Who Needs Their Own Boat? Golden Ticket Winner Sails the World
It must be a “lucky” time of year, as we’ve recently had a few Golden Ticket winners reach out to claim their prize. As you surely know by now, we love to share our winners’ sailing stories and photos, and sometimes they reward us with lots of fun details. In this case, it was Greg Mellberg from Menlo Park who pulled the ticket, and subsequently told us about his sailing life.
“My parents bought a little 14-ft Lido sailboat when I was 10 years old, for me and my three siblings. We learned to sail at the Palo Alto Yacht Club (now gone). I started sailing large boats in my late 20s when my friends and I would do day charters out of Sausalito. We did that dozens of times, going all over the Bay region. And my sailing continued when I moved to Southern California for 20 years — eight years in Newport Beach and 12 years in San Diego. My business partner was a member of a sailing club and we often did charters with family, friends, employees and business partners. That continued when I moved to San Diego and many of my consultants sailed. In fact, one was the commodore of the San Diego Yacht Club.”
Greg has never owned his own boat, but has managed to enjoy sailing regardless.
“Sadly, in my younger years I had hopes of sailing my own boat to exotic destinations when I retired. I lived that experience ‘vicariously’ when my friends did that. I joined them on some wonderful adventures in many places all around the world.”
Twelve years ago he moved back the Bay Area, but it’s been only recently that he found his way back into sailing. “My wife and I just joined the Sequoia Yacht Club. It has given me a chance to crew on members’ boats and enjoy my love of sailing again. [It’s] so nice to join SYC and the great and friendly group of sailing folks.”
Every sailor has at least one reason, if not many, for their interest in sailing. Greg’s reasons make sense to us.
“It may sound corny, but I do love the wind in my face and the smell of the sea. I love the action during a sailing race and water flying all over. And the sheer adventure of sailing — the freedom to literally chart your own course, go anywhere you want, set down anchor or tie up to a mooring buoy, and stay in a new place.”
And, as is typical of sailors, Greg finds it hard to nail down his favorite sailing moment.
“In addition to sailing in California, I sailed six times in other countries — Greece (twice), Croatia, the Caribbean (ABC Islands), Tahiti and New Zealand (Bay of Islands). One that was especially exotic was in Tahiti. I bought an 18-inch ‘machete’ at the market when we were provisioning our bare-boat charter with Moorings. When anchored, I’d swim ashore and chop the husk off coconuts and also cut off some bananas and bring them back to the boat, and we’d all enjoy the treats. My friend even made chicken with coconut curry sauce. The whole trip made me think it was a mix of Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson. Very fun and memorable!!! BTW … that was in the 1990s and I brought that machete, along with some of my scuba gear, in carry-on luggage — those were the days!”
Greg picked up his Latitude 38 with its winning ticket at the Sequoia Yacht Club. He says he loves the articles, “especially the ones about overseas sailing adventures,” and looking at his “dream boats.”
“I began sailing large boats in the 1980s. My friends and I would charter boats for a daysail out of Sausalito,” he adds. “I would also get your magazine back then, from the rack near the docks.” He also made sure to get his Latitude 38 each month while living and sailing in Newport Beach and San Diego. “But I am now enjoying being back in the S.F. Bay Area and [being] able to crew on boats out of Redwood City with the Sequoia Yacht Club.”