I'd like to hear about the trip!
I'm constantly working my centerboard. All the way up and off to the races!
-Derek
Scamp Build in Kansas!
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Derek
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Ok, here are some details...By the way, this was kind of a shakedown cruise for me and Birdy, so if anyone has specific questions about what worked or didn’t work in terms of mods, gear etc. please let me know and I can give my observations...
I was planning a longer trip to the Georgian Bay, but things came up and so took a shorter trip to the more accessible Apostles, only a day’s drive from my home in Lawrence, KS, instead of two.
The adventure started on a Sunday morning with a flat tire (nail) outside Kansas City. Luckily Walmart auto service was open! A bit of doldrum : ) waiting for the repair (3 hours) and I was back on the road.
While I waited, I called the NPS camping reservations line. After speaking with park service person, decided not to reserve any campsites on the islands. As long as you are anchored, no fee is required, and if camping on an island is a necessity, you can pay retroactively. This gives good flexibility from a safety standpoint. And...while on one of the islands I was told by a ranger that as long as I slept in my boat on the beach (not a tent on the ground), a fee wasn’t required.
I stopped outside Minneapolis, and camped at a campsite using SCAMP as my little camper - first night in the tent, worked great at keeping the mosquitoes at bay:
I was planning a longer trip to the Georgian Bay, but things came up and so took a shorter trip to the more accessible Apostles, only a day’s drive from my home in Lawrence, KS, instead of two.
The adventure started on a Sunday morning with a flat tire (nail) outside Kansas City. Luckily Walmart auto service was open! A bit of doldrum : ) waiting for the repair (3 hours) and I was back on the road.
While I waited, I called the NPS camping reservations line. After speaking with park service person, decided not to reserve any campsites on the islands. As long as you are anchored, no fee is required, and if camping on an island is a necessity, you can pay retroactively. This gives good flexibility from a safety standpoint. And...while on one of the islands I was told by a ranger that as long as I slept in my boat on the beach (not a tent on the ground), a fee wasn’t required.
I stopped outside Minneapolis, and camped at a campsite using SCAMP as my little camper - first night in the tent, worked great at keeping the mosquitoes at bay:
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
My chart (printed out, laminated, tethered and kept on the seat of SCAMP so I can glance at it easily (I also used a compass and Navionics on my iphone, but used the chart 95% of the time):
Leaving Little Sand Bay:
And finally, left Little Sand Bay for Sand Island around 4:30 pm. This involved overcoming a good deal of fear, but the part of my brain controlling my body didn’t seem to care. It was just casually prepping and launching the boat.
Lake Superior is majestic and rugged and pure and terrifying to me. It’s so big it generates its own weather which can be changeable and dramatic. Waves on the open lake can be huge, and within the islands, 1-4 ft common; up to 12 ft possible in wind during the summer. And the water temperature can be deadly. Even though this time of the year sees mild weather with warm water (into the mid-sixties and higher during my trip in August) cold water can bloom up from the depths below. I skinny dipped in water off Sand Island that night that felt like low fifties or colder and it took me a minute to get my breathing under control (I still liked it : )). I spent much of my time thinking about that.
Swimming off the boat:
Leaving Little Sand Bay:
And finally, left Little Sand Bay for Sand Island around 4:30 pm. This involved overcoming a good deal of fear, but the part of my brain controlling my body didn’t seem to care. It was just casually prepping and launching the boat.
Lake Superior is majestic and rugged and pure and terrifying to me. It’s so big it generates its own weather which can be changeable and dramatic. Waves on the open lake can be huge, and within the islands, 1-4 ft common; up to 12 ft possible in wind during the summer. And the water temperature can be deadly. Even though this time of the year sees mild weather with warm water (into the mid-sixties and higher during my trip in August) cold water can bloom up from the depths below. I skinny dipped in water off Sand Island that night that felt like low fifties or colder and it took me a minute to get my breathing under control (I still liked it : )). I spent much of my time thinking about that.
Swimming off the boat:
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Last edited by ericleif on Sun Aug 19, 2018 9:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Anchored in East Bay:
By the way, I did these things during my trip to deal with fear:
-When making crossings, I would guess the time to cross, rowing or sailing, and then time myself to build my estimating skills.
-I scanned the horizon every 15-20 min or so, for weather.
-I checked the weather reports 4-5 times per day and wrote down the forecasts.
-I would come up with contingency plans (safe anchorages) several times per day as wind, forecasts and position changed.
-I made sure to always have treated water and calories easily within reach.
-I tried to consciously take note of my state of mind and body throughout the day.
The next morning the bay was completely shrouded in fog, the shore, other boats in the bay all obscured, only white. Later that morning the fog begins to lift and reveal islands in the distance:
I didn’t have island destinations for each night planned out - just played it by ear, responding to the wind. But you can’t go further west than Sand Island (unless your going to Duluth), so east it was, but first a stop by Sand Island sea caves:
By the way, I did these things during my trip to deal with fear:
-When making crossings, I would guess the time to cross, rowing or sailing, and then time myself to build my estimating skills.
-I scanned the horizon every 15-20 min or so, for weather.
-I checked the weather reports 4-5 times per day and wrote down the forecasts.
-I would come up with contingency plans (safe anchorages) several times per day as wind, forecasts and position changed.
-I made sure to always have treated water and calories easily within reach.
-I tried to consciously take note of my state of mind and body throughout the day.
The next morning the bay was completely shrouded in fog, the shore, other boats in the bay all obscured, only white. Later that morning the fog begins to lift and reveal islands in the distance:
I didn’t have island destinations for each night planned out - just played it by ear, responding to the wind. But you can’t go further west than Sand Island (unless your going to Duluth), so east it was, but first a stop by Sand Island sea caves:
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
And from swimming inside the caves:
I had a good day of sailing, but the winds were light. I settled down on the sand spit of Raspberry Island for the night. I remembered all of my camping gear, except for one thing: a titanium camping spork for eating. I realized this as I was preparing my first dinner. The first night I used these:
Toothbrush to stir, and the floss as a food shovel to shovel it in. I ate that dinner in the spirit of irony.
Then I made some chopsticks from twigs which worked great for the rest of the trip, despite warping:
I had a good day of sailing, but the winds were light. I settled down on the sand spit of Raspberry Island for the night. I remembered all of my camping gear, except for one thing: a titanium camping spork for eating. I realized this as I was preparing my first dinner. The first night I used these:
Toothbrush to stir, and the floss as a food shovel to shovel it in. I ate that dinner in the spirit of irony.
Then I made some chopsticks from twigs which worked great for the rest of the trip, despite warping:
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
A faction in my brain was hoping for a little more adventure the next day. And on day three, winds were 15-20 kts, gusting above that. The lake looked fun! I wanted to be out there and make my way to new places. But, there were also thunderstorms in the forecast. Instead, I stayed put on Raspberry Island for a second night, hiked to the lighthouse, swapped travel stories with Fred the ranger, swam in crystal clear water, read and relaxed on a beautiful little sand spit, and watched the weather go by. A storm blew up, spat a little rain, then moved on over somebody else.
On Raspberry:
Evening weather:
On Raspberry:
Evening weather:
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
The next day I wanted to move! Weather was good, forecast good, off to Cat Island, and once to Cat I had to keep going, I couldn’t help myself. The 4 nautical mile crossing on day 4 from Cat island to Outer Island was thrilling for me. It was the most exposed leg of the trip, to one of the most remote and exposed islands in the group. When I made it to the uninhabited shore I screamed and whooped. It was one of the most beautiful, lonely, and ancient feeling places I’ve been to.
Halfway through the crossing looking back at Cat Island (my starting point that day is beyond the horizon):
...and forward to Outer Island:
Sand spit on Outer:
Halfway through the crossing looking back at Cat Island (my starting point that day is beyond the horizon):
...and forward to Outer Island:
Sand spit on Outer:
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Outer’s east coast:
On Day 5 an attempt to rescue me off Outer Island was made : ) A couple in a motor boat had made their way all the way out to Outer Island, and once they saw my tented boat on the sand spit, concluded it was washed up, and that I was marooned. They couldn’t understand how I could have gotten the boat that high without help from a storm. If I were thinking fast, I would have played it up. But I just apologized for causing them concern, in North Country fashion.
When I planned the trip, I was expecting a lot of isolation. In the Georgian Bay, you can go for days, even in the late summer, and not see soul. Not so in the Apostles. It still feels remote, but in a crowded way. Lots of space, but always see some sailing cruisers. I was pretty unhappy about that at first, but got used to it, plus I got lots of attention from everyone I met, simply because of John Welsford’s beautiful and unique design. I wanted more attention. I decided to embrace the crowd and head to the most popular island in the group, Stockton. All but one of the islands are wilderness islands including Stockton, but Stockton has the most developed system of trails and things maintained by the NPS, and a lot of diverse ecosystems, beautiful beach, bog, forest...
I tacked to Stockton in light airs and stopped by the battered NE tip for a quick tour inside these cliff lined coves:
Then anchored off in Julian Bay.
If you squint, you can see my little SCAMP in the far upper left of the bay next to the rock:
On Day 5 an attempt to rescue me off Outer Island was made : ) A couple in a motor boat had made their way all the way out to Outer Island, and once they saw my tented boat on the sand spit, concluded it was washed up, and that I was marooned. They couldn’t understand how I could have gotten the boat that high without help from a storm. If I were thinking fast, I would have played it up. But I just apologized for causing them concern, in North Country fashion.
When I planned the trip, I was expecting a lot of isolation. In the Georgian Bay, you can go for days, even in the late summer, and not see soul. Not so in the Apostles. It still feels remote, but in a crowded way. Lots of space, but always see some sailing cruisers. I was pretty unhappy about that at first, but got used to it, plus I got lots of attention from everyone I met, simply because of John Welsford’s beautiful and unique design. I wanted more attention. I decided to embrace the crowd and head to the most popular island in the group, Stockton. All but one of the islands are wilderness islands including Stockton, but Stockton has the most developed system of trails and things maintained by the NPS, and a lot of diverse ecosystems, beautiful beach, bog, forest...
I tacked to Stockton in light airs and stopped by the battered NE tip for a quick tour inside these cliff lined coves:
Then anchored off in Julian Bay.
If you squint, you can see my little SCAMP in the far upper left of the bay next to the rock:
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Last edited by ericleif on Thu Aug 23, 2018 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
Ok, drama. Day 6. I threw a temper tantrum in my boat while becalmed between Stockton and Oak islands on my way to York. I’m not proud of it. It was the weekend. There were obnoxious muscle boats thundering across the channel, confused chop, and light winds that died to nothing.
My boat had really become their boat. The biting sand flies’ boat that is. SCAMP was a sand fly ferry, complete with a skipper/food source for their inter-island cruise. They were buzzing and eating and fighting and ****ing, sometimes on me. One fly found a drop of blood on my thwart from a cut, a mother lode.
SCAMP stopped moving in a forward direction, but swayed annoyingly from side to side, boom whipping this way and that, sail flapping back and forth relentlessly...I grunted hard, stomped my feet, spit in the lake and swore at the wind.
I looked around to see if anyone saw my melt down, and was distracted by the hugeness of the place. Even with busy weekend traffic, there is just so much space between islands, and the islands themselves are expansive. Most vessels in view were slow moving dots. I broke out the oars, doused my sweaty, sunlight-absorbing wetsuit with cold lake water to stay cool, and rowed.
I rowed the length of Oak, the tallest of the 21 islands, and then, picked up a little breeze. Wind can be so completely uplifting! It filled in 5 knots. I forgot about my shame, and slipped past Otter, Bear, Raspberry, and into the northern bay of York, as the sun was setting.
At York, the bay is open to the Lake, and while the forecast was OK for that anchorage, waves were bending around the side of the entrance and into the bay. I think beachability is a great feature in SCAMP, that opens up lots of anchorages for a little boat that bounces on the waves, but beaching takes some practice.
Every beaching of SCAMP (4 of the 7 nights) was cringe-worthy, slapstick. A little ant trying to move an apple.
Once out of the water, I washed off the blood that came from somewhere, set up my boat tent and snuggled in for a warm dinner and reading (Rebecca Solnit’s the Farway Nearby); then fell asleep to the rush of waves against the shore.
My boat had really become their boat. The biting sand flies’ boat that is. SCAMP was a sand fly ferry, complete with a skipper/food source for their inter-island cruise. They were buzzing and eating and fighting and ****ing, sometimes on me. One fly found a drop of blood on my thwart from a cut, a mother lode.
SCAMP stopped moving in a forward direction, but swayed annoyingly from side to side, boom whipping this way and that, sail flapping back and forth relentlessly...I grunted hard, stomped my feet, spit in the lake and swore at the wind.
I looked around to see if anyone saw my melt down, and was distracted by the hugeness of the place. Even with busy weekend traffic, there is just so much space between islands, and the islands themselves are expansive. Most vessels in view were slow moving dots. I broke out the oars, doused my sweaty, sunlight-absorbing wetsuit with cold lake water to stay cool, and rowed.
I rowed the length of Oak, the tallest of the 21 islands, and then, picked up a little breeze. Wind can be so completely uplifting! It filled in 5 knots. I forgot about my shame, and slipped past Otter, Bear, Raspberry, and into the northern bay of York, as the sun was setting.
At York, the bay is open to the Lake, and while the forecast was OK for that anchorage, waves were bending around the side of the entrance and into the bay. I think beachability is a great feature in SCAMP, that opens up lots of anchorages for a little boat that bounces on the waves, but beaching takes some practice.
Every beaching of SCAMP (4 of the 7 nights) was cringe-worthy, slapstick. A little ant trying to move an apple.
Once out of the water, I washed off the blood that came from somewhere, set up my boat tent and snuggled in for a warm dinner and reading (Rebecca Solnit’s the Farway Nearby); then fell asleep to the rush of waves against the shore.
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ericleif
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Re: Scamp Build in Kansas!
I only had one miserable night and it was sort of on purpose. I wanted to see how much wave action I can stand while sleeping on SCAMP for reference, and I have an answer now. On day 7, I anchored in Lighthouse Bay on Sand Island, completely exposed to the northern lake. The wind forecast was good in direction and light, but I knew there could still be some uncomfortable swell off the lake. I anchored far enough out to escape the mosquitos. This off-the-beaten-path bay is exquisite. And it was a quiet and glassy evening:
Around midnight, waves began breaking on shore and woke me up. Those waves (maybe getting close to 1 ft) were relentless all night. Wind shifts put SCAMP beam to them. I finally got up and rigged up a bridle that could be adjusted from inside my tent as the wind shifted. This held the boat bow to waves. It hobby horsed over the waves instead swaying side to side which was an improvement, but not quite enough for me to sleep, which I did not. Good sleep is so important on trips like this I think.
At one point though, half asleep, I unzipped the door, hung my head out and watched a meteor shower against the dense Milky Way. Some shooting stars were quick little zips. Others, fat, audacious, glittery, trails that lingered, with little silent pop explosions at the end. It was glorious.
The next morning the waves grew with the wind, maybe 10 kts at that point, and quickly built to 15. Time to get out of that bay. I tied in a reef sailed off my anchor and had a great sail back to Little Sand Bay where I started. I left a day early to avoid a predicted small craft advisory and severe storms with 35+ winds and hail in the forecast, though not sure that ever materialized.
It was a fantastic trip - the main things missing though, were other SCAMPs! I’d love to do this trip with a SCAMP faction, and dominate the anchorages with our little boats.
Camping on the way back home, drying out:
That’s it!
Around midnight, waves began breaking on shore and woke me up. Those waves (maybe getting close to 1 ft) were relentless all night. Wind shifts put SCAMP beam to them. I finally got up and rigged up a bridle that could be adjusted from inside my tent as the wind shifted. This held the boat bow to waves. It hobby horsed over the waves instead swaying side to side which was an improvement, but not quite enough for me to sleep, which I did not. Good sleep is so important on trips like this I think.
At one point though, half asleep, I unzipped the door, hung my head out and watched a meteor shower against the dense Milky Way. Some shooting stars were quick little zips. Others, fat, audacious, glittery, trails that lingered, with little silent pop explosions at the end. It was glorious.
The next morning the waves grew with the wind, maybe 10 kts at that point, and quickly built to 15. Time to get out of that bay. I tied in a reef sailed off my anchor and had a great sail back to Little Sand Bay where I started. I left a day early to avoid a predicted small craft advisory and severe storms with 35+ winds and hail in the forecast, though not sure that ever materialized.
It was a fantastic trip - the main things missing though, were other SCAMPs! I’d love to do this trip with a SCAMP faction, and dominate the anchorages with our little boats.
Camping on the way back home, drying out:
That’s it!
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