Sturgeon Bay (Marina Day)

Well our first lost day in port due to high winds and waves on Lake Michigan and Green Bay. We began our preparations in time to make the 8:00 bridge opening but were a bit apprehensive due to the high wind out of the west, difficult in the marina potentially rough seas in the Lake. As we prepared a seasoned boater asked about our intentions and after much discussion cautioned our departure. Much additional though and we decided to say at the dock. Tomorrow promises better weather.



One of the Coast Guard Entries

The Wooden boat festival was at the Maritime Museum just on the other side of the bridge. One interesting event was the Sika Challenge Cup. Two person teams are provided 3 sheets of ¼” plywood, 2-2”x2”x8’ boards, 4-1”x2”x8’ boards, 1 caulk gun and Sikaflex-291 adheasive/sealant. They are allowed 4 hours to design and build their boats on Saturday and the race is held Sunday afternoon. The attached pictures tell the rest of the story. Needless to say it was great fun, for both contestents and spectators alike.




The Dragon boat was fast



The Crab or Lobster Sank



Terry Sawyer and Huckleberry Fran



Rubber Ducky struggled and capsized



The lobster rescue



1950's Amphibi Car

A Sturgeon, sidewalk art

The gear drive rides on a horizontal rack to raise the span

The old bridge here has recently been rebuilt in the same style and construction as the original. Looking at it from the boat it appears that the quadrant rides on a surface as the bridge raises. But how can the bridge both ride on a quadrant and rotate on a shaft. Well it can’t so the quadrant is like a wheel and as it moves the axle shaft must move horizontally either back or forward. The back and forward motion also allows each half of the bridge to mesh with the other. Heavy concrete counter weights balance the sections and when fully raised block any traffic from hitting the bridge, quite clever.

Quadrant rides on the studed rail

When full up the quadrant rotates away from the span

So tomorrow we still need to purchase some fuel and hope to get an early start. Currently, the wind should be light out of the west and we expect fairly calm seas.