WiskyDan
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 1,263
- Reaction score
- 2,428
- Points
- 237
- Location
- Jackson, WI
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2018
- Boat Model
- 242 Limited S E-Series
- Boat Length
- 24
So, took the step son, his wife, and her parents out on the boat yesterday. Lake Winnebago is 30 miles long by 10 miles wide and runs north/south - I was heading from the west shore to Stockbridge on the east shore. The winds were coming out of the north/northeast at 15-20mph but we planned this outing about two months ago so I didn’t want to cancel. As I headed down the river and out onto the lake I only saw two other boats - a couple of fishermen at the mouth of the river. There‘s usually a steady procession of boats heading out on the lake on Saturdays so this was a bit odd. The first half mile or so is protected by a peninsula so it was OK but it got progressively worse. About a mile out I was in rolling two foot swells and taking a beating - I had to slow down to 12-15mph to avoid getting bounced out of the boat. It took me about 40 minutes to go 8 miles while swearing out loud most of the way.
I finally pull into the small harbor in Stockbridge and I’m the only boat in sight. The Stockbridge boat launch on a Saturday Is usually a constant stream of boats heading out - apparently I’m the only person who thought it was a good idea to be on the lake in these conditions. After everyone hopped aboard we decided to head to the west shore where there are coves/beaches that I thought would be protected - another miscalculation. We headed back across the lake at 12mph and after about 45 minutes of rolling up/down swells we arrived at the sandbar/beach - it felt like I had been wrestling a 20 foot anaconda. I thought that the peninsula that’s a couple miles north of the sandbar/beach would keep things a bit calmer - not so much. I figured the worst part was over and I’d make the best of it so I dropped my box anchor off the bow and my sandshark off the stern. I popped open a beer but after about 10 minutes the bow started moving. I found that the box anchor had flipped up on its side which surprised me a bit considering it had been rock solid all summer. The wind was blowing right into the cove we were in so I thought that the anchor would set (with help from the sandshark) and the bow would be due north, the stern due south. I was a bit surprised that the bow kept wanting to turn towards the east - it actually pulled the sandshark out of the sand after I had screwed it in a couple of feet. After repositioning the box anchor 4-5 times I finally had enough and we headed to the dock. Instead of boating back across the lake to drop them off we all hopped in my car and drove around instead.
What an effing day!!!
It appears that I have some more lessons to learn when it comes to anchoring in rough water - maybe my box anchor is a bit small for these types of conditions. I do know that if I run into conditions like this again I will be turning around and heading back to the dock - lesson/s learned.
I finally pull into the small harbor in Stockbridge and I’m the only boat in sight. The Stockbridge boat launch on a Saturday Is usually a constant stream of boats heading out - apparently I’m the only person who thought it was a good idea to be on the lake in these conditions. After everyone hopped aboard we decided to head to the west shore where there are coves/beaches that I thought would be protected - another miscalculation. We headed back across the lake at 12mph and after about 45 minutes of rolling up/down swells we arrived at the sandbar/beach - it felt like I had been wrestling a 20 foot anaconda. I thought that the peninsula that’s a couple miles north of the sandbar/beach would keep things a bit calmer - not so much. I figured the worst part was over and I’d make the best of it so I dropped my box anchor off the bow and my sandshark off the stern. I popped open a beer but after about 10 minutes the bow started moving. I found that the box anchor had flipped up on its side which surprised me a bit considering it had been rock solid all summer. The wind was blowing right into the cove we were in so I thought that the anchor would set (with help from the sandshark) and the bow would be due north, the stern due south. I was a bit surprised that the bow kept wanting to turn towards the east - it actually pulled the sandshark out of the sand after I had screwed it in a couple of feet. After repositioning the box anchor 4-5 times I finally had enough and we headed to the dock. Instead of boating back across the lake to drop them off we all hopped in my car and drove around instead.
What an effing day!!!
It appears that I have some more lessons to learn when it comes to anchoring in rough water - maybe my box anchor is a bit small for these types of conditions. I do know that if I run into conditions like this again I will be turning around and heading back to the dock - lesson/s learned.
