Adventures with Ship 1148, Cheboygan to North Cape transport

This year it was my pleasure and honor to host Sea Scout Ship 1148 for the return voyage from the Port Huron to Mac Race to our home port at North Cape Yacht Club.  We had a full boat with 6 scouts, 3 adult leaders and 1 special adviser.

The  goal of the trip was to give the scouts experience with big boat sailing, experience with sailing in general and opportunities for the scouts to make progress with their advancement through the ranks.  I think that this year's group succeeded in all these areas.

Perhaps it's best to review the trip in chronological order.....

Wednesday 7/22/2015.

Will it all fit?

     Skipper, Jim and Shawnee depart  Mackinac Island at 0700 hours bound for Cheboygan.  The plan is to meet up with the Scouts and the parents at the Municipal Marina.  We arrived a bit late at 0930 hours to find that the Ship was already there.  We fueled and moved over to the end of the the other dock and the loading of gear commenced.  Jim departed in the Jetta, which had brought TIME MACHINE's transport gear and helped with transporting scouts up-state.
 I have never seen such a mountain of gear, food and supplies stowed on board.  Soon we had all the new provisions aboard and had brought as much ice aboard as space would allow.  The gear was stowed and things looked to be pretty ship shape.  We made contact with WAR CHANT, our sister ship for the voyage and found that they were a bit delayed in their preparations.  The scouts voted to make a visit to the beach and venture out on the harbor jetty.
     Before setting off the scouts divided into two crews, the PIRATES and the MCA2  crews.  They agreed to alternate boat-duties and galley duties for each mealtime.  The arrangement seemed like a good one.

Sailing under BIG RED!

     We renewed contact with WARCHANT and determined that they were indeed underway and even under sail.  So, we took our leave from Cheboygan, saying farewell to harbor master Kurt, who is retiring after this season.  Once out on the Lake we rigged the boat, including setting up the spinnaker pole and all the spinnaker gear.  There was a bit of confusion about where WARCHANT was located, but we soon found them and negotiated our destination for the day.  Initially WARCHANT was thinking about simply putting in at Cheboygan, but given the good sailing conditions it seemed wise to make as much progress as possible.  So we settled on making for Roger City.
     TIME MACHINE got her sails up smartly and soon we were running under 'Big Red' with all the scouts taking turns trimming the chute and driving.  Because our course was dead-down-wind, we had to execute several gybes, which went off without much problem at all.
We looked back and found that WARCHANT had doused their chute and were motor sailing.  Although they passed us, the building breeze soon found us matching their speed under sail alone.  As we approached Roger City, we took in our sails and prepared for docking.  It had been a wonderful first day and it was special to be able to sail all the way.

Making the boat go!

     In celebration, the ship went ashore for ice cream and then turned the boat into the night-time configuration.... something to behold.  All the sails were pulled out of the fore-peak and stacked on the deck amidships.  The spinnaker pole was raised and setup as a tent ridgepole for a large tarp that was then bungee corded to the lifelines.  It formed an instant tent for the 2 boys and cleared the fore-peak for the 3 girls who were sleeping there.  2 girls were set up in the large port quarterberth and the 2 adults were on the main cabin berths with the skipper in the starboard quarterberth.  It worked brilliantly!

Thursday 7/23/2015.
    WARCHANT fueled up as TIME MACHINE undid the night-time configuration and became sea-worthy again.  We agreed to have 2 of our scouts join the 2 scouts on WARCHANT for the day.  We set off at about 0745 with the destination of Harrisville.  There was no wind on the lake and scouts took turns helming, being navigators and we attempted several radio call practice sessions.  Soon we had left Presque Isle behind us and we made a close approach to the Thunder Bay Island lighthouse.

Radio Comms is more complicated that it looked!

We made the slight turn to point directly to Harrisville once we cleared Thunder Bay Island and by about 1600 found that the breeze had built enough for us to hoist sails and get another couple hours of sailing under our belts.  Unlike the previous day, it was now a light air close-hauled course.  Once again, the scouts took turns driving, learning how to steer to the tell-tales and practicing tacking the boat.  We arrived at Harrisville in time for dinner and while one crew got the boat ready the other started cooking the fantastic marinated chicken dinner on a grill ashore.

Final adjustments on the foredeck tent

     Well fed and tired from a long day on the water, we soon retired to the well tented TIME MACHINE, with alarms set for 0600 in anticipation of  a long day coming up.

Friday 7/24/2015.
     The big question was.... were conditions right to make it all the way to Port Sanilac?  WARCHANT decided that they were going to make the long trip, 91 miles.  The TIME MACHINE crew was given a choice....  make a long day with the potential of a dying breeze and then 2 shorter days to get to North Cape by Sunday.... OR.... take a 'fun-day' and sail in the glorious conditions to Tawas Bay and plan to arrive at North Cape on Monday.  The prospect of a 'fun-day', ice cream at Tawas Bay and a bit shorter day won the vote.  So we said farewell to our sister ship WARCHANT, wished them well the remainder of their voyage and commenced our beat to Tawas Bay.

Trimming the chute and
watching the breaking luff

     Conditions were fantastic.  14-20 knots of breeze, 1-3 foot waves, the #2 and a full mainsail and the boat was fully powered up.  Everyone on-board got time at the helm, got to trim the main, got to tack the boat and got to experience the joy of fast up-wind sailing.... complete with the occasional dousing of spray or dip in the water on the low side as we healed over and buried the leeward rail.
     On approach to the bay, the wind shifted and died, so we struck our sails and motored the last 45 minutes to the State Harbor.  We entered without any problems and were soon fully fueled and docked in our slip for the night.  Most everyone went for a swim at the beaches and it was decided that we would eat dinner, head for the Miriam's Ice Cream and then when the sun had mostly set, swab the decks.  Once the decks were dry, we set up the tents again and soon the crews were all resting comfortably.  Good thing, as the alarms were set for 0445, with the intention to depart at sunup!

Saturday 7/25/2015.
     It was very early for the scouts, but they did a great job of getting us ship-shape again and preparing some breakfast.  We got underway at about 0615 with the destination of Port Sanilac.  The forecast was for moderate Southwesterly breeze and thunderstorms in the afternoon.  There was already a large complex of storms over the eastern lower peninsula and we needed to make good progress.  As we exited the bay we found wonderful reaching conditions, so we set the main and the #1 genoa and reached all the way across Saginaw Bay around the tip of the thumb and down the Michigan shore past Harbor Beach.  As we drew alongside Harbor Beach the skies were getting a bit threatening and the radar confirmed that the storms were catching up to us and strengthening.

A clean boat is a happy boat

   
We waited to the last minute before dousing the #1 followed quickly by the mainsail.  The rain came in sheets and it seemed like we had picked up our own private Linus Cloud that simply parked on top of us.  It was only a few hours to Port Sanilac so we pushed on and arrived just as the clouds broke open the bright blue skies returned.
     During the crossing of Saginaw Bay we made radio contact with the M.V. MANITOWAC.  There were bound for Bay City and were happy to chat with us.  I think the fellow were talked with might have been a Sea Scout in his youth!
     With all the wet gear, the boat soon looked like a laundry, as items were hanging from every available line, pole or boom.  Soon things were stowed and we were able to have our friends Paul and Doreen and Doreen's sister come over for a visit.  The scouts were able to visit the festival and soon it was time to prepare for sleeping again.

Reviewing where we are and where we are going

     It had been another wonderful day of mostly sailing!

Sunday 7/26/2015.
     Destination Edison Boat Club.... host club for Ship 1148.  It would be a flat out motor, but still there were adventures.  With an early start, both crews were soon asleep anywhere they could find space.  By lunchtime they were stirring again and as we approached the Blue Water Bridge we rocketed through the rapids.
     Every day we flew a great set of flags with Ship 1148 over the Venturing flag over the BSA ensign over the pirate crew flag.  From the forestay we  always put up our J/35 battle flag.  In the rivers a lot of waving from the scouts  and respect from the crews on the freighters resulted in several 'salutes' from the freighters.  They rarely do this and it was really cool!  There was a possible problem with the closure of the river at St. Clair for the Classic Power Boat races.  We did indeed encounter a 45 minute delay while they finished the 1st heat of racing, but soon we were permitted to transit the race area.  With the heavy current pushing us along we made it into Lake St. Clair where we completed a couple Man Over Board drills.  We decided that there was time for a swim.
   

LIFE SLING in operation

 We deployed our heaving line and the Life Sling and our hoisting tackle.  It did not take long for all the youngsters to take the plunge.  We hoisted 3 of them out so they could see how it worked and soon the adults joined in the fun of a swim!  All the scouts took turns hoisting someone aboard in the life-sling.  It was a great chance to deploy and practice with the gear.
    Fully refreshed, we got back underway and at about 1830 hours we made entry into Edison Boat Club.  A number of adult leaders were there to greet us and soon the scouts had dinner prepared and the boat ready for the night.  There was a bonfire and time for the scouts to relax.

Monday 7/27/2015.
    We got underway at about 0630 hours and had a nice easy motor down the Detroit River.  There were a lot of opportunities to look at the amazing industrial complexes and important relics like the old Bablo Boat.  We popped out of the Livingston Channel into Lake Erie and found fewer weed piles than expected, but still had to back down 3 times.  With our arrival at  North Cape fast approaching, the scouts packed and stacked all their gear in a giant pile on the cabin sole.

Flags for this voyage

     At 1230 hours we entered the channel at North Cape and after a stop to pump-out the holding tank and unload most of the gear, we proceeded to the dock.  There was still a flurry of activity to unrig the boat and get TIME MACHINE settled in the dock, but soon we were taking our final pictures and saying farewell.  It had been a wonderful adventure.

A special thanks to Shawnee S. who not only completed her first Mac Race but also helped to make the return trip safe and an amazing experience for the scouts.  Thanks to Becky and Rachael W. for also completing their first Mac Race and being amazing scout leaders and trainers as the scouts worked through their SPAR books.  The whole trip was made cool and very rewarding by the scouts from SSS 1148.  They can be very proud of what they accomplished and I hope that it was an experience that they will remember and treasure for a long time to come.  It was indeed a pleasure to have them aboard!

It was billed as an adventure and turned into a boat-race!

The story of the 2015 Port Huron to Mackinac Race

This year we completed the Mac Race in fine fashion.  To appreciate what we did, you need to hear the whole story.

Back in the dead of winter Shawn and Carol let me know that they would not be able to sail.  This is a really big deal as they are both 'Old Goats' and core team members.  An 'Old Goat' is a sailor who has complete at least 25 Mac Races.  I was very happy for them to be able to attend a huge wedding on Carol's side of the family and promptly invoked Rule #2 (Take care of your family!).

I started to try to pull together some other crew, but things were really not gelling.  We signed up Jon and Matt from the boat AFTERMATH2 and at the last minute we met and signed up Becky and Rachael from the Edison Boat Club Sea Scouts (see the blog post about the return trip).

In the end we had 8 people, instead of the normal 10.  We had 4 first time Mac Racers and 1 who had only done 1 before.  Our ability to put weight up on the rail was probably 400-600 pounds less than our competition.  So.... I set the expectation that this year's event was to be an adventure.  We would do the race, we would finish and we would go as fast as we could.

So now the story of the race.....

Dennis, Shawnee and I completed the provisioning and final setup of the boat on Friday.  The new #1 Genoa, the freshly re-cut #2 genoa and the new GPS were all aboard and ready for the race.  Things were is really good shape.  On Saturday morning the crew assembled and we completed the application of bow stickers, final unloading of shore-bound gear and the final packing of the gear on-board.  As we drifted around waiting for the drawbridge we got a send off from Paul and Dorreen.  Soon it was into the current of the St. Clair River and the traditional battle up the rapids under the Blue Water bridges.

Conditions were light and warm with storms forecast for later in the day.  Things were so light that the starting sequence was delayed, but soon we were on our way.  BANG! and already we were near the back of the fleet with a conservative start.  We settled in under the light air spinnaker and watched the radar closely.  We saw that a storm complex was forming and moving right into our area, sooner rather than later as forecast.  Being about 5 miles off-shore, we could see the boats getting hit by the winds of the storm as it progressed towards us.  There was a lull and immediately I called for the 'Kite-Down'.  It was not on the deck for more than 30 seconds when we got hit by the 'blast'.... about 25 knots, which would have shredded the spinnaker.  We quickly got the #1 up and very soon after that switched back to the light air spinnaker.  Soon after sun-set the radar showed a large storm complex just to our South....  We must have been only 10 miles out of it's path.  We had changed to the All-Purpose Runner (AP) as the wind was now blowing 10-15 knots.

The night was spectacular.  Clear skies, new moon, you could see by the star-light, more satellites than we could keep track of and absolutely perfect sailing conditions.  Another storm formed just to our North and we skirted it by only a few miles.  By about 0400, the fog had started to form.  We could pick out a couple boats in our area and seemed to be doing well relative to them.  Sun-rise was completely obscured by fog and we continued to battle it our with several boats, only seeing the tops of their mast for much of the time.  By about 1000 hours, the fog was lifting and the breeze freshened to the 15-20 knot range and also shifted more on the nose.  It was go time.   I had been expecting the shift to the North West, so being on the left side of the course gave us a really fast angle to sail.  We moved up nicely in  the fleet!

As we approached the Cove Island mark we rounded up several times and ended up taking down the spinnaker with about 0.5 miles to go, putting up the #3 in anticipation of the coming beat into the fresh breeze.  We watched as our competition ROWDY lost control of their spinnaker during the take-down, but they made quick work of retrieving it from the top of the mast.

As is often the case, the race is divided into 2 sections, the race from the start to Cove Island and the race from Cove Island to Mac Island.  This year was text-book.  Conditions had been perfect for the spinnakers on the first leg and the second leg would be a flat out beat to weather.  We executed several headsail changes as we tried to determine the nature of the bigger than expected breeze, settling on the #2 in a bit over-powered configuration.  It was about 4 hours later than the breeze abruptly quit and shifted to the South.  We quickly tacked and changed to the new #1 and the boat simply took off.  Nothing like a new sail to help us go fast!

As I had pretty much driven for the whole day, Jon and Dennis let me sleep and did a great job of keeping the boat moving through the night on Sunday.  I came back up at about 0300 to find that we were making great speed directly towards Reynolds Reef.  Soon the sun was back up and found ourselves surrounded by boats.  Someone got a cellphone signal and the word came up....

WE ARE IN 3RD PLACE!

No way......  This was not possible!  Here we are 25 miles from the finish and we are leading a pack of 4 other boats in our fleet by 2 miles.  ALL HANDS on deck!

We passed Reynolds Reef and as the breeze increased we made our final sail change, from the #1 to the #3.  A change to the #2 would have required another change from the #2 to the #3 and I felt that the time lost doing that would be more that the 30 minutes of under powered sailing with the #3.  It was a good call!  Soon the wind was up to 20-25 knots and we were ripping through the flat water on the North side of Bois Blanc Island, passing boats that were supposed to be faster than us and all the while being chased by WHIPLASH and our other fleet mates.

We saw them coming.  They had all 10 people (remember we had only 8) on the rail, They had a brand new maisail (we had our 3 year old dacron main).  They were really charging!

50 yards before the finish, they pass us.  We get the finish line and BANG...... BANG.  7 seconds difference!  After 270 miles of racing, it came down to 7 seconds.

It was a great race!  I am very proud to have shared the experience with the crew.  Our regular crew of Jim, Dennis and Shawnee and our club mates Jon and Matt and our new friends from the Edison Boat Club and Ship 1148 Becky and Rachael.  For the 'newbies' it was an experience that they will never forget.  For the regular crew, it was a pleasure to sail with a group of hard-working, never say 'I can't do it' sailors who put everything they had into the effort.

The adventure continues......