The Reality - This Is Hard

October 7, 2016

Today was a tough day! It feels like I say this a lot but today was especially tough! We nearly lost our mast and boom overboard. Now, if you ask Dave, he would tell you that this is an exaggeration! It may be just that, but the truth is, we could have lost our mast and boom overboard today. Even worse, they could have fallen on one of us and caused serious bodily harm or death!

We were leaving St. Joseph after a three day visit to un-step our mast and secure it on a custom cradle which Dave built. It went very well. It was a day of hard work for us but everything went smoothly and just as we planned. The guys at Anchors Way Marina were an experienced team that worked well together; efficient and professional. The entire un-stepping took under 45 minutes.

We were thinking we’d make the run across Lake Superior straight to Chicago but the weather was not ideal for that so we sat tight for a couple extra days. We spent our time enjoying the local microbrewery and exploring the Twin Cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. We'd already ditched the idea of crossing from St. Joe's. Instead, we had our eye on New Buffalo or Michigan City for our next port. As we left the marina, we had to pass under two bascule bridges and a Train Bridge. There was no concern about the bascule bridges as our mast is lowered and we can simply motor through. We did have to wait a couple minutes for the train bridge to open but everything was going well.

When we entered the channel that leads out to the breakwater and the lake, we were suddenly in a mass of washing machine chaos, tossing and turning in the turbulence. As soon as it hit us, the cradle under the mast and boom began to move and sway and dance along the deck. There was nothing we could do put hold on and push our way through the channel. To say it was terrifying does no justice to the level of fear we were experiencing. The cradle was lashed down but the severity of the waves we were in tossed it around as though it was free standing. We both held onto the mast as tight as we could and got out on the lake as fast as we could. Once on the lake, I steered while Dave went about adding ropes to lash the cradles down further from every possible direction. To add to the confusion and intensity, the waves on the lake were bigger than we expected and there was a strong head wind. Once Dave added the ropes, the cradle and mast settled down. The ride did not.

It took us five hours to make the 28 mile trip to New Buffalo. It was a harrowing experience. We were drenched from the waves smacking Mystic’s hull and throwing spray over the cabin in our faces. It was not pleasant. I faced it with tears and once I started crying, it was a long time before I could stop.

We've had a rough time over the last month. We’ve encountered so many dangerous, challenging, and frightening situations; any one of which could have ended our journey. I’ve thought about throwing in the towel, giving in, quitting more times than I’m proud to admit. But every time we make it into port and we look into each other’s eyes and embrace, we feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s as though we are seeing a strength that we’ve just discovered in ourselves and in each other.

One thing I am sure of is this; there will be more challenges. There will be mistakes, bad days, and scary moments. Hopefully we will learn from them and grow from surviving them. What other choice do we really have?

Cruising-Team Rogers on a sunny day