Friends Old and New

Carol & Roger have been busy since I last wrote. I've been mostly sleeping and eating, although I did help them refill the water tank under their bed before we left Traverse City (that is, I supervised).  

They thought about leaving the first day the wind was from the west (Friday), but it was too strong and gusty, so we stayed in harbor.  On Saturday the prediction was for 10-15 knots of wind from the west, which is perfect for sailing north, so we left for Sutton's Bay, a nice town about 18 nautical miles or 20 land miles north of Traverse City.  

Carol got a nice photo of one of the local schooners as we were leaving. 

 If the sailing was good, we might go on to Northport, another 13 nautical miles further north.

Once we got going, I knew the wind was strong because Carol didn't come below to check on me after the first half hour or so (she doesn't like to come below if there are many waves).  I'll let her tell you about the day on the water:

Wind and waves were more than predicted.  We sailed with a single reef and still lost a batten, which I think hit the shackle that holds our topping lift to the boom, on its way out.  (Battens are the long strips of stiffener that help to shape the sail, kind of like stays in men's old shirt collars.  The topping lift holds up the back end of the boom--a very important job!)  Fortunately, we have a backup attachment line.  After an hour of sailing we took in a second reef when wind gusts came up at 30-35 knots (35-40 mph).  By then we were feeling we'd had a workout and decided Sutton's Bay would be far enough.

Stopping in SB gave us a chance to hear our favorite jazz singer, Claudia Schmidt, who was the headline act at the Sutton's Bay JazzFest.  Also in the band was Mike Hunter, husband of the choir director at our old church in Traverse City.  In the audience we ran into that church's former organist, too, so it was like old home week!

Whenever we travel we are always on the lookout for other Nonsuches, because ours is such a distinctive rig.  Well, we found one in Sutton's Bay and met a very nice couple who helped us out immeasurably. Besides visiting each others' vessels to compare notes, they found among their spares a replacement pin for our shackle so we could fix our topping lift.  All the more welcome since we discovered that the local marine supply store we thought was here closed two years ago.

Armed with our reconditioned topping lift (but still missing a batten), we set out Sunday morning for Northport.  We could not have asked for a more perfect day for sailing.  This time the predictions were right and we enjoyed west winds between 10 and 15 knots (ideal) with some prolonged gusts around 20.  We sped along at hull speed (the fastest our boat can go, given the size and shape of the hull) most of the way, with only small waves following behind us.  Such are the joys of sailing in the protected waters of Grand Traverse Bay!

I liked our trip yesterday.  We didn't tip too much, so I just basked in the sun on the bed.  When we got here Carol and Roger saw a boat they recognized.  It belongs to a very nice couple from Minnesota.  They came on board to meet me because they like cats.  Carol and Roger seemed very happy to see them, since they haven't run into them for a couple of years.  That's one of the things they like best about cruising.  They get to meet lots of interesting people.  And the scenery is really pretty.  

Here is a picture of Northport Bay looking south.  On the left if you look really carefully (I wish I knew how to make the pictures bigger) you can just make out Gull Island and the two chimneys which are all that remain of some guy's attempt to build a house there (he was driven out by seagulls and cormorants).