We stayed in Sturgeon Bay the night of the 6th and the 7th of July. We docked the boat at the Sawyer Park Launch Ramp about two blocks south east of the Michigan Street bridge that opens on the hour. The dock master at the Sawyer Park Lauch Ramp said we can stay at the dock for up to two hours at no charge. We had supper at Andre's about 2 blocks southwest of the Michigan Street bridge. After supper we walked back to the Sawyer Park Launch Ramp and saw a group of men with 14 salmon hanging at the picture taking station. Four of the Coho salmons were over 25 pounds and one had a little fin missing on the back indicating it as a research fish with a special micro coded wire implanted in the head that had to be returned to the DNR. This sure got Judy's interest perked up as she was told that the Salmon where biting in 120 feet of water at about 80 feet and she just spent a small fortune that morning at the bait shop in Menominee so that she could catch a salmon.
That evening we dropped anchor across the channel from the Sawyer Park Launch Ramp, in a mass of weeds and about 8 feet of water, according to the chart. We can not measure the accurate depth when there are a lot of weeds. The next morning we pulled up the anchor along with about 40 pounds of weeds. Next we went through the Bay View Bridge that opens on demand as we worked our way toward Lake Michigan. When we got within about a quarter mile of Lake Michigan in the narrow canal we started to feel the swells.
Judy put on the anti-sea sickness wrist bands and then we went out into the lake where we encountered medium 15 mile per hour winds, without white caps; but with six foot swells coming out of the south east. We raised the sails and that made it a lot easier to take the swells as we sailed out about 5 miles to where the water was 120 feet deep. When we got there, I reefed the jenny and went close hauled to reduce speed so that Judy could get the line to go down to 80 feet. This made the boat do a lot more rolling action and soon Judy was not feeling well and just laying on the deck near the mast. After about an hour we pulled the line and headed back empty handed, to the canal with as little rolling motion as possible. This means no very broad reaches. Surf the waves going straight down wind or head up to a broad reach.
About an hour later we were back in the narrow canal right by the Coast Guard Station on the lake shore. Judy was in no condition to steer so I left the sails up and went without the motor up the canal. Then we heard over the radio that there was a boat on fire at Adventure Island just about three miles north west of Fish Creek. Next we heard a siren and then saw a smaller red motor boat coming out from the Coast Guard Station and up the canal at full speed with a flashing blue light. Next came the other boat, a much larger boat about 70 feet long also out of the Coast Guard dock. This boat also had a siren blowing with lots of flashing lights and it was trailing a six foot wake. I immediately turned on the motor as I had visions of getting pushed into the retaining wall at the side of the canal by the wake. The motor started just fine and allowed me to power the boat through the large initial wake so that Sankaty would not get too close to the canal's retaining wall.
After we got through the narrow part of the canal and Judy was recovered somewhat I reefed the jenny and lowered the main while we waited for another sailboat called Electra from Waukesha so that we could both go through the Bay View bridge at the same time. Later we stopped at the Sawyer Park Launch Ramp and had a late lunch at the Galley Cafe about a block southwest of the Michigan Street bridge kitty corner from the Maritime Museum.
On Saturday night we anchored just west of Cabot Point, next to a very pretty forest green sailboat at a mooring one hundred feet from the house on the end of the point. The sailboat was an Alerion Express 28. This anchorage was a peaceful place with no waves and several Canadian goose families with up to nine off springs feeding on the weeds that floated at the surface. At night fall there were some, nearby, fireworks that lasted about a half hour. Then the practically, full moon rose leaving a wide glistening, pathway of reflected light on the calm water all the way to the easterly shore as the boat deck began to be covered with a thick coating of dew.
On Sunday morning, the 8th of July, long before the dew was dry we scooted almost straight north on a broad reach back up to Menominee, MI. The 15 mile per hour wind caused occasional white caps and allowed us to complete the 18 mile trip in three hours.
Tuesday we will be off to Shawano to pick up the 2.5HP outboard and our next adventure on Sankaty.
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This page was last updated on: January 4, 2017
Looking north from the Observation Tower
