closer to the tip of the thumb and make sure we were well inside any freighter traffic, just in case we encountered any more fog.
Around 11 AM we were passing Harbor Beach and began hearing thunderstorm forecasts for the afternoon. We decided to push on to Port Sanilac. As we went along, the forecasts kept getting decidedly worse. About 3 PM a severe thunderstorm warning for the area with a special marine warning for Lake Huron was issued.
We again adjusted course to move closer to shore and stayed about ½ mile or so off shore. I kept an eye on the depth gauge and adjusted course to keep the depth about 30 ft. My in-laws have a cottage we had passed which is 11 miles north of Port Sanilac. I have found boulders in that area in 12-14 ft of water large enough to hit with the keel. We were about five miles north of Port Sanilac when the squall line was imminent, we turned into the shore till we reached about 10 ft. water depth, stopped and let out the anchor. On shore there was a beach party going on and they thought we were joining in. The 40’ bluff and tree cover hid the storm and they had no idea what was coming. We heard no thunder until the storm was almost right on top of us. That broke up the party on shore pretty quickly. Luckily, we put ourselves in a position where most of the wind blew over us. There was some wind and a lot of thunder, but little rain. We were able to take several dramatic photos of the storm. After about an hour, we raised anchor and made for Port Sanilac to refuel.
We reached the Blue Water Bridge about midnight. I had the watch at that point, but because of the storm had not gone to sleep. I also wanted to be at the helm going through the St. Clair River. Navigating at night in that area proved to be a challenge. I also ran into a problem with my GPS. It seemed the map for the river was not loaded and I had paper charts for Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair, but not the river. This being my first trip down the river, at night yet, I was forced to keep in the shipping lanes. Watching the channel lights and trying to stay in the middle somewhere past Algonac one of the crew yelled “Turn right quick!”. We passed by pylons which seemed to be in the middle of the channel, unlit. After that, one of the crew went forward with the spotlight and periodically checked up ahead. We passed several more of these hazards along the way. If I can help it, I will not attempt this passage again at night, not to mention to check to ensure the correct maps are loaded on my GPS and the correct paper charts aboard. As dawn began on Monday morning, we arrived in Lake St. Clair. By that time only one of the crew had stayed awake and once into the lake he went to sleep. I was tired from going through the river but now the adrenaline was flowing. I was in the home stretch. Soon I could see the CR buoy, then the Clinton River buoys. I woke the crew up as we entered the river. My wife had hats stitched with the new boat name; WINDependence. I handed one to each of the crew with many thanks for helping deliver her safely to her new home on the Clinton River.
John Pecha “WINDependence”
At the last general membership meeting this subject was raised. In an effort to clarify I offer the following guidelines. Please note that there are few actual legal requirements. Most of Flag Etiquette is just that, etiquette. This information is for sailboats and are quotes from various sources.
■ Rule No. 1—There are no real rules. Customs observed in various foreign waters differ from each other. We’ve seen cases where not flying or flying a courtesy flag improperly causes some awkward moments; you may be regarded as impolite, but nothing more. In others, it’s local law to fly the flag. Officials can—and do—impound passports or assess fines until the proper flag—which, of course, can only be purchased locally at great expense—is flying on board. If in doubt, inquire of other cruisers and observe other craft from your country for guidance.
■ Do not fly a courtesy flag until your vessel is properly cleared by customs and immigration. Until clearance is complete, fly the yellow Q (quarantine) flag.
■ On a sailboat, the courtesy flag is flown at the starboard spreader. If the sailboat has more than one mast, the courtesy flag is flown from the starboard spreader of the forward mast.
■ Don’t fly a foreign courtesy flag after you return to U. S. waters. It may show that you’ve “been there,” but it’s not proper etiquette.
■ NATIONAL FLAG - This flag denotes the nationality of boat or her owner. On a sloop-rigged sailboat a national flag is to be flown, if possible, 2/3 up the backstay, not at the transom on a flagstaff. Flying a flag at the transom is for a powerboat.
■ Use the following rule to proportion a national flag to your vessel -1" of flag length per foot LOA.
■ It is bad etiquette to leave a national flag hoisted while the vessel is unattended
■ No flag — state, heritage, Confederate, pirate, gag or otherwise — except for the vessel’s national flag, should EVER fly from the stern of your vessel. This is considered a place of honor, for the vessel’s national flag and no other.
Our “foreign” country, Canada, is not particularly fussy about flag etiquette. At least they’re not in our area. Still there should be little reason not to observe a few simple courtesies.