Weather varied as the day progressed. At start, sunny and pleasant with winds W 10-15 predicted to shift S. Seas calm.
65 miles rhum line. Should be able to run the rhum with predicted winds.
1000hrs pulled away from the slip. Stopped at pump out and diesel. Underway 1030hrs. Initially got a great push from the westerlies. About 3 miles off the coast, dead calm. Motored SE for about 15 minutes and the winds picked up...SE, directly from New Buffalo. So much for the S wind prediction. Chose the East tack and averaged 7.5 kts w/23 kts apparent wind. Tried to point up, but jib shuttered so worked 45 apparent wind on the instruments. Could not flatten/tight up the sail. Realized main halyard was twisted and the sail was not up all the way. But we were making 8-9 kts. Thought about things.
Got foggy and cold. Fog was only about 100 feet high. Above, the sun was shining. Seas stayed calm. Was like being all alone in a ghostly world. The only evidence of our passage was the wake and the vortex off the main leaving a clear path angling off at our 7 o'clock. This was a really cool effect.
But 7 o'clock? Wind indicator showed 45 degrees apparent. Shouldn't it be around 8:30? I thought about things as I donned a ski mask and mittens. Kelly remained snug down below but kept me well supplied with food!
Wind shear. The wind down low was more on the nose but the wind up near the top of the mast was more southerly. So, the gauge was showing 45 degrees apparent wind. The fog was doing interesting things. Just go with it...for now.
Fog and wind shear dissipated as we arrived off St Joseph, MI around 1900. I did not want to lower the main to fix the halyard so I used the 1st reef to tighten the luff. Worked! Could get 30 degrees apparent and maintain 7.5 kts!
Fed the dogs underway.
The sun got low and Kelly asked if we were going to be sailing at night. I lied and said no. The sun set and stars came out. Nav lights came on. "How long are we not going to sail at night?" Kelly asked. Busted.
The SE wind was warm coming directly off the Michigan peninsula without any lake to cool it off. Very pleasant sailing in these conditions. City lights on the Michigan coast and the glow of Gary to the S and Chicago to the SW. And stars!
Tacked east off New Buffalo but ended up motoring for an hour as the winds became swirly. Around 0030 and at the breakwater, Kelly took the helm and navigated the entrance as I retracted the amas. Took a while to find the slip, we had never been here and the guide book was vague. New Buffalo has several marinas and condos with slips on the Galien River. Which was the Municipal Marina and our reserved slip? Motored towards where we thought it was and ran aground. River's current pushed us out of the mud. Kept searching back in the other direction. Turned around again and headed up river, this time centered in what we hoped was mid-channel. Made it past were we ran aground and there were a few tall docks on the bank, perpendicular to the current. Fortunately, it was 0130. Fortunately there was no one around to see the goat rope mooring turned into. Kelly sat on an ama, fending us off a piling while I muscled the boat in. It was now 0230. Walked the dogs and went to bed around 0340.
Success and a big confidence boost! About a 105 nm/15 hour trip, crossed Lake Michigan and 1st night sail. Saw 9.4 kts and 419 feet depth. A cold transit with the fog, but the sail's vortex/disturbance in the fog was a treat. Entered an unknown marina at night and managed to get into the slip. Found the New Buffalo Municipal Marina ok, but Waukegan set a high standard.
Lesson learned: Ensure the main halyard is clean prior to hoisting.
Edit:
Lesson learned since: Use the mooring lines in conjunction with the engine to get the boat in and out of slips with perpendicular currents or unfavorable winds.
Hindsight. Probably should have chosen the coast route past Chicago and Gary instead of the cross Lake Michigan route. Would have been longer vs rhum line, but the dead calm encountered just off shore should have been a clue of some sort. Further, the rhum line route went away as soon as the SE winds picked up. Still, I wanted to do something I'd never done, to cross Lake Michigan. During the crossing, the winds were fair and consistent. The crossing was made without any sail adjustments or heading changes. I don't regret choosing the crossing as it was very rewarding. This is just an exercise.
HR had no radar reflectors. Turns out, HR has very little radar signature. Very lucky there were no encounters in the fog.
No comments:
Post a Comment