Horseshoe Bay morning
11th day of April, I’m making preparations to get underway even though the harbor is covered in new ice. Sure must have been cold last night, but I stay pretty warm and toasty down below with the little fireplace going. 1030: The lines are cast and we’re breaking ice again! It’s strange how familiar that sound is from my days so long ago aboard the Polar Sea. It must be the relative size, The Polar Sea, 400’ breaking ice 4 feet thick and the Cap’n Lem breaking ice 1 inch thick.
The Saturday tourist to Grand Marais seem to enjoy seeing the crazy guy come to a stop mid harbor in the ice…then I raised the sails and off we went again. Crunch, bang, pop! With a little help from the motor of course. Clearing the harbor and still in ice I headed North North East toward Isla Royale.
The farther north I went the less ice. I found my home for the night in Horseshoe Bay having traveled 24 nautical miles to Latitude 47 degrees 50.9minutes N ~ Longitude 089 degrees 56.1 minutes W. A quiet little harbor all to myself. Quiet until midnight.
12th of April, I’m awaken by the ice again as it forms then is broken by the swing of the vessel in the light wind. It’s a sound that demands attention, like the sound of bones breaking. So up and out I go in my long johns, and then back down again. “Don’t take me long to look at ice!” I shout to no one. Not in that cold it didn’t. Not much I could do about it anyway. An hour later, up again. This time the ice is bigger, blown in from outside. I check the anchor and the position of the vessel. All is well. Back to sleep.
Only up two more times, before daybreak. I notice an exceptionally beautiful star right above the horizon at the first light of day. I suspect it’s not a star at all but the planet Mercury. It’s the third time I’ve seen it so I add it to my list of “friends” that remind me of the wonders of this world we live.
Getting underway I had to motor around the anchor to break the ice. I couldn’t pull the boat through it to get up the anchor. I did sail out of the bay by a North wind just strong enough to push me through the new ice and then it was a one tack sail to Isle Royale, (finally I got the name right. Some geographer I am.)
I sail close aboard to Rock of Ages Lighthouse. My, what a cold and lonely place. There are three wrecks gone to the bottom here; The Cumberland, 1877; The Henry Chisholm, 1898; The George M. Cox, 1933. The chill up my back, this time, is not from the cold.
Rock of Ages Lighthouse
Tommy, first of all I want to thank you for your generosity and the wonderful weekend of sailing to Vancouver and back to Port Angeles. I am facinated by what you are doing and hope that when my day comes and I am free (of work) that I will have the courage that you have shown and be able to live my own dream. I love the pics you are posting and the latest of Horseshoe Bay should be an award winner. I know you keep a log but are you also keeping a personel journal? It would be a fascinating read and I am sure an interesting book could come at the end of your adventure. We are watching from Oregon. May the winds blow fair. – Joe
And away ya go again. Brrrr…looks nippy outside. What a lovely picture of the sun over the trees!
Peace..
What a lovely surprise we received in the mail with your announcement of “the Cap Lem” and the articolosail.com. Truly he touched our lives here in Hobcaw (SC), and his example and yours have made our lifes lighter, even sailable – the wind does power a bit of our world. The osprays have arrived and the chics about born for this year. It will be awesome again to watch the meaning of the wind beneath the wings, and being under the wing of the that cares for the tender ones.
We will be keeping you in our prayers and thoughts as your journey progresses. We are very proud of having met you, and specially so cuz, through Cap Lem.
You are a brave man and I anm jealous of your trip!
Question: Your map of your planned route has you going north thru the Davis Strait and then westward. Why not the Hudson Strait?
Thank you so much for your comments and question.
In my trips to the ice aboard the icebreakers one thing I always noticed was for ice to break it had to have somewhere to go. It either folded back on itself or was pushed out of the way. The route I hope to take will allow for the most room for the ice to work and break up and float out of the way. I am not stronger than the ice like the icebreakers but I am slightly smarter, though it has been hinted that my IQ is somewhere between a refrigerator and a newt, I still believe I can outwit it using today’s technology. My only real hope is in my ability to deal with what I find at the time. This means a lot of waiting and, most likely, a lot of turning back to open water and waiting there for conditions to change.
The Hudson Strait route has some choke points I really do not want to get into, but I reserve the right to change my mind and my route once I get closer.
Hope this gives you some insight into my planning,
Tommy
Tommy,
Repairs to the TONI & DONNA almost complete Tommy Knight has done a wonderful job. So I can be there directly to serve and protect as your ICE BREAKER. God speed and if all else fails – trust in Lem to guide your tiller, I know he is by your side.
Lem’s nephew
Bill Giesse
bgiesse@hargray.com
Hello Bill! Great to hear the TONI & DONNA is good hands and being used. I never met Tom Knight but am so happy he is taking good care of T&D. Donna sent me pictures of the ashes ceremonies told the stories of the wind and the day. You know, Captain Lem and I told everyone during those last days that we were on our way to Alaska as we traveled in the motor home. Well, I hope to keep good to my word and get him there in spirit. I do feel his presents.
I did hear from Forest but it was just when I was leaving and he had just arrived in Seattle. Once crew on the T&D crew forever!
Thanks for following along.
Tommy