Pyewacket: Final Trip?

Went out on the Pyewhacket for perhaps the last time this year. This was our first trip out of a port other than Rocky River. We went out of a little dock near the Ford plant Paul’s been working at recently, so he could get off work and come right over. His dad’s been working there as well, second shift, so he brought up the boat when he came in.

The dock cost $5. We had to slip the money through the door in a little envelope with our information, as there was no attendant. We theorized that we could have went out from Rocky River and docked up at that dock (since we had two cars) for free.

It was starting to get dark as we went out. The lake was placid, the most I’ve seen Lake Erie. Near the shore, the water felt quite warm to the touch. There was a fog over the lake. It was quite warm on shore for this time of year, but got cool quickly as we went out. I had a jacket, but Paul only had a long sleeve shirt. He was getting a bit chilly out there and went in the cabin for a little while with the light on to warm up a bit.

At first there was only a slight breeze, so we sailed very slowly. We made note of the lights near the dock, including some parking lot lights and those of a big factory right next to it, but we really didn’t have to: We didn’t make it far enough away for there to have been any chance of getting lost. As time went on, it got darker and the wind picked up a bit. There was enough light from the moon and the factory to see alright. The sails finally stayed full and we moved along at a decent clip.

Paul had to work on the morrow, so we weren’t able to stay out long. He took a short nap while I sailed toward shore, then came out and motored us the rest of the way in. The motor wasn’t running very well. It died out once when we first started it, so we were a little worried about running with it. It also was running somewhat rougher than usual. It died out several more times when coming in, mostly when we were near the dock running at a slower speed. I’m not sure why it’s running that bad, but it’s probably in need of an oil change. Hopefully that’ll solve the problem.

This dock only has one launching and one landing ramp, much smaller than the three of each at Rocky River. When we came in, there was another boat landing. We had to wait a good bit for them. They took their time. Our motor kept dying as we slowly drifted toward the walls of the port. Finally we were able to land.

I drove back home the same way I came up, on the Turnpike. Usually I’d avoid the Turnpike simply because it costs money and I’m stingy, but it was by far the straightest shot highway available for this trip. I’ve no doubt I saved more than the toll’s value in gas. However, my car was running especially rough, with one cylinder missing the whole way home.