Great Loop Day 002 Aug 30, 2016, Put in Bay to Lake Erie Metropark Marina, Michigan
An Encounter with history. Goodbye Ohio, Hello Michigan!
Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete. - Chanda Kochhar
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Day 2 Tuesday, August 30, 2016. Today's stats: Motored 34.8 miles from Put in Bay to Lake Erie Metropark Marina.
Leaving Put in Bay.
Got up with the sun this morning. I had to pinch myself: Is this real? Or some dream I’ll wake up from and find myself at home in bed under the warm covers. I fixed a cup of hot water for my instant coffee in the microwave since I had shore power and as I was sipping it, I looked at Mickey eating his canned cat food and realized, yes, this is for real.
There is no turning back now. My dirt house as we sailors call it was locked and the alarm was set. Both cars were tucked in the garage. My son and daughter both had the spare house keys and the alarm code. The living room lights are on a timer. My neighbors are aware and will watch the house while I’m gone. Mail, phone, and cable are all in vacation mode. I have a 30-day supply of my medication and will need to stop and find a drugstore en route that will accept the scripts from my primary pharmacy. The refrigerator was cleaned out and turned off, left the door open to prevent mold.
Took my time to savor the morning air as I waited for the PIB Dock Master to arrive. Paid my overnight fee. Told him I was on my way to Florida via the Great Loop and he gave me that, “Sure you are” look. Nevertheless, he wished me luck as I headed back to the boat. Mickey was safely locked below and it didn’t seem to matter much to him, he went back to sleep on the shelf I made from the solar panel.
Motoring to Lake Erie Metropark Marina
Mickey and I enjoyed Lake Erie at her calmest. Today was the flattest water I have ever seen on this lake. Couldn't find a wave over a couple of inches and that was probably a fish wake. This lasted for most of the entire leg of the journey. No need for sails on this day.
Approaching the entrance to the Detriot River I wondered if I hadn’t gone thru some kind of time warp back to the early 1800s. There, off my port bow was a tall ship! Getting out my spyglass (binoculars) I see it was the Brig Niagara away from her home port in Erie, PA.
We remember the Niagara as being the flagship of Master Commandant (Later Commodore) Oliver Hazard Perry (born August 23, 1785, South Kingston, Rhode Island, U.S.—died of Yellow Fever at sea, August 23, 1819) in the Battle of Lake Erie back on Sept 10, 1813. With 10 ships. Commodore Perry commanded the fleet’s flagship Lawrence. While in the heat of the battle the British canons destroyed the Lawrence except for a handful of sailors, officers, and himself, taking the ship’s flag and rowing to the Niagara to take command. Being out of the initial attack formation, the Niagara was not damaged and sailed in light air directly into the British line, firing broadsides, to make waste to Capt. Robert Heriot Barclay’s fleet upon which they soon surrendered hastening the end of the war. The British lost 40 men, with 94 wounded; the Americans, 27 killed and 96 wounded. Thus making Lake Erie safe for US citizens under the protection of our new nation.
In his official report of the British surrender, Perry wrote his now-famous quote, “We have met the enemy and they are ours. Two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop.” Come to think about it the very location of the battle happened on this very spot where we crossed each other’s wake. Godspeed, Niagara, Godspeed.
Further on a couple of freighters approached but posed no hazards.
Lake Erie Metropark Marina is a few hundred feet off the Detroit River entrance in what has to be the quietest marina yet. Even the mosquitos in flight have muffled their wings. 30 bucks a night with 30 amp shore power, $60 for 2 nights, or $56 for the week. Go figure. It’s a rustic setting but in a very clean park setting.
I planned to stay over at Put in Bay this morning but changed my mind after hearing the weather report. There was a good possibility I may be forced to stay yet another night. The buoy reports were showing light winds and forecasts called for rain later in the evening.
Earlier I dropped off a hemoccult stool test kit in the mail on the island that my doctor wanted to be done. Hope they get to the lab in a reasonable time frame. Maybe the lab techs will get a pleasant surprise to receive a shit test kit postmarked from the resort town of Put in Bay.
Back at the Metropark Marina, I decided to clean out my 6-gallon tank (which previously held 50:1 oil and gas mix ) and put in a new fuel connector for the Tohatsu but inadvertently purchased one made for a Mercury outboard that didn't fit. On the day my daughter was coming to Cedar Point Marina to see me off, we drove to a marine supply store to get the right one. Now this store had 2 kinds of Tohatsu fuel plugs, one for a 5/16 line and the other for a 3/8 line. I guessed I had the 3/8 and I guess correctly. So now I have a 3 and a 6-gallon tank I can switch off while underway, less need to fumble filling tanks in rough water. My mentor and go-to-guy, Pogo Bob Eliott (Great Loop Class of 2007), chose to install an 18-gallon gas tank in their 23-foot sailboat back in 2007 when he and his wife completed their Great Loop. A lot less fumbling about trying to get gas in a tank while underway.
I heard about and purchased this clear tube with a bronze nozzle on the end and marble inside. An ingenious device called a siphon pump. You stick the bronze end in the full tank of gas and the other end in the tank you want to be filled. Push and pull the bronze end rapidly and the gas will fill the tube and the marble will stop it from going back into the tank. When the level of the gas in the tubing advances beyond and below the level in the full tank the gas flows by itself into the empty tank.
I used about 2 gallons to get to PIB and about 4 to get here to Lake Erie Metropark Marina but this marina has no fuel dock. I transferred 4 gallons I had in reserve to my 6-gallon tank and will travel to Gibraltar about 2.7 miles upriver to fill my 6, 3, and 5-gallon reserve can in the morning. I'm thinking I can get to Metro Beach Marina on Lake St Clair in one run but the distance was difficult to measure on the waterway guide website on my laptop computer without my mouse which I misplaced onboard. But good news I found it and measured out 40 nautical miles (46 Statute Miles) from here. If I start early I can get there in daylight. The current on the Detroit River is not bad near the mouth. I was averaging 5.7mph in the lake with an occasional 5-mile easterly tailwind and in the river with the same tailwind dropped to 5.0mph. It may get worse upstream.
I found another problem with my handheld VHF marine radio. It wasn’t getting any signal out to my main marine radio in the cabin. Even taped up it was out of commission. I did have onboard another handheld VHF marine radio. a Baofeng radio that Ed Durma told me about. It’s from China and is used by ham radio operators to call on the 2-meter band but it can and was programmed to work on the VHF marine band. A nice little handheld unit with long battery life and I got the hand mike attachment. Microphone and speaker so I can put the speaker close to my ear to hear better. The Icom is regrettably getting retired.
At this moment, I'm fighting off these pesky mosquitoes! I am leaving the spiders alone in the cabin this evening as I see a mosquito caught in its web. Nice work, Spidey! Mickey and I had our dinner, and the dishes are cleaned and stored away. Calling it a night as I want an early start going upriver. Fair Winds.
Comments from 2016:
Edward Durma Good deal Hope the rest of the trip goes well for you Hank.
Bob Meredith The adventure continues! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Sherry Thaler And the journey begins...Already gave you my blessings, prayers & insight. But may have forgotten to mention St. Jude is on your side too:-)))) Love you, my brother.
Diane Lamoreaux Keep the updates coming.
Noel Gingerich How much do you draft Lake Erie Metropark is about 3' deep.
Henry Krzemien RN No problem. draft 1.5ft empty but 2ft fully loaded. Right now my biggest battle is with mosquitos.
Noel Gingerich That battle is never-ending and I am only 20 miles south of you right now. In about a month I will be 5 miles north of you for the 6-month winter.
Henry Krzemien RN Low on fuel. Going to Humbug to fill up then try to get to Metro Beach Marina in Lake St Clair. Figure about 40 - 50 miles.
Henry Krzemien RN The price for transients went up to $30. Waterwayguide.com lists $25. 2 nights are $60 but for a week $56. Noel if I can't make it to Metro Beach any cheap marinas on the river before Lake St Clair?