Publish Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Location: Lake Erie
Our summer cruising has us spending a lot of time in fresh water. This is a noticeable change from our first 10 months aboard Three@Sea which was primarily in salt water (or very brackish water). After days under way there is no crusty salt build up; the exterior stainless stays looking good with less effort; and, making water puts very little strain on our water maker (since there is no salt to remove). However, as with many things in life, there is often a dark side that accompanies a light side. Here in Lake Erie it is the midges. Holy smokes! I have never seen anything quite like the swarms of little critters. They most resemble a mosquito, but luckily they don’t bite or carry diseases, but they sure can make a mess of the boat. Locals say they are attracted to white—I would have to agree from our own experience (you’ve probably noticed the super structure of our boat is white). On at least three different occasions, Three@Sea has been blanketed by these insects. Really, wall to wall bugs for a couple of days at a time. In an effort to get them to skeedaddle, I tried spraying them off. This had one of two effects, some just flew to the other side of the boat, while others disintegrate into a phosphorescent green paste – yuck! When they are here, they are everywhere. They disappear for a few days, and then return again. At times I felt as if we were in some Alfred Hitchcok movie, with midges in our hair, underfoot, and on every surface.
Apparently these midges are unique to Lake Erie (Midge Invasion). I am pleased to report that once we travelled several miles up the Detroit River, we haven’t seen another midge. Apparently, we have mayflies to look forward to here. 😉
P.S. I kept meaning to get a picture of the creatures, but it’s funny how you never think to grab your camera in an unpleasant circumstance.