PENTWATER, MI USA
Well the peace and quiet came to a screeching halt on Monday morning. It all started with the sound of the jets wheels hitting the runway. The owners daughter, her husband, and their four young kids sprung out of the airplane like there was a fire on board. They enjoyed the afternoon on the boat with the owner before the owner and his wife took off out of harbor springs to head back to Chicago. We stayed in Harbor Springs for another day and I had the opportunity to finally get away for a few hours and play a round of golf. One of the guests and I played at True North, which was a nice course. We took the two younger boys along as our "caddies". Their interest came and left as they learned a bit here and there about golf etiquette. I didn't play very well but I didn't care, I was away from the boat and golfing at this beautiful course. After golf I had to find a way to get the rental car back to Petoskey because we were leaving early in the morning for the next port. Good friend Mark Palma was in town delivering a far 40 sailboat called Heart Breaker. I called him and he had access to a car and could come pick me up at the rental company. He also needed a ride in to shore as his boat was on a mooring ball so we ended up helping each other out. That is the great thing about this family of yacht crew around the world. I moved the boat for him earlier in the week when he wasn't here, he picked me up at the rental car place 20 minutes away, and neither of us thought twice about helping each other out. It's amazing at how often we run into fellow crew in different ports and its great to have someone there that will pitch in and help if you need it.
We ended up waiting for the fuel dock to open on Wednesday so that we could get a pump out before leaving for Frankfort. It was around 0930 by the time we got away from the dock. It was a bit of a gloomy day but the seas were flat. I knew this would probably be changing throughout the day though as we went further south. Just after Charlevoix we passed Mark on Heart Breaker (now called Heritage). He was turned to weather and working on putting up a headsail in an attempt to squeeze out an extra knot or two. The closer we got to Frankfort the bigger the waves got and by the time we were on our final approach the waves were 1-3 on the nose. I figured there was a good chance that we would be seeing Mark in Frankfort later in the day considering making way in a sailboat would get harder and harder with the waves on the bow. Sure enough he showed up around 2030. I laid low in Frankfort and tried to relax a little bit, but sure enough I was brought out of my nap being poked by a plastic sword....it was going to be a long week.
We left for Pentwater on Thursday around noon and even though it was a gloomy foggy ride the seas were flat. Mark left in front of us again, but with the fog we never saw him. I somehow found myself on the Lake Michigan highway as I was changing course every two miles to avoid a collision. The log book was full of "1144 Confirm Collision course via radar at 354R unknown vessel. 1146 sound one whistle, assume no answer, turn 020R to avoid collision. 1147 Clear s/v to port steer 340R b.o.c C204M" This happened about 8 times. It looks as if we have some bad fuel in the port side tank. I have spent time in the engine room twice now, draining the racors of sledge. The filters look fine, but there is definitely bad fuel being sent through. I assumed this may happen as we just transferred old fuel from the aft tanks. We should be able to get by without polishing the tanks but I will certainly be keeping a close eye on the situation.
Now as I sit here in Pentwater we are on the verge of absolute chaos on board. Two of the boys are yelling back and forth about how easy it is to cut a waffle as the younger one yells continuously for his mom. Mom yells down the stairs trying to rally the girls and they yell back that they don't want to go on a dune buggy ride. It's more fun to sit in their room all day and play games on the iPad. The logistics are an absolute nightmare and I simply stay out of everything. I could tell you how far it is to every port south of here as I constantly get asked as they try and decide how long they actually want to be on the water today. 36 nm to Muskegon, 47 nm to Grand Haven, another 17 nm to Holland from there or 22 nm to Saugatuck from Grand Haven.....all from memory by now. Where do we go today? Who knows, hopefully Grand Haven but the longer we wait the more and more the wall will fill up on a Friday night, and with no room at the municipal marina its all a big gamble... giddy up.
Peace and quiet again as they all leave to go for a dune buggy ride at Silver Lake. The washing machine churns away and banana nut bread coffee fills the air. I hear the leaves from the trees outside in the wind as the boat rocks back in forth gently tucked up against a wall. This feeling will come to an end all too soon, replaced by kids fighting over who gets to play with a rubber band, crying by the one who looses the fight, and an argument over who played with it last time. Let me enjoy the first part of this paragraph as long as I can!
Bonita Out
Friday, July 29, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 277 - 284: Peace and Projects
HARBOR SPRINGS, MI USA
When I woke up Sunday morning in Fish Creek our toilets weren't flushing. We knew that we were going to be close but thought we could make it to Michigan before we got a pump out. With that being said we decided to wait until the marina at Fish Creek opened up at 0800 so we could get a pump out. By the time I got the dockhands to get their butts in gear to give us a pump out we got off the dock around 0900. We were off the dock and motoring away before the dockhand could coil up the pump out hose on the dock.
We idled for a lot of the trip and it wasn't until we were well out in to Lake Michigan that I picked up the speed in an attempt to give us a smoother ride. The waves kept building, as I knew they would and as we reached the location where I predicted them to be the largest we were seeing 2-3 footers. No big deal right? Well they were hitting us a bit aft of the beam which was not helping. Also, the stabilizer fins are very far forward on this boat, and the hull seems to be relatively flat for its size. The boat tends to skip across the water like an empty clorox bottle. A few times the boat heeled up as it would pitch and yaw and finally did so in a manner that I had to reach for the wheel, disable the autopilot and turn hard to starboard. I think it scared the owner a bit as he retired to the salon. I decided to hand steer for the remainder of the trip, or at least until it calmed down. I played the waves and adjusted the speed of the boat for comfort not fuel efficiency. We finally caught a little lee from north Manitou Island and while the island caused the swell to wrap around more to our stern it still broke up much of the chop. The rest of the ride in to Bay Harbor was uneventful as we only spotted a few Chicago to Mackinac race boats.
Bay Harbor is proper, stuffy, and ....boring, for the most part. It is a very nice facility with not much to do. That night I noticed lightning off on the horizon and decided it would be best to cover all of the seats. While laying in bed around 0030 the storm finally hit. It was a good storm with tons of lightning and 50-60 knots of wind. All I could think about were the sailors out on Lake Michigan participating in the Chicago to Mackinac race. I had family out there and while I sat snug on the dock in the protected marina of Bay Harbor I suddenly started to feel a bit helpless. I've always had respect for the sea and my bosses will tell you that I am a very conservative captain. I can't say that I have ever been afraid of the sea, I've simply always held an upmost respect to it. I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing, I found myself checking docklines over and over even though I knew everything was holding on fine. The next morning I checked the news and found that a sailboat had capsized and two of the eight crew were still missing. I couldn't get a hold of any of my uncles in the race but when I didn't recognize the name of the boat it brought a bit of ease to my mind. I still found myself getting a bit worked up about the whole situation. I was scared. I had an emotional gut wrench twisting away at my stomach and a walnut growing in my throat. Literally four hours before the storm capsized this boat I grabbed the wheel of Bonita, disengaged the autopilot and was forced to turn hard to starboard....in the same exact location of the sailboat accident. I sat there in the harbor and watched the exact storm that claimed the lives of two sailors. I finally got to talk to my uncles and found out that they were O.K. but I still was just a little bit freaked out. I don't know why, and I still can't explain my feelings. Some tell me that I must now have more respect, but I've always had a ton of respect. I believe that there is a difference between having respect for the sea and being scared. I was scared. It still does freak me out when I think about it, and I don't know why. It was the storm that rubbed me the wrong way and I hope that it does not affect my decision making next time I am approaching a storm while on the water.
We spent a few days in Bay Harbor and I even managed to sneak away to the driving range one evening to hit some balls. On Wednesday we left for our long 4 mile journey across Little Traverse Bay to Harbor Springs. The boat that was in our spot had told Mike, the Harbor Master, that they would be leaving at 1000. They were still at the dock when we pulled up at 1015. With a storm approaching I knew that they most definitely would not be leaving anytime soon. I decided to tuck the boat up in to the bay as far as we could and leave the engines on and anchor up for the storm. I wanted to tuck in close to shore and not have to worry about getting a wind shift if the anchor was down. Thankfully the storm did not bring much wind, just a lot of rain and lightning. It was over in about 10 minutes. I got word that the boat sitting at our dock space was having car troubles and would not be off the dock until later in the afternoon. I spun the boat around in the bay, dropped the anchor, turned off the engines, and advised everyone to relax and enjoy the beautiful sites. They did just that while having lunch.
The bay was silent. There was not a breath of wind or a single ripple on the water. Lightning strikes could still be seen off to the east as the storm pushed further in land. The sun was already working its way back out from behind the clouds as it cranked up the heat and humidity. You could slice the air with a knife as the temperature went from 80 to 90 to 100. It was beautiful out as the town came back alive after its brief storm.
We finally got in to the dock and shortly after the owners son and girlfriend left to head home. It was now just me, the owner and his wife on board which was an even more silent relief. It gave me time to get a lot of projects done and really clean up the boat and get it back in order.
The owner and his wife invited me out to dinner one night and we went to the dam site inn which had a great family, home cooked, chicken dinner.
I got to hang out with my Uncle David a few nights and had a fun night at the bar last night with cousin Ryan. Today, Sunday, has been very gloomy and town has been quiet. It has been raining on and off and my project list has slowed for today anyway. Tomorrow I again shift gears as the owners daughter and her four small kids head back up to be on the boat with me until Chicago. Let the games begin.
I hope to have the boat back to Chicago around August 1st or shortly there after. With only a few more stops on the Michigan side I can not believe that July is already almost over. More so, I can not believe that I am posting day 284. Only 76 more days until my 365 days of blogging is over.
Bonita Out
When I woke up Sunday morning in Fish Creek our toilets weren't flushing. We knew that we were going to be close but thought we could make it to Michigan before we got a pump out. With that being said we decided to wait until the marina at Fish Creek opened up at 0800 so we could get a pump out. By the time I got the dockhands to get their butts in gear to give us a pump out we got off the dock around 0900. We were off the dock and motoring away before the dockhand could coil up the pump out hose on the dock.
We idled for a lot of the trip and it wasn't until we were well out in to Lake Michigan that I picked up the speed in an attempt to give us a smoother ride. The waves kept building, as I knew they would and as we reached the location where I predicted them to be the largest we were seeing 2-3 footers. No big deal right? Well they were hitting us a bit aft of the beam which was not helping. Also, the stabilizer fins are very far forward on this boat, and the hull seems to be relatively flat for its size. The boat tends to skip across the water like an empty clorox bottle. A few times the boat heeled up as it would pitch and yaw and finally did so in a manner that I had to reach for the wheel, disable the autopilot and turn hard to starboard. I think it scared the owner a bit as he retired to the salon. I decided to hand steer for the remainder of the trip, or at least until it calmed down. I played the waves and adjusted the speed of the boat for comfort not fuel efficiency. We finally caught a little lee from north Manitou Island and while the island caused the swell to wrap around more to our stern it still broke up much of the chop. The rest of the ride in to Bay Harbor was uneventful as we only spotted a few Chicago to Mackinac race boats.
Bay Harbor is proper, stuffy, and ....boring, for the most part. It is a very nice facility with not much to do. That night I noticed lightning off on the horizon and decided it would be best to cover all of the seats. While laying in bed around 0030 the storm finally hit. It was a good storm with tons of lightning and 50-60 knots of wind. All I could think about were the sailors out on Lake Michigan participating in the Chicago to Mackinac race. I had family out there and while I sat snug on the dock in the protected marina of Bay Harbor I suddenly started to feel a bit helpless. I've always had respect for the sea and my bosses will tell you that I am a very conservative captain. I can't say that I have ever been afraid of the sea, I've simply always held an upmost respect to it. I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing, I found myself checking docklines over and over even though I knew everything was holding on fine. The next morning I checked the news and found that a sailboat had capsized and two of the eight crew were still missing. I couldn't get a hold of any of my uncles in the race but when I didn't recognize the name of the boat it brought a bit of ease to my mind. I still found myself getting a bit worked up about the whole situation. I was scared. I had an emotional gut wrench twisting away at my stomach and a walnut growing in my throat. Literally four hours before the storm capsized this boat I grabbed the wheel of Bonita, disengaged the autopilot and was forced to turn hard to starboard....in the same exact location of the sailboat accident. I sat there in the harbor and watched the exact storm that claimed the lives of two sailors. I finally got to talk to my uncles and found out that they were O.K. but I still was just a little bit freaked out. I don't know why, and I still can't explain my feelings. Some tell me that I must now have more respect, but I've always had a ton of respect. I believe that there is a difference between having respect for the sea and being scared. I was scared. It still does freak me out when I think about it, and I don't know why. It was the storm that rubbed me the wrong way and I hope that it does not affect my decision making next time I am approaching a storm while on the water.
We spent a few days in Bay Harbor and I even managed to sneak away to the driving range one evening to hit some balls. On Wednesday we left for our long 4 mile journey across Little Traverse Bay to Harbor Springs. The boat that was in our spot had told Mike, the Harbor Master, that they would be leaving at 1000. They were still at the dock when we pulled up at 1015. With a storm approaching I knew that they most definitely would not be leaving anytime soon. I decided to tuck the boat up in to the bay as far as we could and leave the engines on and anchor up for the storm. I wanted to tuck in close to shore and not have to worry about getting a wind shift if the anchor was down. Thankfully the storm did not bring much wind, just a lot of rain and lightning. It was over in about 10 minutes. I got word that the boat sitting at our dock space was having car troubles and would not be off the dock until later in the afternoon. I spun the boat around in the bay, dropped the anchor, turned off the engines, and advised everyone to relax and enjoy the beautiful sites. They did just that while having lunch.
The bay was silent. There was not a breath of wind or a single ripple on the water. Lightning strikes could still be seen off to the east as the storm pushed further in land. The sun was already working its way back out from behind the clouds as it cranked up the heat and humidity. You could slice the air with a knife as the temperature went from 80 to 90 to 100. It was beautiful out as the town came back alive after its brief storm.
We finally got in to the dock and shortly after the owners son and girlfriend left to head home. It was now just me, the owner and his wife on board which was an even more silent relief. It gave me time to get a lot of projects done and really clean up the boat and get it back in order.
The owner and his wife invited me out to dinner one night and we went to the dam site inn which had a great family, home cooked, chicken dinner.
I got to hang out with my Uncle David a few nights and had a fun night at the bar last night with cousin Ryan. Today, Sunday, has been very gloomy and town has been quiet. It has been raining on and off and my project list has slowed for today anyway. Tomorrow I again shift gears as the owners daughter and her four small kids head back up to be on the boat with me until Chicago. Let the games begin.
I hope to have the boat back to Chicago around August 1st or shortly there after. With only a few more stops on the Michigan side I can not believe that July is already almost over. More so, I can not believe that I am posting day 284. Only 76 more days until my 365 days of blogging is over.
Bonita Out
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 242 - 276: Summer Trip
FISH CREEK, WISCONSIN USA
Wow, I almost forgot that I even was still keeping a blog. While back in Chicago everything got away from me. A new rhythm, a slower pace of guests on board, and less movement of the boat and I completely forgot to keep writing. Looking back to the last blog post I realize that I have a lot to catch up on.
I did end up asking for a completely new hydraulic pump from Naiad Dynamics in Ft. Lauderdale. For some reason, they thought that something else was still the issue and it wasn't the entire pump. I know they are the experts but I don't know how they could think that. Shortly after receiving the pump I could not put it in. The owners daughter caught the bug for being on the boat and was down with a different set of friends everyday for about a week and a half. I didn't get anything done in terms of projects and most of my time was spent keeping up with making sure the inside of the boat did not turn in to a total disaster. I finally had to let her know that I needed to complete some projects as the summer trip was nearing closer and closer and would not be able to play stew each and everyday.
The hydraulic pump change went very well other than the fact that I chased a tool around town for a couple of hours. I needed an over standard allen wrench and no one seemed to carry them. I am finished with going to Home Depot. Every time I go there the products get worse and worse. I found a great hardware store in the city called Clark and Barlow. They had everything. After the pump got changed everything seemed to check out and the project could finally be closed after about a year. I think I mentioned this project in my first few blog posts.
So besides having the owners daughter and her assortment of guests down to the boat almost every day and the hydraulic pump problem, the summer was fairly quiet up until July 8th when we pulled away from the dock for our annual summer trip around Lake Michigan. The streak continued as I had the owners on board along with his daughter, her husband, and their four kids....the young kind with endless amounts of energy and demands. Don't get me wrong I have a blast with the kids and I'd like to think that they enjoy spending the time with me, but when it's all said and done the piece and quiet is great. On that note, I'm just going to say sorry to my mom and dad for being so obnoxious as a kid :-).
We left Chicago at 0500 in the morning for Milwaukee and ran about 10 knots until Racine Reef where we ran it up to 18 knots. It was the Chicago Power Squadron Rendezvous, and as always it was a circus show at the docks and after about 45 minutes everyone decided where they wanted to go, we changed slips twice, and were finally settled in. It took another 15 minutes of everyone deciding if they wanted the boat two feet forward or two feet back and finally I just starting making the lines. My biggest pet peeve hands down in my job is peoples attitudes while we dock the boat. The owner and I are a great team when it is just the two of us. It's when other people come in to the picture that confusion starts to set in. The owner asked me to sit down and have a talk about the issue and I gladly agreed and was thrilled that he asked. All too often someone shows up on the dock to help catch a line, which is great, we appreciate the help. All too often that person that shows up to help wants to be in charge. I often hear them giving commands, letting the person driving the boat (whether it is me or the owner) know how horrible of a job they are doing. They like to tell my deck crew and me how to tie up the boat. For all who read this I tell you this: If you are on the dock then please be quiet (to be politically correct). First off, my deck crew is rarely experienced yacht crew and is nothing more than some guests on board, so we don't need to add confusion there. Secondly, the person driving the boat is focusing and someone on the dock telling them what to do will just break their concentration. The only verbal actions that the person driving the boat should receive are distances and relays of the boats position, i.e. "six feet to stern, or 15 feet off the beam mind your bow." Thirdly, and most nagging to me is how stupid everyone looks when they are yelling back and forth. My dad and I used to sit on his boat and watch people come in to the docks just laughing. "Look at how stupid these people look". We kind of hoped that they would hit the dock, doesn't everyone? It's like watching Nascar, its boring unless you see a crash. With that being said I cannot emphasize enough that everything should be silent while docking. We don't need someone yelling the full length of a ninety foot boat, it just looks stupid. The owner and I discussed all of these issues and agreed, so hopefully things will quiet down around the dock for the rest of the summer.
I went out with the captain of Plane to Sea on Friday night and it was cool to see some of the city. Summer fest was going on in Milwaukee but I never got down there to check it out. We left around 1000 on Sunday for Sheboygan and ran slow the entire way. It was only about a 40nm run so it wasn't too bad. The owner and a guest invited me to play golf with them at Blackwolf run in Kohler, the home of the 2012 women's open. I was thrilled, and super excited. Our tee time was set for 1040 on Monday. At 0520 Monday morning I woke up to a little rain on the window. I was mad because I forgot to cover the aft deck seats. I glanced at the radar and shot out of bed. The seats were the least of my worries, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and it was bad. I got some shorts on and threw my foul weather jacket over my bare back...no time for t-shirts. It was quiet in my quarters and other than some rain drops I thought I was going to beat the storm. I opened the aft hatch and found that I was wrong. Wind was whipping down the river and right in to my face, the rain was pounding down and I was instantly soaked to the bone. The morning chill had me shivering in no time. The lightning and thunder had already arrived and I knew it wasn't safe to stay outside long. Being that I'm a fairly responsible captain :-) the boat was already secured very well and other than one or two things on the table I was able to get back inside quick. It was a bad storm but everything went well. Something very close by got struck by lightning and I'm just glad it wasn't us.
Unfortunately that storm ruined my hopes for golfing. We did however go hit balls at the range at Blackwolf run and the course was absolutely stunning. One of the owners guests is a very good golfer and he gave me a few tips that really helped my swing. I did forget to mention that I did end up buying new clubs. I got a swing analysis and was fitted for Mizuno JPX 800-pro with project X 6.0 shafts (extra stiff). I am still getting used to them a little bit but really love them. It was hard not to play the course and I drove away from the range with a bit of a tear in my eye....next time.
The owner decided he was done with Sheboygan despite having two more nights on our reservation. Not only was he in a hurry to get out of Sheboygan but he was in a hurry to get to Sturgeon Bay, our next stop. He asked if I would be O.K. with running at night, you know, like the cruise ships do, then we don't have to waste a day on the water. I told him I was fine with it as long as I got to sleep before and after the trip. With that being said I went straight to bed. I got up around 2300 hours and got the boat ready. We were off the dock by midnight and underway. It was clear, cold, and calm...perfect conditions. One of the owners guests came up and sat with me until about 0300. I refused to drive from the pilot house because I knew the quiet, calm, warm air would instantly put me to sleep. The fly bridge was cold, and I had two coats on but it kept me awake. To my surprise the owner came up around 0300 and I gave relief to his guest to head to sleep. The owner stayed with me for awhile but soon retired to the warmth of the pilot house and salon below. I caught a beautiful sunrise as we steamed north at 10 knots through a glass calm Lake Michigan. We arrived in Sturgeon Bay around 0745 and as soon as we were secure I went to bed.
Sturgeon Bay was O.K., the marina is very nice and the family that runs it is wonderful. I never left the marina other than to pick up a rental car before we left for Fish Creek. The logistics of getting the owners daughter and her family home were a nightmare and I have clearly taken the position of staying completely out of logistics battles. Let me know what you decide and I will do it...after it changes four more times. We rented a car and had a guest drive it north to Fish Creek, our next stop, and my favorite on the Wisconsin side. Again we were way ahead of schedule and leaving Sturgeon Bay after only one night. Luckily all of the marinas could accommodate us despite our early arrivals. The cruise up to Fish Creek is a beautiful one, and a short one. It was only two hours at 10 knots.
Fish Creek is a small little town tucked under a bluff, protected by a small harbor. A small mooring field scatters the inner waters of the harbor as sailboats bob slightly and tug on their mooring lines. Its door county at its finest.
Now as I sit here in the galley the sun has come up on another beautiful, but cooler, Wisconsin day. The forecast is calling for more heat however as the sun works its way higher and higher in to the sky. The owners daughter has left with her kids and a quieter group, the owners son and his girlfriend, are now on board. The dishwasher hums away and the coffee maker clicks back on to warm up today's pot that was brewed 3 hours ago at 0600 sharp. The boat is quiet and other than some soft conversation coming from the salon the air is still and peaceful. The hum of a diesel engine echos against the hull as the Fish Creek tour boat heads out in to the lake, taking another group of tourist for a spin around the sights. A stroll through town early this morning, on the hunt for todays newspaper, was about a tranquil as they get. Loud kids screaming for ice cream, and tourists on every corner were still snug in their beds. Most shops weren't even open yet as I patiently waited for the Fish Creek Market to open at 0800. My newspaper teased me in the window front as 0801 ticked by. The kid earning some spending money over the summer was late for his job at the market, which only extended my relaxing rest on the bench outside on the sidewalk. I didn't care if he was thirty minutes late, I could sit here all day. Just then the door swung open, "Good morning sir, come on in."
Tomorrow we leave for Michigan, and we will be leaving very early. As usual I have reservations but as it stands now there are three different ports up for debate. I was told to call and make more reservations but considering I've already called three times this summer changing reservations I advised everyone to make a final decision before I call anyone...that is after they change it two more times after that.
Bonita Out
Wow, I almost forgot that I even was still keeping a blog. While back in Chicago everything got away from me. A new rhythm, a slower pace of guests on board, and less movement of the boat and I completely forgot to keep writing. Looking back to the last blog post I realize that I have a lot to catch up on.
I did end up asking for a completely new hydraulic pump from Naiad Dynamics in Ft. Lauderdale. For some reason, they thought that something else was still the issue and it wasn't the entire pump. I know they are the experts but I don't know how they could think that. Shortly after receiving the pump I could not put it in. The owners daughter caught the bug for being on the boat and was down with a different set of friends everyday for about a week and a half. I didn't get anything done in terms of projects and most of my time was spent keeping up with making sure the inside of the boat did not turn in to a total disaster. I finally had to let her know that I needed to complete some projects as the summer trip was nearing closer and closer and would not be able to play stew each and everyday.
The hydraulic pump change went very well other than the fact that I chased a tool around town for a couple of hours. I needed an over standard allen wrench and no one seemed to carry them. I am finished with going to Home Depot. Every time I go there the products get worse and worse. I found a great hardware store in the city called Clark and Barlow. They had everything. After the pump got changed everything seemed to check out and the project could finally be closed after about a year. I think I mentioned this project in my first few blog posts.
So besides having the owners daughter and her assortment of guests down to the boat almost every day and the hydraulic pump problem, the summer was fairly quiet up until July 8th when we pulled away from the dock for our annual summer trip around Lake Michigan. The streak continued as I had the owners on board along with his daughter, her husband, and their four kids....the young kind with endless amounts of energy and demands. Don't get me wrong I have a blast with the kids and I'd like to think that they enjoy spending the time with me, but when it's all said and done the piece and quiet is great. On that note, I'm just going to say sorry to my mom and dad for being so obnoxious as a kid :-).
We left Chicago at 0500 in the morning for Milwaukee and ran about 10 knots until Racine Reef where we ran it up to 18 knots. It was the Chicago Power Squadron Rendezvous, and as always it was a circus show at the docks and after about 45 minutes everyone decided where they wanted to go, we changed slips twice, and were finally settled in. It took another 15 minutes of everyone deciding if they wanted the boat two feet forward or two feet back and finally I just starting making the lines. My biggest pet peeve hands down in my job is peoples attitudes while we dock the boat. The owner and I are a great team when it is just the two of us. It's when other people come in to the picture that confusion starts to set in. The owner asked me to sit down and have a talk about the issue and I gladly agreed and was thrilled that he asked. All too often someone shows up on the dock to help catch a line, which is great, we appreciate the help. All too often that person that shows up to help wants to be in charge. I often hear them giving commands, letting the person driving the boat (whether it is me or the owner) know how horrible of a job they are doing. They like to tell my deck crew and me how to tie up the boat. For all who read this I tell you this: If you are on the dock then please be quiet (to be politically correct). First off, my deck crew is rarely experienced yacht crew and is nothing more than some guests on board, so we don't need to add confusion there. Secondly, the person driving the boat is focusing and someone on the dock telling them what to do will just break their concentration. The only verbal actions that the person driving the boat should receive are distances and relays of the boats position, i.e. "six feet to stern, or 15 feet off the beam mind your bow." Thirdly, and most nagging to me is how stupid everyone looks when they are yelling back and forth. My dad and I used to sit on his boat and watch people come in to the docks just laughing. "Look at how stupid these people look". We kind of hoped that they would hit the dock, doesn't everyone? It's like watching Nascar, its boring unless you see a crash. With that being said I cannot emphasize enough that everything should be silent while docking. We don't need someone yelling the full length of a ninety foot boat, it just looks stupid. The owner and I discussed all of these issues and agreed, so hopefully things will quiet down around the dock for the rest of the summer.
I went out with the captain of Plane to Sea on Friday night and it was cool to see some of the city. Summer fest was going on in Milwaukee but I never got down there to check it out. We left around 1000 on Sunday for Sheboygan and ran slow the entire way. It was only about a 40nm run so it wasn't too bad. The owner and a guest invited me to play golf with them at Blackwolf run in Kohler, the home of the 2012 women's open. I was thrilled, and super excited. Our tee time was set for 1040 on Monday. At 0520 Monday morning I woke up to a little rain on the window. I was mad because I forgot to cover the aft deck seats. I glanced at the radar and shot out of bed. The seats were the least of my worries, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and it was bad. I got some shorts on and threw my foul weather jacket over my bare back...no time for t-shirts. It was quiet in my quarters and other than some rain drops I thought I was going to beat the storm. I opened the aft hatch and found that I was wrong. Wind was whipping down the river and right in to my face, the rain was pounding down and I was instantly soaked to the bone. The morning chill had me shivering in no time. The lightning and thunder had already arrived and I knew it wasn't safe to stay outside long. Being that I'm a fairly responsible captain :-) the boat was already secured very well and other than one or two things on the table I was able to get back inside quick. It was a bad storm but everything went well. Something very close by got struck by lightning and I'm just glad it wasn't us.
Unfortunately that storm ruined my hopes for golfing. We did however go hit balls at the range at Blackwolf run and the course was absolutely stunning. One of the owners guests is a very good golfer and he gave me a few tips that really helped my swing. I did forget to mention that I did end up buying new clubs. I got a swing analysis and was fitted for Mizuno JPX 800-pro with project X 6.0 shafts (extra stiff). I am still getting used to them a little bit but really love them. It was hard not to play the course and I drove away from the range with a bit of a tear in my eye....next time.
The owner decided he was done with Sheboygan despite having two more nights on our reservation. Not only was he in a hurry to get out of Sheboygan but he was in a hurry to get to Sturgeon Bay, our next stop. He asked if I would be O.K. with running at night, you know, like the cruise ships do, then we don't have to waste a day on the water. I told him I was fine with it as long as I got to sleep before and after the trip. With that being said I went straight to bed. I got up around 2300 hours and got the boat ready. We were off the dock by midnight and underway. It was clear, cold, and calm...perfect conditions. One of the owners guests came up and sat with me until about 0300. I refused to drive from the pilot house because I knew the quiet, calm, warm air would instantly put me to sleep. The fly bridge was cold, and I had two coats on but it kept me awake. To my surprise the owner came up around 0300 and I gave relief to his guest to head to sleep. The owner stayed with me for awhile but soon retired to the warmth of the pilot house and salon below. I caught a beautiful sunrise as we steamed north at 10 knots through a glass calm Lake Michigan. We arrived in Sturgeon Bay around 0745 and as soon as we were secure I went to bed.
Sturgeon Bay was O.K., the marina is very nice and the family that runs it is wonderful. I never left the marina other than to pick up a rental car before we left for Fish Creek. The logistics of getting the owners daughter and her family home were a nightmare and I have clearly taken the position of staying completely out of logistics battles. Let me know what you decide and I will do it...after it changes four more times. We rented a car and had a guest drive it north to Fish Creek, our next stop, and my favorite on the Wisconsin side. Again we were way ahead of schedule and leaving Sturgeon Bay after only one night. Luckily all of the marinas could accommodate us despite our early arrivals. The cruise up to Fish Creek is a beautiful one, and a short one. It was only two hours at 10 knots.
Fish Creek is a small little town tucked under a bluff, protected by a small harbor. A small mooring field scatters the inner waters of the harbor as sailboats bob slightly and tug on their mooring lines. Its door county at its finest.
Now as I sit here in the galley the sun has come up on another beautiful, but cooler, Wisconsin day. The forecast is calling for more heat however as the sun works its way higher and higher in to the sky. The owners daughter has left with her kids and a quieter group, the owners son and his girlfriend, are now on board. The dishwasher hums away and the coffee maker clicks back on to warm up today's pot that was brewed 3 hours ago at 0600 sharp. The boat is quiet and other than some soft conversation coming from the salon the air is still and peaceful. The hum of a diesel engine echos against the hull as the Fish Creek tour boat heads out in to the lake, taking another group of tourist for a spin around the sights. A stroll through town early this morning, on the hunt for todays newspaper, was about a tranquil as they get. Loud kids screaming for ice cream, and tourists on every corner were still snug in their beds. Most shops weren't even open yet as I patiently waited for the Fish Creek Market to open at 0800. My newspaper teased me in the window front as 0801 ticked by. The kid earning some spending money over the summer was late for his job at the market, which only extended my relaxing rest on the bench outside on the sidewalk. I didn't care if he was thirty minutes late, I could sit here all day. Just then the door swung open, "Good morning sir, come on in."
Tomorrow we leave for Michigan, and we will be leaving very early. As usual I have reservations but as it stands now there are three different ports up for debate. I was told to call and make more reservations but considering I've already called three times this summer changing reservations I advised everyone to make a final decision before I call anyone...that is after they change it two more times after that.
Chicago Skyline from the river
Chicago fireworks at Navy Pier
Afternoon cruise of the skyline
Another beautiful sunset
Chicago lighthouse
Coming in to the harbor at Chicago
Flat calm day for cruising!
Sheboygan to Sturgeon bay...roughly 2:30 AM
Civil Twilight inbound for Sturgeon Bay. Flat Calm
Almost time for sunrise over Lake Michigan. Inbound for Sturgeon Bay
Bonita Out
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