Take to the lake with sailing

Ian Williams is one of the lucky few who can say he quit his day job to get paid to sail around the world.

"As a keen sportsman, it's anybody's dream to be a professional sportsman in the sport they love," the 37-year-old Brit said. "Sure my bank account would probably be a little healthier if I'd maintained the old career, but it's a great lifestyle and I love being out and competing in tours like this."

Williams, in town this week for the Chicago Match Cup and the skipper of the GAC Pindar team, said he wasn't able to ditch his career as a lawyer overnight.

"The opportunities didn't come to me early on in my sailing career to do that," he said. "It's been a great ride and I think I'm very lucky to do what I do for a living."

Of course, everyone's gotta start somewhere.

"First you've gotta learn how to sail," said Tod Reynolds, a 26-year-old Lakeview resident and the director of the Chicago Match Race Center. "To start off learning how to sail, we've got a bunch of great programs here in the city."

Reynolds recommends Chicago Sailing, which offers a number of options designed to teach you the fundamentals of the sport.

"They do charters if you want to come down and get a taste of it," he said. "You can actually hire a captain and go out for a nice day on the lakefront on one of their boats with someone who knows what they're doing, or they offer classes as well."

Reynolds is also well-aware of the perception that sailing is a rich person's endeavor. With so many young professionals looking at the water longing to get out there, he said his organization has been working to keep costs low.

"A lot of our membership are those guys who are just out of college," he said. "We recognize that. Our membership fees here for the whole season are $250. To get hooked, it takes one race. That's how it started with me. You start to see the pieces work together."

Matt Lindner is a RedEye special contributor.