What a Difference a Day Makes
In order to keep the crew and the boat safe the new owner of the Emita purchased radar for the boat. It's a Garmin GPSmap 741xs. In addition to radar it also has charting capabilities, but Captain Duane brought a charting computer with him that the crew is using so the Garmin is primarily radar for now. We never needed charts or depth maps or radar on the Erie Canal, but both machines have come in very handy already, especially this morning when the fog was thick. Nothing like a little modern technology to make things easier! With the fuel topped off and the chart plotted, the Emita headed back out onto Lake Erie with a planned final destination of Cleveland, Ohio.
When in Rome...
There are now four crew members with the Emita, and while traveling three are on-board and one is in a chase van. Dan used a chase van during the years the Emita did multiple day cruises on the Erie Canal, and it proved very helpful. When you have a van you can buy supplies (like when the Captain forgets to buy mayonnaise and sends everyone into a tizzy!), go ahead to locks and Marinas, or bridges (as was very helpful on the Canal as they were not all operational) to let the folks there know the boat is on her way. And ultimately everyone needs to get home from Michigan City, Indiana somehow! Steve and Ben are alternating days of driving the van. Today was Steve's day to drive, and when you are in this area and have 4 hours to kill, where do you go?
Yep, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Touring this was a bucket list item for Steve! Hey, when in Rome!
Cleveland
Meanwhile aboard the Emita the crew had another very long, but uneventful day. Uneventful is wonderful on this kind of trip! After almost 11 hours Cleveland came into view.
They docked at the Yacht Club for the night, made dinner, planned the destination for tomorrow (Sandusky, Ohio) and went to bed.
Great post! What is the average speed the old girl can knock out? How many miles a day can you do? It appears you are just sailing during the daylight hours. Any thoughts of over night shifts and making time?
ReplyDeleteThe plan is to keep her a steady 8-9 mph, with the current helping and not helping at times. She is capable of going slightly faster (like 10ish), but there's some risk to going all-out on a boat that has not done open water since she came down the Atlantic in 1974, and it's not like you would go a ton faster. The plan is only to sail during daylight hours to be as safe as possible and also to spare the crew and allow them to rest. It adds time, but safety and sanity first! :-)
DeleteOh, and the goal is about 100 miles/day, with some exceptions. For instance today they had a shorter day, ending in Sandusky, Ohio, to get them some R & R before crossing heading to Detroit. They expect the current on the Detroit River to be challenging so they want to set themselves up well.
DeleteDelighted to discover your blog today (Friday 18 May) as I had watched you pass Belle Isle in th Detroit River Wednesday, at Detroit! You were quite noticeable coming under our MacArthur Bridge and continuing up and out around Grosse Pointe in Lac Ste. Claire!
ReplyDeleteHi Trey! That's so cool! I hope thigh follow the rest of the Emita Ii's journey to Michigan City!
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