Bill Parsonage's avocation is sailing and related nautical activities.  In addition to sailing and maintaining the Suzy-Q, he is actively involved as a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.  

This "Page" is intended to be both  informative and fun.  Links are provided to selected web pages and other information associated with seamanship, sailing and safe boating.   Captain Bill will also report on adventures aboard the good little ship Suzy-Q sailing out of Sodus Point, New York on Lake Ontario.

 

 

 

Way Up North On Lake Superior (1996)

 

On July 1, 1996 Sue and I, with Suzy-Q II (a Aquarius 23) in tow, departed State College for a month-long adventure on Lake Superior. The trip of 1,100 miles to our destination, Cornucopia, Wisconsin, took us through five states and yielded many memorable experiences. Some of them are worth sharing.

Camping Out in Jellystone Park. It took some time to convince Sue that "it would be just as comfortable sleeping on the boat and less expensive than renting motel rooms". Reluctantly, she got on the phone to reserve a space for our 45 foot-long rig at Jellystone Park only to be told that they wouldn’t allow people to sleep in a sailboat! After assurances that the boat had all of the conveniences of an RV, they took our reservation.

Our "spot" turned out to be "mosquito city"! We spent the evening shopping for a bug screen for the companionway and repellent for our bodies.

The next morning we awoke to the greeting of a campground neighbor—"ahoy captain, how was your voyage." It was his way to fish for an invitation to come aboard. Then, one more night in a mosquito camp ground (called "Pride of America") and we made it to our destination, Cornucopia.

The World’s Largest Freshwater Lake. Lake Superior is 350 miles long, 160 miles wide, and has a coastline of 2,730 miles. With an average depth of 489 feet, at places the water is 1,333 feet, in part explaining the low (cold) water temperature, even in the summer.

Cornucopia is located on Siskowit Bay at the western end of the Apostle Island chain. All but two of the 28 Apostle Islands are federal park lands. One of them, Eagle Island, is a protected bird sanctuary upon which humans are not allowed. Other islands have huge caves which can be explored in small boats. Madaline Island, the largest of the group, has private development and features a 4 star restaurant.

The "Big Lake" (as Superior is called) is magnificently beautiful but can be equally dangerous. Storms come up quickly and are often violent. Apart from the Apostle Islands, there is no place to run and hide.

Settling In At Cornucopia. The little village of Cornucopia is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Superior (46 57’ n 91 07’ w). Ehler’s (if we don’t have it, you don’t need it) general store, Fish Lips tavern, the Village Inn B&B, two marinas, and Wisconsin’s northern-most post office comprise the town.

Life in Cornucopia is slow and mostly agreeable. After Larry, the marina owner, rented me a slip (for $100 a month with water and electricity) it took him an hour to collect his brother, another hour to help rig and launch Suzy-Q II, and still another hour to decide on the best slip to assign her. All the while, friendly observers (with beers in hand) greeted us and offered their advice and assistance. Other more suspicious personages stood around and wondered about the Parsonages.

With Suzy-Q II berthed, Sue and I began the search for our cabin (Sue had rented it long-distance, sight unseen for $400 a month) somewhere on Roman’s Point. To our surprise, we discovered a two bedroom structure with most of the conveniences. The only problem was that it was surrounded by standing water and smelled a little musty. The big attraction was that almost every evening at dusk, deer appeared and grazed on the front yard.

To Sail In The Big Lake. Sailing on Lake Superior is superb, especially when compared to places like Sayer’s Dam. Most days I was able to find wind enough to sail (often 10 to 15 knots) and on several occasions I was able to travel several miles at the boat’s theoretical hull speed without changing sails. When the winds were high, I wore my inflatable life jacket and was on a tether. In many ways, it reminded me of ocean sailing.

Suzy-Q II, an Aquarius 23, handled the heavy waters well. I was happy, however, to have a VHF radio and Loran aboard. The Lake often gets foggy (even small boats carry radar reflectors) and it is easy to get lost without electronic aids.

It Was Hard To Leave. Leaving was difficult. Sue’s dream has always been to have a cabin on the Big Lake. So, considerable time was spent looking at property, talking with developers and real estate agents. As Sue says, "there are some bargains left up north." Alas, in spite of its beauty, the long winters, cold temperatures, and isolation of the North Woods pose problems for us old folks.

Still, we know we will return, even if it requires towing the boat 1,100 miles each way. To salve our separation anxieties, we stopped for lunch with the "Uppers" (pronounced you-pers) on the upper peninsula of Michigan and stayed in a "real" motel on the way home.

Next year—Sailing the Big Lake part II.

 

 

 

Sailing the "Big Lake" II

In August, 1997 with boat in tow, Sue and I returned to Cornucopia, Wisconsin on the southern shore of Lake Superior for a month of sailing and communing with nature. When Sue asked about reserving space on campgrounds along the route of our trip, I declared there would be no repeat of last years communing with mosquitoes while sleeping in our boat. So, this time, we stayed at motels and our restful sleep was broken only by the need to check on the boat in the parking lot.

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water in the world, 603 ft. above sea level at the surface, 1330 ft. at its deepest. The lake contains 31700 sq. miles of surface with 2927 cubic miles (3 quadrillion gallons) of water, enough to cover North and South America with 1 ft. of water! Lake Superior holds half the water of the Great Lakes and one eighth of all the fresh water on the surface of the earth. The Lake’s shoreline length is 2,726 miles and it changes its water based on drainage every 191 years. The average lake temperature is less than 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sailing on the "big lake" was a joy. The winds were good almost every day; half the time, I sailed with one reef on the main. It was often possible to trim the sails, lock the tiller, sit back in the "cat bird" seat, and enjoy an hours ride at or near theoretical hull speed. As some of you know, my buddy Tom Miller and I spent part of the past winter building Nutshell dinghies (under the tutelage of K. C. Murphy).  I want to report that the little tender tracked wonderfully well behind Suzy-Q II evidenced by my brother, Ron, having an apprehensive ride (that’s him below).

During past trips, Sue’s sister visited us at "Corny" and always brought along her golden retriever, Pride. Pride died this past year. When Karla came north for a visit, she brought a shock of fur and requested a symbolic "burial at sea." So, at Latitude 46 deg. 51 min. N, Longitude 91 deg. 06 min. W, Captain Bill stood at attention, commanded Pride’s fur to the deep, saluted and shed a tear.

One morning, I agreed to take a novice, nervy woman sailing and before we returned to the marina, she had purchased my boat, Suzy-Q II. According to Sue, I had done about everything that could be done to "upgrade" the boat. It was obviously time to buy a newer and bigger project. It would also solve the problem of towing the boat 1,100 miles back to State College (Sue doesn’t think boat towing is fun). We returned home sans boat, but by the following Sunday, promising this will be the "last one", I purchased a 26 ft. Laguna sloop (pictured below). Wasting no time, we made arrangements for a year-round slip and inside storage on Lake Ontario at Sodus Point, New York (4 1/2  hrs. from State College). Sue says, "hurrah, no more boat towing! While we will continue to visit Lake Superior, my next adventures will be on Lake Ontario. You are all invited to come for a sail.

 

 

New Adventures Aboard The Good Little Ship Suzy-Q

Suzy-Q is a Laguna 26 cutter-rigged sloop.  She is berthed at the Sodus Bay Yacht Club, Sodus Point, New York.  Sodus Point is a quaint little village, first settled in 1794, located at Sodus Bay on the south-central shore of Lake Ontario (30 miles east of Rochester; 28 miles west of Oswego, NY).  The area surrounding Sodus Point is "apple country."  It is the second largest apple producer in the United States.  Our cottage is situated on the peninsula between the bay and the big lake. Happily, the trip from State College, PA to the lake takes only 4 1/2 hours.

 

Bill and Arnie "Weather the Storm"

Bill Parsonage and Arnie Becker spent a few days during the second week of September 2002 cruising Lake Ontario aboard Bill’s sailboat, Suzy-Q. Their "plan" was to depart Sodus Point, sail in an easterly direction for two days, come about, and return to home port by the end of the week. Provisions aboard, weather check completed, Bill and Arnie were anchors away! With sails set, a classical concert on the stereo, and "auto" the tiller-pilot doing the steering, life was "sweet."

 

Fifteen miles and five hours later with Fairhaven Bay abeam, the VHF radio came alive with a small-craft warning predicting 7 to 10 ft. seas and 45 knot winds overnight. This was not expected! After listening and re-listening to the weather channel, Arnie and Bill made the decision to pull into Fairhaven and find protected anchorage for the night. With north-west winds predicted, a protected spot with good bottom was located and a 23 pound plow anchor with 165 feet of rode deployed.

After a few beers and dinner, Bill and Arnie readied the boat for the night and the anticipated storm. Finally, at 0300, waves, rain and wind arrived with a vengeance. Arnie, who occupied the forward v-berth, swears that Suzy-Q’s vertical bow movement was at least 10 feet. First light broke and the storm continued. When the winds veered to the northeast, Arnie was deployed in the dinghy to set a second anchor for increased security. All day, September 11^th was spent riding out the storm. Arnie and Bill tried to keep themselves busy listening to the radio, telling tall tales, and consuming the remaining provisions. Two apples, two sandwiches, and two beers were put aside for breakfast.

Sometime during the second night, the storm diminished but did not subside. At 0700, Arnie and Bill made preparations to get under way. The anchors were buried deep in the muddy bottom and required both "sailors" and a winch to retrieve them. At last, the Suzy-Q was under way. The passage through the Fairhaven channel to the Big Lake was exciting—waves were 4 to 5 feet with headwinds of 25 knots. The channel is dredged to a depth of 10 feet and Suzy-Q draws 3.5 to 4 feet. Had the wave action been any greater, passage through the channel would have been dangerous. With the main sail set and the auxiliary engine at full power, Suzy-Q emerged Fairhaven channel, and headed west. Under full main and a 150 genoa, "auto" was set to steer Suzy-Q for a fast ride to Sodus Point at or above theoretical hull speed.

Lessons learned. First, be sure to take along "emergency provisions." Remember to check on weather conditions frequently, because they change, often dramatically. Expect that the trip might take twice as long as planned. And, make sure the crew is compatible--capable of bobbing up and down for 36 hours, of dealing with a shortage of food and drink, and of turning adversity into a fun experience.

 

 

For more information, please call Bill Parsonage, Penn State Professor Emeritus, at (814) 238-7145 or send electronic mail to whp@psu.edu.

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Last revised February 13, 2008