Monday, July 1, 2013
 |
| Departing from Grand Marais Marina |
We passed Au Sable Point and raised the main, then added the jib soon after. Without warning, all hell broke loose! We were on a downwind run and the main jibed unexpectedly. I was harnessed in and tethered to a stanchion near the cockpit door but had moved to the stern of the boat to work the main sheet. My safety line was pulled tight. When the boom flipped from port to starboard it crossed over my safety line and took me with it. I was pinned under the main sheet and being pulled from the other direction by my safety line. I was also on top of Dave which made it impossible to move. Somehow, he was able to release me. After making sure we were both ok, we sheeted the main, and furled the jib then took stock. The first thing we did was look at each other and ask ourselves, "So, what did we just learn?" This boat is not Keewatin, our 23 foot sailboat. Mystic is bigger and more powerful, with heavier hardware. We have to learn how this boat moves and safety has to be our main concern. I learned that I cannot be tethered in front of the main sheet. Not only is it dangerous, I'm in the way of whomever is at the helm. Unlike Keewatin, which has the main sheet workings in front of the tiller, Mystic has it behind the tiller. I should have been harnessed in at the stern of the boat to keep my safety line free. Dave had talked about putting the boom preventer on before this happened. He did just that, immediately after. The boom preventer stops the boom from accidentally jibing like it did. It holds the boom until the wind corrects itself and fills the sail. Today is our first time taking Mystic downwind. The autopilot cannot hold a waypoint in the down wind roll. We humbly continued on, steering manually.
As we passed the Au Sable dunes I took photos of this wonder of nature. The dunes cover an amazing five miles along the southern shore of Lake Superior and rise up to heights of 300 feet above the lake. They are unbelievable steep at a 35 degree angle from the shore. You can still see the section called 'the shoot' which looks like a ski hill half pipe and was used to roll the logs to Lake Superior for transport to other places. We had hoped to hike the dunes however time was not on our side. Instead we viewed them from the water.
 |
| View of Au Sable Dunes from Lake Superior |
 |
| The Shoot ~ Au Sable Dunes |
The next amazing sight we passed was Picture Rocks. The cliffs are shaped by wind, ice and waves and are stained by minerals which colors them in streaks of brown, tan and green. The sculptured rocks and colored face give the illusion of a painting. The shoreline is beautiful. We didn't get as close as we'd have liked but the internet is full of fantastic photos of this dramatic lakeshore. Check out the link below.
 |
| Picture Rocks ~ National Lakeshore ~ Michigan |
The wind and waves off our stern were a bit much all day. Dave double reefed the main but we still had to fight the swells. We took 15 minute shifts at the tiller. Our arms and shoulders were burning. We tucked into Murray bay, behind Grand Island but the further up the bay we motored, the stronger the wind. It appeared to be funneling across the island, causing it to increase. We battled our way into 8 feet of water and I made an attempt at lowering the main. I had no idea what I was doing but I was determined that this would be the moment I learned. With trial and error I managed to drop the sail; it probably took three times as long as it should have. Each day, we live, and sail, and learn.
 |
| East Channel Light, Munising, MI |
We anchored off of Grand Island, which is a nature preserve owned by the State of Michigan. We could hear the sound of crows squawking at each other loudly. It sounded like a child was mimicking a crow. I'm not sure what all the ruckus was about but I've read that it has something to do with stealing each other's food. At first it was amusing but it became annoying. We were hoping they'd leave before bedtime.
 |
| Anchorage off of Grand Island, Munising, MI |
Around 6:00 pm the wind quieted down. We took a nap in the sunny cockpit, tucked down out of the cool air. It is hard to believe we were in such intense conditions only a few short hours earlier.
 |
| Sunset off Grand Island, Munising, MI |
Musings:
- 40 degrees overnight - BRRR!!!
- A cold beer, after a long day, makes everything better
- I'm glad I am not a crow
No comments:
Post a Comment