Babinchak puts her love of the lakes into action

Authored by Cindy Badley
 March 6, 2024

Each month, Lifeline will feature an interview with a member of the GLCC Board. This month, meet Amy Babinchak, one of GLCC’s newest board members.

 

Amy Babinchak

Current boat: MV Sonador; 2002 Menorquin 110

Home port: Duncan Bay, Mch. (H-74.5)

Joined GLCC: 2014

Joined GLCC board: 2023

Board term ends: 2026

 

 

 

  • Lifeline: What types of boats have you owned?

     Amy Babinchak: 

     My father spoiled me with boats as he was an avid boater. I started with one of those orange plastic SportYaks with sailing kit. There is a picture of me rowing it alone at age 3. Then he bought me a 15-foot Thompson with an Evinrude to learn on. I still use those wood finishing skills. 

     Next came a 22-foot 1955 Cris Craft. I’ve done all the varnishing I care to for a lifetime. Immediately after college, I bought a 1974 27-foot Newport sailboat. She was a retired racer with all the bells and whistles for me to learn sailing with. I chose sailing because although I thought I could afford the boat, fueling one was daunting. I started cruising distances the next week by sailing down to Lake Erie from Lake St. Clair. We learned how to put up sail along the way. 

     After doing a bunch of long annual trips up Lake Huron to the Georgian Bay and North Channel, we decided it would be a lot easier with 10 more feet of boat. It was. We purchased a one-owner 1976 Pearson 365. Windtrail is now for sale. 

  • What’s your next boat?

     This spring we will take possession of Sonador, a 2002 Menorquin 110. Members may have seen this boat in Charlevoix or the North Channel. Another GLCC member owned her, and we’ve been on the waiting list for the day when she’d be ready for a new caretaker. We’re looking forward to shifting gears into the world of power.

  • You and Missy are port captains for St. Helena Island. That’s a unique spot.  Why did you choose that location to be port captain? 

     Reason 1, we think that every island, anchorage and marina should have a port captain and we wanted to do our part to encourage others to do the same. Reason 2, we love the place. St. Helena is in our home cruising grounds and we anchor out there every summer.

  • What aspect of boating do you find most interesting or challenging?

     I love navigation, weather watching. The feeling of the water on the boat, the pull of the sail. The quiet of an anchorage. The lakes are in me. 

  • What attracted you to join GLCC?

     We were encouraged to join in 2014. We had seen the harbor reports but really weren’t sure why we were joining. We just knew that all of the most accomplished boaters that we encountered were members, and some of those folks kept encouraging us to join too. We considered it an honor to be among them. 

     My father also set the example by always volunteering to perpetuate the things that you enjoy in life and are important to you. GLCC’s mission spoke to me. After joining I began to look for ways to get involved.

  • What are the top 3 biggest benefits from your GLCC membership?

     Harbor reports, education through the GLCCSchool and meeting people at GLCC events. We’ve often found it difficult to be included. GLCC has been welcoming.

  • What is your occupational background?

     I’ve recently sold one of my firms. Today I focus solely on my firm that helps other IT professionals, through education, technical assistance, peer groups, business consulting and more. In addition, I’m a founder of the National Society of IT Service Providers, and I serve on its Board of Directors. 

  • Any unique boating or GLCC event stories to share?

     We got to test our unorthodox anchoring system at the Wilderness Rally at the Turnbulls a few years ago. Because our strength is moderate and we lack an anchor windlass, we had adopted a two anchor plus two kellet system. Since we like to snuggle to shore and anchor out when the weather is good, it never had a serious test until the Turnbull. 

     There we found ourselves right in the middle of the shoot with winds sustained over 30 knots bearing down on us for an entire day. Not only did the kellets hold but they were buried so deep that the anchors themselves didn’t have to do much of anything!

  • What’s your best Rendezvous/rally experience and why?

     We really enjoyed our first Rendezvous experience in Rogers City in 2015, because it was the first. But we have more fun with each additional Rendezvous we attend. That’s because we get more and more involved with the activities as we go. 

     We’ve also been to several Wilderness rallies and have given talks at a couple of them. The more events we attend, the happier we are with our membership.

  • Tell us your typical summer cruising area (or last year’s cruising area)?

     Our weekend cruising grounds are the Straits of Mackinac. What a beautiful place to be! So many ports and anchorages in a compact place. In addition, we can be in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan or the North Channel the same day. Even in a sailboat. We’ve sailed in 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. Our home cruising grounds are our favorite, but Lake Superior is a close second.

  • What keeps you occupied in the winter?

     During the winter we reside in Royal Oak, Mich., where we hope for snow. We love to hike and cross-country ski.

  • As a new board member, what GLCC areas/committees are you involved in?  Any particular focus or pet projects?

     I’m a very new board member, having just attended my first meeting. I’ve been bringing my IT skill set to administration, to the marketing committee and now I chair the digital marketing committee. My pet project is to use modern marketing methods to increase membership.

     With my background, I am focused on outreach to potential new members and continue to introduce and expand GLCC’s membership to a new generation of boaters that might not immediately see the benefit of the Harbor Reports as GPS and free resources are now commonplace.

Board Member Highlights