Small Craft Warning - Sailing SV Freelance Ep. 36

A Small Craft Warning was in effect for Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, giving Freelance, our Pearson 367, outstanding sailing conditions. Together with our friends Tim and Terri we thoroughly enjoyed a fast return under full sails from Raspberry Island to the Port Superior Marina. It was an awesome ride. We had originally planned to stay out in the Islands for one more night, aiming to anchor in Julian Bay, Stockton Island. However, Freelance’s alternator failed on our way from Raspberry Bay to Raspberry Island. That obviously forced us to change our plans. So, after breakfast, we set a course for a return to Port Superior. The wind was blowing a steady 15 to 20 knots, often gusting to 25 knots, but the seas were minimal. After passing the Red Cliff Point buoy, we had great fun trying to bury the rail in the waters of the West Channel. Unfortunately, we had a little too much fun. In one of the heavier gusts, Vicki suddenly slid off the seat on the high side, and got tangled up in the bottom of the cockpit well. She got a bad bruise on her left arm, and fractured her tailbone. It was a bad spill. During our sail back, we had the entire time left the diesel running at idle and in neutral. When we got close to the marina, the alternator kicked back in again. That indicated that the failure was likely caused by a loose connection, probably from Freelance’s motion in the chop. It proved to be so, when John, one of Port Superior’s expert technicians, later checked it out. It was an easy fix — but the intermittent connection sadly cost us another night anchored out in the Apostle Islands. Satellite images courtesy of Google Earth,