Time to cut the grass. — Captain Father John

We had a delightful visit onboard Changing Latitudes with my work associate Oscar Rubio on Saturday night. Oscar was in Chicago for the Orgill hardware show. He currently lives in Miami and is originally from Lima, Peru. Oscar was a wonderful host when my daughter Alison and I visited Machu Picchu several years ago. He also took us to a bull fight in Quito, Ecuador after our trip to the Galapagos Islands. Oscar started his career with Sherwin Williams and has been working at Rust-Oleum for 18 years. We enjoyed sundowners, took a long dingy ride around the harbor to view the Chicago skyline and grilled burgers and chicken on the boat. We are docked near Navy Pier and they have a fireworks display every Saturday at 10:15 pm. After the fireworks I walked Oscar to the traffic circle near the Columbia Yacht Club to hail a taxi. We were among a few dozen hopefuls with a similar intent. We were standing about 20 yards away from the crowd as a cab pulled up and dropped off the fare right in front of us. Oscar hopped into the cab and drove off much to the shock and dismay of those clustered on the corner.

We awoke Sunday morning to overcast skies which did not bode well for the Air and Water show. The show has been delayed for at least three hours. Priscilla and I have lived in the Chicago area for over 35 years and yesterday was the first time we had seen the Air and Water show. For many years we would only glimpse small parts of the show as we raced on our sailboat from Waukegan to Montrose. The larger planes would bank overhead to turn back to Chicago for a another run over the North Avenue Beach. JP and Rachel decided to do a city tour and then take the train home. Our friends from Lake Bluff, Dan and Iris Carlsten came down to join us. They should have been here yesterday. The morning was spent watching dozens of boats turning around next to us while they searched in vain for the entrance to the Chicago River. It is one of the most obscure entrances to a major waterway we have ever seen. This is corroborated by all the lost boaters we saw all day long. There is a huge patch of seaweed all around our boat where all the boats turn around. Today one of the boaters called over to us and said “you should cut your grass.”

The Air and Water show never got off the ground and was cancelled today. The fog did not rise high enough to provide the minimum ceiling for the air acrobatics. We were fortunate to have had a perfect viewing day on Saturday. We decided not to leave the dock today. The wind and waves were from the northeast which is a long fetch and generates lumpy conditions. We noticed that a fleet of boats was anchoring just outside our breakwater. They were somewhat protected but were still bouncing around. We had the same view as they did and we were perfectly flat and still plugged into our $20 per day electrical outlet.

We spent the afternoon walking along the river walk on the Chicago River from the harbor to State Street. The river is full of tour boats, pleasure craft and kayaks. The kayak rentals are $30 for a single and $50 for a double per hour. We walked past the Trump tower with the controversial giant Trump name letters prominently displayed. The controversy between Donald Trump and Mayor Emanuel has died down and the letters are still there so I guess “the Donald” won this round. There is no such thing as bad publicity.

We had dinner at the Columbia Yacht Club on Sunday night. We have eaten there many times before the Mac races. Tonight was a little different. The Columbia Yacht Club is housed in a giant ferry boat designed to haul railroad cars. The club bought her in Newfoundland and brought her back to Chicago though the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. I pressed the intercom button on the front door to gain entry. The intercom used to go to the bar and the bar tender would buzz you in. This time the new office manager answered and asked what I wanted. I said I was from the Waukegan Yacht Club and wanted to use reciprocity to eat in the bar. Usually after being buzzed in you go to the bar and everything is fine. The manager says come directly to the office to get registered. Dale, Andy and Priscilla go to the bar and I go to the office for what I expect will be a cursory welcome and a glad to see you moment. WRONG! I hand the office manager my WYC membership card identifying me as the Vice Commodore and flag officer and he reaches for the yacht club reciprocity book. I know Waukegan YC has not paid to be in the reciprocity book for years. He looks and looks and checks the addendum and asks what state is Waukegan in? I tell him Waukegan is only 30 miles north on Lake Michigan. Hard to believe he has not head of us. I can see I am about to be unceremoniously shown the exit when I blurt out “you might not know who we are but we always welcome members of the Columbia Yacht Club into our club. He ponders my statement for a moment and finally says “OK, that’s good enough for me, welcome to the Columbia Yacht Club.” Dale, Andy and Priscilla, unaware of the intense drama taking place in the other room have already ordered drinks and are enjoying the ambiance and fellowship of other boaters in the bar. We order dinner and have a very enjoyable evening at the Columbia Yacht Club.

Monday is a 32 mile cruise back to Waukegan. The forecast is for very lumpy conditions overnight and flattening out in the morning. We shall see. Until next time, this is the crew of Changing Latitudes wishing you fair winds and following seas.

Photo of the Chicago Harbor lighthouse.