Chaplain’s message: Holding steady in the quiet season

By Chaplain Eric D. Tucker, Great Lake Cruising Club

February often feels like the long stretch between where we’ve been and where we’re going. The excitement of the new year has settled, the cold lingers, and progress can seem slow or hidden. Yet on the Great Lakes, we know this season well. Beneath the ice and silence, the waters are still alive, still moving, still preparing.

This month invites us to trust what cannot yet be seen. Not every season is meant for speed or spectacle. Some are meant for strengthening the hull, checking the charts, and resting the crew. February teaches us that waiting is not wasting time — it is preparation with purpose.

In this quieter stretch, resilience is formed. Patience deepens. Hope becomes less about circumstances and more about character. The Lakes remind us that even when the surface appears still, powerful currents continue their work below. So it is with us. Growth is happening, even now.

As we move through February, may you be gentle with yourself and generous with others. May you find encouragement in small signs of light returning and confidence in the knowledge that this season will not last forever. And may you remember that every strong passage begins long before the lines are cast off.

Hold steady. The waters will open again.