At 6:30 a.m. on Father''s Day (and the Solstice day) four dads--Bill Burton, Richard Stiers, Haris Subacius and I--assembled on 63d Street Beach. Were we there to spend Father's Day on the beach with our loving families? Of course not. We were all gripped by Crib-O-Mania. It was a day for paddling
63d Street Beach at Launch
I hold noted local paddler Jim Tibensky largely responsible for Crib-O-Mania. There are four large water intake cribs dotted between two and four miles off the shore of Chicago's lakefront. Local paddlers like to paddle out to the cribs (and back). It is a nice open-water paddling experience and the cribs are interesting to look at and attract plenty of birds.
Wilson Street Crib
A few years ago several of us, including Paul Doughty and I believe Bill Burton, paddled the four cribs one way, from Wilson Street Crib at the north past Harrison/Dever Crib and Four Mile crib down to 68th Street Crib at the south, landing at 63d Street Beach, where we had shuttled our cars. The trip was about 18 miles. We thought we were real paddling studs, and posted a report to that effect to the 400 paddlers on the CASKA Yahoo Group.
Jim responded to the news with his own post in which he revealed that when he did his four cribs trips he avoided the hassle of a shuttle by going around the four cribs and then returning to his launch site, which took the total mileage up to over 30 miles. While Jim's post did not detract from what was a fun trip, it did deflate at least one ego--mine. For the next several years I always wanted to do a "true" four cribs trip Jim Tibensky style. Weather, other paddles, and even a camping trip with Jim himself got in the way of that trip.
This Father's Day I was ready. I'm not sure what motivated Richard, Bill and Haris to show up, but I believe they were all aware of Jim's approach to a four cribs trip and wanted to match it. Haris, mischievous person that he is, had even pointed out to us the possibility of a five cribs trip that would include the Hammond, Indiana Crib. A five cribs trip would run over 40 miles. We didn't know if Jim had done the five cribs trip, but we weren't about to tip him off to the remote chance that some or all of us would be attempting a five cribs trip this year.
Bill Burton (where's your tuliq Bub?)
The conditions were near perfect this Father's Day. Winds were light, waves were slight and the clouds shielded us from the son. The water temperature was about 60 degrees and the air temperature was in the low 70s on the water.
We pushed off about 7:30 a.m., after our safety check, and sailed out to 68th Street Crib at a nice 4.5 mph clip. Along the way we spotted three white swans on the lake, which we took to be an excellent omen.
We took a short break at 68th Street Crib. This set the pattern for the day. We usually paddled steadily between the cribs and then took a short break upon arrival at each one. This meant that we never paddled more than two hours without a break. At the same time, the prospect of a break at the next crib helped motivate us to push ahead.
There was sufficient haze that we often could not see the next crib when we started paddling after a break. These conditions allowed our eyes (and minds) to be subject to all sort of visual tricks as we stared intently ahead looking for the next crib. "There it is" was often as not followed by "Oops, must have been a sailboat." We were well equipped with GPS units and compasses so in no real danger of getting lost, however.
Three Dads and Skyline
We pushed north from 68th Street Crib to Four Mile Crib, which, as its name suggests, is well out in the lake. This stretch is the farthest from shore and has the least boat traffic. It is an exquisite pleasure to be fresh, in a relatively tiny boat and miles from shore cruising along on a soft sea.
The skyline was wrapped in haze as we visited Four Mile Crib and then Harrison/Dever Crib. Richard and Haris recounted their recent encounter with law enforcement officials who had ticketed them for approaching too close to a crib. Richard's ticket even cited him for excessive speed and kicking up too high a wake, something that I hope he takes as a reflection of his paddling prowess. Indeed, during the trip Haris and I marveled how a guy who paddles with bent arms and not a lot of evident torso rotation can go so darn fast.
A long paddle provides an opportunity for plenty of conversation and plenty of solitude. As we paddled we checked in with each other, covering the usual topics of work, family, paddling trips and gear. During a paddle these conversations are pleasant diversions, but they also have a more practical purpose. We depend on each other out of the water, and conversation is a way to check in with the group and check out the condition of the paddlers upon which you rely for a safe trip.
The wind shifted to the north as we paddled from Harrison/Dever Crib up to Wilson Crib, the half-way point for a four cribs trip. At Wilson Crib we made a decision that signaled larger ambitions. We decided to turn around and push south back to Harrison/Dever Crib before taking our lunch break. This allowed us to take advantage of a slight following wind and seas. It also put our lunch break at the half-way point of a five cribs trip. There is some psychological advantage to taking your lunch break at or beyond the half-way point of an extended paddle.
The paddle from Wilson Crib to Harrison/Dever Crib was my favorite stretch. With the wind and waves favoring us we could keep our 4 mph pace with a 2 mph effort. It felt like we were skimming over rather than pushing through the water. Harrison/Dever Crib appeared out of the mist in no time. A couple of us got out of our boats during lunch and that was a welcome break.
After lunch we entered into what I think of as the trance time of an extended paddle. This is when your body is getting tired, your mind is weary, and conversation with your fellow paddlers has started to lag. Nothings matters but paddling. One stroke follows another automatically and without thought. The mind empties and the eyes open.
Tom Bamonte with paddling sombrero
Between Four Mile Crib and 68th Street Crib there are some shoals marked by three buoys. Haris and Bill looped off to explore them. We had visited them on a cribs trip last year and they are well worth the trip, shelves of rock bulging up from the depths. However, by then my goal was to make our next destination with the minimum number of strokes, which meant paddling on a straight line.
We met up at 68th Street Crib. It was decision time. Richard, good human being that he is, opted to paddle back to 63d Street Beach so he could celebrate Father's Day. Bill used his cellphone to try to reach his family and call off his festivities so he could join Haris and I in paddling on to Hammond Crib and back, completing a five cribs trip. He couldn't reach anyone so he joined Richard. Both of them were still full of energy and it would have been great to have had them along for this last stretch of a five cribs trip.
Haris and I burned with ambition to complete a cribs trip that was longer than a Tibensky-style four cribs trip. We had a nice paddle south through the entrance to the breakwater around Calumet Park into the industrial zone at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Haris Subacius near Hammond
We didn't know exactly where Hammond Crib was located and spent a lot of time and mental energy trying to discern the Crib from this industrial backdrop. Finally, we found the Crib in the distance. From that moment the crib started to play that irritating game often played on tired paddlers of retreating at a pace close to ours. It seemed to take forever to make the Crib. Once we got there we found it to be a scraggly version of a crib.
Hammond Crib With Scraggly Paddler
On the trip back we debated whether we had to return to 68th Street Crib to complete a "true" five cribs trip or whether we could angle back to our launch site. We opted to return to 68th Street Crib so, in Haris' words, we could have an exclamation point rather than an asterisk next to our names in the CASKA Hall of Fame. Obviously, we were hallucinating at this point.
Haris Subacius Near Trip's End
We circled around 68th Street Crib and headed back to the beach. By now the water was starting to feel like molasses and we were tired. Nevertheless, we kept up a decent pace, arriving back to 63d Street Beach about 7:45 p.m., having covering over 43 miles.
68th Street Crib--Last Crib Stop on a Long Day
What a great Father's Day. All of us had established personal bests in terms of distance paddled in a day. We kept up a nice steady pace, took care of ourselves on the water, and ended our paddle tired but not ill, injured or even unusually grumpy.
When I got home I emailed Jim Tibensky to find out if he had done the five cribs trip before. I let out an involuntary whoop when his reply arrived and he said he wasn't even aware of the Hammond Crib. He also said that when he did his four cribs trips he typically would circle the four cribs and then angle back to his launch point. This meant that our four cribs trip likely covered a bit more distance than Jim's typical trip because we visited each crib twice. Another whoop.
Hopefully, Jim will be flattered that we viewed one of his many paddling accomplishments as our benchmark. After all, a good mentor is one that inspires others to stretch themselves.
Speaking of stretching, there is a sixth crib along the Chicago lake shore. It is a submerged crib located offshore at about the Evanston lighthouse. Next up for some paddling knuckleheads is a 60 odd mile six crib circumnavigation trip. I'll be happy to leave that trip to another set of paddlers who find themselves in the grip of Crib-o-Mania.
Our Route
Photos: Richard Stiers (mostly)
GPS Plot: Haris Subacius
Text: Tom Bamonte