July 2013 – ASA106 Advanced Coastal Cruising

“Now Mother Nature is just being bitchy,” I joked this past summer as the rain changed to sleet while we were motoring down the Keweenaw Waterway. We had just completed our first overnight sail on Lake Superior as Nature put this final touch on an exciting few hours of sailing. But before we go there, let’s take a step back.

Cindy on Lake Superior

My husband, Michael, and I had started sailing in the spring of 2012. If the stars align, we hope to own a sailboat and circumnavigate the globe in our retirement. Preparing for such an event takes time on the water . . . in a sailboat. By the summer of 2013, we had completed the necessary courses for eligibility for the ASA106 – Advanced Coastal Cruising (ACC) class.

We sailed Aerie, an Islander 36, from Bayfield, Wisconsin to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan for our ACC class. Those aboard consisted of Tony, our captain/instructor, Cathy and Art, another couple and Michael and myself. Since we were in the advanced class, the students did everything: navigated, charted our position, trimmed the sails, took the helm and more.

Because we wanted to arrive at our destination in daylight each day, we sailed through the night three different times. Let me tell you what I was wearing for our night sails. Underneath my foul weather gear of bib pants and jacket, I had on a second pair of pants, a long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, and a fleece shirt. I also wore winter gloves, a stocking cap and the hood from my foul weather jacket. Though it was July, this outfit barely kept me warm.

July 28, 2013 Cindy and Michael on Lake Superior

For our first overnight sail, Michael and I took the 9:00 p.m. to midnight shift and were back in the cockpit 3:00 to 6:00 a.m. The wind picked up toward the end of our morning shift. Captain Tony and Michael put in the first reef at about 5:00 a.m. By the time Cathy and Art joined us in the cockpit at 6:00 a.m., we were heeling quite a bit so we put in a second reef. For those of you who don’t sail, this means that our mainsail was now as small as we could make her.

Between 6:00 and 10:00 a.m., the winds strengthened with gusts to 30 knots (34.5 mph), and Lake Superior delivered six foot waves. We heeled to the point that the water came up on deck. It rained continually, and if we weren’t wet enough, the waves sprayed over the windward side of the boat just to remind us they were there.

I took my turn at the helm at around 8:00 a.m. Almost immediately, two waves hit Aerie back to back, and when we heeled, the water came up on deck about eight inches both times. The boat felt almost out of control to me. Practice makes perfect, or at least better, and it wasn’t long before I got the feel of Aerie and was able to sail her. It was incredible to be in communion with Aerie and sail her as she wanted to be sailed.
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Steering at the helm took a great deal of concentration. By the time we were within striking distance of the entrance to the Keweenaw Waterway, we were more than ready to head into calmer waters. We dubbed the white tower marking the entrance to the Waterway “The Best White Tower EVER!” It was while we were motoring on the Waterway that the rain changed to sleet.

Lake Superior delivered smooth sailing for the remainder of the class. It was relaxing and beautiful, but a part of me wished for those daring seas I had just endured. We returned home, and a day later I found myself at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL, with my son, Kyle and our dog, Marcus. What a change from a cramped sailboat! In my dreams, I was still sailing.