The Whistling Swan...aground near the boat ramp
Sailed the Blue Jay from the Sawyer Harbor Launch, in Potawatomie Park, and headed out toward the Bay of Sturgeon Bay. The wind was still Westerly, but the hills of the Park caused it to be fickle and swirling from many directions. The waters of Sawyer Harbor are very shallow, especially in the area near the boat launch, so it was surprising to see a 30’ sailboat ( the Whistling Swan) trying to come in to the launch area…I guess to tie up at the dock…just as I was close enough to warn the skipper…in fact I did get out the words “it was too shallow…he yells to his wife that they were aground”…stuck hard…their engine could not pull them off, but about 10 minutes later a powerboat stopped by, set them free and towed them out of the shallows. Only needing 6” is an advantage, even my larger sailboat, the Watkins 23, only draws 18” with the board up, so I could launch her in the park. After getting some decent wind away from the Islands, I headed over to the Red Bell Buoy at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay, rounded her, then headed back in…I had to be in by 6 PM in order to make it home for dinner. On the west side of the two Islands in Sawyer Harbor is a pair of swans with young; saw them a few weeks ago too. Dropped the sails while in the shallows west of the launch, and then used the electric trolling motor to finish the run to the launch.
Buoy at the mouth of Sturgeon Bay
Sailed about 6-8 miles.
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