Where WhimSea Takes Us

Posted by Karen A. Brown

Monday morning and there’s lots of wind! We topped off our diesel, pumped out the head and were off for Silver Bay. The wind must have been a good 20-25 knits, gusting to 30 or even 35. We hit and passed hull speed, maintaining speeds like 7.5 and 8 for long periods of time and we weren’t even surfing.

Twice on the trip up the wind blew with such a gust that we broached. Each time we reefed. First the genny and then the main. Recognizing we must have had to much sail aloft. During one of the broaches we tore the UV protection on the genny.

We reached Silver Bay in no time at all and found it relatively deserted. We had plenty of time for dinner and to fix the genny with some sail tape.

The route home on Tuesday was not as quick as we had to tack some and about seven miles out we gave up, dropped sail and motored the rest of the way in.

Posted by Karen A. Brown

We were at the marina this past weekend visiting with some of our dockmates when we heard a story about a drunken sailor that sounded absolutely unbelievable. So, of course I looked it up.

Here's the text from the Duluth News Tribune, printed August 2, 2006:

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Looking for the light

Minnesota Conservation officers Chris Johnson, Keith Olson and Mike Scott were patrolling the waters near Duluth recently when they heard an apparently intoxicated boater on the marine two-way radio ask the Coast Guard to turn on the lights at the Superior Light House.

But it wasn't dark yet.

The voice on the radio sounded a bit slurred and confused. Officers later stopped a boat without lights after sunset and found an impaired operator. The Coast Guard took the operator to its station for testing. The vessel was towed to Barker's Island.

FYI... the lights are automatic and the Coast Guard doesn't turn them on.

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Unbelievable!