Winterizing Mystic ~ Our first Season

The fall of 2013 turned out to be a busy time for us. It was a bit of a surprise to learn that we had to have Mystic ready for haul out by October 15th. In addition to being disappointed that our season was coming to and end, the timing was bad. Dave had returned to work in September, almost two months earlier than usual. We had our second 2013 marathon scheduled for October 12 in Hartford, CT with plans to stay out East for two weeks. And, we were feverishly trying to get the foundation poured for our garage rebuild project at our home before the cold set in.

We planned and organized as best as we could but fate checked in on September 30th. I got the call after work. My father had passed away suddenly. We had to make our way to Connecticut immediately. There are so many emotions attached to the loss of a loved one. Shock, confusion, and sadness. Dad went so quickly...no time for regrets or goodbyes!  It was a long drive from Stillwater, to Mystic. We drove straight through arriving at 5:00 am. After a short nap we dressed for Dad's service.

I've heard it said that death brings out the worst in people. Everyone seems to have a story about family drama raising it's ugly head at funerals. My father's service was no exception. In the midst of loss and sadness, we were faced, with the elephant in the room; the reality that our family was not what we believed it was. My father left our family to start a second family when I was in my early twenties. He and his second wife had one child. My dad's wife and son made all of the service arrangements and posted the obituary. They excluded us, the first family. Although the intent seemed to be to disrespect us, their behavior was more of an insult to the memory of my father. He deserved better. Tired and sad, I could only stand there overwhelmed. All I could think was that my father would have been disappointed.

Wendell B Dailey Jr.
"My Dad"

Wrapped in my fog of grief, I kept my thoughts with my dad as I walked along my favorite beach, Bluff Point in Groton, Connecticut. I go to "The Bluff" to center myself and to find my treasured sea glass along the shore. Super Storm Sandy changed my beach and sea glass was now hard to come by. The first day I walked the bluff was the day after Dad's service. I found only small bits of glass but I was delighted that three of them were shaped like hearts. In addition, I found two heart shaped rocks.  I knew that my father had guided me to these treasures. It was his message to me, telling me that he loved me. This brought me peace.

A smile finds me at Bluff Point

"Hearts" Bluff Point Seaglass

Our plans for balancing the trip to Connecticut and winterizing Mystic had to be changed. Dave flew back to Minnesota on Saturday, October 5th to work and take care of the haul out details at Knife River Marina. Mystic was placed on the hard on Monday, October 7th. Dave drove the three plus hours to Knife River after work on Tuesday. He flushed the engine, water lines and commode with anti-freeze then drove home again. He got up the next day for a full day at work. His flight back to Connecticut was early Thursday morning. I picked him up at the airport and we went directly to the ING Hartford marathon Expo to pick up our race packets. The race was on Saturday, October 12th. Following the marathon, we returned home for a nap then attended my 35th High School Reunion. It was a bittersweet time for me.

We left Connecticut for home on Friday, October 18th arriving on Sunday the 20th. Exhausted, we stumbled through the week then headed for Knife River on Saturday, October 26th to finish winterizing Mystic. Dave had gathered some old advertising tarps from work. The plan was to make a custom cover. We arrived early and started at the bow. There were a lot of cuts to make to accommodate the stays and lines. There was a lot of up and down on the ladder too. After each fitting, grommets were added and then each tarp was tied down. We worked without a break for six hours. The wind picked up mid day. It was chilly, but we continued with our work. Once Mystic was snuggled in with her new cover, we made our way across the marina to move our dinghy, Myst. We found her in a grassy area where she'd been resting, and dragged her back balanced on the marina cart. We tucked her underneath Mystic, returned the cart, then headed south toward Stillwater. The only stop we made on our way home was for dinner at Grandma's Restaurant in Duluth.

Winter seems far away. Our first season passed so quickly. We had a fabulous time and cherish each and every memory we created sailing in 2013. On our ride south, Dave began to tell me of all the things he had planned for us in 2014. First on the list is a cold plate for the ice box. We have a lot of bright work to do and a new faucet for the galley is high on our list. Dave is planning to design a custom dodger. The list grew during that long drive home...we sure have a lot to dream about over the long cold winter.

Mystic on the hard at Knife River ~ October 2013

Mystic tucked between "friends"

Mystic ~ Winter lodging

Mystic ~ Knife River, MN

A Week in the Apostles ~ Day 7 Cornucopia to Knife River

After a beautiful sunset in Cornucopia, we settled in for the night. Saturday we would head back across the big lake to Knife River. The forecast called for thunder storms.

Sunset off of Cornucopia Bay

We rose early, took showers, then readied Mystic for the trip. Cigano headed out before us. We followed right behind, at around 11:30. The crossing would take about 5 hours. As soon as we slipped into the bay, we could feel the wind and see the thunderstorms building west of us. We raised our sails and pointed Mystic westward. The wind was fluky causing us to have trouble keeping the sails full. The lake became choppy. We started motor sailing which turned out to be helpful. It was a relief to see Knife River come into view through the haze. We managed to avoid the thunderstorms but this was a rough crossing!

Cigano heading out to Sand Island

The Minnesota side of Lake Superior is colder than the Wisconsin side.  The chill remained with us aboard Mystic Saturday evening. We drove to Two Harbors for dinner at the Earthwood Inn. We had whitefish, our favorite dish and cold beer. Sunday morning we headed out for a nice 12 mile run along scenic 61. We found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the biking portion of a triathlon and we were in the way. Shortening our run to 6 miles, we returned to the boat and tidied up before heading south to Stillwater; another sailing adventure on the books.

Leaving Siskiwit Bay Marina

Sea Gull Jetty ~ Cornucopia, WI

Earthwood Inn, Two Harbors, MN

Voyageur Pierre

A week in the Apostles ~ Day 6 Madeline Island to Cornucopia

Today's journey was a beautiful 35 mile sail from Madeline Island to Cornucopia, also known as "Corny". We left our anchorage and headed west toward Sand Island. A huge sailboat was floating between us and Sand Island off of Lighthouse point. The crazy captain came within 50 to 75 feet of the rocks at the base of the island. We watched in awe as a dinghy was launched and six people left the sailboat and rowed to shore. The captain pulled away safely but stood with both hands on his iPad taking photos of his friends instead of steering the boat. It looked like, maybe, he'd done this before.

Captain Dave at the helm

Sailboat off of Sand Island Light

We rounded the South side of Sand Island, past Eagle Island and the wind shifted to the northwest. We were still doing 5-6 knots but the waves were building. We furled the jib and motor sailed toward the caves at Corny.

It was too rough to stop at Meyers Beach to anchor. There were many people kayaking the caves but we decided to make our way to the marina. The wind was howling as we approached Cornucopia Bay so we dropped the main before passing the breakwater. We tied up at the gas dock where a line of men were sitting in chairs in the shade, watching the day pass.

Cornucopia Caves

Cornucopia Caves

Mary Beth and Dave run the Siskiwit Bay Marina. It is a quaint little place with a lot of character. Our friends, Yolanda and Scott Moody, stopped here on their adventures. Yolanda asked me to look for a specific long sleeve shirt which she wanted but had not purchased on her visit. We paid for dockage and looked at the store's goods. There were two shirts remaining, a size medium blue and a size large pink. I wasn't sure what size to get so I called Yolanda on the store phone. It was so nice hearing her voice and we giggled and chatted for a moment. For Yolanda, it would be the medium blue.

Siskiwit Bay Marina, Cornucopia, WI

 

Our slip was across from the gas dock. Navigating would be difficult in the northwest wind. As we maneuvered into the tight space, we had to be mindful of the boat on our port side named Cigano. We managed to get Mystic in the slip with just a slight smudge to her starboard topsides. Dave, the owner of Cigano, helped us tie off. He'ss from Minnetonka and has kept his boat at Knife River for many years. He moved to Cornucopia because it was their usual destination. It made sense to make it their home. Minnetonka has a beautiful lake but Dave did not enjoy sailing there due to the abundance of power boating on the lake. Dave asked if he could give us a tip on docking Mystic. He suggested we put a cleat at the center of our jib sheet track. You attach a dock line here. The line handler takes the line to the dock and ties off here, at the center of the boat. The captain steers and keeps the engine in forward. With the line taught, the boat will move into the slip and tuck in to the dock. This eliminates the problem of keeping the bow or stern from drifting away during a windy dockage. It works like a charm.

Cornucopia Sights

Mystic docked next to Cigano ~ Siskiwit Bay Marina

A week in the Apostles ~ Day 5 Bayfield, WI to Stockton Island

It was a beautiful morning in Bayfield. We went on a fabulous 5.5 mile run along the gorgeous Brownstone Trail that goes through the woods over an old train bed. We ran between ravines and over bridges from Bayfield to Pike Bay Marina then back. It was our best run in a long time. A home owner along the trail had built a walking bridge on his property for trail users. His yard was landscaped with lovely gardens. We chatted with a couple who were enjoying the view; acknowledging how lucky we are to be here.

Brownstone Hiking Trail

Bayfield, WI

After our run, we took a quick shower, walked to the store for provisions, filled the water tanks, emptied the head and topped off the fuel. Our plan was to head for Stockton Island. We were leaving the breakwater right as a car ferry was leaving the city dock. We motored behind the ferry then raised our main and sailed along in gentle winds at about 4 knots.

Sailboat under full sail near Bayfield

Dave decided we needed a boost as everyone around us had full sails up, so we raised the jib. The day was perfect with 10-15 mph winds. Mystic heeled at 10 degrees. Dan Branson, at Vinette Boatworks, told us that Mystic's sweet spot is 20 degrees. I'm not sure I would find that so sweet!

As we passed Hermit Island we were opened up to the big lake from the west. The winds became fluky so we trimmed the jib. We had to motor sail to make our way between Hermit and Stockton Islands. We dropped anchor on the Southwest shore of Quarry Bay. The water is incredibly clear and you can see 20 feet or more to the bottom. We lowered the kayaks and headed for Presque Isle Bay but quickly realized the conditions were too rough so we turned back. It was hard to control the kayaks in the wind and rolling waves. We decided to head for the shoreline. It is rocky and not particularly attractive but we thought we might wait out the choppy conditions and go on a hike. As we approached shore, we could see many kayaks in the sand. 

Two young men smoking pipes walked toward us and asked where we came from. We pointed to Mystic. They were kayak guides, college kids working for the summer; leading an experience kayak group. We chatted a bit about our adventures then moved over to the dock. We left the kayaks on shore before setting off to explore the island. We went about two miles deep into the woods before turning back for Quarry Bay. We'd been here years ago aboard our 23 foot sailboat, Keewatin. That trip was a family vacation with the kids. Stockton Island looked pretty much as we remembered it. The paddle back to Mystic was very choppy with a strong south wind.

There was no way we could stay put in this wind so we raised the anchor and headed to the north end of Madeline Island seeking shelter. We anchored in 10 feet of water with a perfect sandy bottom.

Soon after the sun set, the most beautiful orange moon peeked over the horizon. I tried to take photos but the movement of the boat made that difficult. Our day was magnificent from sunrise to sunset, and then to moon rise! We listened to the loons lonely call and watched the glow of a campfire on the beach while a glorious moon rose above us. We are completely at peace. If only, there were stars and northern lights!!!

A week in the Apostles ~ Day 4 Raspberry Island to Bayfield

We lifted anchor soon after sunrise and pulled away from Raspberry Bay Harbor at the same time as two other boats that had been anchored with us. We are off to Bayfield. Dave raised the jib even before we left the harbor. One sailboat motored ahead of us and one tucked in behind us on our port side. We rounded the mainland under sail, on a gentle 4-5 knot run with the wind coming from the southwest. As we rounded the point and headed south down the channel, the second boat, Calipso, passed us. We sailed with Calipso just in front of us, off our port side for some time. It was a straight shot to Bayfield. Calipso's captain trimmed his jib as the wind picked up in a section of the channel that is wide open. Both Calipso and Mystic heeled over dramatically and raced with the wind. Dave tried to trim our jib but something was wrong within the drum of the roller furling. I went forward with my harness on and holding me steady and tried to release the line inside the drum. I couldn't release it, so we switched roles with me steering and Dave on the bow working the drum. He was able to free the jam. Mystic was being shoved around by the wind but settled a bit once the jib was reefed. Dave started the motor and we motor sailed the last three miles to Bayfield. We decided to stay at the marina instead of the town dock. It costs fifty five dollars a night, but we'd have amenities and get a taste of marina life in Bayfield.

Leaving Raspberry Bay Harbor for Bayfield

Calipso sliding up behind Mystic

Apostle Island Marina

Bayfield Maritime Museum

A dog named 'Woody'

Classic example of a Lake Superior Fishing Vessel

Lady Liberty at Black Hawk Marina



Bayfield Garden

Garden Art

Cute Car in Bayfield

 

Salvage

Butterfly on Thistle

We cleaned Mystic then set out to explore Bayfield. We stopped in at Morty's Pub for lunch and a cold beer. We both had whitefish, washed down with Keewanaw Brewing Widow Maker micro brew. While walking around, we found a park with a swimming beach and a rocky shore with a fishing dock nearby.  Folks were swimming off the rocks near the dock, ignoring the signs that said no swimming allowed. We ended up swimming off the rocks as well just to cool off. The water was crispy cold but it was very hot so it felt great. After our refreshing dip, we relaxed on the rocks with our feet in the water.

We returned to Mystic and realized it was too hot to sit on the boat so we went back into town to look for ice cream. The local candy store doubles as an ice cream shop. It is very popular. We walked around, exploring a bit, then took a break on a park bench across from the Village Inn where we could listen to the classic oldies band playing on their patio. Dave walked to the grocery store to grab cold beer for the boat, selecting Mud Puppy Porter by Central Waters Microbrewery out of Amherst, Wisconsin. The six pack of bottles fit perfectly in his backpack. We decided to grab a Summit at the second floor patio bar of the Village Inn. It overlooks the harbor of Bayfield. We meandered back to the marina at sunset after a busy day filled with exploring, enjoying good food and a nice cool dip. We retired early, expecting to go on a run in the morning before leaving Bayfield behind for the islands.

View of Apostle Island Marina from the Village Inn

Apostle Island Marina

Mystic ~ Bayfield, WI

Mystic ~ Apostle Island Marina

Mystic ~ Bayfield WI

Apostle Island Marina Dock

Moon Rise over Bayfield