Trip 2, Day 10, Leg 8
Trip Day - Saturday, October 2
0330-Woke up when I felt a small body crawling up the outside of my bed covers toward my head! I suddenly threw the covers off and heard a distinct thump of a small body (Chubby?) hitting the wall! Needless to say I was now wide awake! I tried to get back to sleep but couldn't, my nerves were fried! Now I was on a mission to kill the little intruder, no matter what it takes! No mouse traps aboard, so I will have to think of alternatives.
0428-Had coffee while I completed my morning routine. Solar is down to 39%. Getting low!
0622-68F/63F. Time for breakfast of bacon & cheese omelet, toast and jelly, with OJ.
0732-Calm, but no serious fog for the crossing of Saginaw Bay. 70F/63F. Prepared the tablet for navigation, field glasses for spotting buoys, and Osmo Action camera for video underway. Ready for departure!
 |
| Area of Operations - Day 10, Leg 8 (Click to Enlarge) |
1017-I took the planned short cut along the NW part of the island, cutting off maybe a 1/4 mile, and motored straight north to the south entrance to Brule Narrows. I passed through the narrows then headed west to Olson Bay, but ended up continuing on to Harrison Bay (R76), on the far west end of the Park. Total distance traveled was 12.6 nm, 2:13 in time, averaging 5.7 knots.
 |
| Nav Chart - Day 10, Leg 8 (Click to Enlarge) |
I felt there was potential for even higher winds and rougher seas tomorrow, since it is now October! Also, in light of my previous encounter with breaking seas on this rather open part of the Lake, I needed a better alternative. It was okay today, but even so, there were NW winds of 10-15 knots that created uncomfortable side seas.
 |
| Google Earth - Day 10, Leg 8 (Click to Enlarge) |
My thinking was, that even today, if the weather clears up winds and seas may well build and conditions could get much worse. So, I made the decision to bypass a stop at Olson Bay (R9 or R35) and continue on while the going was still satisfactory. At Harrison Bay I found three boat sites, one that was satisfactory for layover.
 |
| Avenza Map - Day 10, Leg 8 (Click to Enlarge) |
No house boats were observed enroute, though I saw 5 or 6 fishing boats out and about. I experienced rolly seas on some of the open stretches. So far I traveled 23.4 nm on this tank of fuel, so I should have plenty for the remaining distance to the ramp.
1155-Washed dishes and checked weather forecast, now that I have internet again. There is some chance of rain, but no winds above 10-15 knots. Forecast for the last day, is supposed to be sunny and warm and should be a good day to load the boat and drive home.
Harrison Bay has 3 boat sites, one camp site, and a day picnic site. The Park Service over did it! With that kind of crowd it is not a desirable place to stay, except outside normal season.
I've included some pics of the boat's interior and features for those interested. (See below)
 |
| Right Side Under Stove Storage - Redesigned (Click to Enlarge) |
 |
| Left Side Under Sink Storage - Redesigned (Click to Enlarge) |
Listening to Pandora while I have a snack. Based on the weather report, I could have made the planned intermediate stop at Olson Bay, but I did not want to repeat the rough seas experienced earlier in this trip. While I had the ability to get better protection for the remainder of the trip, I chose to do it! Now I'm only two miles from the ramp, or about 20 minutes. Solar 34%. 69F/63F. Weather is cloudy with wind 10-12 knots.
 |
| Aft Starboard Under Berth Storage - 2 Large, 1 Small Plastic Food Bins, 1 Small First Aide Bin (Click to Enlarge) |
 |
| Under Port Berth - Fridge/Freezer, Just Forward Is Solar Generator (Click to Enlarge) |
 |
| Under Berth ICECO VL65 - Two Compartment Fridge/Freezer (Click to Enlarge) |
1356-Got up from a nap after drifting off while reading my novel.
1420-Took a hike exploring my surroundings and now I'm thinking about making dinner. I even considered baking some coffee cake, but I'm just not hungry enough. Still overcast, so I modified my menu to have spaghetti today and save the grilled chicken for my "last supper".
 |
| Head Compartment (Click to Enlarge) |
1523-Dinner is done, galley cleared, dishes soaking to be washed tomorrow.
1700-Finished reading my novel "Snow Falling On The Cedars" by David Guterson. Very good read. Next up is "Hermits Creek" by Michael McGarrity.
 |
| Sunset Harrison Bay - R76 (Click to Enlarge) |
1912-Spent a lot of time ashore reading my new novel and got well into it. Came back to the boat to get the fire ring to setup on shore. In the end I skipped it for this evening, since it was cloudy gray with a cold breeze. Instead, I read inside and later took pics of the evening sunset. I had Baileys with chocolates for dessert, and actually fired up the heater after two warm days. I will get ready for bed and read some more.
Comments