Lake Winnebago: Doty Island to Asylum Bay

We went to a Great Lakes conference in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and couldn't resist bringing the Cruiser.  After days of on-shore breezes,  high seas, and rain during the conference, the skies cleared and the water calmed after it was over, so we put in at the beach on Lake Michigan for an evening cruise. It was cool, with just enough breeze to sail sometimes. We went out to the number "2" buoy, and turned around.

Our conference hotel was the Blue Harbor Resort, a nice place to stay on the water. With all the watery fun outside, though, we didn't even bother with their indoor water park!

After a short paddle-sail, we pulled out as the sun was setting. The lady bugs were congregating on stones and sticks on the beach, having their own conference, I suppose.

After the conference we went to visit Lauren's parents for the weekend. They live on Lake Winnebago, the largest inland lake in Wisconsin; 30 miles long and 10 miles wide. We launched on Saturday morning. The forecast was for west wind at 5-10 mph, 50% chance of rain, and temperature of 50 F. 

The day was sunnier than we expected. Lake Winnebago is shallow and eutrophic. Fluorescent green blobs of cyanobacteria were arranged into long strands by the wind. The forecast west wind turned into a headwind from the south. 

We were excited to try a new method of stowing the mast and amas on top of the spray cover to reduce wind resistance in upwind paddling. On our Florida trip in April, it took us too long to pack and unpack the sailing rig. We need a better strategy for the Everglades Challenge in March. We packed the mast and amas into its black bag and strapped it down next to the sail. It only took about 10 minutes to change over from sailing to canoeing while afloat.

After paddling upwind for an hour or so, we deployed the sea anchor and took a coffee break.

Passing between a tiny island and Payne's point offered a little excitement and a brief respite from the headwind.

There are some big houses along the shore of Lake Winnebago.

We spotted an island at the north end of Asylum Bay that looked like a good place to turn around. It was about 9 miles from the start.

The wind was gusty, so we decided to set sail double-reefed. Some waves splashed in to Lauren's lap as we sailed close-hauled around the island.  Once we cleared it, we turned and ran down wind. It was a relief to stop paddling.

The movement of the canoe in the waves was soothing. We laid back and relaxed as the island faded into the distance. Sometimes we describe sailing as a magic carpet ride.

We were sailing at 4-6 mph, but occasionally a gust of wind would coincide with a large wave and we would start surfing. We hit a maximum speed of 9 mph, at which time the bow was nearly buried into the next wave. This downwind run was some of our best Cruiser sailing yet!

The trees on the shoreline just past peak fall color.

Someday when we have more time, it will be fun to sail the full length of the lake. We'll have to keep an eye on the weather for future visits to Lauren's parents!