WHO WE ARE: TOM PEASE

Get To Know Your Local Sales Expert

How long have you been sailing? What classes do you compete?

I was introduced to sailing when my dad bought his first boat, a Flying Dutchman, when I was about five years old. I really started to get involved when he moved up to a 26 ft keel boat and joined the local yacht club and started racing on the weekends and in the Wednesday night beer can series. Going through the club’s Jr program, I sailed and raced many different single handed and crewed centerboard and keel boats.

What boats/classes do you sail?

As a Jr we had access to and raced Butterfly’s, Lasers, Flying Juniors, 470’s, Lightnings and International 210’s. As part of the North Sails team, my focus had been primarily offshore racing on the Great Lakes in MORC, PHRF, ORR (and IOR back in the day) and one design offshore classes.

What got you into the marine industry and what do you like about it?

North Sails Midwest was our local loft and one day I walked in and asked for a job to make some money to go to school. I started as a shipper and worked my way through the ranks of handwork, service manager, designer, and sales. The new challenges always kept the job fresh and there were plenty of opportunities to learn from the talented North Sails team. Because of the connections, I've had the chance to sail with numerous clients on many different boats across North America- which has been quite rewarding.

How long have you been working in the industry? What keeps you coming back for more?

I’ve been in the industry for nearly 40 years, starting in the 70’s in boat yards and at North Sails. I took a 10-year break from 1995 – 2005 to see what the ‘real world’ was all about. I discovered neckties and suits were not my thing and rejoined North Sails where I get to work with clients that are passionate about their hobby and the sport.

What's your favorite aspects about sailing?

There’s no one single answer to this question; If it’s cruising with my wife, it’s the freedom and relaxation of going with the flow and throwing a timeline out the window. When I’m racing it’s the competition and working with the team to show our best for the day or event, and the satisfaction of coming into the dock and being able to say we gave it our all and it was pretty good.