Chance Of Thunderstorms

Here is a picture taken last week at Mackinac Island. My husband Gary & I were out for about 10 days on our Commander. We had just sailed into Mackinac Island from Drummond Island. They were predicting severe thunderstorms in the late afternoon. This picture was taken from the cockpit within the harbor. It is over the Chippewa hotel on Mackinac Island. When we saw the swirling clouds start to form, I went below to get my camera. While I was down there, Gary saw this become a water spout briefly. It had made landfall by the time I took the picture over the hotel. It is pretty "scary" weather. We were tied to a dock, but I would not call that good protection from a tornado or water spout.:eek:

In my experience, the Straits can be as tough as it comes. And the Mackiaac Harbor can really be particularly turbulent. But it can also be a most beautivul, benign, delightful, pretty, area imaginable with superb sailing. So how long were you laid over in Mackinac? We've had some tough days this past week.

We ended up there for three nights. We really do enjoy riding our bikes on the island, so it wasn't too much of a hardship. We left on Sunday with winds out of the SW to W, only 5 to 15 knots (predicted) to sail back to our dock in Cheboygan. We rounded Round Island, and it was pretty choppy, but the ferries had already kicked up a lot of slop, so we didn't think much of it. But once we got on the southwest side of Bois Blanc Island, all ^&** broke loose. The winds picked up directly out of the west, 20 to 30 mph. The seas became really choppy and building quickly. We decided that Mackinac City was the nearest harbor to sail to, even though we knew it would be on the nose. It took us three hours, motorsailing into the wind and seas for 5 to 6 miles! The seas were 8 feet, with waves breaking into the cockpit. We would actually "stand still" at times with the current, wind, and seas. But we finally made it into Mackinac City. We ended up there for three nights waiting out the blow. Of course the first night was spent at the local pub after that days sail. Now I know where the term "drunken sailor" comes from.

;)

I can empathize. In my earlier years I took whatever came my way, and somehow survived (and today I wonder how I did). Now that I have found religion, I can understand how a couple days at a bar, walking around or reading are preferable to pushing the window of luck. As one acquaintance advised "Remember, Peter, sailing is supposed to be fun".

With the coming of fall sailing, the weather patterns move much faster than in the June, July and August period. The number of hours for the window of opportunity to sail from here to there is short enough in those summer months, but in the fall, it is tough, real short and unpredictable. That is what I ran into last year sailing from Hessel, MI back to Racine in September. That trip was planned to be an easy one weeker. It wound up taking 17 days. A day of consistent weather is not the norm in the fall - or if it is, the winds are so intense and the waves so tough you don't realize several hours have passed because you are comfortable and warm in a bar, or somewhere.

It sounds like you enjoyed yourself, and, after all, that is what it is all about.

My local weather forecast calls for possible thunderstorms for the next 10 days. Should I let that spoil my fun?

Those lying weather weasel forecasters. They have 6 different ways of saying the same thing:

A chance of a thunderstorm

Chance of thunderstorms

Isolated thunderstorms

A few thunderstorms possible

Widely scattered thunderstorms

Scattered thunderstorms possible


I'll believe it when I see it

How I miss you guys....!

....especially commanderpete. And his uncanny ability to post a perfect shot

to show just how ridiculous the human condition can be....

and how much fun it is

to survive another crisis.


Commanderpete - Theis - Sailor Liz - Janice Collins - Mike Goodwin

Hope you all are well...

and sailing up a storm.

Can't agree more. And, C. Pete was one of our premier posters . . .