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Lake Michigan "What an amazing experience"

Clive Nicholls takes to the water- by yacht and kayak

When you're on th shores of one of the world's biggest boating lakes- Lake Michigan is more than 300 mules long- there's only one thing to do:take to the water and join in the fun. And that's exactly what I did in spectacular style.

I joined Captain Pat Nowal and his crew on board his Sun Odyssey 379, the Nancy Anne, a magnificent 37ft offshore yacht built for speed and comfort. We were competin in the Wednesday night races on Lake Michigan. 

As we cruise out of Holland through the inshore Lake Macatawa, sailing schools are training in the sheltered waters and cormorants perch on every vantage point. We pass the iconic red tower out on to the open waters of Lake Michigan.

There's a stiff breeze blwing, and as the cre- Andy McDOnals, Mark and Bethany Beckman and curt van Duren- infirl the sails, the Nancy Anne pitches over to starboard, picksa up spees and with Pat at the helm we head offshore to mix it with the othr yachts to try and get a goos starting position. 

At this point I get a bit confused. There are different classes of boats and it's hard to work out who we a re racing against; one yacht passes close across our stern and another close alongside, but the smile on Pat's face suggests we've made a good start. 

My job apart from taking pictures, is to be movable ballast. When one side of the boat lurches up in the air, I get up there and add my weight to that of the well-drilled crew.

Pat and Andy discuss tactics; we seen to be going pretty fast; but I don't think we  are wining. We pull off a very tight turn and gain a place. I'm still confused but it's very exciting and such great fun, and as we run for the line (the judge's boat) i'm hoping we've done enough to win.

We hadn't but I had to wait until the following morning o hear that the judges had awarded us third place. Never mind, it's the taking part that counts; it was a wonderful experience that I will remember for a long time to come.

When not racing, Pat Nowak is hosting cruises and sailing instruction on the yacht and is also a licences US Coast Guard captain.

If you are in Holland and fancy taking to the water, join him; he's great fun. 

My second outing onto the waters of Lake Michigan was very different but no less thrilling: kayaking offshore on the lake with the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Overlook on the shoreline-0 just brilliant. 

I was in safe hands; Jeff Gagie from the family company All About Water (www.allaboutwaterusa.com) made sure that I was both safe and had a fantastic time. 

To get to the main lake, we have to pass through an inshore water first, the perfect time to [ractice. The kayaks are surprisingly stable and it's easy to get a rhythm to the paddling, but going in a straight line takes me a bit longer to master!

You get a but wet, so a shower-proof top and beach shoes work well- time for Lake Michigan.

Jeff pulls the kayaks across the sand bank and then we're off. As we work our way along the coast, the sand  dunes grow in height to more than 4000ft. We pull up to the beach and you can see tracks where the visitors have climbed he dunes. Tempted to follow the tracks? On another day maybe but today is about being on the water and I don't want to miss a minute.

Back on the water, I'm growing in confidence; as we pull out of the shadow of the dunes, the sunlight sparkles off the water and, heading back, I reflect on what an amazing experience this has been. If you are in Michigan, take to the water...