We're pretty convinced that Sterling cleans half the sails in Chicago.
We first ran into him when we went to retrieve our sails from one of the more prominent sail lofts.... "I'm sorry, Mr. Olson" the perky clerk said, "but you're sails aren't ready."
"What, but why?!" Charlie asked, "I called yesterday and someone who sounded a lot like you told me that everything was set. They'd been repaired and cleaned."
"Well, yes," the clerk said, "they're ready, but they're not here."
"Well," Charlie went on, "that brings up a whole new set of questions.... where are they?"
"Sterling has them," she said.
We tracked Sterling down in a little building on the South Side and have been relying on him ever since. Cutting out the middle man cut down on our sail storage/repair costs. But, the real prize was meeting Sterling. He knows more about rigging and sails than anyone we've met in the city. He's the sailmaker the racing outfits call on when they want the job done right.
He's also a really good guy and a heck of a lot of fun.
We first ran into him when we went to retrieve our sails from one of the more prominent sail lofts.... "I'm sorry, Mr. Olson" the perky clerk said, "but you're sails aren't ready."
"What, but why?!" Charlie asked, "I called yesterday and someone who sounded a lot like you told me that everything was set. They'd been repaired and cleaned."
"Well, yes," the clerk said, "they're ready, but they're not here."
"Well," Charlie went on, "that brings up a whole new set of questions.... where are they?"
"Sterling has them," she said.
We tracked Sterling down in a little building on the South Side and have been relying on him ever since. Cutting out the middle man cut down on our sail storage/repair costs. But, the real prize was meeting Sterling. He knows more about rigging and sails than anyone we've met in the city. He's the sailmaker the racing outfits call on when they want the job done right.
He's also a really good guy and a heck of a lot of fun.
Sterling can be a hard man to find. At one point, his loft had a sign and an awning. That was before he got into a disagreement of some sort with the Bureau of Signage and Whatnot and down came the awning and sign.
No one quite knows the details of the disagreement, but it doesn't really matter. The people who use Sterling know where to find him.
No one quite knows the details of the disagreement, but it doesn't really matter. The people who use Sterling know where to find him.
Wherever Sterling goes, you will usually find Fernando.
Not only is Fernando a great dog in general, but he's a professional athlete (well, a semi-retired pro...). A Spanish Water Dog, Fernando was a pretty serious competitor in jumping events (http://www.ultimateairdogs.com/). He even had his own truck to haul around his number one fan.
You get the idea that these two make a pretty good pair.
