GLB: What Great Lakes have you boated on?
E: I have spent my sailing days on Lake Erie, mostly in Vermilion and Cleveland.
GLB: What kind of boat do you have?
E: I currently have an Ericson 27. I started sailing on a Sunfish, moved on to a Shark 24 and than we purchased and fully restored a 1976 Ericson 27.
GLB: What kind of impact has boating had on your life?
E: Boating has had a large impact on my life. I feel at home when I am by the water. Sailing is such a great way to spend time with friends and family and to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the world that surrounds us. In the summer, if I’m not at home gardening or hanging out with my dogs, I am at the boat.
GLB: What made you decide to start boating?
E: My family spends time at a condo in Vermilion and there was a Flying Junior stored in the garage. After looking at it for a while we decided to take it out. That’s how it all started. I found my first boat, a Sunfish, on Craigslist and my dad and fiancé went to pick it up on a 17-degree day in February. They strapped it on top of a Ford Explorer (there was nothing safe or smart about the transport), but they got it home and we fixed it up that spring.
We quickly outgrew the small boat. My brother found a larger boat on Craigslist and we moved on to the Shark 24. We sailed the Shark 24 for one summer and moved on to the Ericson 27. Big League came from Gibraltar, Mich.
GLB: What is one of your favorite boating memories?
E: Last summer after a very heavy rain we saw a raccoon a few miles out, on the verge of drowning. He was literally reaching at our boat for help. We couldn’t let him struggle to survive so while my fiancé Franklin quickly took the sail down and started to idle the engine, I made a flotation raft to throw him. He impressively held on the entire way to our boat slip. People were clapping for him as we came down the river; it was really a sweet memory. He was so thankful for being rescued. My dad met us at shore and the raccoon had a nice rest before he went on with his evening.
GLB: What do you think is something important our readers should know that you've learned through your own 
experiences?
E: I have learned to never take the Great Lakes for granted. We are so incredibly lucky to have a fresh body of water in our backyard. I recently started working with “On the Water Ohio,” connecting people to Lake Erie; you don't have to have a boat to enjoy the lake. Go to the beach, take a walk by the lake, read, have a picnic with friends and family. We are so lucky. Take time to learn about the wildlife or the history of the Lakes, it’s all so interesting!
Find Elisabeth on his Instagram account @elisabeth.corrigan.
