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I spent most of my time around the Lakes growing up on Lake St.
Clair near New Baltimore Michigan. During the summer months my
brother and I with a few friends would pack up our 12 foot aluminum
boats, with everything in trash bags to keep things dry, and venture
out the 15 miles to camp on Seaway Island. The freighters pass
within 100 yards of this island, where we would play freighter tag.
Yes head out in or little 12 foot boat to tag the side of the
freighters, a bit nuts I know. During the night we would try and do
morris code with our small flashlights, looking to get the pilots to
turn there spot lights on us. When they did it would light up the
whole beach, only to find a bunch of crazy kids. Seaway Island is
still one of my favorite boat watching sights.
My parents as active boats and pretty much the lead boat of the
K&M Drifters, would take my brother and I along with several
other families all over Lake Erie and Lake Huron. It was there that
I truly learned to respect these fresh water seas.
I've always loved building models, mainly of aircraft. My goal, to
make them as realistic as possible. For the longest time, I've
wanted to build a Laker finally starting one back in Nov. of 1998.
It took my awhile just to figure out which one was going to be the
first to build. My first choice was the Fitzgerald, and at first I
ruled it out mainly because of it's popularity. The more I thought
about it, I didn't want that to get in the way, so I went with the
Fitz. Things really started to come together after becoming a member
of the ISMA ( International Ship masters Association ), and having
the honor to ring the bell at the Mariners Church of Detroit for the
annual Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service XXIV.
I feel I have really found my niche with build Lakers. It is so much
more then just build a model of a ship, it is preserving our
maritime history thought the art of modeling. This is the reason I
establishing the Great Lakes Modeling Association, to draw more
people to the art through the internet, and establish a source of
information for both new modelers and experience modelers alike.
Sincerely
Jeffrey
W. Churill
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