 |
 |
Sailing to Erieau, Ontario By Linda Mizen Wickline
Sailing on Lake Erie has been wonderful experience, often times exhilarating and other times terrifying! Most sails have been restful and serene. However, there are times when your plans have to be changed because Mother Nature has thrown a curve ball at you. And you have to be ready to roll with her. Here is a story of a sailing experience that we will never forget. Dave and I had arranged our vacations from work to allow us time to sail across Lake Erie. We planned to begin our adventure at Cleveland’s Edgewater Marina, sailing to a small little town called Erieau, Ontario, located near Rondeau Provincial Park. Distance from one point to another is approximately 52 miles, due north of Cleveland, on the north shore of Lake Erie. For a power boat the trip would take about 3 hours. But with our sailboat, the time would be12 to 15 hours, depending on the strength of the wind. The weather report for that particular weekend was terrific. We told our family where we were heading, our estimated time frame for the journey, and gave them the marina’s telephone number (before cell phone days!). Dave and I both felt very confident we had taken all the safety precautions necessary. We motored out of the marina with the wind light and variable, continuing for half an hour until the wind came up. Once the sails were raised and set, we turned the motor off. It felt great to be under sail power, the noise of the engine silenced. We could see freighters from Buffalo heading to Cleveland and others from Toledo and Detroit also heading towards the same destination. These massive ships, all under full power, spread their respective wakes behind for what seem to be miles. We settled back and enjoyed the day. Having left the marina around 7am and with the perfect conditions, we would reach Erieau about As the day progressed the wind grew stronger and stronger. By noon we could begin to see the shores of Ontario. We picked up speed and even had to reef down the main sail. This involves lowering the big sail to make it 1/2 the size. Even then we were clipping along at 6 knots - a great sail! We now realized we would make landfall by 7pm, two hours ahead of our schedule. We soon tied up at the marina, checked in with customs, secured the boat and relaxed. We spent the next three days meandering around the little town, even unhooking our dinghy from the boat and floating peacefully around Rondeau Bay. The marina had a wonderful little bar/restaurant on premise and we treated ourselves to the best tasting perch dinners ever! But, we always kept alert to weather changes and knew that we would have to return early if a front was expected. Our schedule was to sail back on Monday, taking Tuesday off to rest before heading back to work on Wednesday. However, a storm front was approaching and we decided to head back on Sunday. As was typical of storms on Lake Erie, the wind dies and you get a lull before the storm hits. We had left the marina by 8am Sunday morning, knowing we may have to motor some of the way, but we were lucky that the wind stayed with us for most of the day. Then the wind died. And we crept along about 2 knots, edging closer to Cleveland. Nightfall came and with it visibility dropped. The storm had stalled and not reached Cleveland so we were given a break. Dave and I have taken many courses on seamanship and navigation over the early years of sailing, so we were prepared for sailing at night. We continued sailing along in the dark towards Cleveland by using the stars’ positions for our compass readings. Nothing more dreamier than sailing along at night, hearing the water lap against the hull, feeling the breeze on your face, and feeling totally free, at one with nature. We remember that sail with fondness - great weather, terrific sailing, using our skills to sail by the stars. We have since altered our adventure to land-sailing, moving across the country in our Class A motor home. To follow our travels, please visit us at:
|
