During his time in Wausau in the mid-1970's, he met a man named Peter Parsons who owned a local disco. Peter was also a sailor and invited Rick down to Florida if he was ever interested in sailing. Rick's desire to leave behind the business world and sail for a living led him down to Florida to reconnect with Pete. Rick found Pete living in his van (which Rick would soon be doing as well) at a marina alongside a beautiful 36' sailing ketch occupied by future partner Dave.

Rick's initial sailing adventure as a 30-something novice was at the invitation of a Door County friend Rich George aboard his Cal 25. Rick describes this experience as “Drive a van to Pensacola, sail to Clearwater, bus back to Pensacola, van back to Clearwater, sail via Florida Keys to Ft. Lauderdale, bus back to Clearwater, van back to Ft. Lauderdale, sail to Bahamas and back. The sailboat was more fun. The van was more comfortable.”

Rick came to Door County in order to make some sailing connections. He lived for a summer or two in his van behind friends' houses and businesses. Every morning he'd eat breakfast at Pelletier's, eat lunch from the Norz deli, have dinner at the “Bowl” and spend nights out at the Omnibus, Baileys Harbor Yacht Club, Powell's, the C & C Supper Club, and the English Inn. He'd spend his days on the water sailing as much as he could with Dave on the Stiletto in Fish Creek and with Pete on Wind's End.

Soon after, in 1983, the three sailors would begin a company called S.B.R. of Door County (Sail Boat Rides). Rick would spend the next 15 years working in Fish Creek as a sailboat captain, in Peninsula State Park at Nicolet Beach renting bikes, kayaks, and sailboats, and in Ephraim as a Stiletto captain. Rick married Lucy Roske in Ephraim at the Moravian Church in 1986.

In 1999, with his partners, Rick opened Bay Shore Outdoor Store in Sister Bay. When asked what made him stay in Door County all these years, Rick answered, “I think [Door County] is all about the people who live here, willing to work hard to stay here and are passionate about maintaining its unique character.”

For the next 12 years Dave captained boats all over the Caribbean and the world. Dave first met Pete Parsons when they were both living and working at the same marina in Miami. Dave would meet Rick soon after and the three of them would head up to Door County to be sailboat captains on the Great Lakes.

Dave continued to sail in the winters and his travels took him all over the world. Some of his favorite adventures took him Mexico, to the Phillipines, the Bahamas, and Greece. He also enjoyed the trips he would take up and down the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to Florida and back.

Dave first came to Door County, like Rick, on the recommendation of Pete to sail and spend the summer. His first four summers in Door County, Dave lived in his 1954 GMC Panel truck down near the Fish Creek Marina. He took tourists on sailboat rides, did sailboat rentals, and did mechanical odd jobs.

Pete served in the US Army from 1966 to 1969 including two tours of duty in Vietnam with the corp. of engineers. While he was there he took R & R's (rest and recooperation) to Australia, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Taiwan.

Pete met Dave Zasler in Miami in 1974 at the marina they were both living at. Pete had previously met Rick in Wausau, WI were he owned and operated a disco called “King's Knight”. They all got to know one another better in Door County as captains. In his days as a sailboat captain, Pete sailed seven trips down the Mississippi River from Wisconsin and Florida. His most memorable trip was in 1975 on a fishing trawler in which Dave was a fellow crew member. On that trip they sailed from Florida to the Grenadine Islands (in the south Caribbean Sea). They bought fish from the out island natives and transported it to the French island of Martinique for resale. The sales of the fish barely covered their expenses, but they ate well and had great times and adventures.

Pete's first job in Door County was in 1962 when his aunt and uncle had just built a motel. Pete got to be their “yard boy” and do whatever other odd jobs came along. This was the summer that Pete first got involved with sailing.

Pete has always enjoyed the people that live in Door County, along with its natural beauty. It was always a fun place for him to spend summers in high school and college. Peter has always been intrigued by the development of new business ideas and SBR of Door County enabled him to do this. He always says that the partners never came up with totally new concepts for businesses, but instead, took fledgling businesses and turned them into profitable, conceptual business designs. For Pete, working for SBR 6 months of the year in Door County, and being a charter sailboat captain gave him the best of all worlds. Who says you can't have your cake and eat it too?

Pete states that the most rewarding part of the business has been all the people that he's come in contact with, worked with, and learned from.

Email Pete- Peter@KayakDoorCounty.com