Great Lakes are a piece of cake
- Thread starter higgs
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Hey neighbor. I lost the tug Louisa on Lake Erie 28 years ago. Same storm sank a fishing boat killing all 3 crewmen. And of course lets not forget the Ed Fitzgerald. I like the longer wave interval of the ocean over the short chop of these lakes. It is exciting up here especially with the ice water as a constant concern with hypothermia.
Here is ours for Lake Erie..
The Islands to Vermilion OH - 03:28 PM EDT Sun Oct 28 2012
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...
...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY
MORNING...
.TONIGHT...NORTH WINDS TO 30 KNOTS. RAIN. WAVES 9 TO 12 FEET.
.MONDAY...NORTH GALES TO 35 KNOTS INCREASING TO 40 KNOTS. RAIN.
WAVES 13 TO 17 FEET.
.MONDAY NIGHT...NORTHWEST STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KNOTS. RAIN. WAVES
17 TO 21 FEET.
.TUESDAY...NORTHWEST STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KNOTS BECOMING NORTH
GALES TO 45 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN. WAVES 17 TO 21 FEET
SUBSIDING TO 15 TO 19 FEET.
SEE LAKE ERIE OPEN LAKES FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
THE WATER TEMPERATURE OFF TOLEDO IS 52 DEGREES...OFF CLEVELAND 57
DEGREES AND OFF ERIE 57 DEGREES.
The Islands to Vermilion OH - 03:28 PM EDT Sun Oct 28 2012
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...
...STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY
MORNING...
.TONIGHT...NORTH WINDS TO 30 KNOTS. RAIN. WAVES 9 TO 12 FEET.
.MONDAY...NORTH GALES TO 35 KNOTS INCREASING TO 40 KNOTS. RAIN.
WAVES 13 TO 17 FEET.
.MONDAY NIGHT...NORTHWEST STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KNOTS. RAIN. WAVES
17 TO 21 FEET.
.TUESDAY...NORTHWEST STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KNOTS BECOMING NORTH
GALES TO 45 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN. WAVES 17 TO 21 FEET
SUBSIDING TO 15 TO 19 FEET.
SEE LAKE ERIE OPEN LAKES FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
THE WATER TEMPERATURE OFF TOLEDO IS 52 DEGREES...OFF CLEVELAND 57
DEGREES AND OFF ERIE 57 DEGREES.
Have a job pulling a Hunter 30 from Whinthrop Harbor this week down to Missouri. Owner called today and said it may be a few days before they get his boat pulled for hauling due to the coming storm conditions. Have been near the lake when the "chop" was 10 to 12 feet.
Pretty impressive.
Pretty impressive.
I've sailed some on lake Erie. That forecast is just scary. We had 30 kt winds one night with 6 to 8 foot waves. 21 feet? Not for me!
The lakes are big water. The people who sail there see worse than ocean conditions on occasion and weather that is arguably worse. Nowhere near a piece of cake - which I think is the point of Higgs's post.
The lakes are big water. The people who sail there see worse than ocean conditions on occasion and weather that is arguably worse. Nowhere near a piece of cake - which I think is the point of Higgs's post.
New forecast for Lake Michigan (I believe the forecast amended a little after 8 this evening):
TUESDAY
NORTH STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KT DIMINISHING TO GALES TO 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 20 TO 25 FT OCCASIONALLY TO 33 FT.
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know, with the gales of November remembered.
TUESDAY
NORTH STORM FORCE WINDS TO 50 KT DIMINISHING TO GALES TO 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 20 TO 25 FT OCCASIONALLY TO 33 FT.
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know, with the gales of November remembered.
I grew up in Duluth. From High school I could look down across the lake every day if it wasnt socked in with fog. Beautiful but deadly lake.
I dont know what year it was, somewhere around 2005 I guess so our daughter was about 9. We went up for the weekend to see the USS Niagara which was docked in Duluth for a few days. Lydia was very aware of the Fitzgerald story, and that trip was an opportunity to tour the museum where we saw models of the wreck and paintings. But what we saw a few minutes later made the hair stand up on our necks.
As we left the museum we stood along the docks looking across the bay as an Ore Carrier came through the channel. I had to make a double take at it, it was the Anderson. Whenever the story of the Fitz come up she always asks about "that ship we saw in the bay". Freaken spooky lake.
I dont know what year it was, somewhere around 2005 I guess so our daughter was about 9. We went up for the weekend to see the USS Niagara which was docked in Duluth for a few days. Lydia was very aware of the Fitzgerald story, and that trip was an opportunity to tour the museum where we saw models of the wreck and paintings. But what we saw a few minutes later made the hair stand up on our necks.
As we left the museum we stood along the docks looking across the bay as an Ore Carrier came through the channel. I had to make a double take at it, it was the Anderson. Whenever the story of the Fitz come up she always asks about "that ship we saw in the bay". Freaken spooky lake.
Actually passed right next to the Anderson last week on the Calumet river taking my boat out for the winter. Didn't know the history of the vessel until I looked it up after I got home. Was kind of spooky thinking about it. She was sitting stationary with her bow and stern thrusters putting out a pretty good current. Every boat that went by her thrusters including us was shoved around. They finally got on channel 16 and issued a warning to all boats about passing by her port side.
Upsidedown cake maybe. I sailed Lake Erie in a 30 ft O'day years ago. Sailed to Canada in front of a storm and surfed down 6-8 footers all the way across- exhilirating then spent two miserable days in harbor getting rock and rolled. One pier broke its mooring chains and almost wiped out a whole dock full of plastic before the fire dept got lines to it and stabilized it till surge was over.
Return trip we mototed back on glass the whole 50 miles!
I've seen that lake go from flat calm to 4 foot chop in two hours. Ill take the ocean anyday!
Return trip we mototed back on glass the whole 50 miles!
I've seen that lake go from flat calm to 4 foot chop in two hours. Ill take the ocean anyday!
Ive seen the Duluth end of lake Superior go from glass to big surf in seemingly minutes. It has caught way too many people by surprise, and often the most experienced. Sea Captains who come into the lakes have too often underestimated its potential and led them to wreck.
My understanding is the difference in density from salt water, the lighter fresh water will have higher peaks with shorter wave periods than sea water given equal conditions.
The old museum in Duluth was covered with newspaper articles of lake disasters, lots of dead blue bodies and ships covered 3 feet thick in ice. They got rid of all those articles, too macabre I guess. I am not afraid of water, I would gladly sail most anywhere. But I made a vow as a kid I would never step foot upon that lake and I intend to keep it.
My understanding is the difference in density from salt water, the lighter fresh water will have higher peaks with shorter wave periods than sea water given equal conditions.
The old museum in Duluth was covered with newspaper articles of lake disasters, lots of dead blue bodies and ships covered 3 feet thick in ice. They got rid of all those articles, too macabre I guess. I am not afraid of water, I would gladly sail most anywhere. But I made a vow as a kid I would never step foot upon that lake and I intend to keep it.
AC, I have spent time around Duluth & north of there...
I was a Forestry student and spent a summer at the U of M Forestry camp in Cloquet in the early 70's. We used to do a lot of camping and exploring along the entire north shore all the way to Canada during our weekends and days off. A few years later I was working with a government survey crew marking section corners on Reservation lands.
We spent a few weeks on Pigeon Point where the only access was by boat from Grand Portage. I've crawled all over that penisula! We were a crew of 4 and every day we hauled our survey equipment to remote areas on the penisula in small boats. When we first started, we were renting open fishing boats with 20 hp outboards steered from the stern.
Once we cleared the point leaving G.P. we were in open water for about a 3-mile stretch across a bay before reaching the shelter of the Susie Islands. Every morning, the water was like glass going across, and in the afternoon, the SW wind kicked-up the waves to the point where it seemed like I had to ride the bow to make sure the boat wouldn't tumble over backwards. There was no sense in wearing a life jacket because the water was so cold that survival was probably measured in minutes even if you were floating! There was a day or two when I really believed that we were just as likely to die in that lake as cross that 3-mile stretch of water.
It's hard to believe how stupid we can be with our lives in those days. It just felt like a daily adventure. The outfit had a larger aluminum runabout with a closed bow and a larger outboard, which made the four of us feel safer. When they were done with repairs, they let us rent it after we had enough of those small fishing boats. So the first day out, it was like glass going across west to east. The return in the afternoon was the same thing ... pounding thru the waves, but we felt much more comfortable ... until we reached the dock and unloaded our gear. The boat damn near sunk.
As it happened, a seam had opened up. Water was draining as we were moving, but as soon as the boat stopped, water filled the boat!
I was a Forestry student and spent a summer at the U of M Forestry camp in Cloquet in the early 70's. We used to do a lot of camping and exploring along the entire north shore all the way to Canada during our weekends and days off. A few years later I was working with a government survey crew marking section corners on Reservation lands.
We spent a few weeks on Pigeon Point where the only access was by boat from Grand Portage. I've crawled all over that penisula! We were a crew of 4 and every day we hauled our survey equipment to remote areas on the penisula in small boats. When we first started, we were renting open fishing boats with 20 hp outboards steered from the stern.
Once we cleared the point leaving G.P. we were in open water for about a 3-mile stretch across a bay before reaching the shelter of the Susie Islands. Every morning, the water was like glass going across, and in the afternoon, the SW wind kicked-up the waves to the point where it seemed like I had to ride the bow to make sure the boat wouldn't tumble over backwards. There was no sense in wearing a life jacket because the water was so cold that survival was probably measured in minutes even if you were floating! There was a day or two when I really believed that we were just as likely to die in that lake as cross that 3-mile stretch of water.
It's hard to believe how stupid we can be with our lives in those days. It just felt like a daily adventure. The outfit had a larger aluminum runabout with a closed bow and a larger outboard, which made the four of us feel safer. When they were done with repairs, they let us rent it after we had enough of those small fishing boats. So the first day out, it was like glass going across west to east. The return in the afternoon was the same thing ... pounding thru the waves, but we felt much more comfortable ... until we reached the dock and unloaded our gear. The boat damn near sunk.
As it happened, a seam had opened up. Water was draining as we were moving, but as soon as the boat stopped, water filled the boat!
Gales of November was a pretty good book. Not a great book but worth the read. It details why the lakes can be so deadly. Especially lake Huron in a Northerly Gale. While it's big water there isn't that much sea room when it gets going.
http://www.amazon.com/Gales-November-Sinking-Edmund-Fitzgerald/dp/1882376331
Gordon Lightfoot made the Edmund Fitzgerald an icon. The greatest disaster on the Great Lakes was 1913 with 250 lives lost, 19 ships lost and 19 others stranded.
It produced 90 mph (145 km/h) wind gusts, waves over 35 feet (11 m) high, and whiteout snowsqualls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Storm_of_1913
Agreed, no disregard meant.
EF is a well known sinking because of Gordon Lightfoot, which is good to bring recognition, not may know that there was an even bigger disaster.
I'm a big fan of Lightfoot being Canadain as well I sail around an island he has another well know song, In the Lee of Christian Island.
If your read about them, there have been many really bad Nov storms on the Great lakes that have taken many big ships and many lives, dating back to the 1600's. But the 1913 one was pretty bad. Some ive read talked about the brittle steels used in the early iron ships, same things as said about Titanic
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