A Week in July

It’s not just an adventure, It’s the HOOK!

This race has a little something for everyone. I have sailed it twice now with the objective of building our sailing resume for entry in the Chicago-Mac, but the HOOK race is a very satisfying venue in its own right. The HOOK offers plenty of navigational and tactical challenges in open water, but it also provides numerous nearby harbors, in case things get really hairy.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar; the HOOK starts off Racine Harbor at about 10:00 A.M. on a Saturday, the course passes Windpoint and then goes straight to Portes des Morts passage between Door County and Washington Island, passes Chambers Island and then turns straight South to a finish just inside the inlet to Sturgeon Bay. This part of Wisconsin is particularly scenic, and as luck would have it, we got to view it during daylight hours.

The hook is 199 nmi long. We ran the course this year in 52 hours, for an average speed of 3.8269 kts. This year the race was remarkable for two things; 1) the winds on Lake Michigan were painfully light, and 2) the winds within Green Bay were really weird (more on this later).

The nearby GPS trace shows the northern section of the race beginning at Two Rivers (the dotted line near shore is our trip home). The segment from Two Rivers to the Safe Water Buoy was recorded from about 8:00 Sat evening to 3:00 A.M. Monday. As you can see we actually got to tack at around Midnight Saturday, just south of Kewaunee and then again in the wee hours just east of Kewaunee. The high point of the evening was trying to stay awake for me (on-watch 10:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M.) and a spectacular viewing of the Aurora Borealis (rare this far south). That following day we plodded along at about 1.38 kts. in very flat water.

For these distance races I prepare a ‘Dutch Rotation’ style watch system. Every two hours one crew goes ‘off-watch’ and one comes on. With our standard crew of seven, this allows four people on deck at any given time with each watch lasting 8 hours, and each ‘off-watch lasting 6. Big sail evolutions or maneuvers may require all hands. All of us can helm when necessary, and three of us serve as watch captains. I like this rotation plan, as it keeps fresh and qualified crew on deck at all times, which is vital for night navigation and collision avoidance.

For us the start of this year’s race actually began at o-dark-thirty on Saturday morning. Our game plan was to leave SSYC at 5:00 A.M. and sail to Racine for the start. The boat had been pre-provisioned the night before, so all we had to do was load our sleepy crew and start sailing. And what a sail it was, the stars were in perfect alignment for this race, fair long range forcast, moderate south easterly breezes, good friends, good food, etc. Little did I know that later that evening, I would be looking for every 0.0269Kts. of boatspeed that I could find.

I happen to think that creature comforts go a long way toward improving the efficiency of a sailing crew, and in this regard I believe that MARIAH is extremely competitive. A key element of this is port and starboard ‘sea-berth’s that can be adjusted to cuddle an exhausted sailor in even the roughest of seas. Equally important, is thoughtful provisioning and the ability to prepare HOT food and beverages. Each crew member is asked to provide a meal for seven as well as complete a ‘beverage’ assignment. This year we made do with Lemon Chicken, Quiche, BBQ’d Chicken Wings, Prime Rib sandwiches, homemade Egg McMuffins (sorry McDonalds), hot tea, hot cocoa, etc. Hopefully the weight gain is only temporary.

Our start at Racine was satisfactory, and after sailing a starboard beat to clear the Wind Point buoys, we turned North and set the reaching chute. Shortly thereafter, while posing for the ‘boatpix.com’ helicopter, our spinnaker halyard chaffed through and we went shrimping for the cameras (picture not available). Superior sail handling prevailed however and we got it quickly rehoisted on the spare spinnaker halyard. After the start, while several boats elected to beat farther east, we went for speed down the course and allowed ourselves to be pushed inshore as the wind steadily shifted North and went light. By the time we started watching the Northern Lights, most of the fleet was spread out on an East-West line across the lake. By morning, the wisper of remaining wind shifted to the South, and we knew we had made significant gains, even if we were only consolidating our lead at 1.38 kts.

All day Sunday and into the wee hours of Monday A.M. we ghosted over the pond-like water. We played with various sail combinations as the fleeting puffs came and went, occasionally hitting breathtaking speeds in excess of 4 kts. During this time, numerous radio calls indicated many boats were giving up. I kept doing the math in my head and kept coming up with the conclusion that, no-way were we going to make the time limit. I also decided that having gotten this close to ‘Death’s Door Passage’, I was going to go for it. As luck would have it, the wind started to fill in from the Northwest at a steady 6 or 7 kts, just as we got to the Fair Water Buoy at 3:00 A.M. The turn to the Northwest through the straights brought us onto a satisfying 5.5kt. close reach and an opportunity to view a nice freighter close-up coming the other way. I’m glad the repeated blasts of his horn and sweeping searchlight were pointed at other racers in our vicinity.

The next hazard to be handled at ‘first light’ was the armada of impatient fishermen headed out to the lake. I got the impression that our fleet of sailboats, choking the channel, were hindering their style. They did pass us without calamity, and we continued, debating when to time our tack to clear Plum Island. This is the point where the whimsy of Green Bay winds became evident.

As the nearby GPS track shows, we experienced a huge lift in the channel. This would be the first of many these interesting events as the day progressed. The track from the Clear Water Buoy to the tack at the upper left is about 12 Nmi., all sailed close hauled on port tack!

As the day brightened, so did the wind, ultimately picking up to 11 or 12 kts, and giving us a brisk beat through Green Bay. It was time for me to turn in and get some shut eye.

The sailing instructions call for passing the marks north of Chambers Island to port, and midmorning found us doing just that with some interesting lifts. Note the tacks and lifts in the GPS track. I’m glad I was supposed to be getting some rest during this ‘phase’.

The last leg is due south from Chambers Island to the finish is about 20 mi. As I enjoyed a much needed rest, I was dimly aware of a lively discussion between the two skippers on deck. “Should we tack?, lets give it 5 more minutes and see if this lift continues.” As you can see by the curvature or our track, the lift lasted a couple of hours.

Then the wind started going light, again. We cruised toward the finish line at about 3kts., hoping like crazy we would finish before the wind died. We did. Third in class.

Breakfast on the water.

Timeless Glyn stoically takes his turn at the helm. Brent ‘pucks’ a nearby Frehrs 38.

Sturgeon bay scenery.