Leg 1 of our 2022 cruise up north
With a good 15 knots of wind from the SSE, and Priorities headed north from Milwaukee to Sheboygan, it was a good time to fly the spinnaker. We rarely fly the ‘chute when daysailing around Milwaukee, but frequently fly it when cruising. With only one or two of us on the boat, it takes 10 minutes or so to set it… not worth the trouble on a quick “three hour tour,” but can shave an hour or two off a 40nm leg when cruising.
It had been a hectic week or two of prep work before we left on this trip. Priorities is bound for the North Channel of Lake Huron… about a six week trip in total. Lots of provisioning, boat maintenance, last minute projects needing work, and preparing the house for our absence. Not helping things was me getting pretty sick for several days right around when we wanted to depart… further stressing Kristin and I out. It seemed a bunch of things were conspiring against us. Even the lawn mower died!
Today, however, with my health improving, we finally left. I raised the snuffer on the spinnaker, and the big blue sail filled up and brought our boatspeed up over 7 knots in flat water. Nice!
Weather wise, it might have been a good day to sail across the lake to Pentwater or Ludington, but tomorrow’s forecast called for strong west winds. Having west winds on the east side of the lake would mean big waves on that side, too, so we’d be more likely to not travel north when we really wanted to make progress. Staying on the Wisconsin side would keep the water flat, and allow us to start with easier legs as my health got better.
We passed several boats headed home after the Chicago Mac race. Most were motoring into the wind… I get that they didn’t want to wear out their expensive racing sails, but what a pity to have to motor on such a nice day.
After 30 miles, the wind got a little strong for the big spinnaker. Boatspeed was consistently over 8 knots and occasionally pushing 9, which is a little out of control for our Catalina 400. We doused the ‘chute and still did over 7 knots with jib and main.
We spent the night at the marina in Sheboygan, one of the few times on this trip we expect to be in a marina. We had some friends drive up from Milwaukee, and had drinks with them in the cockpit. The marina does have a decent pool and hot tub, too, and they were good for my sore muscles. Overall, a good start to our trip northbound.
I love reading your dispatches from the trip. Keep them coming. Hull #51 in Tampa, FL.