Today is a resting day! Last night we went to bed at 10:00 PM and I didn't get up until 8:30 AM. Robin was even later than that! We are staying here until Friday morning and then hopefully we will be able to make our final run to Whitehall. Sue & Austin will meet us here tomorrow morning.
As we cruise I sometimes wonder if we have enough seamanship skills and then something happens that makes me feel like a master mariner. Yesterday while approaching Ludington we heard the following exchange on the radio.
A vessel named "Tom Collins" (that should have been my first hint of trouble) called the Ludington Coast Guard. After the normal formalities the vessel was asked to switch to channel 22, we switched with them and this the how the conversation went:
TC: Ludington Coast Guard this is the vessel Tom Collins. We are approaching Ludington but have run into fog and we would like you to tell us where we are. We have radar on board.
CG: (After a long pause, probably to stop laughing) Tom Collins do you have a loran or GPS unit on board?
TC: (After a long pause) Yes we have a Loran on board but we don't know how to use it.
CG: Are you able to give us a Lat & Long from the unit?
TC: (After another long pause) Yes, it says 43 degrees and then something like 56.89 and then 86 degrees and 26.70.
CG: Tom Collins do you have a nautical chart on board?
TC: (After still another long pause) Yes.
CG: Vessel Tom Collins, do you have the ability to plot that position on your chart?
TC: (Yup! Another long pause!) Coast Guard Ludington, we cannot find that position on our chart.
CG: Tom Collins, do you have a depth gauge on board?
TC: (That's right, another long pause) Yes we do, we are in 20 feet.
CG: Tom Collins, does everyone on board have on life vests? And what is your speed?
TC: We do have life vests on (Who are you kidding lady?) but we think we see something that looks like the pier heads on our radar
CG: Do you hear the fog horn from the pier heads?
TC: No we don't, but we think we see something that looks like the pier heads on our radar.
CG: Tom Collins, what is your speed?
Tom Collins never replied after this. The coast guard made several attempts to contact the vessel and then signed off and returned to channel 16. Several minutes later we heard the Tom Collins call the Ludington Municipal Marina! This sure makes you think about traveling in the fog, you just might meet up with the good ship "Tom Collins."