WhimSea's Log

We got up early and finish off the vacation preparation tasks (added a couple of pole holders, watered up, fueled up, pumped out) and were away from the fuel dock by 3:15. We got a great send off from the marina with well wishes from Marina Mates.

The lake was a bit lumpy and surprisingly foggy given there wasn't a lot of fog at the marina when we left. We have 120.7 nautical miles to go to reach our destination in Washington Harbor on Isle Royale. The wind we have is from the Northeast (direction we're heading, of course) at about 10-12 knots. If it were favorable, we'd be sailing a bit at least, but its not.

After leaving the marina, we threaded the nets and then set Bob (our auto helm) for our way point. Troy and I took turns at the helm, four hours on and four hours off throughout the night.

At 5:00pm the fog lifted enough that I could see quite a distance. The Minnesota shoreline (which we were paralleling) was a dark blue shape on the port side with fog hanging tenaciously at the line where water meets the land.

The bumpiness of the lake had settled down a bit and the sun feels warm on my back. Since I can see so much more, being under the dodger isn't an issue. I don't need the radar anymore, but we'll leave it on since we're travelling through the night and it makes sense to have it on.

8:00pm I went below to put on more layers and when I came back topside, the fog had lifted. It hadn't so much as lifted as went higher in the sky. When I looked up, I could see the tendrils and the underside of the fog above us. Minnesota is still a dark blue mass barely visible and still shrouded in fog. I can see patches of blue sky above us and hope the clearing holds. If it does, we'll have a full moon tonight.

We're likely to arrive sometime tomorrow, probably around lunch time and it would be nice to see the stars.

At 9:15 we were abreast Silver Bay with a cruise ship a one and a half miles off our starboard beam. It's kind of wild to see. When it came from astern of us (from Duluth), it was hard to guess what it was for sure.

I should also mention that the sun came out just long enough to send great splashes or orange and red behind the fog still on shore. Magnificent

A couple of times in the night, rain fell. It was like the fog let go its moisture. The kind of rain where the lake looks like its reaching up towards the sky.

At 6:00pm the world starts to close in again. The fog is returning and with it the damp air. Minnesota is a darker grey spot beneath the white. The sun a glowing orb in the mist. There's nothing on the radar, not even land anymore. Visibility is about a 1/2 a mile. We could be heading into absolutely nothingness for all I could tell. We're alone on the planet, or the lake at any rate.