[Rhodes22-list] Lake Superior Cruise Weather Planning

[Jesse Shumaker]

Hi Roger, thanks for the tips on the cold and wet weather gear.  Surely
being a sailor in Michigan you know how to dress for inclement weather if
you want to extend your sailing season.  Your mention of a wetsuit reminded
me that I still have one that I used while learning to surf and SCUBA dive
while on a semester abroad 20 years ago.  Now the question is whether I can
still squeeze into it!

Jesse

On Sun, Feb 28, 2021 at 11:54 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com>
wrote:

> Hi Jesse,
>
> You’re right about layering being the key.  But, there are three areas
> where I have some suggestions; the Head/Face, Hands, and Feet.
>
> Head/Face
> If it’s just cold; then, any stocking cap will be fine.  But, for wind,
> spray, and fog; consider the Seirius Innovation Combo Clava Face Mask,
> $22.35 at www.Sears.com<http://www.Sears.com>.  This thing will cover
> your face and stay warm even if it gets wet with the wind blowing.  It will
> dry quickly.  When I’ve been on delivery crews, I had to beat my fellow
> crew off with a stick when I came off watch and they wanted to borrow it!
>
> Hands:
> Sailing gloves will be better than nothing.  But for standing a cold night
> watch at the helm, consider the NeopSkin Water Gloves 3 mm-black-kevlar,
> $40.99 at www.Amazon.com<http://www.Amazon.com>.  These gloves have a
> Kevlar reinforced nonslip palm & fingers, 3 mm neoprene insulation, and a
> Velcro wrist closure.  With these gloves, you will be able to grip a
> stainless steel steering wheel for 4 hours without your fingers freezing.
> They will stay warm even wet and will dry quickly.
>
> Feet:
> Any slip on boot like a 14” high Muck boot with warm socks (NOT COTTON!)
> will work as long as your foul weather bibs cover the boot and have a
> Velcro closure.  I’ve also had good luck with the Neosport 3 mm High Top
> Zipper Water Boot, $25 - $37 depending on size at www.Amazon.com<
> http://www.Amazon.com>.  These boots have a hard nonslip sole with good
> ankle/foot support.  I like them because you can use them as cold water
> shoes.  They will protect your feet and ankles from rocks and zebra mussels
> and still keep your feet warm during your (brief!) swims in Lake Superior.
> If you should happen to go overboard, these water boots will not fill up
> with water and drag you under like Muck boots will.  You can actually swim
> with these water boots on vs. a stiff Muck boot.
>
> Speaking of swimming in Lake Superior, consider a 2-3 mm shorty wet suit.
> You can also use it as a base layer when you start layering.
>
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows 10
>
> From: Jesse Shumaker<mailto:jesse.laten.shumaker at gmail.com>
> Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2021 9:58 PM
> To: The Rhodes 22 Email List<mailto:rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Lake Superior Cruise Weather Planning
>
> Hi Roger, thanks for the historical weather trend details.  You make a good
> point that the unusual cold this winter will probably result in a cooler
> than normal summer since the water takes awhile to warm.  This year we will
> be better prepared than last year, with foul weather gear and layers to
> deal with whatever Lake Superior delivers.  I noticed that from the last
> chart that the average wind speed is pretty low over the summer.  On our
> trip last June we had some pretty strong sustained winds on several days
> which made for exciting sailing.  I went back again in August with a friend
> and we had much milder conditions on that trip.  I'll report back with a
> recap after the trip this summer and let you know where we end up going.  I
> look forward to hearing about your upcoming adventure as well.
>
> Jesse Shumaker
> S/V Zephyr
>
> On Sat, Feb 27, 2021 at 7:19 PM ROGER PIHLAJA <Roger_Pihlaja at msn.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hi Jesse.
> >
> > The attached .pdf file has NOAA weather data on the average water & air
> > temperatures, rainfall, and wind speed/wind direction for the Apostle
> > Islands National Lakeshore.  This sort of data is what I use to plan our
> > family High Adventure Trips.  The weather for the Apostle Islands should
> be
> > similar to the weather in western Lake Superior (i.e. any of your
> proposed
> > cruises).
> >
> > As you look at these graphs, keep in mind these are averages over a long
> > period of time; but, the extremes are also plotted.  Over the winter of
> > 2020/2021, ~90% of the surface of Lake Superior was ice covered.  This
> much
> > ice cover is a fairly rare event.  It takes a long time to warm up the
> > world’s largest lake when it starts from frozen!  Therefore, unless we
> have
> > an early, very warm spring and summer, I am expecting the water and air
> > temperatures to be lower than average this coming summer in July and
> August.
> >
> > So, expect cool temperatures, light winds, with a possibility of rain ~1
> > out of every 4 days.  Of course, Lake Superior will do whatever it wants
> to
> > do on any given day.  You must respect it and be prepared.  Hopefully,
> this
> > will help with your cruise planning.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> > Windows 10
> >
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