Sailing the Ocean Blue. .

On July 7th, I set out on what would be an epic sailing trip. Not the ocean blue, but a very large blue lake, Superior, and my account and photos can hardly do the experience justice. But I’ll do my best. 

I hoped to return a week later, on July 14th. We all survived, and returned on schedule, and we’re all better for the experience. I did take some notes on the trip and lots of pictures.

With Stan on the “delivery run” to Thunder Bay, July 6th, 2023. It got windy!

The plan was to bring crew, and I had invited my brother in law Stan, but he admitted that he’s more of a day-sailor, and wasn’t feeling up for a week on the lake. To his credit, he did accompany me on the first quite windy leg of the journey, from my home east of the city to Thunder Bay where the armada would depart early the next morning. 

There was one extra crew on another of the three boats but he had come to spend time with his friend from med school, not to come sailing with me! So it turned out that my sailing would be solo. My wife didn’t know this (and has forgiven me for the additional risk). In retrospect, that week on the lake, alone for the sailing, was a great resilience-builder!

Preparing to leave the Marina Friday Morning. 

 

 The weather promised to be cool. And it often was, also windy, and occasionally rainy (but rain was mostly at night). 

The first day out, sailing under a double-reefed mainsail and mostly furled jib, I briefly hit 8 knots!  But was regularly 6.5 knots on that leg of the journey. 

Nights, we’d get together for dinner & drinks & plain good times but many times the other two boats were specks on the horizon or completely out of view among the islands off the Black Bay Peninsula. 

More often than not, we would convene someplace convenient for lunch and a bottle of wine before setting off to our overnight anchorage. 

Don’t worry: more to come!!