Are you for real? I mean Dionysus is the patron God of the Greek Stage.
This would lead me to believe your writing is a work of fiction, designed
for trolling.

Assuming you are for real and these events did indeed take place, CONSIDER
YOURSELF LUCKY. Between you experience and equipment, if you were
prepared at all, you were only prepared for a short trip under ideal
conditions. Lets look at how this could have gone, from bad to worse:

You could have been delayed getting to Chicago, forcing you to wander in
an unknow harbor at night looking for a dock.

Without any charts, or knowledge of the area, you could have just as
easisily ran across a shoal either on route to your destination, on route
back home or from the course you took to minimize weather. Speaking of
course changes, what would have happened if you reached shore with no
facilities to tie up at? It seemed that you were taking a course to
avoid weather but had no idea what layed ahead.

Fog could have set in en route and with any changes of course then what?
Your no longer on a course to get you to a known harbor. Even if you
stayed on course, you can no longer see ANY visible landmarks.

Your engine could have died 1/2 mile with the winds blowing hard ashore,
without a GPS how can someone get to you in a timely manner? Without
anchoring how were you going to keep your boat off the rocks?

Your engine could have died in the middle of the lake. If you did have
communication, how would anyone find you without a GPS. Big water, small
boat, get it? A GPS is sooo inexpensive for what it does that I wish it
were mandatory USGC equipment.

I'm happy to welcome new boaters into what I deem is a wonderful
community. I'm glad things worked out for you, and I'm glad your girl
friend are safe. But I do hope you thanked your diety (greek or
otherwise) and have learned some lessons to avoid not only the problems
that you encountered on this trip, but the problems you avoided, by good
luck.

On Lake Erie, we have a term for boaters who go out ill prepared, assuming
that thing will not go wrong, or if they do someone will come along and
help them out, that term is STATISTIC.

Bob Dimond


In article ,
wrote:

Background: We bought our 1977 Sea Ray SRV two weeks ago. She has a new
bilge pump and steering cables; while the steering cables were installed
we had the bellows checked and the engine compression tested (both were
fine). She has a fish finder, VHF radio, flares, running lights, PFDs,
fenders, lines, etc.