--- stevemc35@attbi.com wrote:

Or any other Lake Michigan sailing stories would be welcome--

I think this took place Memorial Day weekend, 1997. It might have been 1996. My ex-girlfriend and I went sailing on Lake Michigan on a 40+ foot sloop. Her friends, Ann and Terry, plan to cruise when they retire and that will be the boat they will use. They berth the boat in New Buffalo, Michigan, which is the same latitude as Chicago. We drove to New Buffalo on Friday, sailed to Chicago on Saturday, planned to spend Sunday on the tourist circuit, then sail back on Monday and drive home that evening. My gf and I were looking forward to a romantic get away but Terry must have know something was up, so to speak. His torpedoed that notion with the comment: "If you have sex on a boat everyone knows about it!" The sail on Saturday was pleasant. I stood at the wheel most of the afternoon, until I reverted to tiller mode when a swell got us a little cocked. That was the first time I steered a boat with a wheel and I was OK for several hours, until for some reason I turned the wheel the wrong way. I accidentally tacked, and it was a little too rapid for comfort. Terry came back on deck and I was demoted. As far as navigation is concerned, it is real easy to hit a mark if it is on the same latitude! Just keep that compass needle on 270 or 90 as appropriate. We never bothered to turn on the GPS. We had sunshine on Saturday and a slight breeze. Terry finally decided to start the motor as it looked like we did not have enough wind to make Chicago by nightfall. Terry said the marina we were headed to had reciprocal visitor privileges with his sailing club, which I think translated into free showers and reduced mooring fees. In the marina the space reserved for visitors to check in with the harbor master was being used by power boaters taking an ice cream break. After about the third time we passed the harbor master he called us on the VHF and assigned a mooring number. The poor guy sounded like he was covered up on one of the first warm weekends of the year. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I know we dined aboard that nigh and retired early, perhaps assisted by adult beverages. The day had been exciting for me, and I think that was the first sail of the year for Ann and Terry. When I woke up on Sunday morning we were in a storm. Terry was yelling for us to get up and get underway, so we could beat the storm. It seemed to me the storm had already beaten us. I'm sleepy, hungry, caffeine deprived and probably hung over. Terry said we had to leave now or stay in port several days. Ann and my gf had to be back at work on Tuesday. Any other time, I would have suggested either renting a car or buying the ladies plane tickets, and then Terry and I could wait the storm out. My brain was not sufficiently engaged to conceive of this. I thought of calling my Dad on the cell phone and telling him what we were doing. That way if we did not turn up in New Buffalo, he could at least call the CG. I did not think I could make a call without being overheard by one of the others. That would either panic my gf or upset Ann or Terry. This seemed to be a time when moral and good will were needed in large doses. I also figured the call would only serve to worry my Mom and Dad. So - we set sail across Lake Michigan in a storm with a sum total of four people knowing what we were doing. Of course, all four of those people were on the boat. I put on my rain suit and joined Terry on deck. I can not estimate how fast the wind roared or how high the waves were. It was a storm. I was not as uncomfortable as I imagined I would be. We were heading east and the waves were out of the north. So Terry had to turn 90 degrees to meet a wave and then turn back to hold our course. Ann and my gf stayed below, and were soon sea sick. Terry asked me to go below and light the propane gas cabin heater. This seemed to be a simple enough task for a mechanical engineer. Strike a match, open a valve. The heater did not light. The scented propane reached my nostrils and I instantly became sea sick. Terry forgot to mention the valve at the tank was also turned off. After a few more bouts of sea sickness I had the cabin warmed and freshly cleaned. I staggered forward and crawled into the v-berth, spread-eagle on my tummy. I crossed Lake Michigan in that position, with no further ado. Our return trip took half the time of Saturday's crossing. We reached New Buffalo before the storm, and got the boat secured. My gf was OK but Terry had to take Ann to the emergency room for an injection - her bout of sea sickness was that severe. This was the second such incident for her. As they plan to spend their retirement cruising, this could become a significant problem. The moral of the story is: 1) In 12 hours the lake can change unexpectedly. 2) Do not go below deck in a storm. 3) Do not go below deck in a storm and inhale something from the skunk column of the periodic chart. 4) Let someone know where you are going and when you will be there. 5) Instruct everyone on your boat how to operate even the most insignificant item you have before setting out. Steve R. Montgomery 15 #119 Lexington, KY