10 Jun 17
Once again, we were up at the 06:00 alarm to beat the Lake Erie SW-erlies. We were away from the dock before 07:00 and the early wind was from the SSW at 5-10 - i.e., off the south shore of the lake - so it was not rough to begin with. But at 08:30 sharp the wind shifted to SW and jumped up to 13-14 kn; and it got lumpy pretty quick after that. Because the lake is so shallow and SW winds have 100 miles of fetch, this produces a very short period, steep sea, so even at only 2-4’, it is uncomfortable. The best we could do most of the day was 5.5 kn SOG, compared to our 7.0 kn over smooth water. Sailing was more comfortable and we could get better boat speed, but the SOG made good toward Erie, PA was worse - ~4.5 - so we just motor-sailed the whole way, arriving inside Erie Harbor, which is formed by Presque Isle, a moraine left over from the Wisconsonian Ice Age. Once inside the harbor, we had another couple of miles and it was much calmer, so of course I had to sail the rest of the way to the Erie Yacht Club, where we had agreed to meet our friends Jeff and Neala (from “Northern Lights), that we met back on the Erie Canal; and we were noticed. We had a close sail by the “Niagara”, Erie Harbor’s resident tall ship, although they failed to return our salute, as expected by naval tradition. Jeff and Neala, and son Christian, met us at the transient dock and helped us get secured. EYC is a gorgeous facility and everybody was very friendly and welcoming. We joined them in the EYC bar for a drink and then the Admiral and I had dinner in the clubhouse with another couple we met in the club. I have been invited to join the crew of “Powderhound” in tomorrow’s Sunday race series.
42-07.315’N, 080-07.804’W; Log 47.4 N-m, Sum (2017) = 555.5 N-m
11 Jun 17
We were up at 08:00; I went off to join the races and the Admiral went to brunch with one of the other race widows. “Powderhound” came in 1st and 2nd in the two races in blustery conditions in the Erie Harbor Bay; not a bad result. My jobs included grinding the jib sheet and rail meat, so I am sore and stiff today and have quite a few new bruises. We spent most of the afternoon in the bar with the crew and after dinner in the clubhouse, went to bed early. It was clear and beautiful all day.
12 Jun 17
Although it is another beautiful day in paradise, the wind is up again and its a bit snotty out on the lake, so we decided to sit tight in bullet-proof Erie Harbor. The morning was spent changing oil and filter in the main engine and (finally) commissioning the generator (all good on both points) and grocery shopping. After lunch, we departed the yacht club and sailed across the bay to the Presque Isle Marina State Park, where we anchored in this small lake off the harbor (off Lake Erie). We generally lazed around through the afternoon, but did row ashore after dinner for a long walk to the Lake Erie side beach. Dinner aboard.
42-09.372’N, 080-07.271’W; Log = 2.8, Sum (2017) = 558.3 N-m