We were up early Saturday morning with a marginal weather forecast in front of us. The waves were in the 1-2 foot range and winds and waves would be hitting us on our port bow most of the day. We did well for 7 hours, but the final 2 hours were challenging! The waves built to 4-6 feet and the pounding on our hull made for a lot of rolling and correcting course as the autopilot struggled to maintain a straight line to Sturgeon Bay.
The crew got seasick, which in my mind only adds to the necessary experience of being a “seasoned boater.” However, I’m not sure they would have agreed.
I was fine and slightly enjoying the challenge but got a little bored without my usual dose of chitter chatter from the now silent crew. Upon passing within a mile of the northbound freighter, Arthur M. Anderson, in the middle of the lake, I decided to relay the history of her involvement on that fateful day the Edmund Fitzgerald sank back in November of 1975 to my now horizontal crew. The Anderson was the last vessel to have communication with the Fitzgerald before she sank and her crew perished. Having never heard Gordon Lightfoot’s famous tribute song to the Edmund Fitzgerald, I thought it only appropriate to crank up the volume and listen to that masterpiece as we took our pounding. In retrospect, I think it was clear that only I appreciated the experience.
We made it into the Sturgeon Bay channel only to receive a pan Pan Pan from the USCG that a small child without a life vest got pulled out into the lake by a riptide at Whitefish Dunes State Park. Their boats shot past us in the canal and into the lake tumult moments later. The child was rescued but sadly required CPR and advanced life support. In truth, the power and danger of our beautiful lake are never taken for granted by me.
We docked and walked to Sonny’s for pizza and a beer, and the entire time felt our table was rocking back and forth!! Natalie and I also made a few new friends at Kitty’s as we heard an 80’s rock band (Glas Hamr) playing and couldn’t pass up the opportunity of live music and maybe one more beer!
