The Professionals Sail to Put-In-Bay - August 27–29, 2010

A Professional Mariner, Professional Videographer, Professional Physicist, Professional Ne'er Do Well had a terrific weekend sailing to South Bass Island's Put-In-Bay.  Val Schwarzmueller, Carl Truss, Ollie Browne, and myself (in that order) put together a fun weekend of sailing, motorsailing and motoring to take full advantage of another great summer weekend.

As you may know from our past logs and sails with Val and Ollie, both have been sailing several times with Kelly IV over the past 2 years.  Carl is new to Kelly IV this trip but was quickly adopted as crew when he jumped at his first chance to take the helm.  Carl's sailing experience is nowhere near as extensive as his camera work (he runs a camera for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh City Council, among many other venues) but he has sailed several times on Lake Arthur, Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania under the sailing instruction of Val, a certified instructor for the Moraine Sailing Club.  Val, you may recall was also one of Ollie's instructors in years past.

Carl at the helm, photo by Val

We gave Carl a challenging job at the helm since the Ne'er Do Well skipper (yours truly) was showing off and tried to raise all three sails, Genoa, Main, and Drifter.  After several attempts to keep all three sails filled and still maintain a proper course to avoid the reef at the Bay entrance and to clear Marblehead, discretion finally took the better part of valor and the drifter was doused and Kelly IV returned to normal sailing with genny & main.  Throughout the trials of raising and lowering the drifter, furling and unfurling the genny, running and rerunning the sheets for these two sails, Carl kept us off the reef at the mouth of Sandusky Bay as well as clear of the rocks at the Marblehead Lighthouse.  Thankfully, the wind was light (hence the interest in the Drifter) and waves were choppy, yet minimal, so the efforts of Ollie, Val and Carl to keep their befuddled skipper safely on board was a little easier than if the wind and waves would have been much higher.  I was scampering about the foredeck as if I was once again a youthful 25 year old and my old bones and muscles loudly complained about the abuse over the next few days.

Thanks to the light but steady breeze we were able to sail on a reach on Starboard tack without using the motor through the entire South Passage across the north of Marblehead and Catawba and south of Kelleys and South Bass.

Photo by Val

Val is quite the photographer himself and impressed us all by volunteering to take some dramatic video and stills while drifting behind Kelly in the little yellow dinghy.  As we let out the painter, one of the two connections holding the bridle to the painter let go!  Fortunately Val successfully reconnected it before any serious force came onto the bridle.  We were at risk of losing our connection to Val and the dinghy, but his quick action kept things well under control.  Even after this incident, Val said “hand me the camera bag”!  So I reached aft over the water bubbling off the stern and stretched so that Val might grab the bag securely with his own greatly outstretched grip.  Fortunately, the camera made it safely into the safe cocoon of Val’s arms and the photography commenced.  

Click Here for 5 minute video by Val

Ollie and Carl and I shifted sails, changed Kelly's direction and alerted Val to various powerboat wakes as he let us know where we should position Kelly for his various shots.  All this while Carl kept us on course as we sailed past Starve Island and the southern tip of South Bass Island and turned north east of Green Island.  When we turned north, we were able to trim the sails to close hauled which finally had us sailing an almost exhilarating beat into the ENE breeze.  After settling onto the new heading, we finally hauled the dinghy and Val back to Kelly and safely brought Val into the cockpit.

Ollie took his turn on the helm and sailed us all the way to a point SW of Middle Bass Island where he turned from Starboard Tack to Port Tack and headed straight into the anchorage at Put-In-Bay.  Given the fine weather and the fact that this was the final weekend of summer 2010 (except for Labor Day) it seemed that everyone was on the water.  

Ollie confirms, we always eat well aboard Kelly IV,
photo by Carl

There wasn't enough breeze for any waves, but the powerboats made up for it by creating a healthy and bouncy chop that we dealt with for the entire trip.  The crowds also meant there was a nearly full anchorage when we finally sailed into it.  As a result, we decided to rely on the motor for maneuverability as we dropped the anchor.  We each took what counts for a shower on Kelly IV (about 3 minutes of get wet, soap up, rinse off) and rowed the dinghy into shore.  Since 4 adults is about the max for the Portland Pudgy to carry, we spent a few minutes getting our weight balanced correctly.  This left the smallest crew, Ollie, in the “drivers” seat and so he rowed the three larger crew all the way in!  We got numerous comments from various other cruisers as Ollie worked his oars and pulled us into the rocky beach.  Fortunately, Ollie proved to be a strong and skillful rower so the trip was uneventful, except for the various comments we drew!

On shore, it was too late to show Carl the new-to-him Perry's Victory Museum.  Carl and his wife had visited Put-In-Bay 20 years ago.   He let us know that the changes were many and quite dramatic.  Apparently, PIB was much smaller, with fewer visitors, and significantly more quiet atmosphere when Carl and his wife had taken a ferry to the islands those many years ago.

Val and Murph, photo by Carl

We had dinner at the Irish Pub in town and an after-dinner brew at the Brew Pub on the next block.  When we rowed back, Val took the oars and valiantly pulled us to Kelly for a quiet evening on the anchor.

Sunday dawned bright but with a little more haze than Saturday, and even less wind.  Val took the wheel and steered us as we motorsailed all the way back to the Bay.  We stopped first at Battery Park to top off the diesel, then to Sandusky Harbor Marina to end the trip.

And it was a Great Trip!  Although the breeze was light, we still made it to PIB with very little motoring.  And the company was terrific!  With four great professionals, what would you expect!  :-)

Carl, and Ollie with Val at the helm

Long Weekend Includes Canada, August 13-17, 2010

Kelly IV and Pudgy in the slip by John Stahl

When you get 3 guys all well past 50 years of age, it seems just a little bit easier to get the time off to go sailing.  At least that was the case this past weekend when Ollie Browne and John Stahl both finagled Monday and Tuesday away from work so the three of us could enjoy a long weekend of sailing.  Since I was already on Kelly IV, John and Ollie shared the ride to Sandusky together.  They stowed their gear, we discussed the weather and hit the rack for a good night's rest.

Kelly IV's anchorage at Kelley's Island by John Stahl

The forecast was calling for 5-15 knots of SW breeze, and a Chance of thunderstorms increasing to Likely Thunderstorms for Saturday night.  Although we tried to sail to our anchorage north of Kelleys Island, the light air was so minimal that we simply motored.  The clouds were looking a little grey and ugly, but certainly not as black and ominous as the more intense storms seem to be.  We considered flying the drifter, but given the look of the sky, it seemed better to keep moving under power to be certain the anchor was down before the storms hit us.  As Kelly IV turned west past the NE corner of Kelleys Island (known to Kelly IV sailors as Kelleys Triangle) the breeze picked up so we tried to sail without the engine running.  Unfortunately, Kelly can't point very well so the SW breeze forced us to sail NW.  In addition a light rain began to fall and the breeze fell off to less than 5 knots, so our sailing was curtailed only a few minutes after we began.  The light rain and air were so minimal and ended so quickly that we hardly noticed any weather as Ollie and John set the anchor.  Once Kelly IV was drifting calmly in the anchorage, we rowed the new dinghy ashore to see the sights.

The Glacial Grooves in the state park on Kelley's Island by John Stahl

Of course, the Glacial Grooves are nearly a requirement to be seen, especially as they are only a short walk from the dinghy dock.  From there we decided to walk into the “downtown” less than two miles to the south.  It was particularly hot and steamy, so when 4 people in a 6 passenger golf cart offered us a ride, we took it.  Of course that meant the three of us had to squeeze into a seat meant for 2 adults, but we made it work.  After continuing to play tourist by visiting Inscription Rock, the 500 year old and greatly weathered stone bearing native inscriptions, we walked back to town (2 blocks) and cooled off in the air conditioning of the restaurant on the corner (Captain's Table?).  The A/C was attractive enough to entice us to stay for a light dinner, before buying ice and getting a cab back to the dinghy.  The thunderstorms didn't show up until Sunday night.

Ollie at the Captain's Table by John Stahl

Neighboring boats in the anchorage
at Middle Bass Island by John Stahl

The weather on Sunday was beautiful and the forecast called for a shift in the breeze to the NW.  That meant a new anchorage, as our current spot was open to the NW, N, NE and E.  The best choice seemed to be Pelee Island and that included a trip to a foreign country, so that became our destination.

Pelee Island anchorage by John Stahl

Given the nice breeze out of the SW we never turned on the motor all day!  John and Ollie pulled up the anchor and Kelly IV sailed away under John's eager guidance.  To clear the shoals at Gull Island and Middle Island we had to head NW on a beam reach, then steer due north on a wonderful broad reach.  With the sun glistening on the sparkling water, John worked the wheel to keep Kelly in her groove to the north.  Once she reached her waypoint NW of Middle Island, Kelly's course became almost due East until Fish Point at the southernmost spot on Pelee Island was behind us.  Then we'd be able to steer north into the anchorage in Pelee's South Bay.  The ENE course put us on a run, so Ollie and I rigged the sails wing-and-wing, the most challenging of all points of sail for Kelly IV(and many other sloop rigged boats).  John was up to the challenge and we made excellent time into South Bay.  Since we are sailors, passing an entire day without using the motor is almost like achieving nirvana!  To make it happen, we steered north into the anchorage on a broad reach, furled the jib to slow down, and watched the depthsounder until it showed 10 feet.  At that point we merely turned back into the SW breeze until the boat's forward motion stopped.  Ollie fed the anchor over the side as John and I dropped the mainsail.  What a terrific day for a sail!

Pudgy in Dick's Marina, Pelee Island  by John Stahl

We needed more ice, so we rowed into the abandoned Dick's Marina, and caught a cab into what serves as Pelee's “town”, West Dock, where the ferries drop off and pick up their cars and passengers.  We arranged for the cab to take us back to the dinghy after enjoying some very cooling ice cream.  However the sky was looking pretty dark and ugly to the SW.  We decided we didn't like the idea of rowing the dinghy into the wind and waves of a thunderstorm, so we waited out the weather.  After about 45 minutes it became clear that all the weather was passing well south of Pelee, so we picked up our ice and returned to Kelly IV.  Our plan was to stay in the anchorage and return the next day to play tourist on Pelee.

Ferry departing Pelee Island by John Stahl

Our entertainment for the evening was a truly exciting event.  The wind and weather continued to build through the evening and was coming over our bow from the southwest.  The radio from the US Coast Guard kept blaring with weather alerts as we watched the black, boiling clouds roar past us to the south.  Apparently Kelleys Island was getting plastered with lightning and rain.  While the wind hit a pace of 25 – 35 knots in our anchorage, the weather alert was calling for winds of 35-45 knots south of Kelleys.  It was a grand show as we observed Kelleys Island disappear behind a roiling curtain of black, punctuated with frequent and bright lightning strikes.  Fortunately Kelly IV only saw the breeze and small waves as the wind continued out of the SW where our protection was minimal but sufficient.  All the really rough weather, rain, and lightning was well south of us and even south of Middle Island, as it was always within sight never ducking behind any clouds or rain.  In the morning the GPS showed us that the wind finally clocked around to the NW.  That must have coincided with a drop in the wind speed and the disappearance of even the smallest waves in the anchorage.  I woke enough during the night to notice that the waves were gone and the wind was merely a nice breeze, but not enough to actually get out of bed, so I drifted back into slumberland.

Pelee Island ice cream stand by John Stahl

Monday morning dawned bright and gorgeous!  There was a stiff 20 knot breeze out of the NW curling little wavelets across the dazzling sunlit waters.  As we enjoyed our wake up time in the cockpit, it became clear that none of us wanted to play tourist when we had such excellent conditions for sailing.  Ollie took the wheel and sailed us back into the US.  The course is a simple one to the SW, but so short that we decided to enjoy the sailing.  As Ollie steered us into the open waters between Kelleys Island and the Bass Islands, John and I just trimmed the sails as Ollie enjoyed steering through the 1 – 3 ft waves.  Occasionally we would tack or jibe, but it was all a work of joy as the spray flew over the dodger and the sun warmed our smiling faces.  The wind abated somewhat to about 15 knots as it adjusted itself to blow in from the west.

Kelly IV at anchor by Put-In-Bay by John Stahl

While we continued to sail, it became clear that we better head in soon for Put-In-Bay so we could check in with US Customs.  Ollie directed Kelly IV into the channel between Middle Bass Island and Ballast Island, then steered us south towards South Bass Island and Put-In-Bay.  We dropped anchor, rowed into PIB and checked in with Customs.  Suffice it to say that it would have gone better if I had remembered to bring my passport off the boat with me.  As it was, they used the camera phone to look at me and ask me a few questions to confirm that I was who I said I was and eventually we were officially admitted back into the USA.  Ollie talked us into a meal at the fancy Axel & Harry's Restaurant on the waterfront.  It proved to be an excellent meal with wonderful service.  Thank you Ollie!

Kelly IV's dinghy on shore at South Bass Island by John Stahl

Perry Monument on South Bass Island by John Stahl

We rowed back to Kelly IV and raised anchor as the westerly breeze made the anchorage at PIB a bit uncomfortable.  It was only a short motor trip north into the anchorage on the east side of Middle Bass Island and we spent the night there.  We had another good night's sleep and were on our way back to Sandusky by 0845.  With the waves at less than 2 feet and the SW wind, Ollie, John and I took turns sailing Kelly IV on her last day of our long weekend.  Across the north of Kelleys Island we sailed a very comfortable and fun broad reach, then trimmed the sails for a close haul to the south making for the entrance into Sandusky Bay.  After topping off the fuel, we reluctantly cleaned up the boat and headed for home.  What a terrific weekend of sailing with great friends!

Solo Sail to Middle Bass Island, August 9-11, 2010

After Bill, Nino & Guy returned to Pennsylvania, I puttered around on Kelly IV, caught up on some emails, then left Monday morning for Middle Bass Island.  The wind was coming out of the southwest at about 10 knots, so I sailed wing-and-wing out of Sandusky Bay.  It was a little tricky staying in the channel, but there was almost no other traffic, so it was much easier than it might have been on a weekend.  Once I turned north out of the bay and headed towards Marblehead and the South Passage, the sails trimmed nicely for a broad reach.  The sailing was very nice although it was a hot, hazy, humid day on the water.  Visibility was only a few miles, but the flat water and light breeze made for a fun sail.  To reach the anchorage on the east side of Middle Bass Island, Kelly and I turned northwest out of the South Passage and west of Kelleys Island.  The wind clocked to the west and dropped to less than five knots, so the sailing was done and I fired up the new Yanmar for the rest of the trip into the anchorage.

At anchor, I had all I needed on board including plenty of ice, so there was no need to go ashore.  It was also very hot and muggy, so I took frequent swims to cool off.  I did rig the whisker pole as a crane so I could put the new dinghy into the water.  Although it took some effort with only a 3:1 purchase on the block and tackle, it was still quite manageable.  Since I didn't need to go ashore, the dinghy sat quietly back on its painter, drifting aft of Kelly IV.

The next day was a slow day for me, but also a bit of a work day.  Guy and Bill had done most of the work installing a new stereo system on Kelly IV.  The stereo was another fun benefit of Guy's frequent trips to the auction.  All the difficult installation work was done by Bill & Guy, including connecting to the 12 volt power panel and running and connecting the power and speaker wires to the stereo unit.  The only stuff left to do was a little tedium of hiding the speaker and power wires, and actually screwing the mounting brackets in place.  Since it was still very hot and muggy, I was taking several breaks to swim and it took me some time to work through the final installation steps.  When all was done, both speakers were mounted and the control unit was in place.  All that remained was for me to provide music!  Unfortunately, I had no antenna wire and no music on my USB drives.  But the unit powered up properly, so I was confident it was operational.

Tuesday evening, as the sun was beginning its slow, long trek down to the horizon, I decided that a walk on shore and purchase of ice would be a great idea.  I rowed the new dinghy into the stony beach and enjoyed the straight and stable rowing platform.  It was very satisfying to row such a fun little boat!  I walked the length of the island (less than 2 miles) and stopped into J.F.Walleyes as I knew they had air conditioning.  To justify my occupying their air conditioned dining room and expected use of their shuttle back to the dinghy, I bought a sandwich and beer.  I lounged a bit in the A/C, enjoying the change from the drippy, hot outdoors, but finally bought the ice and got my ride back to the dinghy.

By 0845 Wednesday morning, Kelly's anchor was up and stowed and we were sailing close-hauled to the northeast.  Although the breeze was light, I figured we had all day, so I'd just enjoy the slow, but easy sail.  With the breeze out of the ESE, it was necessary to tack to the SE to cross the northern shore of Kelleys Island.  The breeze was about 10knots and Kelly IV was making about 4.5 knots through the water and the GPS showed that our velocity made good (VMG) towards our destination was about 3knots, fast enough for our purpose of getting back to the marina for Wednesday evening.

Or so I thought!  About the time Kelly IV turned south towards Sandusky Bay, the light breeze became even lighter (about 5knots) and changed to a more easterly direction.  This made for a slower but beam reach to the south.  All was slow, but still a fun, easy sail . . . Until we heard the USCG Weather Alert on Channel 16!  It turns out that there was a severe thunderstorm warning for Toledo and the Michigan shore of Lake Erie.  They said the storm was moving from the west towards the east at about 25 knots.  That meant it would arrive at my location in about 2 hours.  At that point Kelly was less than 8 miles from the marina, I felt it might be good to fire up the iron genny and by moving at better than 5 knots, we'd be all tied up when the storm reached Sandusky.

If I'd had a radar image I might have figured out a little sooner that I had much less than 2 hours.  The skies darkened pretty quickly and I could hear thunder in the distance and it had only been a quarter hour since the warning came through.  Kelly made good time under power and we were entering the bay in less than an hour after hearing the Coast Guard alert.  Fortunately, the first storm through was passing just north of our position, so we only had some light rain and little wind.  Less than 2 hours after getting the alert, Kelly IV was safely tied up in her slip, with thanks to a Catalina 25 owner, Curtis, who helped me as the wind clocked to the west and began to pick up speed and power, making the docking just a little bit of a challenge.  The change in the wind was the harbinger of the second storm which still wasn't too bad, but had a LOT of rain.  I had towed the dinghy behind Kelly and after the rain, the little dinghy had collect several inches of water!

When I rummaged through my bag of flashlights, I discovered my USB drives and decided to load one with music to confirm that the new stereo was truly operational.  Fortunately, in my car I had a DVD/CD drive for my computer as well as some favorite CDs.  It took some time to rip the music from the CDs onto the flash drive, but as I write this I am happy to tell you that I am enjoying that music through the new stereo!

Put-In-Bay Weekend Sail, August 6-8, 2010

Bill Paviol, Nino Forlini, and Warren “Guy” Stewart joined Kelly IV and me for a weekend trip from Sandusky Bay to South Bass Island.  The four of us met at Sandusky Harbor Marina before sunset and enjoyed a great grilled dinner of hamburgers and all the fixins.  Then we stowed our gear on board and prepared for a great weekend of sailing.

Stowing gear included bending the mainsail on as I had taken it home to repair a small tear in the luff, just below the first reef.  Also, the new dinghy had arrived at the marina.  I had bought a Portland Pudgy, an 8ft by 4 ft plastic dinghy that can take four adults to and from the mother ship.  It also can sail well and double as a life raft.  These last two reasons were the primary reasons for replacing the Port-a-Bote with the Portland Pudgy, as the Port-a-Bote also handled four adults.  

Keith demos life raft function of dinghy

When going on a longer cruise, I felt it would be a good idea to have a serious life raft, but I didn't like the idea of a life raft that (hopefully) just sat in it's container and was never used.  Or worse, if used, I suddenly discover something wrong or missing.  If I'm using the life raft regularly as my dinghy, I'll also know how best to use it and be able to keep it properly maintained.  In addition, the sail means I can have fun sailing the dinghy and even go longer distances without having to row or use a motor.  With some help from Pete and Lacey, of SHM, Nino and I launched the new dinghy and we rowed her around the marina to Kelly IV's slip where we tied the dinghy securely to Kelly's stern.

Saturday dawned as a beautiful, bright sunny day, but without any wind, so it was a motoring day.  We set off from the marina, but there was almost no wind at all, so the new Yanmar got a full day's work.  We kept the Marblehead Lighthouse to port and took the South Passage below Kelleys Island and turned north once we cleared the southwest corner of South Bass Island.  

As we forged northward along the west coast of South Bass Island, we had a terrific view of the Ship-turned-House hanging on the edge of the stone cliff.  Apparently, someone took the entire forward section, including the bow and bridge, of an old freighter and planted it on the western shore of South Bass Island overlooking the sunset facing cliffs.

Upon arrival in the anchorage at Put-In-Bay, we rigged the new dinghy with mast, boom, sail, leeboards, rudder and tiller.  With the dinghy rigged for sailing, it becomes a one or two-man vessel, as the boom sweeps very low across the boat.  It is necessary to sit on the bottom, instead of the seats/thwarts.  As typical men, we didn't read the instructions, certain we could figure out how to rig the traveler, mainsheet, and sail on our own.  

Bill sails Pudgy

The traveler was a little tricky until I actually sat in the boat to sail it.  Sitting on the boat's bottom, I finally saw the two small holes in the transom that were the basis for the traveler's rig.   Bill and I took turns sailing the bright yellow dinghy back and forth across the anchorage, just for fun.  We got several compliments and a few fun jibes from our neighboring vessels as we wove back and forth through the wavelets below the towering Perry's Monument.

Nino and Guy had more interest in visiting Put-In-Bay, as neither had done so before, so we took down the sailing rig and stowed it all inside the hull of the dinghy (pretty slick!).  The dinghy rows very well and the oars are designed with “easy on the hands” grips, and long, light blades that propel the bright little craft nicely through the water.  We played tourist on shore, visiting the museum at the national park and saw the well-done video.  It includes several shots of the brig “Niagara”, the tall ship working replica of the ship that Commodore Perry used to defeat the British in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813. We also walked through the small town with almost as many bars as people, and after imbibing a bit ourselves, we returned to Kelly IV for an excellent dinner prepared by Nino (a former executive chef) and Bill (executive chef on Kelly IV and Relentless).  In preparation for the forecasted breeze and waves coming on Sunday, Guy and I rigged the whisker pole as a crane and hauled the new dinghy onto the foredeck.  

Pudgy lashed to Kelly IV foredeck, photo by Carl

Once lashed down over the cabintop and forward hatch, there was still plenty of room to work on the foredeck and walk the side decks.  Since the new dinghy is 4 feet shorter than the Port-a-Bote, it fits forward of the boom.  The longer Port-a-Bote had plenty of room when rowing four adults, but had to be disassembled to lash it on deck.  A nice advantage of the Port-a-Boat is that, once disassembled, it took up almost no space on deck when it was lashed to the lifelines.  The new dinghy does prevent use of the forward hatch when it is on deck.  We are considering installing dinghy davits to keep the dinghy while underway.

The crew was up and enjoying the morning breeze on Sunday and the forecast filled in as predicted.  Guy and Bill pulled up the anchor, we did a “drive-by” pick up for ice at the Put-In-Bay fuel dock, then set sail.  Running wing-and-wing before the wind Kelly IV sailed northeast between Middle Bass Island and Ballast Island.  We jibed the main to turn east past the north shore of Ballast, and tried to sail south-southeast keeping west of Kelleys Island.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t point that close to the wind, so we changed course to sail southeast across the north coast of Kelleys.  It was a terrific sail with a single reef in the main and jib as we barreled along at 6 knots.  With the wheel locked in place, Kelly IV just settled into her groove and would bound along for 15 – 20 minutes without needing any touch on the wheel.  We continued past Kelleys Triangle, the northeast corner of Kelleys Island and turned the bow as close to the wind as we could, sailing almost due south, with just a bit of easting to it.  It wasn't enough to make the entrance to Sandusky bay, but the sailing was so good that we decided to let the Yanmar rest and we tacked into the bay entrance.  As we drew closer the wind lightened up, so we fired up the motor for the short run through the bay back to the marina.

It was another terrific weekend of great friends and terrific sailing.