S/V AMICUS

Wild and Windy Overnight down the North Shore

The final leg of the fall sailing trips is a 14-16 hr. cruise back to our home home port in Knife River.  This is usually an overnight passage with selected crew.  On this one Mark enlisted our day sail deckhand Lanny, just-finished-a-trip-but-hadn't-had-enough Brad, and 1st mate John.  They motored out of Grand Marais in mellow seas and light NE winds.  John made hearty mac-and-cheese-with-ground-beef, a perennial favorite before long journeys.  They ate in the cockpit, the sun sinking beside them.

It was all very quiet until 9:00 p.m. when, as forecasted, the NE winds came in with a vengeance, blowing 15-20 with gusts to 30 knots.  Waves quickly built to 3-5 then 5-7+ foot seas.  With wind and waves directly behind them, Amicus II behaved predictably and magnificently, romping down the north shore in record time, prompting the crew to repeatedly marvel about what a great boat the Amicus II is--sentiments with which I heartily concurred from my bed in Two Harbors as I heard the wind roar in the trees.

Lanny, who has waited for this all summer, spent most of the night faithfully jammed behind the wheel.  All sails were quickly reefed down as far as they would go, and the main was dropped.  On a scrap of jib, they averaged over 7 knots most of the night. The motion was "impressive," 30 degree rolls every few seconds in steep waves.  Miraculously, no one got seasick.  Some sleeping or at least resting was attempted, with lee cloths holding people to their berths--though the noises that accompany heavy seas (continual and repeated splashing waves, clanking cans, and shifting pots), precluded any real rest.  By 2 a.m. the gusts had eased, along with the waves.  Living on board felt a little more manageable.  Coming in before dawn was now a distinct possibility, so they reefed the jib down still further and tried to slow down for the final few hours. 

After a close encounter with a freighter coming out of Two harbors (the freighter beamed a light on Amicus II after Mark chatted briefly with the captain on the radio), the winds picked up again for the final hour.  They arrived at Knife River at daybreak.  After tying up, they promptly fixed a hearty breakfast of beans, bacon, and eggs.  I (Katya) joined them at this point and got an earful.

If this kind of story excites you no end, join our "heavy weather sailing" email list!  A couple of times every fall, when winds are predicted to be between 15-30 knots, we schedule a day for heavy weather sailing.  Mark covers topics from sail choice to reefing, tacking, heeving to, and other heavy weather techniques.   More detail here.

And thus ends our multi-day trips for the season.  Special thanks to John Wytanis, our faithful 1st mate when I (Katya) am not on board.  John has now sailed close to 2000 miles with Mark, and has proven himself to be invaluable in every way.  We love his easy social manner, his enthusiasm for learning to sail, and his long list of skill-sets including his ability to crank out meals for the crew in short order and under extreme conditions at sea.  What would we do without him? 

 

 

Slate Islands Exploration September 5-15, 2018

     On the evening of September 5, within hours of arrival, participants were hustled out of the marina for a 23-hour overnight sail to Loon Harbor, deep in the Canadian wilderness.  Mark saw the weather window and took it, grateful that participants were prepared for immediate adventure.  They sailed, motored, and viewed intense starry skies, and arrived at Loon Harbor in the late afternoon.  After a rest day spent exploring ancient "Pukaskwa pits,"  they headed out into easterly winds, going to Otter Cove with hopes of reaching further north. 

     However, the weather gods had different ideas.  Hurricane Florence would impact weather for the next week, stalling any typical winds from northeast coming in.  The long-term forecast predicted S/SE/SW winds for the next 7 days.   This cut off any possibility of going further north and being able to get back!  The goal became figuring out how to get back in a SW direction.  The next day looked like the best opportunity to head down towards the Sleeping Giant.  After a 7-hour motor slog in heavy seas they were able to sail the last 10 miles, coming to rest at a snug cove named Sawyer Bay. They were back to the world of trails, relative civilization. 

The next day--more sunny skies, more brisk S/SE winds.  They climbed the "chest" of the Seeping Giant, with a view of Amicus II 1200 feet below.

The next day they were able to make it to Thompson Island, a local favorite, where they tied to the first dock of the trip, and had the whole island to themselves for a night.  The next morning they bushwacked across the island, unsuccessfully,, to find more Pukaskwa pits (Mark's memory of this from 15 years ago was less than detailed--the pits were never found.).  In the afternoon, friendly cruisers from Thunder Bay took them on a motor tour of a silver mine, including an entrance accessible only by nudging the bow to a cliff edge and hopping off and on! 

The next day, with unusual calms, they motored/drifted under Thunder Cape for a most picturesque charting class in the cockpit.  When the wind came up with a vengeance (out of the south, of course), they tacked 16 times to make good the 10 miles to the next anchorage (see photo for chart plotter record of this--no exaggerations!) at Little Trout Bay--another majestic Canadian fjord-like anchorage, which they climbed later that afternoon.

The next day, as it turned out, would be their last.  Presented with several options, and given wind and storm predictions, the decision was made to go all the way to Grand Marais and spend the final night in the safety of the North House dock, where they weathered strong winds and continuous lightning/thunderstorms.

The whole thing lasted 11 days and although it was not the trip Mark planned, the pictures show that there was no real way to go wrong in such a place.  Thanks to Jeff, Susan, Brad, and Mike for joining us, and thanks to Jeff for the fantastic photography!  See our facebook page for a full photo album--it's worth taking a few minutes to explore!

 

Apostle Islands Trip Aug. 28-Sept. 2

Bright and early on August 28, Captain Mark, 1st Mate John, and 4 crew participants began their 5-day journey together.  Looking at the forecast, they decided to take advantage of the good weather to go all the way to the Apostles in one day.  With following seas they went all the way to York Island.  The southwesterlies provided a great introduction to moderate seas to test the seasickness factor (they all passed with flying colors--adjusting with naps and snacks).  They were rewarded with a beautiful sunset, a lovely walk on the beach, and an incredible starry night with a waning moon.

The anchorage at York Island was quite rolly which helped everyone adjust to motion--for the rest of the trip no one seemed the slightest bit woozy.   The next day, before weather deteriorated, they took advantage of the calm to motor to Raspberry Island, bushwack up to the trail, and visit the famed lighthouse.  In the afternoon they sailed towards Sand Island to visit the sea caves, had a floating lunch, and then sailed northwest to the Silver Bay marina to prepare for the unstable weather predicted for the next two days.  It was a glorious afternoon/evening sail in a light northeast breeze.

The next day began with rain and fog, with enough of a break to take a few hours of sail training--tacking, points of sail. Otherwise they drank coffee, learned charting and navigation, and worked out sunsights (celestial navigation). 

The next started out with a brisk downwind sail up the north shore.  Given the forecast of deteriorating winds and weather, they once again decided to push on to Grand Marais that evening.  Another floating dinner in becalmed seas...then the reward of several miles of nighttime sailing.  The headwinds came in a little early, so they motored the final hour under another spectacular night sky, and spent the final night cozied up in Grand Marais harbor at the North House dock.  Waking to strong northeast winds and fog, they were glad they'd come in the night before!

 

Thanks to Brooke for sending us pictures.  By all accounts it was a fantastic crew--up for anything, enjoyed everything, and easily rolled with the changes in weather.  We hope you decide to come sail with us again sometime.