TRIP 2005 - ONE WEEK ON THE LAKE
| 20050818 |
Since the first launching of our beloved Cordon Bleu, we have longed to explore the larger southern part of the lake... ok, maybe it was just me... but I certainly wasn't making the journey alone! We set 7 days aside and plotted a course on the GPS which would allow us to eventually be surrounded by water in every direction, with no land in sight for miles. The plan was to depart around 1pm but after packing provisions (and anything else we could possibly think of) we finally set sail at 3:30pm under grey skies and a cool but strong breeze. We were making great time when I realized I had forgotten my wallet back at the dock. It contained not only emergency funds for our trip but photo ID and birth certificate which was needed to enter the American portion of Lake of the Woods. Turning back would have meant the rest of the day was a write off. Fortunately we were able to have the wallet picked up and delivered to us via motor boat so we continued on with our quest. We hove too at about 6pm and cooked up supper (glad I read up on executing this manouver). Not only was the sky overcast, the light fog also made it quite difficult to make out islands in the distance. As it got darker we moved the GPS from the cabin to the cockpit and eventually sailed using only instruments. By the time we arrived at Cresent Island, the wind was quite strong and the waves were high. Making our way into the cove, we dropped anchor and turned out the lights.
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| 20050819 |
Woke up this morning to thunder, lightning and pouring rain. After a quick breakfast we motored out of the safety of our sheltered cove, waiting for the appropriate moment to raise the sails. I was finally overtaken by the fear of piloting a 25 foot tall lightning rod down the lake and we ducked into another cove, hoping the lightning would let up. We snacked on sweets for about an hour until the lightning stopped. Unfortunately the rain did not and again we set off in a downpour. I am quite thankful the cockpit drains work so well since the amount of water that was being collected and dumped into the cockpit was unbelievable. After hours of cold and wet, we finally broke through the storm. In no time our deck was covered in wet clothes slowly basking in the sun. It felt so good to finally have some heat. Even the pelicans couldn't get enough of it. We made our way to the Canadian Customs Office and spent the night tied to their dock.
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| 20050820 |
After a bad sleep due to excessive winds and waves hammering against both us and the dock, we used the island facilities (small outhouse on Customes island) and set off. We had an incredibly strong west wind which we ran with under only the mainsail. Soon finding ourselves in 3 foot high rollers, we hopped from island to island, hoping these small masses of land would shelter us from such high winds. We dropped anchor in a small cove and planned the rest of the day over lunch. The final decision was to abandon our southerly quest (since bad weather would be following us) and head north towards home, leaving the bigger waters for next summer. We had a lot more fun crossing back through the rollers since the wind was hitting us from the port side, allowing us much more control. Eventually we raised the jib and sailed straight up Tug Channel, stopping briefly for a swim and a bucket shower. Making our way to a sheltered cove we had passed on the way down, we dropped anchor, had supper, inflated the kids dingy and used it to explore a bit, then returned to drift off into a deep sleep.
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| 20050821 |
2am... winds are high and when I look out the window, I can see we dragged anchor and are right next to some rocks. Climbing up on deck, I pulled up the anchor and quickly motored to the other side of the cove where the waters were calm. By then my wife was up on deck checking things out and wondering what was going on. We spent the next half hour making sure the anchor was set solid dispite any more wind changes. Ahh... back to sleep.
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| 20050821 |
Although we hoped to leave by 9:30am, we ended up crawling out of bed shortly after this time. After breakfast we set sail and headed north. Although the VHF radio stated the wind was from one direction (based on weather station on Royal Island) this information was way off. Maybe the station is broken or situated in a bad spot causing wrong reading? Regardless, our destination was a small beach we spotted on Cintiss Island on our way out. We had to do quite a bit of tacking but the winds were good and we arrived at about 3pm. After setting anchor we hung any damp clothes making our Cordon Bleu look like a laundry boad and then went to shore. The kids made rock statues (yes I joined in) and we filled our bellies with supper before packing up and sailing off into the sunset.
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| 20050821 |
The kids settled in below as the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon. Shortly after, the moon came up and we sailed once again by the glow of the GPS. The moonlight shimmered over the waters revealing only silhouettes of the islands that surrounded us. When the temperature finally dropped to low to be comfortable in the cockpit, we lowered the sails and motored the rest of the way. We heard the cove we select to spend the night was very popular with sailors and when we arrived, we could see why. The entrance was long and narrow, keeping strong winds out, and the water inside was like glass. There was 1 other sailboat when we arrived and 1 cabin cruiser... both of which did not display any anchor lights. We dropped anchor and set our anchor light. We certainly did not want to risk additional boats arriving and hitting us while we slept just because there was no anchor light. With the deck a dull white glow from the lit mast, we drifted off to sleep.
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| 20050822 |
Our quiet protected cove allowed for a peaceful nights sleep. When we finally popped our heads out the front hatch at about 9:30am, we were greeted with lush green forests reflecting off waters of glass. As we cooked up breakfast we watched a deer come right down to the shoreline and drink. We were so taken by the serenity, no one thought to take a picture. After a hearty breakfast we motored out of the cove and set sail for home. With the wind at our back, we sailed wing and wing while basking under the August sun and arrived at our dock shortly after 6pm. We slowly unloaded our Cordon Bleu and hauled all our supplies up to the van, knowing that the grand finale would be a long hot shower in the comfort of our home. After a good cleanup, we headed out for pizza to celebrate returning from our little journey.
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"To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -
but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
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