Index

Photos

Support Whisper Polar Expedition Spitsbergen 2009.

  Huron - first little gale, a sparrow and 51'st state of the USA

    Early in the morning we sneak out into the lake. It's our farewell to Lake Michigan, which we will remember as full of golden beaches and turquoise bays. We enter the waters of Lake Huron - second of the three Great Lakes on our way. Fresh SSW breeze allows us to make good progress south but simultaneously pushes us east, towards the middle of the lake. We hope to take advantage of the forecasted wind shift to the west and reach Port Huron on one tack. Day passes and instead of the anticipated shift we receive small craft advisory. Next morning brings blue skies, growing wind, and fast building waves. It's not long before the only sails we fly is a tiny piece of the rolled jib. We begin to understand what it means that the waves on Great Lakes can be choppy. Although no higher than 7 feet, they are very steep and chaotic. We are being thrown mercilessly.

    It's the first serious test for our old vessel. As the hours pass, however, our confidence in Whisper grows. At the same time we notice many weak points in our preparation for stormy weather. A leaking forward hatch forces us out of our bed, heaps of junk cover the floor in no time - a total mess. To make things even worse, we lose an oar for our dinghy. Through the rest of the day and the next night, the rough conditions persist. Staying awake for four hours in such weather becomes a sheer struggle even with an endless supply of refreshing Coke, thus we reduce our watches to two hours. It seems to work quite well.

     In the morning we've got an unexpected visitor - a little, sparrow-like bird. This winged fellow seemed to be blown off of the land. It happens only when wind is very strong. Desperately looking for a patch of dry land, he overcame his natural shyness and landed on Whisper's deck. Having eaten all the cookie crumbs we gave him, he left without a word of thank you just before we approached Port Huron. Meanwhile, weary navigators discuss their position over the chart:

- "Look, it's Ontario. It's another state!"

- "Oh, yes! Ontario, it's just like the one in Canada..."

And so we enter the marina in Sarnia. No sooner do we get suspicious, we are surrounded by dozens of Canadian flags. We have just emigrated to Canada, illegally. We tank gas in no time and flee to the “good” side of the river. Yikes, it was close! With our minds' eyes we see Immigration and Homeland Security officers angrily waving their fists.

    We stay in Port Huron Yacht Club - a friendly marina (first night for free) in a small, pleasant town. If you go there, visit Raven Coffee House - a charming cafe stuffed with interesting books.

    Now something you've always wanted to know but were too afraid to ask: yes, we do have spiders on board. These charming arachnids became our friends a long time ago and we travel together in harmony. Magda is especially trustful and fond of spider Sleepy (no, he's not dead!). This fellow sleeps during the day and during the night he spreads his web and awaits his prey. Unhappily, he's an orphan...If you'd like to support our Sleepy, click the button on the left. Ahoy!

Index

Photos