We arrived at the marina on a Thursday. Arriving at a marina is always a happy day, no matter the day, month, or hour. In this case, we were embarking on a four-day sail.

We (Michael’s daughter and fiance, and Michael’s sister and her long-time friend) had an adult beverage, put our supplies on the boat, and ate dinner at the marina. We then played Cards Against Humanity and drank some more adult beverages before retiring on 37′ Clear Air.

Friday

Some of us awoke at sunrise on Friday. The rest of us slept in, so we didn’t get going until mid-morning.

The wind was too light for sailing, and the forecast suggested that this would be the case all day. We took that as a sign that we should motor to Devil’s Island.

While Michael stayed with the boat, the rest of us took the dinghy to shore, did some cliff jumping, and took the lighthouse tour. I then stayed with the boat while the rest took a dinghy tour of the caves. No matter how many times you see the caves, every time is as golden as the last. You will never tire of them. I long for the day I will visit them via kayak.

Magically, the winds picked up (the winds tend to be light in August in the Apostle Islands), and we were able to sail to Raspberry Bay to anchor for the night. One of our crew members provided a wonderful meal (Banh Mi sandwiches). We cooked the sausage on the boat’s grill.

Saturday

We took advantage of the wind to sail to Stockton Island, where we hiked the Tombolo Trail. We then sailed to Manitou Island to visit the fishing camp. The guide was no longer giving tours, but she graciously provided some information. One of these pictures portrays our effort to pretend that we are studiously reading Bonnie Dahl as we sailed to our next destination.

We bathed off the back of the sailboat (the water smelled like fish, but we still felt it was worth it) then motored to the north side of Oak Island to anchor overnight. We met up with SV Potter’s two sailors (we have sailed with them several times before) and invited them to have dinner on our boat. We grilled chicken and had a marvelous dinner before playing another round of Cards Against Humanity. It is cozy to hang out in the saloon with good friends, laughing and sharing food and drinks and the love of sailing. (Appreciative sigh.)

My first mate (and hubby) and I took the sailors back to SV Potter on the dinghy before crashing for the night.

Sunday

Those of us who got up early (not this captain) awoke to rain. Those of us (ditto) who are responsible crew members cleared the cockpit of items that were better left dry.

Those of us who slept in awoke to an overcast day. We invited our friends from SV Potter to join us on a hike to the Overlook on Oak Island. Three of our hiking buddies picked Chanterelle mushrooms along the way. Our soon-to-be-son-in-law used the mushrooms (along with butter, onions and white wine) to create a yummy appetizer that evening.

We enjoyed a meal of pasta with bolognese sauce on SV Clear Air with the sailors from SV Potter.

Monday

Alas, the trip was coming to an end too soon. (I look forward to three years from now when my hubby and I live on our sailboat.)

We started the day by hiking to and from Eagle’s Nest, which is located on Madeline Island. The view from Eagle’s Nest was spectacular.

The wind wasn’t in our favor, so we motored to Madeline Bay Marina, where we docked while we visited Tom’s Burned Down Cafe. If you’ve read our blogs before, you now know that TBDC is a “must stop” on our last day. We each had a yummy adult beverage, then scurried back to Clear Air.

We motored back to Bayfield with somewhat heavy hearts, since none of us were ready to disembark.

The good news is that we all want to sail with each other again. We hope to share another story with this amazing crew sometime in the future.

Postscript: If you have read our previous blogs, you know that we enjoy sailing with people of all (or no) levels of experience. On this trip, two of our crew members who had no sailing experience became as involved as a new crew member could possibly be. They managed sheets, raised and lowered the mainsail, furled the jib, raised and dropped the anchor, helped with the dock lines, and took the helm. It was so much fun to see them enjoy participating fully as crew members.

To my sister female captains: My husband and I agreed to get him to “captain” status first so we could sail increasingly bigger boats. As it is now my turn, we both find that we struggle a bit with fulfilling the “other” person’s role because we are so accustomed to performing our “own” role. (I LOVE managing the running rigging, but I am less experienced with docking, for example.)

Hang in there. Talk to each other. Tell your partner what you need from him in his “new” role. Cut him some slack when he is asked to perform a task that is less familiar to him but hold him responsible. Cut yourself some slack too, but hold yourself responsible. Sailing is a team effort, but there is only one captain. Embrace the role! 🙂

Here are some other pictures from this wonderful adventure!