First Mate Connie at the dock.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer sailing season and we had Therapy all ready to go. The First Mate and I left our days jobs a day earlier and headed north. The weather forecast called for hot temperatures in the 90's all weekend. When we arrived on Catawba, it was hot... upper 80's and humid. We were in a hurry to get out on to the Lake where hopefully it would be a little cooler.
Cooler it was. As soon as we turned to exit the West Harbor Channel, we could feel the temperature drop by 10 degrees. The cold water of Lake Erie acting as a natural air conditioner.
We decided to moor at Put-In-Bay for Friday evening and keep on the lookout for Saturday's weather which included a chance of thunderstorms. It also allowed us to beat the holiday crowd into one of the busiest ports around. Once at our mooring, the temperature climbed again without a beneficial breeze, and we took turns cooling ourselves off by jumping into the Lake. It's still really early in the year so the water was frigid.
Cooler it was. As soon as we turned to exit the West Harbor Channel, we could feel the temperature drop by 10 degrees. The cold water of Lake Erie acting as a natural air conditioner.
We decided to moor at Put-In-Bay for Friday evening and keep on the lookout for Saturday's weather which included a chance of thunderstorms. It also allowed us to beat the holiday crowd into one of the busiest ports around. Once at our mooring, the temperature climbed again without a beneficial breeze, and we took turns cooling ourselves off by jumping into the Lake. It's still really early in the year so the water was frigid.
Therapy at Middle Bass Island State Marina.
Saturday arrived but the warm temperatures left. The air was chilly with the high temperature maybe hitting 70 degrees and helped by a consistent 15 to 20 knot wind out of the east. Naturally, the Captain, expecting hot and humid weather, only packed shorts and t-shirts for his weekend wear. With the prospect of the forecasted warm weather to return, we decided to spend the day at PIB and take in the Mad Dog Mike Adams show at the Round House Bar... a perrenial favorite. That night saw us breaking out the blankets in order to keep warm and kept our mooring yet another night.
Sunday morning saw the wind die down as we departed PIB for a day trip to Middle Bass Island and an afternoon cookout with friends Greg and Sandy Millat. We attempted to get in a sail around the island before docking at the marina, but as luck would have it, the wind refused to cooperate. So we pulled in the limp sails and headed for lunch. As soon as we arrived at the Millat's however, the wind quickly returned, now blowing from the east at 15 to 20 knots again and whitecaps soon appeared on the Lake.
Sunday morning saw the wind die down as we departed PIB for a day trip to Middle Bass Island and an afternoon cookout with friends Greg and Sandy Millat. We attempted to get in a sail around the island before docking at the marina, but as luck would have it, the wind refused to cooperate. So we pulled in the limp sails and headed for lunch. As soon as we arrived at the Millat's however, the wind quickly returned, now blowing from the east at 15 to 20 knots again and whitecaps soon appeared on the Lake.
A festive older boat at Put-In-Bay.
The forecast still called for temperatures in the 90's and the wind to shift to the south. Perfect for an anchorage in the north bay of Kelley's Island. And so we departed Middle Bass Island around 5pm Sunday. We were sure the 3 foot rollers and 18 knot winds would only be a brief reminder of the first half of the weekend as the second half would certainly be better. Along the 2 hour trip to Kelley's however, we noted a darkening of the skies to the north... something that wasn't supposed to happen and wasn't in the forecast. As we got closer to our destination, a line of clouds developed to the north and quickly closed in on us.
When we arrived at Kelley's, not a single boat was in sight. What did everyone else know that I didn't? Just as we set the hook, I turned around and saw the gust front approaching with a line of whitecaps racing toward us from the north. This was no place to be stranded with 40 feet of rode on the hook facing winds from the wrong direction. I quickly scrambled back up to the foredeck to haul in the anchor as Connie threw the boat into gear. Just as the anchor was retrieved, the wind hit and our gauge immediately registered 30 to 35 knots. Connie dug out the life jackets and fastened hers tight as the boat listed to one side. We had enough fun and decide to cut the sailing short and head back to Catawba, surfing the 3 to 4 foot waves as we went. We actually set a new speed record in Therapy of 8.67 knots as we surfed down one particular wave...the sails not even out. Our sailing was finished for the weekend as we arrived in our slip around 8:30pm.
We awoke Monday morning to warm weather and a gentle breeze out of the south. Not a wave in sight. Perhaps we started the summer sailing season 3 days early.
When we arrived at Kelley's, not a single boat was in sight. What did everyone else know that I didn't? Just as we set the hook, I turned around and saw the gust front approaching with a line of whitecaps racing toward us from the north. This was no place to be stranded with 40 feet of rode on the hook facing winds from the wrong direction. I quickly scrambled back up to the foredeck to haul in the anchor as Connie threw the boat into gear. Just as the anchor was retrieved, the wind hit and our gauge immediately registered 30 to 35 knots. Connie dug out the life jackets and fastened hers tight as the boat listed to one side. We had enough fun and decide to cut the sailing short and head back to Catawba, surfing the 3 to 4 foot waves as we went. We actually set a new speed record in Therapy of 8.67 knots as we surfed down one particular wave...the sails not even out. Our sailing was finished for the weekend as we arrived in our slip around 8:30pm.
We awoke Monday morning to warm weather and a gentle breeze out of the south. Not a wave in sight. Perhaps we started the summer sailing season 3 days early.