Surf's Up!

[David R. Alger]

Surfing By Graves Reef Light!

In August, 1993, a friend asked me to help him move his J-40 around the tip of Michigan as he was heading for the Atlantic Ocean.We met in Frankfort, MI and sailed to Charlevoix, MI. The next morning, we left fot Mackinac City at the tip of the lower penisuala at the 6:15 AM bridge opening. The cutter Acasia followed to conduct manuvers on the big lake. The weather was drisily and the winds from the South at a comfortable speed. As we were in somewhat of a hurry, we motorsailed.After about an hour,with winds building to 16 mph, we heard the Acasia call the Carlevoix bridge to notify them they would be returning to port to finish their manuvers in Lake Charlevoix. My friend, Don, remarked that we were in for it. Having only sailed north on four Chicago to Mac races whit a full crew, I didn't understand the significance of his remark.However, it would soon become apparent that the winds would continue building all day. After a couple of hours we were shortened to about 15 feet of roller furled jenny and the motor on for control and surfing at about 14 mph down the face of 20 foot waves from the South. Though difficult, Don was able to keep the boat under control and heading with the following seas.As we passed the Graves Reef light and entered Graves Reef channel, we were able to look to the port and were level with the top of the base of the light! Anyone who has transited this area will tell you that the base is normally the 20 feet higher then the surface of the water.We continued North through the channel to White Shoal Light and turned east toward the Big Mac bridge and the city for which it is named. Though the waves and wind were now on our Starboard, the remainder of the trip was much more comfortable.Once we were safely birthed in our slip at the Makinac City Marina, we monitored the VHF and heard the great lakes freighters at anchor in the Straites talking about "White Feather" conditions. This happens when the tops are blown off of the waves. When viewed from their bridge they appear as feathers upon the water.We stayed for three days in port while the winds dropped and the water became friendly once again.

 

[David R. Alger]

Surfing By Graves Reef Light!

In August, 1993, a friend asked me to help him move his J-40 around the tip of Michigan as he was heading for the Atlantic Ocean.We met in Frankfort, MI and sailed to Charlevoix, MI. The next morning, we left fot Mackinac City at the tip of the lower penisuala at the 6:15 AM bridge opening. The cutter Acasia followed to conduct manuvers on the big lake. The weather was drisily and the winds from the South at a comfortable speed. As we were in somewhat of a hurry, we motorsailed.After about an hour,with winds building to 16 mph, we heard the Acasia call the Carlevoix bridge to notify them they would be returning to port to finish their manuvers in Lake Charlevoix. My friend, Don, remarked that we were in for it. Having only sailed north on four Chicago to Mac races whit a full crew, I didn't understand the significance of his remark.However, it would soon become apparent that the winds would continue building all day. After a couple of hours we were shortened to about 15 feet of roller furled jenny and the motor on for control and surfing at about 14 mph down the face of 20 foot waves from the South. Though difficult, Don was able to keep the boat under control and heading with the following seas.As we passed the Graves Reef light and entered Graves Reef channel, we were able to look to the port and were level with the top of the base of the light! Anyone who has transited this area will tell you that the base is normally the 20 feet higher then the surface of the water.We continued North through the channel to White Shoal Light and turned east toward the Big Mac bridge and the city for which it is named. Though the waves and wind were now on our Starboard, the remainder of the trip was much more comfortable.Once we were safely birthed in our slip at the Makinac City Marina, we monitored the VHF and heard the great lakes freighters at anchor in the Straites talking about "White Feather" conditions. This happens when the tops are blown off of the waves. When viewed from their bridge they appear as feathers upon the water.We stayed for three days in port while the winds dropped and the water became friendly once again.

 

[Sharky]

Detroit Lake

Small inland lake,4-5 feet max

 

[Sharky]

Detroit Lake

Small inland lake,4-5 feet max

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Washington-Oregon coast,

50' waves for 3 days.(according to GPS) Boat speed on a broad reach was 8-9 kts. (the main was furled, genoa rolled up to less than half) Let's see, what else? Oh yea, those waves were &%$#@ scary! Especially in daylight. But our H34 just rode with them. Not one wave even splashed on the transom. Then the wind clocked to our nose. We 'clocked' to port! Took half a day to get to Coos Bay. The Coast Guard guided us in. They called it a 'save'.

 

[Fred Ficarra]

Washington-Oregon coast,

50' waves for 3 days.(according to GPS) Boat speed on a broad reach was 8-9 kts. (the main was furled, genoa rolled up to less than half) Let's see, what else? Oh yea, those waves were &%$#@ scary! Especially in daylight. But our H34 just rode with them. Not one wave even splashed on the transom. Then the wind clocked to our nose. We 'clocked' to port! Took half a day to get to Coos Bay. The Coast Guard guided us in. They called it a 'save'.

 

[Rick]

12 ft

We have a Hunter 28.5 we sail on Lake Michigan. Heading south from Manitowoc to Sheboygan (about 25 miles), a front moved through and the wind shifted and we went from 2-3 footers to 12 footers in about 1/2 hour. We ended up dropping the main and sailing downwind on a port tack with just the jib for 3 hours. A little hairy, especially if you made the mistake of, when in the trough, looking back over the stern and seeing those waves coming toward you! But, like most things in life, as long as you live to tell about it!!

 

[Rick]

12 ft

We have a Hunter 28.5 we sail on Lake Michigan. Heading south from Manitowoc to Sheboygan (about 25 miles), a front moved through and the wind shifted and we went from 2-3 footers to 12 footers in about 1/2 hour. We ended up dropping the main and sailing downwind on a port tack with just the jib for 3 hours. A little hairy, especially if you made the mistake of, when in the trough, looking back over the stern and seeing those waves coming toward you! But, like most things in life, as long as you live to tell about it!!

 

[jr]

6-7ft

This was a while ago but the most I was in was about 7' waves, doesn't sound bad until you find out i was racing a club 420 (about 14'). To say it was hair raising was an understatement. I was at buzzards bay regatta. The race had just been called off and we were heading back in down wind chute down with full main and jib, my crew and i were riding the transom when we couldn't pull out of the wave, we pitchpoled and were both ejected from the boat. Luckily one of the crash boats dragged us out of the water. Our boat somehow righted itself and sailed another 100 yards before capsizing. That was the last time i did buzzards bay regatta.

 

[jr]

6-7ft

This was a while ago but the most I was in was about 7' waves, doesn't sound bad until you find out i was racing a club 420 (about 14'). To say it was hair raising was an understatement. I was at buzzards bay regatta. The race had just been called off and we were heading back in down wind chute down with full main and jib, my crew and i were riding the transom when we couldn't pull out of the wave, we pitchpoled and were both ejected from the boat. Luckily one of the crash boats dragged us out of the water. Our boat somehow righted itself and sailed another 100 yards before capsizing. That was the last time i did buzzards bay regatta.

 

[jcherubini]

I learned about sailing from that

My uncle had bought a C+C 35 in 1973 and the following summer we surfed it into Branford Cove on Long Island Sound. He had just got a knotmeter installed and used to watch it like a hawk. I learned a lot about sailing from squeezing a couple of fractions out of the prevailing conditions.We were on our way to Mystic and were to put in at Branford for the night, but the channel leg is long going in off the deeper water and over about an hour it got worse and worse. At about 4.30 PM it was blowing like 40-50 and the swells were coming in off the starboard quarter at about 6 ft. I remember they were as high as the lifelines with valleys in between. The frequency must have been really close too, about the length of the boat if that makes any sense, because they looked like they would break over the rail; but they never did. We had the main double-reefed and the small jib up, but it was a quarter-run and that's easy enough to control. Even so the boat had this very uneasy quarter-rocking, you know-- starboard corner up, port bow down, and back again and again and again. My aunt got seasick. The knotmeter indicated 9-1/2, at least 2 kts past hull speed. The water was just being shoved out of the way like a wall of froth under the port bow. So my uncle said, just for kicks, 'Let's start the engine and see what it will do!' So he did. And we hit 10; but who knows? --since that was all the gauge would read. So we shut off the engine.I remember that boat seemed heavy-- but really it wasn't, being only about 12,000 or 12,500 lbs. It was just an incredibly strong and reliable boat, and although it heeled early and hard it was predictable and manageable. As teenagers we used to sail it ourselves whilst the so-called adults had drinks. I think that boat's consistency and trustworthiness were a major part of how I got comfortable with sailing in adverse conditions and in situations in which I, with all my teenaged apprehension about everything, might have wanted to panic.JC 2

 

[jcherubini]

I learned about sailing from that

My uncle had bought a C+C 35 in 1973 and the following summer we surfed it into Branford Cove on Long Island Sound. He had just got a knotmeter installed and used to watch it like a hawk. I learned a lot about sailing from squeezing a couple of fractions out of the prevailing conditions.We were on our way to Mystic and were to put in at Branford for the night, but the channel leg is long going in off the deeper water and over about an hour it got worse and worse. At about 4.30 PM it was blowing like 40-50 and the swells were coming in off the starboard quarter at about 6 ft. I remember they were as high as the lifelines with valleys in between. The frequency must have been really close too, about the length of the boat if that makes any sense, because they looked like they would break over the rail; but they never did. We had the main double-reefed and the small jib up, but it was a quarter-run and that's easy enough to control. Even so the boat had this very uneasy quarter-rocking, you know-- starboard corner up, port bow down, and back again and again and again. My aunt got seasick. The knotmeter indicated 9-1/2, at least 2 kts past hull speed. The water was just being shoved out of the way like a wall of froth under the port bow. So my uncle said, just for kicks, 'Let's start the engine and see what it will do!' So he did. And we hit 10; but who knows? --since that was all the gauge would read. So we shut off the engine.I remember that boat seemed heavy-- but really it wasn't, being only about 12,000 or 12,500 lbs. It was just an incredibly strong and reliable boat, and although it heeled early and hard it was predictable and manageable. As teenagers we used to sail it ourselves whilst the so-called adults had drinks. I think that boat's consistency and trustworthiness were a major part of how I got comfortable with sailing in adverse conditions and in situations in which I, with all my teenaged apprehension about everything, might have wanted to panic.JC 2

 

[Carl]

Another surfer's viewpoint

The basic difference between surfing a wave on a board, and surfing in a boat, is that there is no bottom turn in a boat.. this creates a condition called "pitch poling", which we surfers refer to as "pearling". It's bad both ways.. Cowabunga!Carl, Huntington Beach, CA

 

[Night Sailor]

Out of the dark

lake Texoma, TX OK border. 1984. Eight of us are lounging around on deck of my Venture 222. It's midnight thirty and we are drifting slowly with sails wing and wing in about 4 or 5 knots of air. I'm in the middle of a 100 yard wide passage because it's pitch black and I"m navaigating by depth sounder. No boat or other lights in view. Behind me I hear the drone of a big diesel approaching. NO lights. It gets closer and closer and we can't see a thing. Sounds like a train coming at us. I turn on the spreader lights so we can be seen. I get out the small helm flashlight and veer over to starboard and try to see the bank.. is it rock or mud... how much room do I have? Someone suggests that maybe its a train on the OK side. I don't think there is a track there.. and there are no lights as an engine would have. I finally see the bank bring the keel up half way, and start skimming along side as the diesel sounds as if it's coming over the transom. Still can't see a blooming thing.Suddenly the drone speeds up and I see a white bow wave in the dark about 150 feet away going rapidly by my port side. By the time I swing my flaslight that way I realize it is very, very high and I jam the tiller over to meet it head on while yelling to hold on. We are going so slow the boat can't respond fast enough and takes the wave on the port bow. From where I'm sitting in the helm seat I can see the top fo the breaking wave is just over the top fo the boom gooseneck when it covers the deck and almost washes some crew overboard We take a lot of water below down the open hatches and flood the cockpit. The wave pushes us onto the bank, and leaves us grounded in mud. I get a glimpse of some dim lights in the cabin or cockpit of whatever it was that passed us with no navigation lights on. After a head count we get the sails down, the water pumped out and sit down to catch our breath. I ask a crew member to hold the flashlight at the bow to simulate the top of wave that I saw from teh helm seat. We measure the distance from the water to that height and it's about 10 ft. To this day I have no idea what kind of boat could throw that big a bow wave when only going by at about 18-20 knots. It was one powerful, deep draft, water pushing monster for sure. After our nerves calmed down a bit, two crew got over board and pushed us off the bank adn we completed our sail back to the marina.Next day I purchased a huge million cp spotlight and wired it so I could grab it at the helm and anything half a mile away, and they could darn sure see us too.... if they wanted to.

 

[Night Sailor]

Out of the dark

lake Texoma, TX OK border. 1984. Eight of us are lounging around on deck of my Venture 222. It's midnight thirty and we are drifting slowly with sails wing and wing in about 4 or 5 knots of air. I'm in the middle of a 100 yard wide passage because it's pitch black and I"m navaigating by depth sounder. No boat or other lights in view. Behind me I hear the drone of a big diesel approaching. NO lights. It gets closer and closer and we can't see a thing. Sounds like a train coming at us. I turn on the spreader lights so we can be seen. I get out the small helm flashlight and veer over to starboard and try to see the bank.. is it rock or mud... how much room do I have? Someone suggests that maybe its a train on the OK side. I don't think there is a track there.. and there are no lights as an engine would have. I finally see the bank bring the keel up half way, and start skimming along side as the diesel sounds as if it's coming over the transom. Still can't see a blooming thing.Suddenly the drone speeds up and I see a white bow wave in the dark about 150 feet away going rapidly by my port side. By the time I swing my flaslight that way I realize it is very, very high and I jam the tiller over to meet it head on while yelling to hold on. We are going so slow the boat can't respond fast enough and takes the wave on the port bow. From where I'm sitting in the helm seat I can see the top fo the breaking wave is just over the top fo the boom gooseneck when it covers the deck and almost washes some crew overboard We take a lot of water below down the open hatches and flood the cockpit. The wave pushes us onto the bank, and leaves us grounded in mud. I get a glimpse of some dim lights in the cabin or cockpit of whatever it was that passed us with no navigation lights on. After a head count we get the sails down, the water pumped out and sit down to catch our breath. I ask a crew member to hold the flashlight at the bow to simulate the top of wave that I saw from teh helm seat. We measure the distance from the water to that height and it's about 10 ft. To this day I have no idea what kind of boat could throw that big a bow wave when only going by at about 18-20 knots. It was one powerful, deep draft, water pushing monster for sure. After our nerves calmed down a bit, two crew got over board and pushed us off the bank adn we completed our sail back to the marina.Next day I purchased a huge million cp spotlight and wired it so I could grab it at the helm and anything half a mile away, and they could darn sure see us too.... if they wanted to.