MightyQuinn

We are still in Lorain trying to repair the wobbly binnacle. There were a few strange noises in the general region while we were underway yesterday (screaming along at 7 plus). This morning Chuck cleared out the lazzaret and took a look. The plan was to epoxy a board underneath the binnacle, presenting the issue of finding all the necessary parts and removing the bolts. We located a local boat repair shop just up the street, but he couldn't do the job until early next week. Along with a schedule, Lorain isn't that enticing of a port of call. Chuck did a lot of bike riding to locate a caulking gun while we did the laundry and reprovisioning. We returned in time for Leonard to assist in the removal of the last bolt (the one that didn't come out easily). I'm not sure which would have been a bigger gumption trap, having issues with the first or last bolt. Chuck went through 2 sawzall blades and many battery recharges before getting the bolt out. Although he only had to go 2 blocks to get the bolts he needed, that took an hour. The guys are presently installing the bolts, having bonded things with 3M 5200. It likely won't be a permanent fix, but will hopefully last for the trip. It would appear that Catalina or whoever installed the binnacle and wheel did a piss poor job of it. The plywood that was used was rotten now and there were strange gaps that Chuck found puzzling.

We had a leisurely start this morning since the fuel dock at the marina didn't open until 9. The marina staff directed Chuck to go to the south fuel dock, which we did, but while we were waiting for a boat at
the dock to depart, we ran out of water. It was just a light touch, but annoying in as much as the lake level is three feet higher than datum and they were aware of our 7 foot draft. After taking on fuel we were glad to bid Lorain farewell.

Heading out into the lake we encountered a huge fleet of fishing vessels of every size and shape. It would appear that the good folks of Lorain all have boats and like to fish! Once clear of them we did the slow 720 loop necessary for the auto pilot setup before raising sail. With all systems working, we had enough wind to set sail and head in the general direction of our intended anchorage for the night. We had good winds for most of the day and didn't need to resort to the iron jenny until the last few hours when the winds lightened and went dead ahead.

We picked up a mooring in Put in Bay on South Bass Island, a pretty little harbor with an interesting town. While I fixed a quick dinner Chuck dug the dinghy out and proceeded to pump it up. After dinner Leonard and Chuck paddled us ashore to go exploring. The town is an old resort destination with lots of historic buildings. Being a Sunday night early in the season, things are very quiet, but I expect it would be a mad house in prime season. We found a brewery, a wine store and a grocery store. The lone bakery on the island is only only open Wednesday through Sunday, so even though we plan to go ashore again in the morning, it will be closed.

There are innumerable bars in town too, one of which claims to be the longest bar in the world. Most of the bars appeared to have two customers each, in spite of live entertainment. There is a nice water front park and the Perry monument which affords a great view of the islands. Perhaps we'll do that for exercise in the morning before we head out.

The weather forecast is for good weather until sometime on Tuesday, so we should complete our transit of Erie under tranquil conditions. Hopefully we'll also make it past Lake St. Clair which could be interesting in bad conditions given the shallow depths. It would appear our "lay day" in Lorain was well timed as necessary repairs were made when the conditions on the lake would have been far less than ideal. We're hoping our luck on this leg of the trip will hold until we reach our crew change destination (a yet to be determined location) in the vicinity of Port Huron.

It's time to hit the bunks after another long day out in the sunshine and fresh air. Chuck is only wincing when he tries to use his left hand or hits his right shoulder, the evidence of his labors of yesterday.

Lynnea, aboard the Mighty Quinn

Note for June 2nd
Even with two captains I still didn't get my promised morning walk. Two times zip is zip!!

After listening and looking at the weather report which included some inclement weather for Tuesday the dual captains decreed that going ashore and spending perfectly good weather was a waste of time. Two against one, especially when the one is of small stature, rules. We departed bright and early, before 0800. It was a delightful day with the winds finally from a direction other than ahead. We sailed most of the day, attaining the Detroit River entrance around noon. It was one of those instances where the time to attain our goal seemed to remain the same as the wind slowly died back as the day progressed.

Chuck and Leonard spent time deciding where we should plan on stopping for the night while I ran us up the river with a wind assist on the main sail. We were moving right along with the extra boost, and I thought the consensus was to head north into Lake St. Clair to a marina that was just beyond the reaches of our paper charts. (I'd thought we were the only folks that tended to over reach our on board charts, but Chuck was unable to unearth the paper chart beyond the end of the Detroit River.) We do have a chart plotter with the charts, and Leonard has the charts he has down down loaded from the NOAA site on the computer, but I still find it easier to look at the big picture provided by a good, old hands-on paper chart.

At any rate as we approached the end of our paper chart the guys throttled back and headed for a marina that had an iffy entrance depth for our almost 7 feet of draft. Any time spent in looking at what might be available would make reaching the other possible choice a moot point. Several failed VHF and cell phone calls later we tried approaching a marina that thought maybe we could squeak into a slip. After the usual to do about bumper heights and dock lines, we headed in, only to be thwarted by a mud bank that grabbed our keel. We weren't even close to the intended slip, so we slithered back out into the river. With east winds in the forecast, the closest spot to drop an anchor had more fetch than any of us wanted after an already long day.

Instead, we headed for the Windsor side of the river to tuck in behind Peche Provincial Park which would offer shelter from both east and south winds. With the 18, 12 and 6 foot depths neatly tucked one atop another, we edged out of the channel and dropped the hook. This is done much like a dog turning around three times before laying down. After backing with 2000 rpms we declared the anchor set and broke out the micro brew we got at the liquor store at Put in Bay last night. I think the deal is that if we don't leave the vessel we aren't required to check in customs back on the US side. We also can't check into Canadian waters via cell phone which is all that's available to us if we don't leave the boat, sounds like a catch 22 if ever there was one.

The wind generator did wake me up last night, but not the guys, so guess who got up to check on things! The wind was blowing from the south, but the current was keeping us away from shore. There were a few flashes of lightening and a smattering of rain drops, enough for me to close the overhead hatch in the main cabin before heading back to my bunk. Morning found us still sitting where we'd anchored, but the sunny blue skies of the last few days had headed east. We got underway around 0830 after breakfast.

The current that's been running against us for the last two days in the rivers really slows our progress. There wasn't enough wind on Lake Saint Clair to even bother to unroll the jib so the day has been spent motoring other than a brief spell on the Saint Clair River when we got a bit of a boost from the jib. We saw more lake freighters than we have the last few days, and had one pass us heading north shortly after we started across Lake Saint Clair, which took longer than the guys thought to overtake us. We saw several more heading south out on the lake.

The guys spent much of the morning refining the auto tracking connection between the chart plotter and auto pilot. I think they have all the kinks worked out now so that "Auto" reminds us when the end of the track has been reached and a new way point needs to be entered. Chuck was also busy keeping an eye on the radar to get familiar with how things look on the screen. It's one of those things that's much easier when you can see the traffic while fine tuning your skills. What with the boat traffic and the string of buoys that define the channel it was both fun and instructive. A portion of the approach to the Detroit River yesterday was devoted to aligning the radar, another one of a number of shake down chores required when new toys get added to a boat.

Once we got across the lake and started up the river the scenery reminded me of the ICW, but there was less wildlife. Since it is a big ship channel we don't have to keep searching for the channel, a real plus. Many of the marinas and yacht clubs have very few boats on the docks, it must be early in the season. The up side of this is not being continually passed by power boats, although there have been a few that have left us rolling in their wakes.

Our estimated time of arrival at the marina in Port Huron is about 1800. Even the days we think will be short tend to get drawn out, and we thought it was a shorter distance than it really is to Port Huron. The waterway guide doesn't indicate floating docks, but hopefully we'll manage the pilings looking like we know what we're doing. Along with almost 7 feet of draft, the Mighty Quinn also has a bad habit of walking to port when backed. It's fine when it can be used for an advantage, but can be frustrating occasionally.

Once again the current took its toll, pushing our arrival at the marina to at least 1900. Also, along about 1730, the rain commenced to spoil our almost perfect record. Perhaps Thea put on a word to the weather god regarding the disparities between our two legs of the trip since they had lots of cold wet weather. I opted to play cook and stay dry, saying it would be a good idea if a hot dinner was ready shortly after our arrival since the head winds we were experiencing were not especially warm.

I still didn't get off scott free since I had to gear up to help get us docked at the marina. We made it up the Black River, past the RR bridge and the bascule bridge and finally found the marina. Fortunately there was someone on the dock to take our lines since it was a sea wall that is about 4 feet above the deck. Once we were tied up, I retreated below to finish up dinner while the guys got us checked in at the marina. Once it stops raining I'll see about negotiating getting off the boat.

Our week aboard the Mighty Quinn has flown past and we were blessed by decent weather and good times. We've had some great sails so I guess we shouldn't complain about motoring along with out wind for just one day and a few hours of rain. Hopefully the rest of the trip will have fair winds and warm weather. They guys heard a weather report predicting warmer weather this week. Our thanks to Chuck for allowing us to join him for this portion of his adventure.

Lynnea aboard the "Mighty Quinn

Sent from Home June 5th
Between the combination of current and a more leisurely start in the morning, it was 1900 before we arrived at the River Street Marina in Port Huron, the last stop of our leg of Chucks Great Adventure. The guys registered no complaints when I'd stayed below for most of the rain getting dinner started. Needless to say, after another day out on the water we were all tired. With the "Mighty Quinn" tied snugly to the marina wall we settled in for our last night aboard. Chuck dug out the little electric heater which served dual duty, heating up the cabin and drying out some of the moisture brought below on our foul weather gear. The marina was in an older part of town that looked interesting as we had headed up the river, and we were tied up right below a fire station and by a community college. Given the less than wonderful weather and the huge step to the dock, I chose to wait until morning before going ashore.