism Development Manager for the County of Muskegon and chief staff person for the Tall Ships Challenge states that this festival will be the biggest three-day event ever held in Western Michigan. “The magnificent web site created by Torresen Marine will drive the success of the tall ships visit to West Michigan.”