Pushing my Luck

[Mike Pennington]

I got off work this morning, from a four day graveyard shift at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The weather has been getting bad because of a storm blowing up from off the Northern Pacific. I have been leaving my Vacationer moored out on Harding Lake for convenience. But with the weather we've been having I've been kind of worried about her. She has a way of taking off on her own when she gets lonely. :roll:

Since my Vacationer is moored off shore I use my white water boat to shuttle back and forth ashore. And of coarse the property I moor off of is across the lake from the boat launch. My goal was to bring both boats home in the next couple of days, because I am going on a trailer sail this coming week.

Because the wind was so strong when I first got to the lake I had to wait out the rough surf to get out of the boat launch channel with the drift boat. I almost packed her up and went home, but decided to wait out the weather, I was worried that with the storm that is predicted the Vacationer would break her mooring again. In an hour or so the wind easied up and across the lake I went.

Well pounded my way across the lake is more like it. Wet ride! I fought the surf and wind the whole way. When I got to the Wolf I ate lunch and took a nap down below while I finished waiting for the wind to slack off.

Because of the look the sky had, I opted to tow the Wolf back across the lake when the wind slacked off. Big mistake, an eight hundred pound Vacationer dosen't tow well without some one at the wheel. She was all over the place.

Plan B, Tow the drift boat with the Vacationer. Someday I'm going to buy a motor for the Wolf. But today it was hoist the sails and off we went.

Well of coarse the wind picked up on the way back, there wasn't going to be anything easy about this day. There have been days when it has taken me hours to get across this lake, but this wasn't one of them.

I've been practicing my heavy weather sailing lately, and I'm fairly cofident in what the Vacationer's limits are. We stretched the limits up a little higher today

The Wolf and I were FLYING! OoPs!, the drift boat with her thirty-five horse in tow. I briefly thought it was a good thing I had brought the old sea anchor with me to hold me back Then I looked back at Oops! and watched her torpedo'en straight for the stern of the Wolf on a two foot roller. :shock: At the last minute shearing off to starboard. I had just repaired the stern from the Aurorawolf's last little escape. Where an offended dock had given her a bit of a tail chewing :wink:

The lee shore was coming up fast and the wind was blowing up worse than when I first got to the lake. The Vacationer was handling it pretty well, by the way. But there was no way I would be able to sail in to the boat launch channel in that run down wind.

I came up into the wind and dropped anchor; no, make that both anchors.

Whew we! I took another nap and about 2300 I sailed in on the jib alone, with Oops! in tow. The Vacationer handles real well with just the jib, even dragging an eighteen foot, three hundred pound boat behind with her stink pot 35hp.

[tomstock]

Thanks for the story and the neat pictures. I enjoyed the reading about your adventure. Sounds like you had some fun out there!

[Steve Day]

At least you didn't have to worry about running out of daylight like we do around here.

In this case, it appeared to be quite convenient to have light all the way around the clock.

Great story and pictures!

Thanks for the opportunity to see them.

Steve

[Jan Williamson]

So the last pic is at 11pm? Very cool! Thanks for the great story and pics! I was born and lived in Ketchikan for 6 years. But I never remember having longer days. Probably too far south

[capt jake]

Must not have been too bad; as you felt at ease enough to take a picture or two! ; Looks great, and yes you were definitely moving along!! :shock:

[Tim Diebert]

Great story and pix. Thanks.

Funny thing about sailing eh? You get the bejeepers scared out of you one day and the next day you have some new limits. I love it.

More pix! Great shot of the water.

[Mike Pennington]

Well put Ray.

What can I say, I like talking about my favorite hobby :wink:

I went out again today, and the lake was the opposite with sun and a light breeze. Sailing makes life worth a whole lot more as far as quality time goes.

I am planning a real trailer sail this weekend, so far it looks like Lake Louise, a biggy and very remote. There should be lots of wilderness photos on this one.

One of my other hobbies is writing, telling my little short stories is a kind of practice, too. :roll:

Mike

Hidden Lake, last years new place to sail, I try to do one place different each year.

[Bill]

It still amazes me that any place can have that much light, that late. I am one of the blessed people that can lay down at any time of the day or night and catch a few winks pretty easy. (Came in handy years ago long haul trucking) I still wake up at times when it is dark around here, in the middle of the night, and seem to be wide awake. I used to jump in my car and ride off to L.L. Bean (a 24 hours/7 day a week) store and just look around for something to do. (Not much happening in Maine at 2:00 Am)! I was thinking how cool it would be to just go down to the boat and grab a sail. If I got tired, just snooze a bit, and then watch the sky get even clearer and sail even more. I'd probably be a wreck by Monday morning, But, I'd be happy....

Nice photos..being a short story writer, I think it would be nice if you hooked up with an illustrator and told about these Hidden Lakes/Coves and mysteries in Alaska for a childrens book that might include some Sailing, Native Customs/Peoples and Local Nature and possibly a pirate (of course)! It was exactly the type of tale I would have Loved when I was young...I haven't met a child yet who didn't like a little intrigue from lands far away(from most of us). Might keep the fires burning until the Novel gets written....

Nice story...

b

[Mike Pennington]

Bill,

I thought about it, might still do it, but the color photos cost a lot to publish on my own. Might sell it to one of the big boys though :roll: never know. I thought about it as kind of a tour guide, Alaskan Trailer Sailor. But like I said it would cost more than I could afford to use a Print On Demand Publisher. Also the cost to the reader would be over $25 or more. :cry:

It's getting dark at night now, for a little bit, it won't be long before winter hits. The old timers are saying it will be an earliy winter, from my experience by the begining of October every thing starts to freeze.

There is a down side, during the winter in December it only gets light for a few hours, and that is twilight :wink:

I have been draging my feet on my last novel, but during sailing season I never get much writing or proof reading done. It takes winter boredom to get much writing done. And an act of God to get Jim Baen to notice one of my books. I may try Tor soon, if I get another rejection slip.

Mike