Leg 5 - Marquette to Grand Marais, MI

0600-Departed Marquette anchorage after breakfast at sunrise. Light SW wind, cloudy, warm. Put up all sail but motor sailed to keep up a 5.0 knot average speed for this long leg (60 NM). A thunderstorm was threatening to the NW. Sirius weather indicates storms will continue for most of the day.

T-STORM TO NW

0730-Heavy rain with storm. Fog formed up immediately after storm passed. Down to about 1/8th mile visibility.

0800-Shut down engines, wind up to 13 kts. with gusts higher, speed 7 kts.  For the next few hours it was constant engine and sail changes, primarily rolling the Genoa in or out. Fog got worse with visibility down to 100's of yards. Made a cup of hot chocolate.  

LOW VIS IN FOG A MAJORITY OF THIS LEG

Outside temp was 55F, inside temp 67F with furnace on, water temp 46F.  

1100-Rain, rain, and more rain. Heavy fog! OAT dropped to 51F, inside to 65F. Humidity 99 percent outside, 72 inside. Got hungry so toasted a mini-bagle and topped with cream cheese with a cup of coffee.

Although I was just south of the Marquette shipping lane I noticed I wasn't getting any AIS targets. Found it was not connected correctly. After re-connecting I indicated a ship out of MQT approaching off the port quarter.  CPA (closest point of approach 4.5-5.0 miles) was not a factor.

Radar was on and I was picking up the north end of Grand Island, but no other targets. I backed off the engine rpm since the wind was pushing the boat along well at 7.2+ knots but I had all the electronics operating so kept engines running 2200-3000 rpm to generate electricity. The fluky winds did not help, one minute up, the next down. Not only was I constantly tweaking sails I was constantly adjusting engine rpm too.

Lunch was a grilled cheese and chips with a drink.

1400-Fog beginning to lift just before Au Sable Light, then the wind started steadily increasing and the autopilot was struggling to keep the course. 

AU SABLE LIGHT

I reduced the Genoa to about 1/4, though the main would have made been the best to reduce given the wind conditions. It was primarily the main causing the autopilot to loose control with the true wind off the starboard quarter. 

REDUCED GENOA

When the wind rose to over 32 knots I decided to finally lower the main completely rather than reef. I was getting close to Grand Marais by that time and wanted to keep things simple for the entry. I finished the leg with just the reduced Genoa until I could make the turn into the harbor.

Fortunately, the waves today were not commensurate with the wind on this leg since the fetch was short along this windward shore.

GRAND SABLE SAND DUNES

Wind in the harbor was still blowing 25 knots so I chose not to go to the dock and anchored instead. However, the 30 foot anchorage depth meant 210' of anchor rode (7:1 ratio) so I did not want to have retrieve and reset that much rode, even with a windlass. Had to be right the first time! Fortunately, their is good sand bottom in this harbor.

1600-At anchor Grand Marais, MI. A relief, I was worn out!  

FINALLY AT ANCHOR-GRAND MARAIS, MICHIGAN!

Stats: Log 7013.3 NM, Trip 58.74, Water temperature 54.5F in the harbor, Max speed 8.81 knots, Ave. speed 6.0 knots, max wind 32.4 knots. Seas remained under 2 ft.