Eastward ho!

Retired professor sails to new home, New York

Sometimes being practical also means being impulsive. That paradox led Anne Cassidy, professor emerita of art, to sail all the way from Kenosha to Long Island Sound.

She moved to New York last year but couldn’t find proper road transportation for her vessel. A boat trip sounded fun, so, in June 2022, she set off for that East Coast inlet from the Kenosha Yacht Club.

Prof. Cassidy, who retired in 2020 after 15 years at the college, was the faculty advisor for the Carthage Sailing Club. She first got into the sport years ago when a friend asked her to crew for them.

“Most sailors are happy to have crew and happy to teach newcomers,” she says. “So, anyone who thinks they might like to learn how to sail need only find where the sailboats are.”

A few of Prof. Cassidy’s sailing companions accompanied her at different parts in her journey through the major channels of Lake Huron, Lake Erie, the Erie Canal, and the Hudson River. She sailed or motored during the day and came into port at night, stopping at 39 ports in total.

She passed through historic fishing sites dating back to preEuropean settlements, made new acquaintances among craft groups in coastline communities, and discovered industrial towns surrounded by mountains of sand and stone. She also visited larger cities like Cleveland, Buffalo, and Albany.

Steady breezes made for an exhilarating voyage. However, not every day was trouble-free.

“There were some days when the wind and wave action were particularly demanding,” she admits, “but challenging days are part of the attraction of sailing.”

Finally, after two months of traveling across the country, Prof. Cassidy looked up from her craft on the Hudson River and gazed at the faint silhouettes of the New York skyline. She successfully brought her boat to the East Coast, ending in Manhasset Bay at Port Washington.

“Sailing is an ancient skill and a sublime activity,” says Prof. Cassidy. “It combines intellectual, sensual, and spiritual experience for anyone who spends a bit of time working at it. It is worth learning and worth doing for its own sake.”