Weather: Sunny and warm. Winds: E 5-10. Seas: 1ft.
Two foot or less wave prediction proved somewhat inaccurate as one foot waves greeted us outside Presque Isle. 5-10kt east winds allowed 6-7kts beating, still a little rough after a few hours. So, decided to cut the corner and take the inside path between the islands and North Point before entering Thunder Bay. GPS chart proved accurate through the narrow passage. Easing the sails to slow us down, we wove our way through the shoals. Crystal clear water made the passage easy to see.
Once through and thinking we were clear, we sheeted in, picking up speed in the flat water. Suddenly, BANG BANG! Both the centerboard and the rudder popped. A vertical rudder makes for easy steering, a horizontal rudder makes it difficult. "What happened?" "We hit something!" "What can I do?" "Don't know, I'm busy trying to hold on to the helm!"
All in all, we got very lucky. This area is notorious for eating boats. I knew this, but thought the risk was worth it. The charts had proved good. What wasn't on the chart was the shoal we hit and as I was holding on to the helm, the crystal clear water was making the shoal very visible, but at what depth? Holy crap! The centerboard pops at about 5ft. The rudder at about 4. How much water was under the boat? Obviously enough for the the 20 inch draft, but holy crap!
Once THAT was sorted out and the boat back into normal configuration, our course was now south across Thunder Bay and past Sturgeon Point. With the east wind, it made for an easy run to Harrisville.
No comments:
Post a Comment