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| Day 2 (Monday 7/17/00) |
| This morning we set out to circumnavigate the island in a clockwise direction. The weather called for 15 to 20 mph winds from the Southwest, and 3 to 4 ft waves. We decided to make the 14 mile paddle in a clockwise direction. This way, the wind would push us along the west-side dunes. |
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| On the Southwest side of the island we found the remains of a 100 ft Liberian freighter that ran aground in 1960. The Francisco Morizon ran aground in late November when a bitter snowstorm reportedly pushed the waves to 25ft. Now the hull lies broken in about 10 feet of water. The hull stands 3 stories above the water level with a funnel standing 15 feet on top of that. |
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| It took us a while to gain the courage to approach the large hulk of rusted steel. The enormous hull would reverberate with a horrifying thump as each swell filled up the bowels of the ship. In the area, jagged pieces of torn steel would hide in the waves, then violently jut from the water as the wave troughs passed. As we approached the ghost like remains, the air was filled with deafening shrieks as hundreds of Cormorants and Seagulls took to the air. The birds were protective of the large Cormorant nests peppering the ship. |
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| Inside the hull, we could see the rusted boilers that once propelled the ship. The ancient boilers reminded us of the movie "Titanic". I used almost an entire roll of film on the magnificent Francisco Morizon. |
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| As we continued our paddle around the island, we saw two hikers in the distance. We slowly overtook the hikers. Then, they disappeared behind us. Why would you want to hike when you could paddle? |
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| A gigantic white sand dune towers along the entire West side of the island. As we paddled, a tailwind funneled along the base of the dunes. Each wave would lift the backs of our boats. Then, a few stout paddle strokes would send us surfing a long distance on the wave front. Eventually, the wave crest would slip out from under the boat. Over the sound of the wind, we could hear the pounding of the breaking waves on the sandy shoreline. The base of the dunes offered a secluded spot to come ashore for lunch. |
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| As we rounded the north side of the island, the wind and waves grew silent Paddling in the lee of the island, we passed rocky shoals that were favored gathering places for schools of giant carp. As our kayaks passed overhead, the surprised fish would flee in terror. Sometimes they would thump into the bottoms of our boats in their efforts to escape. The water was so calm and clear, we felt like we were flying as we watched the stony lake bottom pass under our boats. |
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| The weather forecast called for winds shifting from the Southwest to the Northwest. Around mid-afternoon, Paul noticed a line of fluffy white clouds approaching from the Northwest when all other clouds were still drifting in from the Southwest. The rogue clouds were moving rapidly as they drew nearer. The cloud front was cupped outward like an enormous wind was pushing it from behind. At this point we were about a mile from shore. These strange clouds caused us a little apprehension, and we braced ourselves for a ferocious wind. As the front passed, the wind shifted to the Northwest and became cool, but it never exceeded about 20 knots. We were fine. |
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| After dinner that night, one of the Park Rangers offered Paul and I an opportunity to tour the inside of the lighthouse. It was well after dark as we hiked to the lighthouse. Inside the lighthouse, only our flashlights pierced the pitch darkness as we wound our way up 110 cast-iron spiral stairs before reaching the top. Sounds seemed to echo endlessly through the still, dark air inside the tower. When we emerged onto the lighthouse balcony, we were immediately hit by a blast of cool, black wind. Looking out over Lake Michigan, the huge full moon had just peaked over the horizon illuminating the tip of each wave in sparkling white light. |
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| Click here for Day 4 |
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