Downwind to Frankfort
I awoke at dawn. Just enough time to see our friends on Gypsy leaving, headed off into a beautiful orange sunrise. I got Captain up and we took Kona to shore and then readied Ciara to leave. I had expressed concerned the night before about going downwind. Sometimes we use our spinnaker pole as a whisker pole and hold out the jib sail since we don’t actually have a spinnaker. The whisker pole is 18 feet long and maybe 20lbs. It is my nemesis. Having to handle that big stick is something I never like doing (ha ha ha, big stick jokes from the teenager peanut gallery). A few sails ago Captain had me put it up which we hadn’t done in a long time. He had taken this extra line that runs the foot of the jib and tied it around the clew (the corner of the sail where I attach the pole). It made putting and taking off the pole extremely hard and I played the admiral card and told him he had to take it off as it is too hard to handle especially with wind and waves on the sail underway. So that is what he did while I shut the hatches and secured the boat. We got Cory up and set off just around 7am.
I didn’t sleep well, there was gentle rocking all night and with my fear of the winds being as predicted later in the day it just got to my head. Normally a gentle roll at anchor is very comforting, but I kept thinking “If it is gently rolling in here, what is it doing out on the big lake and how much is it going to get bigger by the time we get there??” As it turns out the winds were pretty low. We motored for almost 2 hours before we had enough wind to sail. We sailed for a few hours, motor sailed for a few more and finally had wind to sail the last 4 hours. The seas were following and by the end we had nice three-foot following seas. Not a calm day onboard, but pretty gentle all things considered. I started my new book which is easy to read and so far, I am enjoying it very much, All the light we cannot see. I napped. I sailed downwind for two minutes while Captain relived himself. I was terrified. Downwind may be the most comfortable point of sail for the passengers, but it is also the hardest for the person steering the boat as you can gybe the main and really mess up the boat, or someone’s head. Our friend Nuke says “If you don’t do something that terrifies you at least once a day, are you even living?” I guess I lived today as my heart was going nuts after just a few minutes of that.
Eventually the dunes of Sleeping Bear National Park were off our port side and then gave way to the houses that dominate on top of the fragile sand system. I always laugh at the stairs that folks have tried to build down to the shore only to have them eroded away. I’d love to live up there and have the view, but I’m smarter than to build a house on top of a sand dune.
Around 6pm we rounded into a beam reach as we went around the Frankfort lighthouse. Waves to the tourists and fisherman on the pier. We sailed under full sail through the channel and thankfully the hordes of fishermen gave yield and didn’t have their lines out.
With our anchor set in Betsie Lake I relaxed. There is something so special to Frankfort. We have come here every year except one when we didn’t cross Lake Michigan. It usually marks the end of our trip and in the last few years we have spent many days here. This year it won’t be our last stop but we do plan on sitting here many days. It has everything. Grocery. Coffee. Ice Cream and the absolute best beach and pier for Kona and us to enjoy. The people are not snotty, the shops are more reasonable and cuter and Captain learned last night they have karaoke (lord save me!). We can shower, do laundry and relax. The only thing we have to contend with here are the hordes of fisherman who form a non-stop line of boats at sunrise and sunset going past our boat to get out to sea for the salmon who are in frenzy right now. We have been going for a week straight. I’m am overjoyed to be back here.
We have been eating ship stores for two and half months. Our menu wasn’t sounding good to any of us so Cory suggested they would make Vodka sauce for dinner with fresh chicken. We went to the grocery store and Kona got shore leave. Dinner was out of this world good. Cory is a great cook. I had no complaints cleaning up the galley. Dinner and dishes ran to well after sunset so we only took Kona to shore for a last potty. The beach will have to wait until tomorrow.
