Sackets Harbor August 1, 2015

We had a good rain last night. A couple of drops hit the Princess's pillow but she was asleep - so no real problem! I stuffed a tissue in the side of the hatch which stopped further droplets and put a dry towel on the pillow. Captain's are natural problem solvers!

I was up at 6:00. Jim was already awake. We agreed to leave as soon as possible, which turned out to be about 6:30. Both of us escaped our docks without incident. I love my stern thruster!

The trip to Sackets Harbor was 23 miles and took 2 1/2 hours. The seas were 3-4' and expected to build, as a small craft advisory went into effect at 10:00. The course was like a horseshoe where we started on one open end, going into the seas. By the end of the trip we had experienced every direction for seas so I got to make some observations about how Annie handles in different points of seas. Kerry took her first Dramamine of the trip today.

On a beat into the seas - just bumpy. Lots of water comes over the top of the boat, but not an uncomfortable ride. On a beam reach - nasty. Annie really rolls in the big swells. probably the worst situation for her. I dumped my coffee pot on this leg today. And I got drenched when I leaned out of the cabin to grab a spring line we had left out inadvertently. On a broad reach - not bad at all. Downwind was fun. Annie likes to surf. We hit 13.8 knots on one ride. When we come off the surf the bow drops and water flies out on both sides which is a neat affect. Kerry and I agreed that overall this ride was almost as bad as the Clayton Dock.

Annie liked this trip. We were in a hurry to get off the lake so we went faster than normal, with an average speed of 9.7. Annie got to run near the 80% sweet spot for a change which she seemed to enjoy. We fueled when we arrived. We took 35 gallons of diesel for a rate of 3 gallons per hour since the last fill up, which includes the generator running time.

The harbor here is just beautiful, on the other end of the scale from Cape Vincent's Anchor Marina.. We arrived before the office was open- well Jim did anyway. I was still 5 miles out when he was tying up. We had hoped to motor by Charity Shoal on today's trip which is the location of the original Vermilion Light House, and snap a picture. The one in Vermilion now is a reproduction. But Charity Shoal was 3 miles off our course (one way) which was too much for the sea conditions.

The Navy Point Marina as seen from across the bay.

There is a War of 1812 reenactment going on here today so it will be fun to see the festivities.

Navy Point Marina where we are staying has 13 boats coming in today, so it was fortunate we had reservations (which I made in March). Today is the first time in a very long time that I am actually able to use the marina wifi.

Sackets harbor's own tall ship participating in the festivities, courtesy of Jimbo. Following are two signs that were posted at the reenactment. 

They say, live and learn. I learned today. My Ohio State flag is gone! Major Bummer! I saw it was missing and surmised it came off it's clips. But no - the clips are gone too. It was clipped to my radio antenna, which is narrower at the top. The clips must have loosened and the flag then launched itself off the top of the antenna pole, lost in Lake Ontario like a shipwreck from the past. Note to self-  next time tape a wire tie to the smaller end of the antenna.

We called Kerry's sister, Marty, and said we may be in Sackets Harbor on Monday rather than in Oswego. The weather forecast is not for favorable seas for traveling west. She is flying into Syracuse on Monday and will join us then, wherever we may be. Happy hour was on Liberty tonight. I grilled ribs and Jim grilled chicken for dinner. 

KERRY'S COMMENTS:

For our new readers, Kerry's comments are intended to be a humorous look at living on a tiny house tug boat, and a comical attempt to apply principles of interior design.

Lets look at my galley today.  (Refer to Picture #1) In one corner I have a microwave which is adjacent to a shelf spanning a distance of 18 inches.  In that space is of a premium, I stacked two different sized trays which serve as the basis for my coffee/water bar. The items in the bar include coffee pot, cups, a stack of coasters and a slim water dispenser. In addition, note that I artfully :-) added my aloe garden and my beautiful, picked daily, wildflower arrangement.  The resulting composition is form and function at its best greatly enhancing the the appearance of my main salon and reducing the clutter factor to a bare minimum.  Great arrangement for the dock, but what about rolling waves which would reduce the center and its component parts to a broken rubble heap on the floor (like Don's coffee pot today)?  

Picture #1

Please refer to Picture #2.  In this picture you will see the solution to the problem.  (I always told my design students that there were no problems, just solutions).  Upon command from Captain Don that we are shoving off, I quickly spring into action and skillfully relocate the coffee/water bar and its accessories to the sink.  The tall vase with flowers is tied with a dish towel to the soap dispenser to keep it in a vertical position.  This new composition ladies, works.  The rolling seas, and believe me they were rolling, did not impact upon one thing in the sink.  Note, being a detail person, that I took the time to add a bow to the bungy cord holding the vase. 

Picture #2