This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's)
cruising adventures on the Great Loop!
DAY 140 - August 18, 2017
My daily blog usually starts with breakfast and coffee. Not so this one. It starts just after midnight of August 18th.
We had enjoyed a day, a night, a day and an evening at the Free Wall in St. Joseph. I felt we were properly fendered with the fenders on the posts. Boy, was I wrong. We had come into St. Joseph when the wind was from the south. All the next day it raged out on Lake Michigan, but from the south. Some time around midnight, the wind shifted to the west. The St. Joseph River, and hence the Free Wall, is totally exposed to west winds. And the wind speed increased to the 20s with gusts to 30 mph. Our big mistake was not being tuned into the wind direction and speed on the big lake. If we had been, we could have moved to an anchorage in a protected spot. But you usually don't think about that when you are tied up in a harbor.
About midnight, we started experiencing some really violent rocking. And it went from bad to worse. No matter how we adjusted lines and fenders, there was nothing we could do. Then the boat started slamming into the wall. Fenders were useless against the strength of the wind. Lines gave way. We lost a fender. We could not sleep of course, and so this was an all-nighter for us. We have fender boards but we had not deployed them, and even if we had, it is uncertain to me what good they would have done. It was impossible to consider moving in the darkness. In the morning, we assessed the damage. We had serious rub rail damage on the side against the wall, the starboard side, in two spots. It could have been worse. I guess this just shows the structural toughness of C-Dorys.
We also saw, to our horror, that the kayak, which had been tied alongside Daydream was missing. So, the question was, did the wind push it upstream, where we might find and recover it, or did the current take it downstream to Lake Michigan, where we would never see it again?
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| Forward rub rail damage |
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| Aft rub rail damage |
In the morning, we moved to a protected anchorage for today and tonight. On the way, we spotted the kayak lodged partially under a dock a good half a mile upstream and were able to recover it! Talk about relieved! We have made arrangements with a marine service facility in New Buffalo to see what can be done about the rub rail. Rub rails can be replaced or maybe repaired. As Patty says, "It is only money."
Our day at our new anchorage was dandy! We anchored a short distance off the City of St. Joseph Boat Ramp and Fish Cleaning Station. Things looked better in the daylight. We had pretty much stopped shaking. We had not lost our boat or died! After taking a major nap, we Ubered to Walmart and did a major shopping trip, Ubered back to the boat ramp, and ferried everything, including two new Director's Chairs, to Daydream in the kayak. The rest of the day, thankfully, was uneventful!
Wheeough , (or something like that). What a night. Really glad you were able to recover the kayak, and that you were able to have a calm anchorage in the morning. Were there any other boats there overnight? You are doing pretty good to be able to write intelligibly so soon after. Again, Stay safe. Harvey/SleepyC
ReplyDeleteThere were no other boats on the Free Wall, nor at our upstream anchorage. I think most Loopers tend to head for a marina. Not out style, but we are in a marina for three days right now at New Buffalo!
DeleteSorry to hear about the damage, Pat. Mariners will tell you: the Great Lakes prepare you for the ocean, but the ocean does not prepare you for the Great Lakes. Hope you are able to find reasonable repairs.
ReplyDeletePat, So sorry to hear about the damage. Looks like not terribly serious damage, but it is going to be a pain to repair.
ReplyDeleteWhenever you come into an anchorage/dockage, it is wise to look at potential issues, and out "outs". This is far easier now that we have chart plotters and good depth sounders.
For example one night I pulled anchor 3 x and moved as the wind clocked around in the pitch black, before chart plotters and good depth finders. Another time I put to sea in a blinding squall, with very limited disability.
How does one plan for the "escape"--that is upon arriving in any anchorage, look at the possibilities of danger, and where you can hide to escape. This means taking bearings on the various options with a compass. Doing radar surveys, and perhaps even on the entrance running by the alternates in your boat. That way you can use your radar as well as chart plotter to find the way to a safe place.
It sounds like you came thru with minimal damage from a storm as described. The much maligned rub rail saved you from some expensive damage. Maybe just a good two part epoxy, let it harden, and some stainless sheetmetal screws and you'll be fine. All the best on the rest of the journey.
ReplyDeleteLast night Ed from New Buffalo Marine Services came by and surveyed the damage. He is pretty sure he can get some generic rub rail. He measured everything up, and told us he would get back to us tonight (Sunday) or Monday morning. Like Andy told Aunt Bea "Call the man, just call the man, Aunt Bea"! We may be here a few more days, but we really need to get this repaired to move on. I MIGHT try a band-aid fix but that would just make it harder for somebody who knows what they are doing to repair it correctly.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing Ed told us we could have done (coulda, shoulda, woulda) was to tie to the wall with our bow into the wind. As it was, each wave was pushing on the stern, until the wave passed, then the boat came back, then the next wave hit, and pushed us forward again, and so forth. Our REAL error, though, was not being aware of which was the wind would be coming and what wind speeds would be. If we had just been aware, as we have been so careful about every OTHER day (wind direction and speed are our main go / no-go paramters, after all), we would moved in the afternoon of the third day.