After a few funny turns, Mark mastered programming the autopilot and our route was officially plotted and electronically locked into the navigation system. This was critical as we all knew that Captain Mark would have to sleep at some point along the journey. The plan was that we would have at least two crew members awake at all time while taking sleeping shifts of four hours on a rotating basis
We left Traverse City at 9a on May 6, 2007. The weather conditions were chilly but clear and the seas were calm. The trip up Grand Traverse Bay was peaceful and calm with very few other boats on the water since it was so early in the boating season. The passage through the Manitou Passage was wonderful, calm and the shoreline and islands are just gorgeous. We each took turns at the helm before engaging the autopilot so that each of us could “get the feel of the boat”.
Once we were into open waters, we settled in a routine of sleep, manning the helm and standing watch. Most of the time it appeared that we had the entire lake to ourselves but it was critical that we be knowledgeable of our location at all times so we would be aware of the commercial vessels that we would meet along the way. All of our electronic systems worked wonderfully and it became a game for us to first spot another vessel on the radar and then be the first to spot them visually.
As the sun went down, we were all captured by the beauty of the sunset on the water. This is the first time that any of us had traveled at night in unfamiliar waters. We all had total confidence in Mark’s ability to captain The Lolligag as well as the new boat itself. As it became darker and darker out on the water the trip took on a different feel and I think we all felt the same batch of emotions – just at different times. The waters were exciting, scary, exhilarating, calm at times and very rough at other times. Since we were traveling diagonally from northeast to southwest on Lake Michigan and the autopilot was engaged, we would hit waves as they came to us, not as Mark would have normally steered the boat if he was manually driving. What this meant was that at times the waves were crashing over the bow of the boat and we were bouncing around quite bit. When this was happening the seas were 2 to 4 footers but due to the angle that we met the waves, the boat was tossed around a bit from time to time. The very positive side of this was that we saw instantly how well the Nordic handled in moderately rough seas and how well thought out and strategically placed the hand-holds were located on the tug. Lora, who has had the least experience on the boat, became a little queasy being tossed around in the waves. So we sent her back to bed with a very large bowl as her sleeping companion. However, being the true sea dog and trooper that she is, she only cuddled with the bowl and did not find the need to use it !!
About 1a the moon came out from behind the clouds and was a huge bright full moon that allowed us to see exactly how beautiful Lake Michigan is during the dark. The remainder of the night hours passed uneventfully and dawn was spectacular. Finally the Chicago shoreline was in sight. We began to compliment ourselves on being such a great crew and comment on how easy the whole trip had been when karma and Neptune decided to show us just exactly who rules the open waters on this planet. I was sleeping at this point and I awoke to the abrupt stop of The Lolligag and deafening silence of the engine.
The first thing we all looked at was the fuel gauge which read low but indicated that we still should have at least a quarter of tank of fuel. All of the information and documents that we had stated that at our rate of speed that we would have more than enough fuel to reach Chicago with no problem - so what was the problem? Captain Mark checked and re-checked all the systems and everything appeared to be in order – all the electronic stuff was working, the head flushed, everything checked out but we could not start the engine…Now, logic starts to overtake Mark as he assesses the situation – if the fuel gauge says that you have fuel but you are not able to move, then look for another way to determine if there is sufficient fuel…as seasoned mariners will attest, never trust anything electronic unless the information is backed up and verified by a manual system. So Mark checks the fuel site tube which is located in the stern compartment of the boat. Sure enough, we were out of fuel. Now this information was both a relief and an embarrassing thing. Lack of fuel is quickly fixed but having to be rescued on a maiden voyage due to running out of fuel is something that follows you all of your boating life.
However, Neptune was good to us in that we were about three miles directly east of the Wilmette Harbor, the home base for the Coast Guard unit stationed in Chicago. We hailed the Coast Guard and informed them that we needed a tow into the harbor so that we may re-fuel. They instructed us to throw the anchor and await their arrival, which we did.
The rescue boat arrived with great efficiency and with total professionalism the Coast Guard towed us into Wilmette Harbor. Now two other problems quickly arose...First, Wilmette Harbor does not have diesel fuel at their fuel docks. Secondly, Wilmette Harbor is very shallow and there was some concern as to whether The Lolligag with our 42 inch draft would be able to enter the harbor. However, the Coasties were able to successfully guide The Lolligag to a dock where the water level was deep enough for us.
To solve the issue of not having diesel fuel in the harbor, I had the treat of my life…(Jerry) and I were able to have the cutest and most polite young Coastie drive us to a nearby BP gas station that sold diesel fuel where we filled six five gallon cans with fuel. While Mark and Jerry filled the tank of The Lolligag, Lora and I enjoyed the company of the Coasties. When we were being rescued these young men were the epitome of professional seamen. Our safety was their only concern and until we were safely docked, they did not waver from their rescue training. However, once we were safe, they wanted to see and know all about The Lolligag. Only one member of the rescue team had ever seen a Nordic Tug before, so they all came on board to inspect her. As a small token of our thanks, since they are not allowed to accept gratuities, the Coasties very much enjoyed The Lolligag M&Ms while touring the boat.
Finally we were re-fuelled, the fuel system had been bled and we were ready to complete the rest of our adventure home. At this point we were approximately 30 nautical miles north of our home harbor. With conservative speed we should make it to Burnham Harbor on the 30 gallons of fuel in our tank. Captain Mark slowly but safely and without incident took us down the Chicago coastline. After a mere 32 hours, as we pulled into the mouth of Burnham Harbor and then into the fairway for P Dock, our home slip was just about the most beautiful sight that any of us had seen. Our dear friend and dock mate, Fireman Jim, was there to catch our lines and welcome us home.
Lessons to be learned: Always check your manual gauges and settings first when assessing a problem. Secondly, make sure you really have a full tank of fuel - the problem was that we did not start the trip with as much fuel as we thought because we relied on the electronic gauge rather than the fuel site tube.
1 comment:
Mark and Linda--Maybe you should also consider an analog fuel gauge mounted in the wheelhouse, so you won't have to run and look at the sight gauge below deck.
Post a Comment