Sports
Trekr Adventures offers laid-back cruises to exotic locales
Imagine yourself jetting over to Greece or Thailand or Croatia
Patrick Butler on a recent Trekr Adventure. (photo courtesy Trekr Adventures)
Imagine yourself jetting over to Greece or Thailand or Croatia. Your airport taxi drops you off at a marina where you board a sailboat which by all rights, should be referred to as a yacht.
After sailing for hours, the skipper anchors and you meet up with travelers from multiple sailboats for a bonfire or cookout. The next day after more sailing, you find yourself kayaking around caves in crystal blue water. Later that day after scootering through ancient ruins, you could probably fit in a wine-tasting before heading back to the sailboat.
And so each day continues. You didn’t plan any of it. Even the things you packed in your bag came from a list supplied to you by your hosts.
Trekr Adventures has created an operation focused on adventure travel for the LGBT community. Based in D.C., its most recent trip was to Croatia and 65 people enjoyed a week of adventures in six catamaran sailboats. The typical sailboat is a 50-foot catamaran with four bedrooms, air conditioning, a skipper, internet, a full kitchen and a grill.
In an effort to make the trip more intimate, there are events in the months leading up to the departure so you can meet the other people who will be going on the adventure with you.
Oh, so you don’t feel like exploring military bunkers or rappelling or skydiving or swimming with sharks? OK. Instead, you can try some cooking lessons, go to wine-tastings or just hang out on the boat. The adventure is yours and the choice is yours.
“There have definitely been times where spur of the moment, we have docked and anchored, cooked dinner and created our own ecosystem,” says co-founder Josh Seefried. “You can pick and choose what you want to do. That includes whether you participate in any of the skipper duties on the sailboat.”
Coming up in 2017, Trekr is offering adventures to the Abacos islands in the Bahamas, Greece (twice) and Thailand. A land excursion is also planned for Cambodia and Vietnam.
With so many paths to take during the sailing trips, it isn’t uncommon for the boats to separate and have their own adventure for a few hours away from the rest of the group.
“Each night, all the boats gather at a rally point for our night-time activities,” Seefried says. “During the day sail, the boats usually stick together, but sometimes they sail off to do their own thing. We are never in a rush.”
Patrick Butler used to be in a rush all of the time. He was living in Philadelphia and working in D.C for his job with Amtrak.
“The commute was crazy,” he says.
He finally moved to the District earlier this year and he has already notched trips to Thailand and Croatia with Trekr. He is booked for Abacos and Greece in 2017 and says these are not “individual” trips as you interact with all the travelers throughout the week.
“The experience is framed around a group of friends and acquaintances going on a trip together,” Butler says. “Most of the travelers are from D.C., so the conversation continues when you get home.”
A former sailor in high school, Butler has enjoyed getting back into sailing and the fact that everything on the trip is laid out for you.
“I would not be booking a sailboat by myself in Croatia,” Butler says. “Trekr offers a good mix of all the different sides of going on a vacation.”
Butler himself can sometimes been found relaxing on the boat, going to wine tastings or participating in the Trekr tradition of releasing Chinese lanterns. Other times he joins in on things like the bar excursions, tours through military bunkers and Muslim villages, canyoning, scuba diving or kayaking.
“Trekr makes it so easy just to show up in a country you know nothing about,” Butler says. “It’s really comforting to know that you are booking an experience that someone else has thoughtfully planned for you.”
Sports
‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to participate in Olympic torch relay
Games to take place next month in Italy
“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will participate in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics that will take place next month in Italy.
HBO Max, which distributes “Heated Rivalry” in the U.S., made the announcement on Thursday in a press release.
The games will take place in Milan and Cortina from Feb. 6-22. The HBO Max announcement did not specifically say when Williams and Storrie will participate in the torch relay.
The Washington Capitals will host Pride Night on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. A special ticket offer featuring a Pride-themed Capitals rainbow jersey is available at washcaps.com.
Fans are invited to a pre-game Block Party at District E beginning at 5 p.m. The event will feature a performance by the band NovaKane. Specialty happy hour food and beverages will be available, as well as giveaways. There will also be a presence by several local LGBTQ+ community organizations.
Egypt
Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’
Game to take place on June 26
Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.
The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.
The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”
“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.
The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.
Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’
The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.
“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”
“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”
The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.
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