Play on the water in 2009...catching up with one BIG post

WATER LOG 09



6-14-09

Kayak Sturgeon Bay
1 hour paddle to the Michigan Street Bridge, then over to Pottawatomie Park and back.  Launched st Sunset Park in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  I touched American Courage along the way...and left a print on the piece of steel we placed there over thirty years ago when I was a ship-fitter at Bay Ship Building Inc...she is looking worn down due to a lack of work in this slow economy.  Slipped on dock into a rock and broke the Big toe as I was walking with the boat back to the truck....oh yeah thats why I don't like open toe sandels.

June 14,

Mag and I take the old black canoe across the street for a spin around Little Lake.

Saw an ancient snapping turtle covered with moss, looking at us with its reptilian eyes just above the water.

6-20-09 9 AM
Yak to Pottawatomie Park and back by way of Rich’s shore, 1 hr

6-20-09 pm
Launch Nana, Rich's 24' sailboat, about 1:30 at Quarry Park.
Motored and tried to sail without wind…was slow
Hung boat on mooring.

6-21
Launched at Sunset Park 8 PM

Paddle to the Oregon Street Bridge and return. Attacked by gulls nesting on a group of piling used to tie up the floating dry dock during the winter.  Relaxing 1 hr round trip. Calm, smooth water.

6-23
Russ, Laurel, Karen, picked up Rich on way to Quarry  Park and DD on way back
Lt S winds, hot, 2 hrs. Left 6:15 and returned at 8:30…9 miles

6-26
Willow Flowage
Russ and I drove to Willow Flowage in Oneida County, WI
Paddled 14 miles from Tomahawk River Dam launch to N end of the flowage and return
12+ eagles and many ospreys
80's light wind, water 70
Left Sturgeon Bay at 7 and returned 10 pm

6-27

Rich and I sailed Nana to Peshtigo Reef and returned.

20 miles, 70 degrees, variable winds, cloudy some light drizzle

Rich picked me up and dropped me off at Quarry Park.

9 am to 4 pm

June 30
Ss park to Center Point Marina and return
Overcast and drizzle
60 degrees, lt variable wind
6 pm to 7

July 4th

Yak to Center Point Marina (PBI) and return
1 hr, warm light winds...9 AM
Later
Sailed with the Blue Jay, from the Sawyer Harbor launch in Pottawatomie Park to Bay Shore Drive and back...broad reached all the way
15 knts from se
6 to 8 pm

July 5th

Sailed the Blue Jay from 10 to 2

Launch at quarry, sailed N and back

Light W wind. I am impressed at how well this little boat sails. When the wind is less than 15, it can keep up with most other sailboats...even with these 49 year old sails...we should have a 50th b-day party next year for her.

July 7
Paddle
SS Park to Bayview Bridge and return
Gretchen, Steve, laurel, Rich, Bob Judd and me. Examined the ships at bay ship...2hrs light winds

July 10
Russ and I drove to Copper Harbor, Mi. Camped with Gretchen and her kids at Fort Wilkinson. I paddled in Fanny Hooe Lake for an hour that evening

July 11, Russ and I paddle from Beatty Greise beach to Montréal falls past Smith Brothers fisheries.
W wind, 15 when left, backed to WSW 15 to 25 on return
Did 5.5 miles in 1.5 hrs out, took 3.5 hrs to return against the wind.

Gretchen, Luke, Josiah, and Lena were at the take out, swimming and having a picnic, so we had pizza for lunch and French Silk Pie for dessert, then Russ and I headed back to camp, packed up our gear and left as the wind was supposed to be even stronger on Sunday, drove home till 11 pm.

July-15

Short paddle to Michigan Street Bridge and return

July 18

Took ferry to Washington Island to look at large sailboat (27’ Pearson Renegade).
Sailed the Blue Jay to Bay View Bridge and return
Two hours, light sw wind.

July 19
Rich and I paddled to Washington Island to look at 27' Pearson Renegade.
She was inexpensive at $2000, but needed much work.
Left at 8:30, return at noon.
Light winds, cool air.

July 21,
Overcast, Laurel and I paddle to Purves Lagoon and return. Inspected Grace, a Pearson Renegade.
Calm 6:15 to 7:30

July 22,

Looked at a Watkins 23 XL sailboat

July 23,

Looked at the Watkins again...bought it for $2000.

July 24,

Windy...West at 20

Sailed the Watkins for several hours in the inner bay. Just main...lots of weather helm in that much wind with just the main.

July 25
Repaired ignition system on old 3hp evenrude and put motor on Watkins.

July 28,
Rich and I paddle to sawyer harbor around islands and back. Played a little in the wash of the bow thruster from the American Integrity ore carried as it was maneuvering.
W at 15, sunny warm.

July 30,
Moved the Watkins to a dock on Memorial drive with motor...was happy I didn’t break anything while docking and the motor worked...wheeeh.

July 31,
Sailed Watkins for 3 hrs to mouth of canal and back...practiced maneuvering. Sailed up to the dock.
S at 12.
Tried main and jib...works good, kissed 6 mph. Is a lot of work sailing in the inner bay solo...tacking and sailing a large boat like a dingy is tiring....I need some type of reliable power to use a dock and get through the bridge.

August 2,

Sailed Blue Jay to Quarry in 20 Mph with a reefed main...worked great. Saw Rich and Jane on NANA.
Paddled to my dock and return, saw Nana again, they had good sail, Jane looked pretty tired.

August 4,
Laurel, Russ and I paddle to Sawyer Harbor and return...Russ separated to paddle along shore, while laurel and I crossed the Bay to Bayshore on the return....we met up with DD near the N end of SS Park.
Wind NW about 12. 6:30 to 8

Aug 10
Boarded the CAT in Bar Harbor, Maine at 8:30 AM, arrived in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia about 11 AM. Crossing was foggy and fast, constant rolling,
Mag and I in stayed in Shelburne NS, Canada for two nights.
CAMPING in the Islands Provincial Pk this evening. Calm, 60 degrees, paddled around the harbor. Followed a mink as he swam to shore then peeked at us from behind a rock.
Paddled over to town and the Dory Shop, down the waterfront and back to camp along the rocky shore. Came close to an eagle in a tree before he flew off.

Aug 12,
The Amistad sailed into Shelburne and we watched her come down the harbor, saw her at the dock.
Hiked to the shore at Keje Park and saw seals basking on the rocks.
Took the cable ferry across the LaHave River.
Stayed at Graves Island Provincial Park, site 113 overlooking St Margaret’s bay.

Aug 13,
Went back to the town of LaHave, saw the Larinda in the river, Molly and I had toured her in Green Bay several years before. Visited Fort Point at the mouth of the LaHave River, and then took the ferry North again.
Stopped in Lunenburg and the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.
Booked a Sunset Tour on the Ketch Easter Star, 60' long, built in Norway
Wind less than 10, the captain let me sail her for 30 min or so...a sweet boat. Saw porpoise and harbor seals
We booked a ride on the schooner Bluenose for the morning of the 16th.

Aug 14th
Off to Mahone bay to purchase a pair of oars for the Trap Skiff I'm building, at Fancy Oars, the family has been making oars for 100 years...same ones used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Moved on to Peggy's Cove to the lighthouse and rocky shore. In 97 one of PBI's ship that I had worked on, was here to help in the search and recovery of the Swiss Air flight 111 that went down 40 miles offshore.
Halifax ate dinner at the Vegan Heartwood Bakery, then to the waterfront at 4:30. The Busker’s Festival was going on with street performers everywhere, pretty exciting. Tugs, cargo ships, tall ships, small sailboats, cruise boats and water taxi's everywhere. Halifax is an exciting place. Tomorrow we are going to Peggy’s Cove again and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Aug 15th
Peggy’s Cove again, good thing...saw two Minke whales "blowing" by the shore, watched
the pair 10 minutes...two weeks later, hurricane Juan was crashing waves OVER our whale watching rock.
Our main focus today was eating as many Beavertails as we could and going to the Maritime Museum of The Atlantic, seeing artifacts from the Titanic and hundreds of nautical exhibits.
After another maple beavertail, we hit the Nova Scotia Museum of Art and an exhibit about Maud Lewis.
Made a stop to go onboard the Acadia, a map ship used to survey the Great Lakes and other Canadian waters.

Aug 16th
Sailing on the Bluenose out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Not much wind, but we put up sail for over two hours, saw dolphins and seals again. It’s just thrilling to be on one of the fastest schooners ever built. The crew has had her up over 17 knts.
We stopped in Mahone Bay and Chester later today.

August 17th.
Leaving NS today...stopped near 5 Islands Provincial Park. Tide was out and we explored the shore and watched people digging clams in the red clay mud. Drove to New River Beach Provincial Park in New Brunswick to camp.

Aug 18th
Walked the beach at New River and a lobster boat was out towing some dory’s and tending a net.
Stopped in St Andrew's, New Brunswick. It was just a little too late to go on a Morning whale watch, maybe next year. About 2 we stopped at Tidal Falls Park in Maine, to see the rip created by the falling tide.
We stopped In Bar Harbor to be Tourists and book seats on the Friendly V for whale watching.
Back to Whispering Pines near East Orland Maine to camp for the next few days. Sad to say next summer 2010 will be their last year…time to retire.

Aug 19th
Whale Watch at 1:30
Had to sit inside most of the way out, and then went up top for some prime viewing. This was best trip yet, saw 5 humpbacks showing off their heads and tails for almost 2 hours, sometimes within 50' of the boat.

Aug 20th
Searsport...Penobscot Maritime Museum and Fort George in Castine Maine. The fort entrance was bricked up though, so we couldn’t look for the ghost of the 12 year old Drummer boy said to haunt the fort and play once in a while. We did see a ghostly shadow back in 2002.

Aug 21 to 22
Driving the long 1300 miles home….what can I say…listen to tunes and enjoy the scenery of Transcontinental Highway 17. Stopped in Cobdin Ontario for a snooze at the town’s campsite. About 2 AM. Stopped in our driveway at 7:30 PM Saturday.
Goodnight

Sept 5,
Paddled out to Chambers Island off Fish Creek, WI.  Left at 5:30...light NW wind.

Arrived at 6:59, ate and left to head back to Tennison -Bay
Before I was at the Strawberries, the sun was down, so it was a full moon that lighted the rest of the way back.
That was cool, seeing the moon rise and using it as a guide back to shore…11 miles

Sept 8,
Paddled to Pottawatomie, over to Rich's and back
6 to 7:45...light wind

Sept 11
Met Rich at the Quarry Park and we pulled NANA out for the season.

Sept 12th
Met Terrie, Mitch, Jean, Rich and Laurel at Tennison Bay at 9:30

Paddled out to the dock on Chambers, had lunch. Terry, laurel, Mitch and Jean walked over to the Light to meet Rich and I. Mary Ann Blahnik was there and gave us a tour, which was cool. After 10 years of going out there, I finally see her in the lighthouse.
Somewhat foggy on the way out, with light winds. Se wind on the return.

Sept 13th
In the morning, Mag and I sailed Alice H to the Bayview Bridge and back.
About 6 PM, I poured the concrete for a mooring, should wt about 400 lbs

Sept 15th,
Launch at SS, south to Purvis Lagoon, went into the lagoon, then past all the moored sailboats on the way home. While sneaking through Skipper buds, saw Max and Dee Martin, so we talked for ten minutes or so. They and the kids are doing well. It was good to see them.

Sept 17th

Used the Blue Jay to float the mooring out to position...the plan worked, not quite in position, but will use Alice to make the final position.

Sept 19th

Took Alice H over to the mooring. Went through the bridge at 10. Made the mooring at 11. Tried quite a while to hook the mooring eye with the cable puller, but no luck. I had to take a swim and dive down, attach the cable hoist, the crank the wt up while in the water. Took over an hour to take the form off the concrete and set it back down in the correct place.

Ate lunch, then sailed to the quarry...made the 5 pm bridge...by about a minute...I need a reliable engine

Sept 24

Launched the Jay at SS and sailed to DD's to attach another buoy and rope to the mooring.

4 to 6 pm

Sept 26,

Rich and I pulled the Watkins out at SS park...went very easy, plenty of water. We lowered the mast at Lavern’s and lashed it to the deck. I motored to SS with the balky 3 horse and the trolling motor.

Oct 1,

Blue Jay

Launch at SS about 3:30, sailed to Mooring off DD’s house and removed the floats, then went to Riches and removed his float off the mooring.

Sailed with main and jib….gusty…10 to 20 from the East

Spoke with a kayaker…Eric, training for the round Manhattan race.

3:30 to 5pm

Oct 9, 2009

Dreary evening. Launched at SS went to PBI and Q-Deck to look at sailboats.

Overcast, 50 degrees maybe, water less than 50.

Wind NW 5 to 12

3:30 to 5 PM

My big toe is still sore from kicking the rock back in June.

Oct 28, 2009

Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky/Virginia State line.

The Breaks is where the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River has made a cut through Pine Mountain

Another crossing used by my kin and Daniel Boone to explore the wilderness of the mid 1700’s

October 31, 2009

Sitting in Jeffersonville, Indiana watching some Towboats move a barge on the Ohio River, while several scullers pull oars on two rowing shells near the opposite shore.

It is dark at 4:45 on Nov 9th ...now what ???