Oahe Trip Day 3, Tuesday, May 17
0330-Got up because of strong wind blowing from SE. Afraid it will pull my anchors. I used the spot light to view the upwind anchor but it seems to be holding. Thunder storm and lightning to NE.
Pulled the gang plank in case I go sideways. Also cleared the primary anchor to ensure I can deploy quickly if necessary. Checked aft deck and helm is clear and ready. Connected the fuel hose, primed and started the engine to ensure it was ready. Should have gone out to anchor for the night but too late now. Not sure I can sleep now?
Couldn't go back to sleep so decided to get up and have coffee and cookies while I read my Bible. Read a portion of "End of the Spear" by Steve Saint. Son of martyr Nate Saint along with four others in the jungles of Ecuador in the early 50's. Fascinating read!
0630-69F/55F. Now waiting for the sun to come over the hill. Will make breakfast soon. Solar battery 70%.
0730-Put the gang plank out to check anchors and they seem to be holding firm. Wind now down to about 10 mph with some gusts. Will try to venture out later this morning.
0830-Wind seemed to drop enough to go so I prepared to depart. Set up the nav chart on the tablet in the cockpit and rigged Zoleo for tracking by satellite.
Pulled the downwind guy first, since it was slack. Then started the motor and angled it a bit into the wind to hold the stern in position. Next I pulled the bow line and finally the upwind guy. Pulled the gang plank last. Process worked great.
0900-Motored out into the Lake and headed NW. The planned destination was about six miles (turned out to be 7.1 nm).
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| Nav Chart - Leg 2, Day 3 - 7.1 nm (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Google Earth Chart - Leg 2, Day 3 (Click to Enlarge) |
1000-Arrived at anchorage but motored around a bit since I did not like my options. Finally settled on a spot and headed into the beach. Used the normal procedure and kept power on to hold the boat on the beach with the motor angled slightly to counter the wind pressure. Next gang plank went ashore followed by the upwind guy first after planting the anchor. The bow line was next and finally the downwind guy. All went smoothly. Rain is threatening but I did not get wet.
1100-Washed the dishes, then made a chicken salad sandwich accompanied by chips and white wine.
1211-Considering flying the drone since winds are now calm and there is some cloud cover to keep light from being too bright.
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| New Fixed Solar Panels - 4 X 100 Watts = 400w Total (Click to Enlarge) |
1310-Flew the drone with all three batteries. Took a lot of aerial video and photos of the boat and surrounding area but it started to rain on me as I put away the gear. Recharging all batteries now. Will take a nap soon and make up for my short night. Wind has really calmed down. Intermittent showers this afternoon. 69F/68F. Solar 100% in spite of clouds.
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| Boat Fuel, Lines, & Gear (Click to Enlarge) |
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| River Terrain (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Lake Oahe Inlet (Missouri River) (Click to Enlarge) |
1400-Woke up from my nap to a motor sound and observed a ranch kid on a four wheeler on the south shore of the inlet pushing some cows back into their pasture. They had gotten around the end of the fence where it came close to the shore but was short of the water.
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| The Fence That Failed! |
One of the cows was giving him trouble and bolted but couldn't outrun the four wheeler. He worked for the 3/4 of an hour tying to extend the fence but he did not have leather gloves and it is tough to work with barbed wire with no gloves! He got exasperated several times, clasping his hands over his head, looking at his cell phone, sitting on the running board of the four wheeler, and taking numerous breaks before he finally finished and headed up the hill to go home. The workmanship looked shoddy and will not likely hold.
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| Scoping Out The Fence Project |
1500-Since my nap was cut short and it was close to dinner anyway I started my prep. Pork roast, potatoes, salad, roll, and red wine this evening.
Drone battery bank ran out of juice so I had to double up on my equipment to finish charging. Solar is 100% so I attached a 12v adapter to the solar battery to finish charging the drone batteries and backup battery bank. 70F/73F.
1630-Finished dinner. Still managing charge up of all devices and sipping red wine.
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| Shower Pail, Hot Water Heater, Water Pump (Click to Enlarge) |
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| Shower Curtain Rig (Click to Enlarge) |
1930-Decided to shower. I thought at first I could get by with just using the base catchment but soon realized it could lead to soapy water splashing around the aft deck. I really needed the curtains so set about completing setup of the whole shower rig. It worked well and it feels good to be in clean clothes again.
Put the shower rig away and then began to set up the fire ring ashore since it was a calm evening. I hope to set by the fire and look at the stars later on. I feel refreshed as I sat in my chair ashore scoping the slopes and observing a white tail deer feed on the creek flats.
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| Sun Going Down |
2150-Came in from the fire. No stars since it clouded over and a breeze picked up making it quite chilly. Shut down everything and hauled the camera gear etc. back to the boat. Got some time lapses. I will retrieve the fire ring in the morning.
Watched three calves get around or under the fence the kid fixed just hours before. Pretty smart, they just returned to try again! Must have been watching the kid thinking to themselves, "who is he trying to fool, won't stop us!" The adult cows could not get by but the calves could and now they are separated from mom and they need her milk! The kid now has more problems!
Listened to my audio book and hit the sack. 66F/61F
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