My Story
Ahoy! I’m Lynda Stephens.. I, like so many of you, am waking up to my connection to the divine. I long for deeper understanding of my purpose and my place in this mad mad world.
The Joy of Sailing was born from this beautiful mass of change…I now feel called to move away from the challenges of the corporate world and into the challenges of trusting the universe to support and grow The Joy of Sailing as my answer to the call from spirit to do this work. I’ve learned that when I align with the ideas spirit inspires then healing, joy and growth for myself and others is the natural, fabulous outcome.
After many seasons of listening to master teachers, I’ve experienced hundreds of small awarenesses that have created a critical mass of change in my life.
I was raised in Connecticut sailing with my family. After high school I moved to California where I sailed the Pacific with my dear friend Steve. I married, was divorced after 25 years and moved my life to Chicago in 2013. Here I returned to my love of sailing and my buddy Rick S. blessed me with an opportunity to sail with his crew in the Race to Mackinaw 2014. Amy S. was our captain and an inspiration to me. I also met a divine friend, Jeff Harris. He rides the same motorcycle as me (Harley electraglide Ultra Classic) AND he is a licensed captain. At the time, he had a wonderful Ericson 29 sailboat named Sea Gypsy – a friendship made in heaven…literally.
In 2018 I purchased Sea Biscuit a great little rigid bottom inflatable that is now used primarily for The Preservation Pirates “Debris is our Booty” (TPP) but she also doubles as a training boat. TPP is a citizen-based harbor clean up organization Jeff and I are working to grow as a means of improving the health of our harbor waters.
In 2019 the universe blessed all of us with Leela (Sanskrit for “creative play by the divine”), a Catalina 30 which is a comfortable boat just right for casual cruising and learning without getting wet (usually).
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Bringing my passion for sailing to women that might otherwise not have the opportunity, or might feel intimidated by all there is to know is my here and now work. Learning, love and connection are the rewards I never dreamed would be so rich, so beautiful.