Peter H. (Pete) Hames was born on February 9, 1943 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Pete grew up spending summers on freshwater lakes in Minnesota and Michigan where his usual attire was a swimming suit. He loved long-distance swimming, boating, sailing, fishing, and experimenting with underwater exploration. Pete started drawing boats at an early age. Later he built and sailed a model boat. By the time Pete was in high school, he had become fascinated with Naval Architecture and the use of testing tanks to perfect hull forms. At the age of 16, Pete raced a Snipe sailboat against at least 20 other Snipes every weekend.