Day 25: 473.3 miles (today: 25.0 miles in 1.9 hours at 13 mph)
Port #10-Aborted
The crew on OB was up and ready to get the show on the road…well, water…at 5AM. Todd and the other Captains (Ed, Jerry and Joe) all discussed the synopsis of current conditions. They now average what they gather on NOAA, Marine Weather (by Blue Fin) and Wunderground weather, since both are ALWAYS different.
Todd came back to the boat and said there were 3 to 4 foot waves on the lake and they were supposed to build to 5 to 6 foot in the morning. Hmmm…morning…they never tell you when in the morning. The winds were still out of the ESE (East South East) which would put the waves somewhat on our beam until we made our first course change. At the course change, the waves would be on our bow.
We made the decision to go for it. It was still early in the morning and we hoped by running full throttle to be off the lake by 11AM…in ANOTHER port. The other captains asked us to call back a report once outside the channel and again at our first course change (somewhere off of Sleeping Bear Point). They are all as anxious as we are to escape the grips of Leland.
On our first course direction (South), we encountered 3 foot waves with a few 4 footers here and there. Nothing new here. Pretty much what we had the last half of our trip from Mac City to Charlevoix and most of our trip from Charlevoix to Leland. Jerry called on the marine radio and we gave our report. He said Joe was going to the gas dock as soon as the staff was at the marina and following us out. He and Ed decided to stay and wait out this next blow. We made the promise to call again in about 30 minutes when we would make our first course change and meet the waves on our bow.
As we approached Sleeping Bear Point, we could see more 4 foot waves and a few 5 footers. Todd and I looked at each other and decided we could do this. When we made the course change a few minutes later we encountered our first 6 footer. The waves duration (space between the waves) was pretty short so it caused us to bounce pretty good.
Todd was still trying to sit in the captain’s seat and I was holding on to the grab bar in the pilothouse. I called the other captains on the marine radio and told them what we were now seeing. Joe was at the gas dock fueling. Our radio was breaking up because we were about 10 miles away from Leland now and our lower station radio (in the pilothouse) doesn’t seem to reach as far as the one on the flybridge. Probably time for a new antenna. Anyway, the flybridge was wave after wave of water! We had abandoned it shortly after we left Leland.
OB continued to work her way through the waves for another 10 minutes when we hit our first grouping of 6 foot waves. She bounced furiously from wave to troth (the space between the waves). We’ve been in waves like this on L. Erie but since that lake is much shallower, the boat tends to stay on top and it feels more like a very, very bumpy road. We were doing some serious pitching in these waves.
Todd and I decided this wasn’t worth the risk. The morning was still early and these waves were growing. We had another hour and a half or more left on the lake to reach the next port. We put on our life jackets and turned OB around.
Making a 180 degree turn in waters like this is no easy task either. Waves come in threes and then you find a 2 to 5 second calm before the next set. The captain has to time the waves and make the turn in the calm trying to accomplish it before the next set of waves to risk breaching (turning the boat over on it’s side…and a big boat can do that in bad seas). A big boat just doesn’t maneuver that fast of a turn.
Well, we made it. It wasn’t pretty. OB did a couple of nice 15 to 20 degree lurches to the side as we brought her around. Now we were riding the waves surfer style. Sounds easy but the captain has to keep the boat heading over the wave and not turning to the side as she wants to. Once Todd got OB on course back to Leland, he engaged the autopilot and Otto did very well.
I called Jerry on my cell phone, which isn’t much better than the marine radio. I told him we’d abandoned our attempt, turned around and were headed back. He carried the message to Joe at the gas dock and they decided to scuttle as well.
Nothing is bad about Leland. We just really need to move on. We’re tired of the Labor Day visitors coming down the docks and peering in the windows at us. It’s obvious they don’t understand this is our home. It’s also obvious we are frustrated. But this is part of boating. We’ll move on when we get the chance. Until then the afternoon Looper Happy Hours continue.
Last night Happy Hour was on Jerry and Joan’s boat. Jerry has the funniest little fart machine. He put it in the cabin window. As the tourists walked by, he blew off farts. It made Leland a whole lot more fun.
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