Quantum Sails Traverse City

Growing up on Grand Traverse Bay, Peter Norcross spent his childhood sailing the Great Lakes with family, friends, and neighbors. He spent his earlier years simply cruising around, but where ever there were two boats, there was a race, so he easily shifted gears. Over the years, he’s raced Optimists, Lasers, Lightnings, J/24s, J/29s, and Beach Cats, plus DN ice boats during the winter.

Not only is Peter comfortable on the water, he’s also an accomplished sailmaker. He learned to make sails with Quantum Sails owner Ed Reynolds. Peter started making and designing sails at the beginning of computer aided design/manufacturing, and has done just about everything in the business. He even spent ten years selling sail cloth with Bainbridge International. When he returned to Traverse City in 2008, he also returned to Quantum Sails.

When Peter works with a client, it’s an educational process. He takes the time to share his knowledge of the industry and trends to bring clients up to speed on the latest designs and technology so they can make the most informed decisions. Because of his extensive experience in the industry, Peter excels at helping his customers figure out exactly what they want, as well as what they need.

George Peet grew up sailing on the Great Lakes. In college he was a three-time All-American ski racer. After college, Peet left ski racing to pursue sailboat racing full-time. Peet has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to racing sailboats professionally and working on the design of cutting-edge technologies. He sailed around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race, is a two-time World Champion, and holds multiple world distance sailing records and national and regional titles in competitive one-design fleets and individually in the Moth Class.

When not racing professionally or on the hunt for a new speed record on his Moth or ice boat, you can find Peet tackling the humbling challenge of racing 100-year-old wooden sailboats (NMs) every summer in his hometown of Harbor Springs, Michigan, or coaching youth ski racers at the local ski hills.

Connor Vliet grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and got his first taste of sailing on a Hobie Cat on Lake Michigan. In high school, he started racing 420s, 470s, and a J/130. Throughout his teens, Connor taught sailing at Milwaukee Community Sailing Center. His passion for sailing instruction has been a constant ever since.

After working a few summers with Hoofer Sailing Club in Madison, Wisconsin, Connor joined the delivery crew for the Appledore II and spent time in the tall ship and delivery scene. He also taught sailing in Key Largo, Florida, before moving to San Francisco to teach at Treasure Island Sailing Center, where he ran sailing courses for youth, adult, and physically and visually impaired people.

San Francisco Bay provided one of the best sailing playgrounds possible, and Connor ended up securing crew positions on a variety of luxury yachts and other big boats. His favorite gig was as a crew member on Oracle's America's Cup Class yacht USA 76 during the company's corporate team-building trips. While living in the Bay Area, Connor received a business degree from the University of San Francisco. After graduation, Connor secured a summer sponsorship for Oakcliff Sailing in Long Island, NY.

At Oakcliff, Connor participated in match racing, high-performance dinghy training, and, his favorite, offshore racing. Over the summer, Connor developed an appreciation for the idea that 80 percent of offshore sailing is preparation: getting the boat, rig, and sails ready, provisioning, and weather routing. In particular, Connor focused on emergency preparedness, which has continued to be an interest of his. "I switch into high gear when something goes wrong on the water, whether out with friends on an inland lake just messing around or 500 miles from land preparing for a nasty storm on the horizon. When it 'hits the fan,' my mind clears and I can focus on the whole situation while triaging problems and coming up with solutions on the fly."

Connor eventually found Quantum after visiting the Quantum booth at a boat show. He currently wears a few hats at the company, including sailmaker, sales representative, and manager of Quantum's ReSail Store.

Dave Gerber is an experienced sailing professional, coach, and instructor based in Traverse City, MI, where he offers technical sales support and consultation for Quantum Sails.

Dave began working with Quantum Sails President Ed Reynolds in Northern Michigan before the company existed. They began working together at Reynolds Sail Company in Traverse City and then with Sobstad Sails and Shore Sails before Reynolds co-founded Quantum Sails in 1996.

In 2007, Dave left the sailmaking world to sail professionally. He has won multiple National, North American, and World Championships in the J/22, J/24, J/111, Melges 24 and Farr 40 classes. In addition to sailing, Dave has directed sailing programs and coached youth, high school, and adult teams at Traverse Area Community Sailing, Chicago Yacht Club, and Little Traverse Sailors in Harbor Springs, MI.

In 2022, Dave returned to Quantum Sails. He uses his varied background and expertise to help clients get the most out of their sailing experiences. "Something I truly enjoy about sailing and working in the marine industry is our shared passion for the water," said Dave. "It's wonderful to see people I’ve helped enjoy sailing and their time on the lakes, seas, and oceans."