The trip to Grand Traverse was Wonderful!! The weather more than made up for the terrible weather and no sailing when we made the same trip two years ago. I got in about 10 hours of really good sailing, and about two hours of 'what in the world am I doing out in this WIND!!!!' The wind - as I was warned about - comes up in the afternoon and does not particularly care what the forecast said it was going to be. I got lucky, when my sail-timid boy was with us the wind stayed low, when I was out on my own or with my daredevil daughter, we got all the wind we could use. The only time I got caught in something I really could not handle was when Friday came and I had to get the boat out of the water. Five miles to the North boat launch or 10 miles to the south boat launch, I made the wrong call. I told my wife to meet me with the trailer at the North launch, when the wind kicked up (blowing stright from the direction of the launch) I could not contact her. I tried for an hour or two to get to the launch and then gave up. I had to wait at the cottage until she decided to come look for me (of course she had locked the place up before going to the boat launch). The trip south was good, and the wind died just as quickly as it came up. If this posting works, here is a photo of our boat on the shore of Power Island, with our pet Orca, and my daughter alseep in the sand. John
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whale watching
I have heard that whales and dolphins love to swim along side sailboats out on the oceans, but did not know we had them on Grand Traverse Bay! Wow! Sounds like you had a great time sailing, I bet it was beautiful! Someday I'll have to try that.
I have heard that whales and dolphins love to swim along side sailboats out on the oceans, but did not know we had them on Grand Traverse Bay! Wow! Sounds like you had a great time sailing, I bet it was beautiful! Someday I'll have to try that.
not quite
As I re-check the map it seems to be more like 7 1/2 miles from the cottage to the south boat launch. I was remembering it looking "twice as far" when I made the switch.
As I re-check the map it seems to be more like 7 1/2 miles from the cottage to the south boat launch. I was remembering it looking "twice as far" when I made the switch.
enough sailing
Somehow I posted that last one before I meant to! There were two days last week that I experienced something I have never experienced before, "enough sailing for one day." On the little lakes near my home I go and sail for an hour or two and then I come back in because I really sort of loose interest, no place to go, but as soon as I am off the boat I really want to go sailing again. On the day I went to two boat launches, I also sailed across East Bay to the town of Elk Rapids, tied up in the marina and shopped for an hour or so, then back across the bay in a vain attempt to reach the north launch before turning south. So if I could have sailed a stright course, which I couldn't because untill I turned south the wind was in my face all day (wind shift while I was shopping), it would have been 20 miles that day. I have no Idea how many hours I spent sailing. I motored the last leg of the trip to the south boat launch because the wind was dying and I was feeling pretty guilty about the amount of time that my wife spent waiting for me at boat launches that day - also that she was packing up the cottage for the return trip while I was sailing! John
Somehow I posted that last one before I meant to! There were two days last week that I experienced something I have never experienced before, "enough sailing for one day." On the little lakes near my home I go and sail for an hour or two and then I come back in because I really sort of loose interest, no place to go, but as soon as I am off the boat I really want to go sailing again. On the day I went to two boat launches, I also sailed across East Bay to the town of Elk Rapids, tied up in the marina and shopped for an hour or so, then back across the bay in a vain attempt to reach the north launch before turning south. So if I could have sailed a stright course, which I couldn't because untill I turned south the wind was in my face all day (wind shift while I was shopping), it would have been 20 miles that day. I have no Idea how many hours I spent sailing. I motored the last leg of the trip to the south boat launch because the wind was dying and I was feeling pretty guilty about the amount of time that my wife spent waiting for me at boat launches that day - also that she was packing up the cottage for the return trip while I was sailing! John
So there is 'enough', huh? 
John, Glad you had a good trip to TC. Sounds like you had a lot of good sailing in, which is great! Isn't Elk Rapids a cute little town? I'll be investigating the 'enough' theory this weekend as my brother-in-law, father-in-law and I head from the northeast tip of Lake Charlevoix toward Round Lake, and if the winds are right, out to Lake Michigan. Either way we've already planned on a 6-8 hour day, the longest I've ever been on my boat, so I'll put your theory to the test. Dave Crowley h-26 Wind Dreamer
John, Glad you had a good trip to TC. Sounds like you had a lot of good sailing in, which is great! Isn't Elk Rapids a cute little town? I'll be investigating the 'enough' theory this weekend as my brother-in-law, father-in-law and I head from the northeast tip of Lake Charlevoix toward Round Lake, and if the winds are right, out to Lake Michigan. Either way we've already planned on a 6-8 hour day, the longest I've ever been on my boat, so I'll put your theory to the test.
Dave Crowley h-26 Wind Dreamerthere is enough, and there is enough
Hi Dave, Good luck at on your trip this weekend. Somehow I think I could sail on a h-26 a little longer than I can on my h-170. I tend to drink waaaay too much diet Pepsi, somehow the lack of a head shortens my trip length! I hope the winds are in your favor, let us know how it goes. John
Hi Dave, Good luck at on your trip this weekend. Somehow I think I could sail on a h-26 a little longer than I can on my h-170. I tend to drink waaaay too much diet Pepsi, somehow the lack of a head shortens my trip length! I hope the winds are in your favor, let us know how it goes. John
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