The Curse of Red Buoy #6 +

[noelH]

Sail two days in a row? Not this season. Today's forecast was wrong, again.

Yesterdays sail was a solid F3-4 W veering NW. Almost a perfect L. Superior day. Mostly sunny with a few puffy clouds, warm for L. Superior surface water temps (+20C). Vela likes westerly winds. At least for first couple miles offshore it is relatively smooth allowing maximum SOG if the wind hits F4. So the plan was a run up to Bayfield. Couple jibes to change course allowing me to clear the Red Buoy.  Major wind shadow off Houghton Pt.  Or hope the W wind inside the Bay veers NW by the time I reached the buoy. Ended up a bit too close (~1/2nm) to Buoy #6. Just a F1 whimper of a breeze. Drifted E until clearing the hole. But while drifting... Attacked by the Apostle Is Black Flies and ~1/2 nm N I see filled in white caps while drifting along eastward. Finally drifted into some heavy air. Probably should have put a reef in. But didn't. Took a few hard shower sprays to chase the flock of ABFs out of the cockpit. Finally no more ankle biters.

Bad year for ABFs. Key is to avoid leeward side of any island or the mainland by at least a nautical mile. Even then on a soft air day they find you. They seem to be attracted to white. Also, avoid the Red Buoy #6 if the winds are westerly.

[Noemi - Ensenada 20]

Those things are nasty!  We had to put on our foulies to keep them off of us.

[Captain Kidd]

Those things are nasty!  We had to put on our foulies to keep them off of us.

We took a missions trip to northern Ontario with our teenagers some years back. Stopped for a roadside, picnic lunch. We were miles from anything and trying to economize as well. The flies attacked! Blood flowing! We quickly reloaded the vehicles and ate while underway.