While taking a solo cruise on Lake Michigan the 1st week in September, I managed to run aground on a sandbar near Sheboygan Wisconsin and ultimately loose my boat in a storm. I hope now to relate a story and provide a lessons learned.
I'd left my home port of Michigan City on the Southern point of Lake Michigan with the idea of adopting a destination which was easily sailable. Turned out to be Port Washington WI at a NW heading at close reach. I'd covered the distance of approximately 145 statute miles in about 24hrs. Port Washington had no slips available and was lined with sheet pile and rock revetments. There was a lot of wave action in the harbor with winds of about 20kt. So I decided to go back out and sail up to the next port, Sheboygan. Based on last experience, I did not want to go into that port at night, so I decided to sail out into the Lake, heave-to and drift back. The Vega not only sails wonderfully in rough conditions(as others have recently discussed) but also heaves-to well. Sailed about 10mi off heaved to and drifted back at about 2kt with tiller hard over. Did this twice during the night staying about even with the harbor entrance. Towards dawn, I was about 3mi off and decided to drift in a little further with the idea that I'd be close to the harbor mouth douse sails and be tied up in a few minutes. I feel asleep instead however(without the depth sounder or alarm on) and woke up to the keel thudding on a sand bottom, about 150' from shore. Could not motor off. Could not swim anchors out to try a kedge due to depth. In no time parallel to shore currents known as to litoral drift formed a sand bar behind the boat. The Coast Guard will rescue life but not property here. They gave me the name of a marine salvor and tug firm. $5000-$6000 per the salvor, $1500 from the tug firm. So 1st I tried a charter fisherman @$200, could not get in close enough to rig line. Then commercial tug which drew 6' and needed 9:. had 750' of line, needed 1000'. Supplimented with anchor line but this readily parted after an all day effort at rigging. Winds started building so kedged out two anchors. Boat held until a wind shift over night set her parallel to the beach then again strong winds again with heavy surf. A day later the boat had broken apart and sunk. The surf had been unbelievabley powerful. Infact the deck had come partially off and was later found about 6mi down the beach, bouyant because of its foam core.
In the narrow sense the mistake I'd made was falling asleep after having catnapped for two nights in a row. A grevious navigation error was however committed. I would never heave to, now, within 8hrs drift of a lee shore. There's no reason I couldn't have kept sailing out. And of course, I'd deploy the depth finder. Some might say one shouldn't be singlehanding(easy to do in Vega). But if I'm had a companion with me they to could have not been able to sleep the 1st night and 2nd night out and made the same error in judgement. No..that's a clearly a case on two heads being better than one--less chance of error. And definitely two hand or more would have marketly improved the chance of getting off initially.
Also, if you ever find yourself stranded on beach with shifting sand bottom and the possibility of bad weather, it is essential to get your boat off as soon as possible no matter what cost. The $5000 salvor new the situation and felt confident he could get her off with minimal damage.
My plans now are to take a pause now--it's nearing end of season here--and start it all again, probably next year, remembering how glorious my trip was until the mishap.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I'd left my home port of Michigan City on the Southern point of Lake Michigan with the idea of adopting a destination which was easily sailable. Turned out to be Port Washington WI at a NW heading at close reach. I'd covered the distance of approximately 145 statute miles in about 24hrs. Port Washington had no slips available and was lined with sheet pile and rock revetments. There was a lot of wave action in the harbor with winds of about 20kt. So I decided to go back out and sail up to the next port, Sheboygan. Based on last experience, I did not want to go into that port at night, so I decided to sail out into the Lake, heave-to and drift back. The Vega not only sails wonderfully in rough conditions(as others have recently discussed) but also heaves-to well. Sailed about 10mi off heaved to and drifted back at about 2kt with tiller hard over. Did this twice during the night staying about even with the harbor entrance. Towards dawn, I was about 3mi off and decided to drift in a little further with the idea that I'd be close to the harbor mouth douse sails and be tied up in a few minutes. I feel asleep instead however(without the depth sounder or alarm on) and woke up to the keel thudding on a sand bottom, about 150' from shore. Could not motor off. Could not swim anchors out to try a kedge due to depth. In no time parallel to shore currents known as to litoral drift formed a sand bar behind the boat. The Coast Guard will rescue life but not property here. They gave me the name of a marine salvor and tug firm. $5000-$6000 per the salvor, $1500 from the tug firm. So 1st I tried a charter fisherman @$200, could not get in close enough to rig line. Then commercial tug which drew 6' and needed 9:. had 750' of line, needed 1000'. Supplimented with anchor line but this readily parted after an all day effort at rigging. Winds started building so kedged out two anchors. Boat held until a wind shift over night set her parallel to the beach then again strong winds again with heavy surf. A day later the boat had broken apart and sunk. The surf had been unbelievabley powerful. Infact the deck had come partially off and was later found about 6mi down the beach, bouyant because of its foam core.
In the narrow sense the mistake I'd made was falling asleep after having catnapped for two nights in a row. A grevious navigation error was however committed. I would never heave to, now, within 8hrs drift of a lee shore. There's no reason I couldn't have kept sailing out. And of course, I'd deploy the depth finder. Some might say one shouldn't be singlehanding(easy to do in Vega). But if I'm had a companion with me they to could have not been able to sleep the 1st night and 2nd night out and made the same error in judgement. No..that's a clearly a case on two heads being better than one--less chance of error. And definitely two hand or more would have marketly improved the chance of getting off initially.
Also, if you ever find yourself stranded on beach with shifting sand bottom and the possibility of bad weather, it is essential to get your boat off as soon as possible no matter what cost. The $5000 salvor new the situation and felt confident he could get her off with minimal damage.
My plans now are to take a pause now--it's nearing end of season here--and start it all again, probably next year, remembering how glorious my trip was until the mishap.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]