North Channel Blog for Monday, July 25 2011
Wet, We Got!
We knew it would get choppier out in the channel. The Canadian weather forecast for the North Channel told us that. We left our idyllic anchorage about 10 a.m. and headed out the McBean Channel, which is still a highly sheltered area of water. Shielded nicely from the elements, we motored through to the western end of the McBean and entered the Whalesback Channel which, though a little choppier, was still tamely protected. As Das Boot approached the North Channel, which runs in an east/west orientation, Capt. SO said, “I see white caps.”, which turned out to be an understatement.
We seldom have to run in rough conditions because we rarely “have to”. While Capt. SO could have turned the boat around and headed back to the calm of the McBean Channel, we really did need to get to the Gore Bay Marina, rid the boat of the disgusting smelling garbage in our aft head, get a pump out, fill up the gas tanks, purchase a few more provisions, find some grandson gifts, and have one more serving each of Gore Bay’s fabulous fresh-fruit yogurt, which we traveled eleven hours to get to.
Off we went. We learned quickly that Mother Nature, while tame in comparison to her tricks on the Great Lakes or the Georgian Bay (part of northeastern Lake Huron), still had plenty of surprises for Das Boot today. I was never fearful for my safety so I was able to enjoy the aqua version of a bucking bronco. We traveled through consistent four foot waves, and more than enough five and six-footers. It was the latters (my word) that gave the boat her power-washing for the day. And a good thing it was, as she had been covered by a large, overnight die-off of “no-seeums”. Thousands of them laid down their lives on our Aqua RV throughout the night.
When the five and six-footers crashed over the bow and hardtop, it soon became apparent that there were some things that needed to be moved to more secure positions. Once we got the loose paraphernalia taken care of, it was just a matter of hanging on and not having to move anywhere without a tight grip or handhold. I had to give up finishing my coffee until we found the calmer waters of Gore Bay. Once we “landed” and went below, we found quite a few items that had moved and bounced around during our crossing. Nothing was broken, thankfully, but we did get a lesson in how to prepare the cabin below for wavy conditions the next time. And, we do know that there will be a next time.
So, until your “next time”, may your sails get you where you want to go and may your crossings be peaceful. We’ll hope for the same.
Ancora imparo
