Settling In

We're settling in to our new home in Hessel Harbor at Mertaugh's Marina.  Not too many live-aboard folks like us, so not too crowded, facilities are nice and the town reminds me of Harbor Springs before it got all monied and snooty.  Lovely looking out our "back porch" (the stern deck) at Marquette Bay and pine trees on the islands.  Quiet and peaceful at night, although I couldn't stay up to watch the Perseid meteor shower last night.  May be too cloudy tonight... 

Friday night we gear up for the Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show; the Lady is a entrant ('cuz I didn't want to move out of the marina Saturday).  We'll move her to her show slip Friday night and wake up Sat. AM to crowds of people walking the docks and peering into our windows.  :)  

Nice to have little to say here...

Safe in Home Port

Last Thursday's events improved dramatically on Friday.  The storm passed over night and when we got back to the Lady she was happily at anchor where we left her the night before.  Water coming in was only when lots of water came over the deck (spray, she doesn't nose into even 8' waves--very cool).  During Friday's short trip I finished cleaning out the bilge area and had to clean the pump filter a couple of more times and that seemed to solve the problem. 

Friday started out fairly calm.  We hooked a ride from the Holiday Inn in Alpena back to Rockport with Alpena Diving Service, a marine salvage company going out to a dive in the area near our boat.  Very nice people!  Once back on board, they left, a bit of a sinking feeling.  But the engine started right up and the bilge pump was working, so off we went. 

Shortly after starting, though, the wind picked up and soon we had 3-5 foot waves dead ahead--once again!  Really, we can't catch a break?!  We went about two hours and made harbor in Presque Isle harbor and decided to spend the night, get re-organized, have some beer and wine, and prepare for the next day.  That did the trick, as Sat. was predicted to be a great travel day. 

Yea, not exactly.  Great weather along the coast for four hours to Hammond Bay on Friday.  We gassed up and checked the weather--south winds about 5 mph for the rest of the afternoon.  The last leg, from Hammond Bay to Les Cheneaux Islands, included about 10 miles across Lake Huron.  You know what's coming next.  SE winds closer to 15 knots, waves 2-4' on an angle to our course, so lots more pitching and rolling.  Not enough deck wash to cause bilge problems, thank you very much! 

It was a happy hour or so watching the UP come into view and starting to recognize landmarks.  Motored right to the "yacht entrance" to the Islands by Government Island and then took the victory lap through the islands, past our old cottage and saw a couple of friends along the way to Hessel.  Pulled into our slip without incident and went to dinner with our buddies, Paul and Julie.  They offered to let us crash at their house, and crash we did.  Great to be home and close this chapter of the Shady Lady's saga. 

Got to Ride in Cool Coast Guard Boat!

 "Steve, is this water supposed to be in the cabin?"  Thus began a several hour side-trip.  Two things, it turned out, combined building up water in the bilge and starting to flood the cabin.  Four miles from land and no suitable safe harbor nearby, in 4-6' waves with heavy spray covering the deck...these are not happy words!

We think that heavy spray on the deck (which is not that well sealed in a 50 year old boat) let water in places it hadn't been coming in.  This flushed beaucoup de hair and junk into the bilge, clogging the intake of the new bilge pump.  By the time we'd called for help and the Coast Guard Aux. arrived, I finished taking it apart and finding the cause.

Meanwhile, we continued steaming into the waves, using a hand pump to stay ahead of the bilge water (we could, thank goodness!).  Keeps one focused on the task at-hand when it's the only alternative!  About an hour ahead was Middle Island, by Rockport, which had decent anchorage water in the lee.  We made that, anchored successfully, and--lo and behold--the water stopped rising.  Coastie out of Alplena said that wasn't that uncommon to get water in the boat from deck wash.

Meanwhile, again, the winds are still increasing and, WTF?, a sqaull line is moving in across Lake Huron.

Got to ride in one of those cool Coast Guard boats today, in 4-8 gt. waves!  Always wanted to do that.  Didn't like leaving the boat at anchor during tonight's storms, though.  But expect tomorrow to be a good one, with problems fixed (bilge is sorted out and the source of water intake seems to be a deck not sealed well enough) and weather cooperating. 

Open-Water Day

No land in sight for about four hours today, a disorienting and fascinating experience.  Just 36' of well-designed wooden boat keeping us afloat and on course.  I have a short panoramic video but have to get it out of the camera yet.  Funny, there is so much to do that there isn't lots of time to mess about with things I used to fill my days with.  Maybe tonight I'll catch up on the pics and vids.  

We sailed the first half of the day on a beam-to-broad reach with a 10-15 mph SW wind.  Beginning to have more confidence in the process.  The wind died off about mid-way across the mouth of Saginaw Bay heading from Pt. Austin to Harrisville.  Before that we were making 6-7 MPH and the engine goes about 8, so free gasoline!  Tomorrow's forecast is favorable so we may sail it, too, angling for Presque Isle Harbor.  Our voyage of discovery continues! 

When does the land stop moving after spending several hours in 2-4 foot seas?  Just curious. 

Sailing Most of the Day

Today we headed north half the day with SW to W winds about 10 knots so we figured we may as well sail, since we took the classes.  The Shady Lady is a sweet sailing boat, I think (what do I know?).  Always seems in control, although it's still confusing how to trim the sails for maximum benefit.  Thanks to Alan's Annapolis book on seamanship, I can read up at night and give it a try tomorrow.  Most humbling; I thought I was a pretty smart and practical guy.  Much to learn.  

On the other hand, Gramps' training in the Gulf of Mexico when I was a kid on how to read navigation charts is still working!  Our charts and GPS* worked again today, plotting our way around reefs off the north end of the Thumb heading into Port Austin.  Tomorrow will be the real test.  We sail across 35 miles of open water from Port Austin to Harrisville.  Five-to-seven hours if things go as well as they have been.  Gonna be hot, though, and I miss air conditioning!  Can't wait to get to the UP where A/C is natural! 


* I'm a bit of a purist, I guess.  I don't want to drive by GPS but prefer to use charts for the most part.  The GPS I have does not have nav charts but shows latitude and longitude and coastline outlines.  From the lat/long I can find us on the chart and plot a new course.  Found every buoy we were looking for on the first pass!  Feeling pretty good about that. 

Some pictures from a few days back; thanks Kitty!  

Making Way

After excellent mechanic work we made Harbor Beach last night.  Turns out the throttle cable was not secure so the whole mechanism shifted around.  Worked like a charm.  One exciting event yesterday.  I idly watched a 6' long, 1-2' diameter floating log pass our starboard side about six feet off.  WTF!?!?  Glad it was lined up with the boat and not sideways and that we missed it!  Oy...

Today is a sunny, hot day with no storms forecast, 10-15 MPH winds out of the SW, which is perfect for sailing our route.  This may be the first day we sail more than motor.  I'm impressed with the engine; with the wind behind us yesterday we used about one gallon two hours or 16 mpg.  I've had cars worse than this! 

Off to Port Austin today and some reefs to navigate.  The new GPS is the nuts, and the charts give coordinates for major bouys, so we can thread the needle easily.  Way cool. 

Gotta get busy loading pictures from camera to computer so I can upload to the blog.  Today should have some downtime once underway. 

In for Repairs.

Dateline, Monday, Aug. 2, Port Sanilac.  Looks like the folks in the marina know their stuff.  Talked to mechanic and he'll be over before or after lunch.  So maybe make Harbor Beach tonight.  Then...possible thunderstorms tomorrow and Weds. for the crossing of Saginaw Bay.  Have to watch that and see what the universe offers. 

A pleasant breakfast, phone call from Bob checking on us and some advice about the side stays, and now messing with the blog and doing my real work while waiting for the mechanic. 

Weekend Start

SUNDAY, AUG. 1.  STILL UPRIGHT. 
Winds light out of the S-SW today, under sunny skies.  Not much trouble getting up river past Pt. Huron, although the current is very swift there.  Shallower on the inside of the curve there, the Canadian side, so we followed other boats (lots of Sunday boaters out!) and made it just fine.  All of a sudden there was nothing but open water in front of us, Lake Huron!  Very cool. 

The Voyage of Discovery, as Bob called it, continues.  We are still figuring out sleeping arrangements and don't much like any of the current options.  I wonder of PBS has a "This Old Boat" version of the show.  We'll be coming up with some ideas over winter to spiff the interior up next year. 

Did some sailing yesterday for the first time.  She's a nice light-wind boat, so the write-ups say, and that proved true.  We're still figuring out some things, like no rolling furler so each jib has to be hanked on separately.  That's a lot of work so a rolling furler on the headstay is in our future.  I had one on my 14' Holder and know what I'm missing! 

Developed a spot of engine trouble today.  The throttle is sticking and won't go down to idle speed.  Trying to dock at ramming speed was not pretty!  Put in forward, start the engine, gain speed, shut off the engine and drift.  Put in reversse, start the engine, etc.  There's a marine service operation next door that the Harbor Master in Port Sanilac said can help us out.  So that's tomorrow's project.  A pleasant dinner and some time spent (re)-organizing the cabin and off to sleep.  

I have some pictures but haven't had time to get them off the camera onto the computer to send.  This business is a lot more work than I'd figured.  Not much time to slack off and computerize.  Although we seem to be in cell-phone range all along the Lake Huron coast so we'll probably hook in soon.  The marina has wi-fi and we're stuck here anyway, so work away...

SAT. JULY 31.  WE'RE OFF! 
What a start to the day.  Thanks to Mary for hauling all our crap (what!  There's more to go on the boat?!) and us to the Clinton River Saturday morning.  We loaded up, checked things brought the shore lines aboard, and slipped the slip into the Clinton River.  My chart reading and orienteering lessons from Gramps on the Gulf of Mexico still worked.  A heading of 50 degrees off the last buoys brought us right to the entrance of the North Channel.  Then it was just threading our way through the channel markers. 

Winds were light out of the N-NNE under cloudy skies all day.  Once or twice the occasional rain drops, perfect day in my opinion!  I find I need lots of water, even electrolyte water didn't do the job.  I got matching cramps in my hamstrings at dinner at the same time.  Some walking it off and a banana and things were right as rain. 

Wonderful to see Kitty and Jim Sam!  We motored past their house on the St. Clair River.  They were on the seawall waving as we went by.  Kitty takes fabulous pictures and she has some good ones of us hovering off the seawall for a bit while we all chatted.  They also joined us in St. Clair where we docked for the night.  Had a great dinner with good friends to cap an exciting first day out.  Exciting, too, negotiating the drawbridge and not yet being that familiar with the engine's effect on maneuvering.  I think there is a throttle problem; it didn't want to slow way down.  That, lots of weekend boat traffic queuing up and hustling through, didn't make is less anxious.  Somehow we got through, though, so all's well that ends well.