Arctic Solo Sail

May 9^th, 2009 0600 underway from my shallow water anchorage for the American Locks at Sault St. Marie, MI.  Yesterdays wind was just too strong to attempt a downwind landing in a new situation.  The lock attendant passed me one line and down we went, all that water just to drop me 21 feet to the level of the next lake.  Well, better than shooting the rapids.

May 10^th, 2009.  1130 underway for Mackinaw MI with a nice down river wind.  The river, St. Mary’s, is interesting and fun to navigate.  There are lots of islands, coves, marshes and waterfowl.  Not wanting to spend another night in a town, I anchor in a large shallow cove above DeTour, MI. at Lat. 46° 06.102’N ~ Long. 084° 03.551’in 9 feet of water having traveled 818 nm to date. The wind is stout and strums her music in the rigging, CAP’N dances.    I enjoy the seclusion of this place, feeling warm and secure down below.  The sunset is clear and promising of good weather for my first venture into Lake Huron.

May 11^th, 2009 I raise the main to a ¾ reef in anticipation of the wind on the lake, then sail out the anchor getting underway for Lake Huron.  The morning ages with the passing landscape and I come abeam of De Tour Lighthouse to starboard.  The open lake brings a change in the wind and with it, a change in destinations.  The west wind is a good decision maker.  It blows away my desire to brag about sailing all the big lakes, so I save Lake Michigan for another time or another life.  I confess it was only an ego thing anyway to go so far to sail under the Mackinaw Bridge then turn around to come back for the sake of saying I had sail Lake Michigan.  The wind knows me better than I know myself.

I set the sail for a broad reach then look to where that will take me.  Rogers City.  He must have been a fine fellow, this Roger, to own a whole city in name, like this.  I shake out the reef and raise the mainsail full.  10 knots of wind put a “bone in the teeth” of the CAP’N LEM and we clip along at a steady 7 knots over the bottom most of the afternoon.  The warmth of the day tires the wind and we’re left with a glassy sea and only 2.5 knots.  The good CAP’N can find some wind even when Tommy can’t.

I’m met by a friendly gentleman on the dock, a fellow boat owner, offering advice on where to tie and assistance with the lines.  I fight of the urge to say “no, I’ll handle it,” remembering it is good to feel useful to a stranger and so many have helped me this far. I’m blessed to be washed in such good will.  I approach the dock slowly and ask him to take the bow line.  Moored now, we chat a bit.  He points out his boat, a nice new twin outboard.   We talk of whither and whence.  I do pass on his offer of a ride,though.  I need the walk.

And the walk is good.  No place in particular, up past the City Hall, the Police Station, the Dollar Store, the bank and back.  Roger keeps his city very tidy, very tidy indeed.  No trash in the streets, the park is clean and well kept, even an outdoor theater for summer music.  I like this place but I’ll be moving out to anchor anyway.

Outside the breakwater, I anchor in 12’ of water on a rocky muddy bottom, (the bottom is clearly visible at Lat. 45° 25318N ~ Long 083° 48.501W having traveled 46 nm to day, and 864 nm to date.

Leaving the locks

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 9:15 am and is filed under Lake Huron. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.