Tuesday July 31, 2007

Yippieeeee!!! We were able to get both sails out this morning. Cool north wind, had the light pile on. .. Then the winds died, and the lake turned to a mirror, calmer then I have experienced it. It got very hot for up north and we stopped for a swim before motored on into Hammond Bay. Nothing happening here, Hammond is the most desolate marina I have ever seen, 5 boats, the attendant is rather lonely and keeps coming down to hang out with us. A couple cross Michigan bikers stopped by looking for a coke. He told them the nearest coke was 14 miles in Cheboygan. We gave them a few from our ice chest, they were very pleased. Grilled out tonight, pork chops, stove top, and corn. Always tastes better on the back of a boat. And the view is fabulous.

Do we carry a spinnaker? When do we put the motor on? No spinnaker. No room for one and the number of days we have a good strong down wind sail is maybe 1 and 10. We have a Whisper pool and use that down wind. When do we turn the motor on? Well, we are not a sailing purest. Rather an Explorer who enjoys sailing. The question is when do we bring out the sails. If the flag on the backstay flies 15 minutes or so, we bring out the sails. We cut the engine when we can maintain at least 5 knots with the sails alone. We motor barepole often, motor sail often, and sail with out the engine less then a third of the time.

I was talking to a Port Huron to Mackinac Racer last night. He carried the flag till the last twenty miles, never got to asking him just what carrying the flag means. Anyhow a friend of his was sailing a Beneteau 41 (like a mac truck where Albion would be a volkswagon!) a few weeks back. The seas were 8-10 and he was coming in a channel that was into the weather. The channel was 7 feet deep and his keel 6 feet. The seas going up and down in the channel slammed this boat into the bottom, and pushed the keel right up through the bottom of the boat. ..Never thought about the depth of a channel going way down from heavy seas like that. But just what was he doing out in 10 foot seas anyhow?

How do I feel? Great, wonderful, that has to be obvious!! I tend to forget everything when I enter this world, I effortlessly seize each moment. I feel at home.

Should be good sleeping, cooling off, very peaceful, the benefit of being desolute. The sun is setting over these two rather odd looking boats the dock master tells us they are Indian netting boats. The swallows are dive bombing insects all around the boat and dock..The water is crystal clear. Goodnight, nothing like sleeping on a rocking boat…