The stars dot the dark sky above, the air is crisp on our skin, and my eyes are the combination of tired-yet-awake that new parents and college students know too well. “I’m starting the timer now,” Anna declares as we push off the dock. Her watch reads 3:41 AM.

The twinkling lights of the cities that line Lake Zurich shimmer in contrast to the darkness of the cold November night. The temperature threateningly hovers above freezing, and the sleet/rain mix that has graced us for most of the week so far has paused…

A wave crashes on the deck and spills over our already soaked bodies. The smell of salt water pervades the air. A ringing sound alerts us that something is wrong … again.

My feet are unsteadily grounded on the bowside boat deck as my hands press against the dock piling. A 30-knot gust of wind threatens to either run us aground or into the dock.