A sign of summer: Sailors celebrate Big Boat Day at Milwaukee Community Sailing Center⛵

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Friday saw a sign of summer on Milwaukee's lakefront: a huge crane and dozens of volunteers putting big sailboats into Lake Michigan.

A sailor for 25 years, Mike Soika is a regular at the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center.

He joins dozens of other sailors every May for Big Boat Day.

"It's the day that you anticipate all winter long, and then in the spring, you work really hard to get your boat ready," Soika said.

It's a tradition at the center, using a rented crane and some manpower to put 30 sailboats in the water for the season.

"Somebody has to put the straps on the boat, somebody has to guide the boat, somebody has to guide the boat down, somebody has to make sure the boat doesn't hit the dock," Soika explained. "Then the boat owners drive it away."

"Summer is just officially really started when all these boats are finally in the water," said Teresa Coronado, outreach coordinator at Milwaukee Community Sailing Center.

For many sailors, it's the first day to get out on the lake this year.

"My most favorite point of the whole time is when you shut the motor off, and all you hear is the quiet and the wind and the waves. It's magic," Soika said.

The start of boating season also serves as a reminder that safety should be a priority.

"I'm wearing my life jacket because at any second, I'll be yanked to go get on a boat. Life jackets save lives," Coronado said.

With safety in mind and boats in the water, sailors are looking forward to another busy and beautiful summer.

"You have to be in the moment," Soika said, "It's like a Zen experience."