The wave forecast was showing big waves in Green Bay until noon, so we lazed around in the morning reading. Wave Pointe was an absolutely awesome place to wait-out bad weather, but after 4 days we were ready to leave. Pretty much right at noon we left the harbour and set out. The ride was pretty sporty, but nothing like the last time we tried to escape. We were rocking, but not taking any spray over the bow, and we were not being thrown around.
About half of the trip we had to run with waves on the beam, and so we rolled pretty good. We were able to zig-zag enough to keep it to a minimum, but could not avoid big rolls when we had to turn. Our cabinets were secure, as we had used the velcro strips, but you could hear things rolling around inside. We will have to be careful opening these later.
Two of our drawers have broken catches, and both of these flew open in the rolling. Will have to fix the latches or rig some kind of hold-down for future passages.
Until I can repair them we need to jury-rig some kind of bungie system to hold them closed.
We pulled into the Quarterdeck marina at Sturgeon bay in mid-afternoon, and had to wait out in the channel to get tied up. There are two bridges here that have to open for large boats, and this creates bursts of traffic when they open. Several boats were heading to the same marina, so we each had to wait our turn to enter their harbour.
Passed this boat on our way into Sturgeon Bay that reminded me of Thunderbird 2. The boat is called Majestic Star, and was once a casino cruiser. It is now in dry dock, and is tied up in some kind of ownership dispute.
Big tugboat in another drydock.
First impression upon seeing this tug boat was that it was Theodore Tugboat or a character from Thomas the tank engine and Friends.
Coast Guard boat coming into the harbour.
We went to an Irish pub for dinner, and each enjoyed something different on their patio, then back to the boats to get ready for the next day, which would be a long run to Sheboygan. Our weather window to travel was only two days before the next winds, so we decided to make full use of it and put some distance behind us before our next weather hide-out. That night I spent some time planning our route, and setting up waypoints on the chartplotter. We also took some time to secure cabinets and get things squared away in the cabin.
Fishing is reel popular around these parts.
Next morning we were up at 5, ate breakfast and got the boat ready to run. We left the dock shortly after 6 and got underway. The first few km's were done at no wake speed, but when we came to the shipping channel where we had planned to speed up, we saw a thick fog bank ahead of us.
The fog was pouring off of a narrow spit of land at the entrance to the shipping channel, and completely obscured everything beyond it.
A boat was heading towards us and hailed us on VHF asking if we were heading out onto the lake. We replied that we were, and the other boat asked us if we would contact them on the radio once we got into the ship channel to let them know what the visibility was like.
Chrissy on Miss K got this picture of iFloat entering the fog. There was a Ranger Tug following us, and another boat behind Miss K.
As we approached the fog bank, I fired up the radar and turned on the nav lights, then we made a securité call, and sounded the horn as we entered. When in fog you are supposed to give an audible signal every 2 minutes, however we emerged from the fog bank only a minute or so later. Although the fog was really thick, it only extended for about 300 feet. I radioed the other boat to tell them the channel had good visibility after the fog bank, and we continued on.
Coast Guard station at the end of the shipping channel. They had two big rescue boats tied up here, both of them really big RIBs.
Lighthouse at the entrance to the shipping channel. Note the walkway on the left. They must get some massive waves here to have to use a three storey high elevated walkway to get to the lighthouse.
Here you can see the full elevated walkway from the shore to the lighthouse. Going out there in a storm must be lots of fun.
Another view of the walkway.
The ride south on lake Michigan was really smooth, almost like glass. We passed lots of fishing boats along the way, even though we were 7 km out into the lake. Then, just after we passed Manitowoc, Miss K called us on the VHF. Their engine was stopped and they could not restart it. We turned around and went back to them, and waited while Steve tried to restart the motor. No joy, it would not crank. After spending about an hour trying to get it running, they called Boat US to see about getting a tow, but there were no tow-boats in the area. Next they tried Manitowoc marina, but they did not have a tow boat, so finally they tried the Coast Guard, who would put out a distress call on their behalf, but would not get them unless they failed three times to find someone to help.
Dead in the water 8 km from land, and 11 km from nearest port.
Steve then got on the radio and asked us if we would tow them. We have never towed such a big boat before, but were willing to help them out. We rafted onto them so that we could rig a towing bridal, and set off towards Manitowoc, 11 km away. The ride took over 2 hours, but we got them set on the wall of the harbour near the maritime museum. We then went to the nearby marina to get fuel, before returning to the harbour wall to spend the night with our friends.
Towing the Miss K.
Our Nebo track, or should I say backtrack.
Entering into the harbour past the breakwater.
The channel wall is not designed for small boats to tie to, but luckily we had just bought some fender balls. We see lots of loopers with them, and several loopers have suggested we get some. When we were in Mackinaw City I made measurements of the ones Miss K had, and when we were stuck in Petoskey we found that size in the local West Marine, so we bought 2. They were perfect for the mooring we had, and we got all set up for the evening then went for dinner.
We've got big balls.
Moored beside a submarine. How cool is that!
On the 8th Street bridge. You can see iFloat and Miss K in the background by the submarine.
Stern of the Cobia.
Every single town we have visited has had a really nice waterfront. Lots of parks, fountains, places to sit.
One thing I notice about these towns is that they all look like they were built in the 1920's - which of course they were, but many buildings have not been updated since then. Each town is centred on the harbour, which is always industrial, and each place is centred on one or two large bulk facilities. Here they have grain elevators, and it seems they are a wholesale supplier of various types of grain. Although the construction is old - kind of a yellow brick style, everything is really clean and well maintained. We have been struck by this in each place we have stopped on this side of the lake. Everything is really well taken care of, and people here have been very friendly, we get lots of questions as soon as people see the Canadian flag on our boat.
The next day we were stuck in port while the mechanic went over Miss K's engine. He arrived around 8:00, and worked on it all day. Louise and Chrissy went shopping at a big second-hand store, while Steve and I made a run to a convenience store. Louise, Chrissy and I went out for pizza lunch - Steve had to stay behind with the boat. The day seemed like a kind of holding pattern waiting to see when the mechanic would trace down the problem.
We watched the Badger come in and dock. This is a passenger and car ferry that has been going back and forth between Manitowoc and Ludington Michigan since 1953. The boat definitely looked old-school, and it is! It is the last coal-powered ferry on the great lakes. Really impressive watching them bring it in, spin it around and slide into the berth.
Here is the Badger on final approach. Burning coal since 1953.
Once inside the breakwater she spun around and eased back into her slip.
Eevee ventured outside and hung out on the back deck for a while.
The mechanic working on Miss K managed to get the engine started around 16:00. At that point both boats moved to slips in the harbour. Much more comfortable, although I think we brought along a whole new batch of big-ass-mutant spiders that we picked up on the harbour wall.
The next day the mechanic was at it again, so Steve and I cycled to get groceries. Along the way, we also picked up a temporary starter switch to allow Steve to start his boat until the proper part arrives. The mechanic traced the problem to a solenoid on the engine. Took a long time, as finding it required some old-school troubleshooting and the mechanic was new-school (computer codes). Steve ordered the part, which may take some time to arrive, so in the meantime this temporary start switch allows him to use the boat.
We passed an outdoor cafe and this lady had brought her bearded dragon with her. It had a harness and everything. Chillin by the river.
Really like how the town designed their bike racks.
This one looked like a muskie.
The four of us went out for lunch at an Irish pub, then I had a conference call for my textbook in the afternoon, so went back to our boat to get it taken care of. In the meantime, Steve got the over-ride switch installed so that Miss K would be ready to roll. The next day we had a weather window, so wanted to put some distance under the keel towards Chicago.
Classy ride parked in the marina lot.
Couple of vagrants outside the Irish pub.
Next morning we had another wait for weather to blow past, so we left the dock around 8:30. The ride to Port Washington started out smooth but eventually became rolley and bumpy. We heard a pan-pan on the VHF, the Coast Guard put out a notice that there was a small unmanned dingy about 5 nm offshore from Ludington, and they were asking mariners to keep a lookout for any people in the water. Yikes! A Little later we heard a securite call about a rescue boat towing a disabled vessel into Port Washington.
Louise used the passage time to peel a bunch of carrots we picked up in Manitowoc.
By the time we got to Port Washington the waves were getting bigger, so it was nice to pull into port. We got tied up on a linear dock nose-to-tail with Miss K. Funny to watch another boat come in after us. Miss K and iFloat tied close together to maximize space for others, but the guy after us just planted himself in the middle of the dock. Shades of the Rideau grey line.
Louise made soup with the carrots she peeled along the way.
The customer is always right.
We went to an absolutely fantastic restaurant called the Steerage Dining Salon. It is located in a basement, and was really well run and the food was absolutely amazing. Chrissy ordered their pork chop, that was so big it looked like a steak. It was served with cherries and spaetzle. The rest of us had their shrimp pasta special that was also really special. Really great experience.
Back on the boat, a check of the weather forecast showed a narrow weather window the next day followed by some rough waves the following day. Accordingly, we made plans to leave early in the morning to get to Racine before the bigger waves hit. The plan was to leave sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning. We set our alarms and turned in.
The next morning, I got up at 4:30 and went upstairs to make coffee. Once the machine was running, I turned around and was surprised to see an incredible show. It was still totally dark, but the parking lot beside the launch ramp was lit up with pickup trucks and trailers. They had 6 launch ramps, and all 6 were being used by fishermen to launch their boats. One after the other they launched and headed out onto the lake. These guys knew what they were doing, each one backing right in, launching the boat, then parking the truck and trailer in the lot. These fishing boats were on the large side, 20+ feet, and it seemed like the lineup to launch was endless.
As the smaller boats made their exodus, all of a sudden right at 5:00 the big charter boats started to leave. We were parked on the wall in the entrance to the charter harbour. One after another the big charter boats passed us on their way out to the lake. There was a steady stream, one each minute or so going past us towards the breakwater entrance. I went up to the flybridge to switch on some of the systems in preparation for our departure, and saw the fleet heading out. It looked like a highway, a straight line of nav lights leading out into the lake. In the distance you could see the lights of the fishing fleet spread all along the shore for kilometres. Normally, getting up super early is not much fun, but today was totally worth it.
View from the bridge as we head out.
By this time Steve had Miss K ready to go, so I asked him when he wanted to leave. He said "after the parade". Once the last of the big charter boats passed, we untied and set out ourselves. The passage to Racine was pretty easy, along the way we watched the sunrise over the fleet, and made it to Racine around 11:30.
The fleet on radar. The dots in the centre-left are fishing boats we passed to our port side as we headed south. The line on the right is the shore. Each circle represents a distance of 0.5 nautical miles.
Sunrise over the fleet.
Chrisie took this one of the sunrise.
Boat name of the day: Dirty Hooker
