Sailing Across Lake Michigan

[Garymadhatter]

Originally Posted by liquidice

Mhg you will probably make it. You will probably be cool. But sailing somewhere for the first time is stressful, inherently risky, tiring, and usually more challenging than planned for. Figuring out where you are, exactly, can be challenging when you see the shore. When you can't, it can become impossible. Especially while you have to keep steering the boat. After crossing it would be easy to get into a situation where you see the Michigan shore and don't know whether to go N or S. It is so fatiguing after a long sail to be unsure of where the harbor is.

As posters have pointed out you were unsure if your autotiller was holding straight or keeping a heading. So do you pop it on to trim a sail or make a phone call or whatever? That alone says you should keep to within 10 miles of the shore and do the loop. Or just do a test run down to Waukegan. My launch was cancelled last week Saturday for 13' waves and gales to 30 on the nearshore forecast, and no wheedling from me was going to change their minds. I'm saying the lake has been feisty of late and you do not want to take her lightly. With the loop, there is a harbor at least every 20 miles, so you always have a plan B. Be safe you mad man and i hope to see you out there.

My autotiller is definitely not functioning. I will get it repaired or have the marina put on a new one before I go. Thanks for the weather update. Sure makes me think long and hard about the coastal route.

[liquidice]

Yeah man I am just saying I sail out of Jax Park in Chicago and I store in Waukegan. I always plan on doing it in one shot, but I always end up putting in at Wilmette, 1/2 way up. Fuel, crew preference, etc just pulls you in. At least once before you go straight across, it might be wise to harbor around. Also the depth of the lake and available harbors make sleeping on anchor rare. Most sb tragedies I see on the Great Lakes involve sleeping and /or crashing with a drunk speeding motorboat. You're expected to go all the way. Ya know?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by carlheintz

Rognvold is correct... this passage is not to be taken lightly. You are crossing an ocean, and for most of the voyage will not be able to see a shoreline. Unless you have some navigation skills and have used a GPS you could get yourself in trouble. Also, this time of year, it is cold, and when you are really cold, it is no fun.

Those who advocate sailing at night need to remember that a novice/ intermediate sailors may not have had that experience, and it is much, much different than sailing during the daylight hours.

You should take at least one person with you. My suggestion is that you plan on leaving in the very early morning. You should arrive with some daylight left.

There is a real possibility that you could be becalmed out there. This time of year it's not uncommon for the winds to die. So you better have enough fuel to get you at least 75% of the way.

You should also be sure that your VHF radio is working, and that you have your antenna on the top of the mast. That should give you at least a 30 mile range.

IF you have the time, the very best way is to harbor hop your way over. I would strongly suggest you not just take off assuming that you'll figure it out when you get there. If you harbor hop, you can have a wonderful time, and spend a few days enjoying the fantastic coast we have.

All good suggestions. I would add that you should put in as many hours as you can sailing around your area before you leave. Make sure you know your boat well. Know how she sails, how she motors. And get out in some rough stuff if you can. You really don’t want to be learning your heavy weather sailing skills at 2 am on your first crossing .

One thing about night sailing though, most novices perceive it as difficult or something to be nervous about. As with all things sailing, it should be treated with respect. But in some ways night sailing is easier than day. Lights are often easier to see than boats or markers in sunlight. Winds are usually calmer. And fewer boats are out there anyway once you get away from shore and off the shipping lanes. There’s nothing finer than a clear night sky to guide your little ship by.

I love night sailing, especially on the Great Lakes. Enjoy it!

[Garymadhatter]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

All good suggestions. I would add that you should put in as many hours as you can sailing around your area before you leave. Make sure you know your boat well. Know how she sails, how she motors. And get out in some rough stuff if you can. You really don’t want to be learning your heavy weather sailing skills at 2 am on your first crossing .

One thing about night sailing though, most novices perceive it as difficult or something to be nervous about. As with all things sailing, it should be treated with respect. But in some ways night sailing is easier than day. Lights are often easier to see than boats or markers in sunlight. Winds are usually calmer. And fewer boats are out there anyway once you get away from shore and off the shipping lanes. There’s nothing finer than a clear night sky to guide your little ship by.

I love night sailing, especially on the Great Lakes. Enjoy it!

I am familiar with sailing in Tampa Bay where the shipping lanes are clearly marked. Are there any such marking for shipping lanes on Lake Michigan?

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Garymadhatter

I am familiar with sailing in Tampa Bay where the shipping lanes are clearly marked. Are there any such marking for shipping lanes on Lake Michigan?

On Lake Ontario, the freighter lanes are clearly marked on the paper charts. Might be a bit harder to see on the electronic version.

I also love night sailing. Its like you finally get to use the full capability of the boat...the lights, electronics, sails...everything at once.

And while I agree with the other posters who advocate extreme preparedness and practice, I myself have done otherwise. 5 times I have purchased boats in the Toronto area and sailed them home (about 150 miles) as my very first sail on them. Most of those trips were quite uneventful, and I even brought my young children a couple of times. As recently as last summer, I helped a new owner who had just bought a 40 year old Mirage 27 in Brockville, and helped him sail it to Toronto (about 200 miles) as his first sail on the boat. And he had never sailed before. And yes, we went offshore and the weather got bad...but we did everything right and got there just fine.

While we MUST say "be careful" and "be prepared", I like to recall Joshua Slocum, who set off around the world, alone, with none of the advantages we have today. He was chased by storms, pirates, and bad cheese, and lived to tell the tale. Personally, I bought a 29 foot boat for $100 (cdn) and sailed it home 150 miles. I knew the sails worked, I had paper charts, my handheld VHF and GPS, and my crew were 8 and 10 years old. A mile out of Toronto I found the autohelm was junk...and I hand steered the whole way. And we had a great time. And so will you! Really, its hardly more than a day sail. If you knew how it was going to turn out, it wouldn't be an adventure. Afterwards, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

[continuouswave]

At 5-MPH and an 80-mile crossing, you will need 16-hours of good weather. I have found the NOAA service at

https://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/centgrtlakes.php

to be very good for predicting winds. I use it all the time. A few years ago we were stuck in Charlevoix for a few days while Lake Michigan was howling. The NOAA service (above) showed a short break in the winds for a few hours, and we took advantage of it to get out of the harbor and make it home. The accuracy of their forecast have been excellent in my experience.

We also use GRIB model forecasts for winds. They are usually very reliable, too. I use the navigation application POLAR VIEW NS to retrieve the GRIB models and overlay the weather data.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Garymadhatter

I am familiar with sailing in Tampa Bay where the shipping lanes are clearly marked. Are there any such marking for shipping lanes on Lake Michigan?

The shipping lanes are marked on the charts Gary. They’re pretty clear. Most commercial shipping follows the lanes pretty closely, but sometimes they do stray off the lines, so a good watch is still important.

Given your questions, and your rational caution, I predict you’re going to have a great sail. Sailing out of sight of land can be exhilarating. And despite your first inclination, sailing close to shore (harbour hopping) is really more dangerous to a well-found vessel than being off shore. While it’s certainly possible for wind and seas to do in a vessel, the most likely cause of harm is hitting something hard. Near land is where the hard stuff is found.

[RightSeat]

Gary – when I first read your post, I too was very concerned for your trip. I am very relieved to have you heeding the sound advice of the many contributors to this thread! I have done the majority of my inland sailing in the San Francisco Bay where it is a daily occurrence for the wind to go from 5 to 30+ knots, fog rolls in reducing visibility to near zero all in minutes while you are maneuvering to avoid traffic ranging from freighters to SUPs.

A lake crossing any time of year is a serious passage! All the preparation, planning and supplies (life raft, EPIRB, foulies, SPOT tracker, GPS, autopilot etc.) will be well worth it when you arrive after an uneventful first passage. If things go differently, you will be prepared and have great stories to share.
The advice of rognvald should be listened to carefully! I beg to differ with “It's a day trip for cryin' out loud. Like any other trip, pick your weather and go. It ain't rocket surgery.” No, it’s not rocket science but Mother Nature will slap you down if you don’t pay her the respect She deserves by preparing!

I currently reside in Milwaukee (neighbor!) and would be happy to get together to discuss the trip. Like most sailors, I can’t turn down the chance to talk sailing. If you’d like, feel free to email me and we can set up a time.
What a great sail you have coming up! Either crossing or by hopping you will be a very different sailor when you reach South Haven!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by RightSeat

Gary – when I first read your post, I too was very concerned for your trip. I am very relieved to have you heeding the sound advice of the many contributors to this thread! I have done the majority of my inland sailing in the San Francisco Bay where it is a daily occurrence for the wind to go from 5 to 30+ knots, fog rolls in reducing visibility to near zero all in minutes while you are maneuvering to avoid traffic ranging from freighters to SUPs.

A lake crossing any time of year is a serious passage! All the preparation, planning and supplies (life raft, EPIRB, foulies, SPOT tracker, GPS, autopilot etc.) will be well worth it when you arrive after an uneventful first passage. If things go differently, you will be prepared and have great stories to share.
The advice of rognvald should be listened to carefully! I beg to differ with “It's a day trip for cryin' out loud. Like any other trip, pick your weather and go. It ain't rocket surgery.” No, it’s not rocket science but Mother Nature will slap you down if you don’t pay her the respect She deserves by preparing!

I currently reside in Milwaukee (neighbor!) and would be happy to get together to discuss the trip. Like most sailors, I can’t turn down the chance to talk sailing. If you’d like, feel free to email me and we can set up a time.
What a great sail you have coming up! Either crossing or by hopping you will be a very different sailor when you reach South Haven!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Welcome Aboard CF Rightseat.

[30West]

The shipping lanes in lower Lake Michigan kind of go all over. In over 400' of water and nothing to hit, ships tend to turn direct for a point off their destination. There isn't really a shipping lane into my harbor, but we get ships from all over the world, so they just turn wherever is efficient like you or I.

Your side of Lake Michigan is more rocks and shoals, my side is sand, consistently dropping about 30' per mile. You can pretty much tell how far out you are by your depth on my side, we used to navigate that way when fishing in fog long ago.

If all your nav stuff quits, go east and turn right when you see land.

[thruska]

Garymadhat, not much to add here. Great advice for the most part. Our experienced Great Lakes sailors are a prudent lot with respect for the water and weather.
Heed Rogvald. Make your vessel worthy. Prepare as you are with redundancy and the adventure will unfold.
Not to dampen your zeal, but you may recall a few years back a tug/barge drove over a commercial fishing boat .All hands lost on fish boat.These were seasoned crews. Barge claimed they never knew they hit the fish boat....
So prudence and preparedness are wise.
Looks like you have a good friend in Rightseat. Hats off to him !
Good luck !
30 years back I frequented Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Algoma,Kewaunee,Manitowoc. Went aboard a 35 footer sailboat as a guest on crossing . It got grey and overcast and a rollercoaster before even halfway. Returned to Algoma and grommets got purty tite coming in to narrow harbor entrance. Some other crew were quite green in the gills. Thank God not me. There was no prediction of the gitchee gummee !
Due diligence to weather is utmost importance.
Enuff said. I think you will be fine.

[liquidice]

Madhat let us know how it goes! I launched from the hard yesterday in Waukegan and made it most of halfway before resorting to motor to jax park. North wind would've been perfect to beam across. Mayhap today as well!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, RightSeat.

[Garymadhatter]

Originally Posted by continuouswave

At 5-MPH and an 80-mile crossing, you will need 16-hours of good weather. I have found the NOAA service at

https://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/centgrtlakes.php

to be very good for predicting winds. I use it all the time. A few years ago we were stuck in Charlevoix for a few days while Lake Michigan was howling. The NOAA service (above) showed a short break in the winds for a few hours, and we took advantage of it to get out of the harbor and make it home. The accuracy of their forecast have been excellent in my experience.

We also use GRIB model forecasts for winds. They are usually very reliable, too. I use the navigation application POLAR VIEW NS to retrieve the GRIB models and overlay the weather data.

Thanks. I do use NOAA but did not know about GRIB. good stuff.

[Garymadhatter]

Originally Posted by RightSeat

Gary – when I first read your post, I too was very concerned for your trip. I am very relieved to have you heeding the sound advice of the many contributors to this thread! I have done the majority of my inland sailing in the San Francisco Bay where it is a daily occurrence for the wind to go from 5 to 30+ knots, fog rolls in reducing visibility to near zero all in minutes while you are maneuvering to avoid traffic ranging from freighters to SUPs.

A lake crossing any time of year is a serious passage! All the preparation, planning and supplies (life raft, EPIRB, foulies, SPOT tracker, GPS, autopilot etc.) will be well worth it when you arrive after an uneventful first passage. If things go differently, you will be prepared and have great stories to share.
The advice of rognvald should be listened to carefully! I beg to differ with “It's a day trip for cryin' out loud. Like any other trip, pick your weather and go. It ain't rocket surgery.” No, it’s not rocket science but Mother Nature will slap you down if you don’t pay her the respect She deserves by preparing!

I currently reside in Milwaukee (neighbor!) and would be happy to get together to discuss the trip. Like most sailors, I can’t turn down the chance to talk sailing. If you’d like, feel free to email me and we can set up a time.
What a great sail you have coming up! Either crossing or by hopping you will be a very different sailor when you reach South Haven!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Hi Rightseat,

Thanks for the offer to talk. I'd be glad to contact you. I'll send you a private message.