MEET REAR COMMODORE MILT FUEHRER

Can one have too many boats? Milt says ‘No!’ 

Current Boat: S/V KNOT KIDDIN (46-foot Bavaria) 

Home port: Muskegon, Mich. (M-22) 

Joined GLCC: 2016 

GLCC role: Rear Commodore (Region 27) 

By Director/Port Captain Dee McClure 

Each month, Lifeline interviews a GLCC member to gain insight into their favorite cruising grounds and perspectives. We caught up with new Rear Commodore Milt Fuehrer. Milt, his wife, Beth, and their family have cruised the North Channel extensively since he was a child. Enjoy the read. 

Lifeline: How did you get into boating? What attracted you to join GLCC in 2016? 

Milt Fuehrer: I am a GLCC legacy-type member. My parents, Milt and Val-le, joined the GLCC way back in 1969 and were very active in the club. We cruised the North Channel each year as a family and attended several rallies and Rendezvous.  

Talking about club commitment, my dad was literally updating a harbor report when he passed and my mom may hold the record for attending 35 consecutive annual Rendezvous.  

After Dad passed, Mom continued to be active in the club up until 2022. Now at 90+ years old, she enjoys GLCC membership vicariously through myself and my wife’s activities and involvement in the club. 

We were able to start boating again and joined the club in 2016 when we moved back to Michigan. 

Lifeline: What types of boats (manufacturers and length) have you owned? 

That’s a long list, and some might say, I own way too many, but do they all “count”? Our first significant boat was a 26-foot ODay sailboat that we enjoyed sailing around the Wisconsin lakes. We then added (not upgraded) a 1952, 22-foot wooden Chris-Craft Sportsman. Did you know that there is such a thing as a “fleet registration” in Wisconsin? You register your first boat for full price. then each additional boat registration is $5. So why not have a fleet? Currently we have five registered boats. This includes a 29-foot Mako Sportsman, a 19-foot Boston Whaler, Dauntless, and our cruiser, a 46-foot Bavaria named KNOT KIDDIN 

Lifeline: We always enjoy learning how members came up with their boat names. What’s the backstory on S/V KNOT KIDDIN? 

Yup, there’s a story behind that. KNOT KIDDIN is a continuance of my parents’ boats named UGOTABKIDDIN. The story goes that Dad came home one night and announced, out of the blue, that he had bought a boat. Mom’s response was something akin to UGOTABKIDDIN and so all the boats they owned kept that name.  

Interestingly, although Mom was never a boater until that first boat, she ended up loving boating and meeting fellow boaters. Keeping the name theme going, we’ve named our boat KNOT KIDDIN. 

Lifeline: What aspect of boating do you find most interesting? 

I certainly enjoy the challenges of racing and solo sailing and participate in South Shore Yacht Club Queen’s Cup races from Muskegon to Milwaukee, and The Hook, from Racine, Wis., “hooking” through Death’s Door into Green Bay and ending in Menominee, Mich.  

I enjoy racing shorthanded (2-person) and we do quite well when the wind blows! As we cruise up to the North Channel from our home port Muskegon, I often solo-sail the boat up to St. Ignace where my wife joins me. 

Lifeline: Sounds like you are still finding your way into retirement.  Tell us about your occupation and what keeps you busy in the winter. 

I have a food background and am currently working my way out of being CEO of Belle Harvest (a commercial apple-growing company). After that stint is over, I’ll be working with private equity on a few business valuations. I have found it’s hard to let go of the career when I enjoy it so much. We are so looking forward to attending this year’s Rendezvous in Little Current.