Entry # 40:
OK, first an apology for the belated and infrequent updates. I found out my laptop was one of the victims of Lake Eries’ seas. I’m borrowing the use of Katryn Marina Office Managers’ computer for this update. Chronology since my last update _
Tuesday, May 14th – Leamington Marina: Mondays forecast called for high winds coming from the east again for Tuesday. I was planning on a day of re-couping and embark again Wednesday with a more promising forecast. But when I checked the weather in the morning, the forecast changed to moderate winds from the southwest both Tuesday and Wednesday. Though the temperature forecast called for highs in the upper 40s’ and low 50s’, I left at 9 am before the next change in weather pattern.
I rounded Point Pelee, engaged my auto-pilot and found myself cruising at 5 1/2 mph. 1 to 2 foot waves, the wind on my back, sunshine and blue skies. Now finally a day of uneventful laid back sailing – this is more like it.
It was mid-afternoon, the breeze had picked up from 5 to 10 knots to 10 to 12 knots. White caps were beginning to appear as waves grew to a moderate 2 to 3 feet. By evening, it was steady (and surpassing forecast) at 15 knots with seas 3 to 4 feet. Good sailing weather except for the cold.
Wednesday, May 15th – Overnight: I sailed through the night as the winds and seas calmed. It was serene and beautiful. The moon was nearly full. The light of the moon twinkled like Christmas lights. I wished I hadn’t lost my night sky reference book when I had broached over the weekend.
The next morning (Wednesday) I was surprisingly OK, relaxed and content. The winds had begun to shift coming to the north west at a steady 10 to 12 knots and the seas grew from the night to 2 to 3 feet from the same direction. I could see clouds on the horizon.
By afternoon, rain clouds were passing through with moderate gusts of winds and waves. They continued to build but nothing compared to last weeks. Just in case, I studied my Garmin GPS for possible safe harbors. Since rounding Point Pelee, I had taken a direct line for Port Colborne, as a result Port Stanley (safe harbor) was 2 hours to the north of me. I was not going to add four hours to my destination. So I moved on.
By evening, I was at Long Point. Tired and winds blowing 15 to 18 knots with 3 to 5 foot seas, I hoped to go on the lee side of land in the hope to anchor in calm and protected waters and catch some sleep. It was not to be. When I rounded the point, I found the water to be too shallow to safe harbor. It was after 8 pm in the evening and I was approximately 40+ miles from Port Colborne as the crow flies. At an average of 5 mph, its going to be another all nighter. Fortunately the winds and seas began to subside so I reset my auto-pilot and pressed onward while watching the sun disappear over the horizon. Beautiful. I fell asleep in the cockpit around 11:30 pm.
Thursday, May 16th – Port Colborne: I awoke suddenly around 12:30 am. The coastline lights didn’t look right. I immediately looked at my GPS and found that my auto-pilot had done a 180 and I was heading BACK to Leamington. Are you kidding me! I looked at where I was relative to my destination and found I was still 40 miles from my Port Colborne! Dam, I just lost 2 hours. OK, that’s it, re-focus I shut off the auto-pilot, took over the helm.
There was no air, the water was glass so I relied on my one cylinder, 8 horsepower Yanmar diesel the rest of the way. I arrived at my Sugarloaf Port Marina at 2:30 pm Thursday afternoon – 53 1/2 hours straight. I fueled, docked, showered and crashed.
Never Too Late For 