Yes, there is life in the the Great Salt Lake. Life as Steve Ingram has known it since childhood. Life that is part of a livelihood. And the skipper - his crew call him "Captain Steve" - now shares that life with others aboard the ship Island Serenade.

Ingram's thirst for Utah's inland sea began shortly after his family moved to Salt Lake City from San Francisco in the 1960s. Rather than pour money and passion into a mountain cabin, this family of three opted for a "cabin" on the lake - a 22-foot sailboat.

Soon, the then-12-year-old Ingram plunged headlong into the world of sailing.

"My dad and I built an 8-foot dinghy together" he recalled. "I had an instant new group of [sailing] friends . . . The Great Salt Lake "was like a playground in our own backyard."

That dinghy was just the ticket for exploring and racing out on the lake. But six-day sailing excursions in his parent's boat could get dicey.

"Sometimes a storm would come up with 10-foot waves," Ingram said. "But we managed to explore all the islands Ð from one end of the lake to the other."

As a lad, Ingram learned firsthand the cycle of life that interlocked brine shrimp and flies with the fowl on the lake's waters and shores. He also was caught up in the lore of the lake, dreaming of a day when the great body of water would return to the grandeur it enjoyed during its heyday in the late 1800s.

Even today, he delights in regaling listeners with stories about the lake's bygone glory - when the paddle-wheeler General Garfield plied the waters. The steamboat was named after James A. Garfield, who toured the lake in 1875 before he was elected as the nation's president. In 1904, a fire destroyed the boat while it was docked at a lakeside resort.

Ingram knows he can't bring back the past. He'd settle for bringing back the people.

"My dream was to provide a dinner cruise to bring people back to the lake again - to dispel rumors that the lake is dead and smelly," Ingram said.

Building a boat that would stack up with the grand steamships of yesteryear was a colossal challenge for the avid sailer. His dream was realized in March 1996, with the maiden voyage of the Island Serenade - a 65 foot, 37-ton boat sporting a $500,000 price tag. The boat is docked at the Great Salt Lake State Marina on the lake's south shore.

"My goal is not financial gain," said Ingram, a dental-lab owner. "The reward is to watch people walk off the boat with a smile . . . and saying that they'll be back,"

A recent evening cruise was typical. Cruisers were treated to scenic vistas of the lake and nearby mountains. Half the voyagers were of Russian heritage, which fulfilled Ingram's vision of sharing the lake with visitors from around the globe.

"You never know who's going to be on the boat on any [given] night." Ingram says.

Another treat? Riders heard stories about the lake's storied past - about Jean Baptiste, the gravedigger who was convicted of pilfering more than 300 graves and exiled to Fremont Island. He later turned up missing, leading some to speculate he fled on a wooden raft crafted from an abandoned sheepherder's shack.

Lore, though, isn't the lake's only allure. It's a quiet place to relax.

"I love the lake. It's not smelly," said 11-year-old Tatuana Meiners, one of several guests relaxing on the bow of the boat.

Added 23-year-old Igor Pianych, a junior at Salt Lake Community College: "It's great . . . and makes me feel romantic."

If only some government officials felt the same, Ingram lamented. He said some of them would just as soon "pave right over the lake [or] block off its main fresh-water source," the Bear River.

Still, Ingram's dream for the lake lingers. Soon, he will begin offering sailing lessons and romantic sunset excursions on his refurbished 23-foot sailboat.

* For more information about Ingram's voyages, call 801-252-9336 or visit the Web at http://www.gslcruises.com.