Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
April 5, 2002

After five

Ever wonder where your co-workers are headed at the end of the day? This Inside feature catches up with university employees "after five." Photo by Bob Elbert.

Name: Steve Fales
By day, he's: Professor and department head, agronomy
After five, he's: A sailor
Lost landlubber status: By age 6, when he began sailing with his father off the Rhode Island coast.
His nautical nirvana: Two years ago, sailing for a month on his cousin's boat, covering more than 3,000 miles from the Galapagos Islands to Tahiti. "There's nothing like standing watch every night from midnight to 3 a.m., making sure the Southern Cross is on your left and the handle of the Big Dipper is on your right."
The serenity of shoving off: "The best part of sailing is just being away from the world and immersing yourself in nature. It's about being one with the boat and using the power of nature to get you across a very large expanse of the globe."