A Look Back At Some Local Sailing Celebrities

In August of 2012 Grand Rapids natives, Matt and Jessica Johnson, sold most of their belongings and embarked on a truly epic voyage.  The couple set sail on a 34-foot boat named Serendipity with no immediate plans of coming back home.

The couple is still on the sea, traveling from city to city and port to port.  Their most recent stop was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to visit the parents and restock on some essentials.  You can stay up to date with their awesome journey on their blog (mjsailing.com) or on their facebook page.

Now Matt needs our help to fulfil a lifelong dream he has had.  He has always wanted to visit Antarctica and experience all that the beautiful landscape has to offer.  Matt recently entered a contest to win a spot on an Antarctic Expedition that would take him from Bluff, New Zealand through the Antarctic to Ushuaia, Argentina.  The expedition will make stops along the coast of Antarctica to visit historic sites like Shackleton's Hut in Cape Royds, the Bay of Whales, Scott's Hut in Cape Evans.

You can help Matt realize his dream with just a few clicks.  Head over to the contest website and click vote to help Matt take one step closer to the prize!

Jessica wrote a blog about Matt's love for the southernmost continent in the world and she explains a little bit about why Matt's dream is to visit this frigid landscape: "It’s exploring remote areas where few dare to venture. It’s viewing at an area of this earth that has barely been touched by man. It’s taking in the raw beauty of glaciers that have been there for eons, and for all the sea and land life that survives where no one else can.  I promise, every time we watch any Discovery Channel or National Geographic program pops up on this area, he instantly perks up."