We met in the Spring of 1990 at the Avalanche, an upper class-person bar on Maquette University’s campus, infamous for its naked beer slides. We were both engineering students. Sherine was studying biomedical engineering and myself electrical engineering.
Sherine graduated first and relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, for her first job, Liebel-Flarsheim. I returned to Cincinnati the following year once I graduated…unfortunately, I was not so lucky at landing my first engineering job. So, I began working at Cincinnati Microwave working on the assembly line tuning microwave antennas used in their Radar detectors. It wasn’t long before they realized I could program and so I began writing code for their test fixtures. Unfortunately, they refused to offer me a full-time position so I kept looking and eventually got a job working for VL Engineering earning $26,000 per year…quite a bit different than what a fresh-out engineering graduate would make today!
We eventually relocated to Chicago, Illinois to be closer with our college friends. We bought our first home in “upcoming” Roscoe Village and totally took advantage of our DINK (dual income, no kids) years! Our first child was born in 1997 and we ultimately decided to move to Algonquin, IL for a bigger home.
Several jobs, two kids and a great group of friends later, we ultimately decided to move to San Jose, CA after Apple Computer, Inc. offered me a position as a System Integrator in iPod.
Sherine
My family moved to the United States in 1970, I was just turning three. I grew up in Dayton, OH. My family’s family vacations always consisted going to the beach. Many childhood memories in Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach and Daytona Beach. The beach has always been my happy place. And the ocean has always been a place where I find peace. A place where God is ever so present and abundant .
Mike
Cincinnati born and raised, I grew up fishing, canoeing a variety of lakes, ponds and the Miami River and boating on the Ohio River. I love water and I love boats.
S/V Farriage was our second boat, purchased in 2011 and sold in 2021. Prior to Farraige, we owned a Ranger 33 for a few years before our family outgrew it.
Ahhh, Sailing!
I’ve been drawn to the water as long as I can remember. As a child, I spent every chance I could get fishing, canoeing or boating on the Ohio river. I got my Advanced Open Water certification at the Age of 13 and I can still remember that first time I got off a plane in Palm Beach and that smell of the air.
I got the sailing bug when Sherine bought me a three weekend Basic Sailing 101 course out of Chicago Sailing (Belmont Harbor) for our 10th wedding anniversary. Those J-24’s were fun, but the winds were light and it wasn’t too long thereafter that I took a job at Apple.
Our first boat was a Ranger 33 named Terrapin. The acquisition of sailing knowledge really accelerated sailing on the San Francisco Bay. Between the currents, 30 knot winds, fog and commercial traffic, it’s just epic sailing.
Sherine has been quite tolerant of my never-ending list of hobbies and passions over the years.
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