Under Sail in Wisconsin

May came and went in a flash this year.  After completing the organization and running of the Sarasota Bay Cup Regatta for Bird Key Yacht Club, Sue and I quickly packed and traveled to our summer house in Door County Wisconsin. With the help of internet radar and our trusty GPS we avoided some nasty spring storms in the mid-section of the country, and arrived safely on May 17th, just two weeks ago.

The weather, for this time of the year in northeastern Wisconsin, has been terrific.  Within two days of our arrival I had TERN in the water and ready to sail.  Many of you know that TERN is our Wisconsin boat, a lovely 19 foot Cape Dory Typhoon.  She was built in 1974 and over the last four years I have had her gone over thoroughly and she is totally refreshed.  She is an ideal daysailer for Lake Michigan as she can stand up to a breeze, which he have in abundance.  The photograph above was taken while single handing in a sunny northeaster a few days ago.  Not far off the bow is the original Baileys Harbor lighthouse.  It is no longer in use as a navigational aid but is kept up by her summer resident owners.  All that remains of her once bright candle powered fresnel lens is the remains of the brass armature, know locally as the “birdcage.”  This was my fifth sail of the season, and each one seems better than the last.

I have been reminded how easy it is to live with a boat in fresh water.  No more major cleanups after each use to scrub away the salt.  And better yet, not to be confronted out of my window each morning  with the troubled waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  May we all pray for a miracle to overcome the follies of man.

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