Thanks for the good post Larry. I feel a little vindicated. Over the past several years I have tried to point out here and elsewhere that the crusing/sailing etc on the Great Lakes and Lake Superior in particular is a bit different than boating in other places. I usually have been pooh-poohed or insinuated that I did not know what I was talking about. In the current issue of LakeLand Boating magazine (the Great Lakes boating magazine) is an article about a delivery captive who was taking a 65 foot vintage yacht up the western shore of Michigan last year when he was accosted by 3 rogue waves and promptly delivered the boat to the bottom. One theory in the sinking of the Edmund Fitgerald 30 some years ago in November was that the 767 foot freighter was hit by the infamous "3 sisters" -- rogue waves which come in threes -- which overwhelmed the ship and sent it to the bottom. Meanwhile, there otherwise were 30 foot seas running that night on Superior. Yesterday, Superior here was smooth as glass and its siren song was enticing. One problem in the Great Lakes is that the waves are steeper and more square than the rolling swells of the ocean. Three to five footers on Lake Michigan, Huron, or Superior are much worse for a small craft than waves of similar height on the ocean. Then add not infrequent dense fog, rocky shores, iron deposits which skew compasses, unpredicted weathers systems generated by the lake itself, and very cold waters which bring on hypothermia in about 10 minutes of exposure. But the northern lakes in particular are some of the most beautiful places to boat on the planet. I guess that compensates for the negatives. Like John Marshall's tales about Alaska, there is a LOT of green and blue, though only white in the winter. Don't ask about mosquitos the size of your sister or black flies which do have radar. Oh, and BTW, Lake Superior also has plenty of bears and moose. But I never tire of the beauty and many moods of Lake Superior. David Sorenson Duluth, MN On Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:07:21 EDT LRZeitlin@aol.com writes: > I'm watching a fascinating show on the Science channel called > "Shipwrecks > of the Great Lakes." Apparently there are over 10,000 known > shipwrecks in the > Great Lakes with many more yet to be discovered. This is the largest > number > of shipwrecks per square mile in the world. Thunder Bay, in Lake > Huron, has > over 200 wrecks with an estimated 100 more yet to be discovered. The > ice > cold fresh water keeps them in a remarkable state of preservation > and they > form a valuable archeological resource. > > Why so many wrecks? First, the Great Lakes are a weather cauldron > with warm > air from the plains states meeting cold fronts from Canada. Lake > effect > weather conditions produce intense short lived storms which seeming > arise > without warning. Weather prediction during most of the last century > was > notoriously unreliable. Further mariners tended to look at their own > barometer > and > local cloud patterns and disregarded the weather predictions. > Additionally > there were a number of uncharted shoals in the Lakes. > > Many of the sinkings occurred in November, well after the end of > the > recreational boating season. Ship captains were eager to make one > more run > before > the December freeze. Finally, there was an attitude amongst most > Lakes > mariners that sailing the Lakes was somehow safer that the deep > ocean. After > all, > land was no more than a couple of hundred miles in any direction. > Unfortunately this left little room for error. Bulk freighters > tended to be > oversized > and under powered. It made economic sense but lessened the ability > to fight > the weather. > > No mention at all was made of radar or the lack of radar. > > Check the listings of shows on the Science channel and see this show > when > it repeats. It makes sailing in the Bering Sea look like a piece of > cake. > > Larry Z > > > ************** > Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop: Now in 6 vibrant colors! Shop > Dellbs full line of laptops. > (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222008777x1201444407/aol?redir= http > :%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B215566094%3B > 37864358%3Bv) > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering > > To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password, > change email address, etc) go to: > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/options/trawlers-and-trawlering > > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited. > > ____________________________________________________________ Click now to find great remedies for hangovers! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTKyJrIxuWwsuT9m8kI5rH6okLkawNaeZhj8rr5YZiYzXuh5rLzRBG/