Setting Sail with Emma McCormick: The 5-to-9 Life
Written by Doug Goodnough
Emma McCormick, ’19, has always enjoyed the outdoors. Coming from the hearty northwest Idaho town of Coeur d’Alene, maybe it’s not much of a surprise. However, what is surprising is that she lives on a sailboat part of the year and still maintains a full-time corporate job in finance with General Motors (GM).
“I found sailing when I moved to Detroit,” McCormick, who joined GM soon after graduation on a three-year track rotational program for new employees. “I’ve enjoyed that a lot.”
During her first summer in Detroit, she visited the Bayview Yacht Club on Lake St. Clair and discovered “hitchhiking.” This concept allows people to participate in sailing and race events by joining a member of the crew. That first summer, she competed in several races and learned the fine points of sailing.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, GM and many other companies switched to a remote work environment. That got McCormick thinking. “That winter (of 2020-2021), I was sitting in Michigan. I don’t have family here,” she said. “Why would I stay where it’s gray and cold and there are no mountains to ski?”
She answered her own question by moving to Florida and purchasing a sailboat. In fact, she discovered a marina in the St. Petersburg area and made her home on the 25-foot boat she named “5-to-9” because it’s “all the hours you’re not working when you have fun on the boat,” she said.
McCormick has lived on her sailboat the past two winters, and calls the experience “an adventure. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said McCormick. “You had the opportunity to go anywhere. It’s like an RV, only with water.”
Mostly staying anchored at the marina, she usually takes several short sailing trips around the Gulf Coast. Now a more experienced sailor, McCormick said she is thinking about sailing to the Dry Tortugas National Park on the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys this winter.
McCormick said there’s always a project to tackle on her boat. She refinished her teak wood floors, made new seat cushions and covers, and even fixed a leak in the fuel tank. “I like to stay busy and I like to fix things,” said McCormick, who helped restore a classic car with her father during her high school years. “I’m decently handy, and I think projects are fun. Plus, it saves money if you do it yourself.”
With winters in Florida casually sailing the Gulf Coast, summers have her competing in a full schedule of sailing events in the Detroit area. In fact, she just competed in the annual Port Huron-to-Mackinac Race. A member of a 10-person crew, McCormick worked on the foredeck, with her main duties being helping to hoist and douse the spinnaker sails, which are big “balloon” sails on the front of the 40-foot boat. Her team finished second in its class.
“It’s a fun sport,” McCormick said. “It’s technical and tactical. There’s a lot to think about and consider. That’s what I really love, is the racing.”
Her competitive nature extends beyond sailing. An avid runner who enjoys competing in Iron Man competitions now and then, McCormick plans to participate with her brother in the annual “7 Summits” race in her home state over the Labor Day weekend. The 50-mile course has runners scaling seven mountain peaks. “I take things to the extreme, I guess,” she said.
While a student at Hillsdale, McCormick founded and led the Outdoor Adventures Club on campus. She said introducing other students to the outdoors while completing her economics degree was one of the highlights of her time on campus.
“The liberal arts education, the Christian values, the small community of students,” McCormick said of her alma mater. “It just made sense to come to Hillsdale. I’m really glad I did.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s new director of Alumni Marketing. He’s looking forward to connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in August 2022