Having done absolutely everything I wished to do I can be forgiven for assuming the excitement was over. After breakfast I’d sail back across the waters, get my truck out of car jail, trailer up, and head home. Easy peasy.
Nope.
As I’m powering down food, I notice everyone glancing at a nearby flagpole. There’s nary a hint of breeze at the outdoor table where we’re seated but the flagpole is above the buildings and tree canopy. The flag is standing straight out.
Meh. I’m sure it’s normal.
“Have we told you about the curse?” Someone asks. “Every time we go here for breakfast the wind picks up and it’s a mess getting back across.”
La la la… I’m not hearing this!
Others join in; happily sharing stories about other times they’ve sailed here. Apparently, on the last such run “the fleet” got dispersed on a dramatic sail back and wound up scattered all over the 20-mile lake.
My truck and trailer are at car jail… almost perfectly due west of my position. If I end up somewhere else, how am I going to load up?
“Ha ha ha… remember that one time when your wife had to drive all the way around the lake? Man was she pissed…”
I’m missing the thread of the story but I get the idea. If it takes 25 miles to get to the nearest bridge and a couple miles across the bridge and then 25 miles back on the other side of the lake… someone’s wife drove 50-60 miles just to get to a rescued sailor and then 50-60 miles just to get back. I’ve got nobody to call. Mrs. Curmudgeon is several hundred miles away and doesn’t take kindly to such shenanigans. (I pretty much always get home on my own resources.) I think about the SpotX Satellite Communicator I’m carrying. It’s a very nice piece of kit, but this is a situation better served by an Uber account and a smartphone. What’s the over under on landing randomly at a car rental place that offers one way 50-mile rentals?
While I’m in space cadet mode, the boat guys have already come up with a plan. The wind is from the north, the ramp is to the west, most of “the fleet” is going to go directly across. They will fight what everyone assumes will be very strong winds; tacking into the wind just enough to get back to their original point of departure. A smaller contingent is going with the wind, planning to cross the lake but beach at a ramp much further south. [Upon reflection, “plan” is misnomer. It’s more like “each man does what he feels best for his craft and skills”. Are sailors libertarians?]
I’m asked my opinion; will I go with the wind or across it? I’ve got smaller fish to fry: “Can anyone tow me out of the campground and into the lake?” Everyone agrees that bouncing about the tree studded, too shallow for the daggerboard, winds too messy to use a sail, flooded campground is an issue. They all planned to “muddle through”. I opt to pansy out and beg a tow. One guy (with a bigger boat that sports the technology called “motor”) offers to tow me out of the mess. (So much for feeling cool about not having a motor.)
From there it’s obvious. I will go with the wind and hope someone has figured out the carpool scenario. If they haven’t. It won’t kill me to hike a few miles.
Have you considered sculling as an alternate to a motor?
http://www.simplicityboats.com/yulohpage.html
Sculling is awesome but the short fat shape of the PDR design I built isn’t well suited to it.
How about one of those little electric trolling motors?
I’ve gone back and forth on that idea. At first I really wanted one but then I thought about a 40# Deep Cycle boat anchor or doom in my hull and also there’s only so much room on my transom. Plus, every time I add something to my boat it gets in the way. That said, I built the transom “bulked up” to handle a motor (and I have one).
I’m pretty sure the tiny boat would scoot along nicely with a trolling motor… probably get a lot of hours from the battery too. I just haven’t committed to it yet. I’m thinking of making a second rudder; I may make a rudder that has an integrated trolling motor built in. I’ve never seen it done but why the heck not?
A cliff hanger! Right on!!
My big-water experience was on a friggin’ aircraft carrier :-), so don’t think I know what I’m yammering about.
Having said that, I’m hoping halfway thru the downwind jaunt, AC decides to go crosswind. Let out some sail, lean upwind, read the sea state and hope the waves on the starboard side don’t decide to swamp the boat. Sounds like fun!
Ain’t nothin’ non-heroic about being towed for the right reasons.