Mille Lacs Crossing day 1

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Eric S
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Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 2:42 pm
Location: MN, USA, Earth
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Mille Lacs Crossing day 1

Post by Eric S »

Not much time to write.

We started off at the "Headquarters" and got our spandex jerseys at about 10AM. Mine is flaming pink. Pink for sport class. Come on guys, why not yellow? hehe. Ever seen resivoir dogs when Mr. Pink get's his name. That's how I felt.

Mike Fox had a quick skippers meeting and told us all to go to Barnecals resort on the north shore for some slalom racing. Some of us showed up there but the wind was too off shore. We bailed to Hunters point. It turns out that every one went there. Including the boat and bouys.

I rigged a 7.5 and GO 150 and was the first one on the water. Wind dummy, a job I do well. Mille Lacs will almost always fool you into rigging too small a sail. 7.5 is the biggest I have and that was just able to let me shlog out past the rollers to the bouys.

I played around there hoping to coax some other guys out for some shloging fun. No luck. After a bit I say the textrure of the water change. Hey, I'm going to try to get on a plane. scoot down a wave and I"m off.

I planed for the rest of the day.

The wind kept picking up and everyone hit the water. The guys layed out some bouys but were having trouble keeping the down or somthing. After awhile the guy in the boat (sorry, can't remember your name) asked if I could run a figure 8 he set up. I was now so overpowered that I was having a hard time keeping the board ont he water. I tried the corse but a fisherman was anchored right on a good line. It was tuff.

No one else really looked like they wanted to race so we all took to free riding on the swell at hunters point. It was awesome. Most of us sailed into the sunset wich was incredible. Vojta took ONE LAST RUN out into the middle of the lake and of course I had to follow him.

He kept going and going. The sun peeked through the clouds and sat, red, on the surface of the water. I looked up at my sail and out at Vojta's sail and they were red. a lovely rosey red. then poof the sun dropped below the waterline.

Vojta kept going. I turned back.

(those two sentances would be a good way to describe him, always, he's the most rad person I've ever had the pleasure to meet)

I had more faith in him saving himself than me saving myself if the going got tuff. I probably should have stayed with him but I"ve never sailed in the dark in big swell in the middle of nowhere. Insane!

I turned and saw another cool thing. The red glow was reflecting off of every window on the east shore of Mille Lacs. It looked like tiny campfires all over. Oh oh, now wich one was MY campfire. I was lost.

I figured I'd keep close to the wind and would land back on shore within walking distance of Hunters point. As I kept making progress I noticed 2 points of land. I made way to the one upwind figuring I could float better if the wind died. I kept going and going pounding through the swell, afraid to ride some since it would take me downwind.

I got closer tot he point and saw a fishing boat. I approached. I saw to fisherman bundled up in the back of a nice boat. I came close and dropped into the water and shouted "Hey, do you know where Hunters Point is?" They both stood up in the bobing boat and pointed WAY downwind. Shit. it was the other point that was hunters point.

A few hundered jibes later in the dark and I saw the launch. Coach had his kite up and that helped me spot it. Also out of the corner of my eye I saw sail number 69 riding a wave in from out of no where.

VOJTA!!!!!

With both of us still alive I decided to make a few more runs closer to shore in the twilight.

Such was the first day of the crossing for me. I'm not sure I have the energy to actually make it across, again, today.

Eric
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