Port Austin - Repair Day

Some pictures of the Port Austin Marina.






Having suffered damage, we stayed in Port Austin for 2 days for repairs. We bought cable and parts to make a new topping lift. Then with the help of my cousin and the owner of the boat next to ours, hoisted Greg up the mast using the main halyard to lift and spinnaker halyard as backup. It went very smoothly. 

We also repaired a small damaged spot on the bow that resulted from a dock collision suffered while docking in Put-In-Bay during rough seas, sealed a leaky window and repaired the wooden rails at the bow to which we attach fuel and water jugs.

We had two significant storms while in Port Austin. On the first night we had thunder and lightning. The second evening we had a deluge of rain and high winds. Before going to dinner we stopped for groceries. When we came out of the store it was pouring. The street had quickly turned into a river. As we drove to the restaurant, things cleared up. Surprisingly, the roads were dry at the restaurant as if nothing had happened there. While we were out to eat, the winds happened at the boat. When we returned to the boat the people in the boat across the dock said our boat leaned 30 degrees from the high wind. They must really have been tossed around riding out the storm in their boat. The storm missed where we were eating which was only about 10 miles away. We were talking to the people across the dock when another guy came up and showed us a picture he took from the restaurant he was at of a funnel cloud that did not touch down. I didn't get pictures of the storm, but it was beautiful after the storm.


We left Port Austin for Tawas, across Saginaw Bay. There was absolutely no wind the entire trip. The water was glass smooth. So we had to listen to the motor the whole way. The worst thing thought, were the flies. The were small, not horse flies, but they bit your ankles. I wonder how far a fly can go before it has to land. They were showing up when the closest point to land was 10 nautical miles.


Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 2, 2023 at 5:15 PM

    Where are the Upper Penisula head rests for the chairs? Great picture of flying Greg as a pirate flag. I've enjoyed following your blog, just be careful of the sudden storms, looks like you dodged a couple of bullets. It sounds like you are getting good advice from fellow sailors. As for the flies, maybe they're stowaways. - Mike S.

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