Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.......and I love it! The only thing missing are the tins of DELICIOUS cookies that I used to make with my sister, Joy. The tradition was fun, but my hand had a mind of it's own and kept opening those lids.

We're off to meet Lisa's family for a picture with Santa and then we'll have the boys for an overnight. In less than 2 weeks we'll share their Christmas morning joy. Matt and Tomeaka will be here from the Caymans so it will be a really special holiday for Lou and me.

We've gone so far as to order up a batch of new snow for everyone to play in!!!!! It's beautiful.

We've called to check on Tequila and she's covered and all ready for the rest of winter. We're already planning on next summer's adventure.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy healthy New Year. No more news until we hit the water.

END OF SUMMER

9-16-09

I'm not complaining....."just stating the facts ma'am" as Sgt. Friday used to say. The weather has been crummy ever since Bill and Karen Murray arrived in Newport. CRUMMY!

The only good thing is the ports don't leak anymore and our bed has stayed dry.

Bill & Karen are boaters, so they know how unpredictable sailing conditions can be, and they are flexible. On the 12th we drove to Boston and entertained ourselves in torrential downpours. Actually, it was a fun day and my first visit to Boston. I loved it!

We took a tour on a D (designed in 1942) U (utility amphibious cargo carrying vehicle) K (front wheel drive) W (double rear axle drive) ..... DUKW.......nicknamed by the soldiers as DUCKS. It was built in Pontiac, Michigan, to carry men and cargo from the ships to the beaches in WWII. The tour on our DUCKS was through the historic streets of Boston and into and up the Charles River all the while quacking when our driver, Sgt. Meatball, gave the command.

Then we had dinner in Little Italy and had a waiter who spoke English with a very heavy Italian accent. It was a treat.

Finally the weather has changed to warm and sunny and just in time for us to put the boat into winter storage in Bristol, RI. What a cute harbor with 500 moorings. Thank heavens for Bill and Karen's help in the unloading process. They have been a huge help!!!!

We're sad the summer adventures are ending, but we are looking forward to going home and seeing the boys. I'm sure Brady has turned into a chubby little ball by now. This month Lisa and Don celebrated their 7th anniversary, my sister and brother-in-law, Joy and Jim, hit the 50 year mark, Kyle started school, Matt turns 36, and Lou will have his 73rd birthday. It's a busy month.

Thanks for sharing our adventures with us. We look forward to seeing the Sytsema family in Mt. Pleasant for Brady's baptism in October. Until next summer, good-bye.

Newport with the Murrays

Karen and Bill Murray


We're having a good time "seeing" Newport with Bill and Karen Murray who have never been here before. It's been a wet-windy few days. So windy, in fact, that we had to turn the sailboat around on the floating dock. The waves were slapping up under the transom so loudly that it felt like you were sleeping with the train.

Newport, RI

Courtney (soon to be 11) - Kelli (the mom) - Sydney (8) on Tequila on 9-7-09


This has been a 5 day lay-over in one spot, so we've had time to "experience"Newport and the harbor. What an experience!!!! Newport is considered the center of yachting in the Northeast, and it's easy to understand why. The harbor is filled with more sailboats than I've ever seen in one harbor. There are many 12-meter racers from the classic America's Cup era. The New York Yacht Club occupies a beautiful mansion here and sailing traditions are strong-------cannons are fired at 8 am and sundown to alert crews to raise and lower their flags; the race committee wears slacks, blue blazers, and ties to monitor races; the Newport Sailing School has students zipping in and out of the mooring field on fast little J-22 boats.


But, it's the big yachts (make that mega-yachts) that are breathtaking. How important does someone need to be and how much money does it take to buy a yacht and put a small helicopter on the roof? I can't begin to imagine it. As we dingied by, we saw 2 of these "monsters" from Georgetown, Cayman Islands. We wondered if we had met them on one of our visits. :-)


I'd say the highlight of our stay here has been taking Kelli and her daughters (Courtney and Sydney) out for their first sail. Kelli is the daughter of some old-time Michigan friends, and we've know her since she was about 7 years old. They were all good sports even though the waves made them a little queasy. Kelli had a million questions about daily living on a sail boat.....


*Q-Why doesn't water come out of the tap?

A-We are out of water and then the pump has to be turned on. (Three days at the mooring
completely empties our two water tanks.)


*Q-How do you do laundry?

A-We take it to a laundromat by bike or by dingy.


*Q-How often do you grocery shop and how do you get the groceries back to the boat?

A-Right now it's been three weeks. (Don will never believe that I can stay away from the
grocery store that long!) That's why we're out of everything. They got crackers and
peanut butter for lunch. :-(


*Q-What do you do all day?

A- Lou sails, navigates, reads-----I read, help a little, fix meals (skimpy as they may be)
While we're in a port we attend to the necessary tasks like getting water and fuel, finding
showers and Internet spots, doing laundry, etc. It's a pretty simple life.


Today we'll take the boat launch into town, ride our bikes to the Information Center where we'll catch the purple bus to Walmart and a grocery store for bread and fruit, find a place to do the blog and read email, and then return to the boat for a hot dog roast for dinner.


On Wednesday our friends, Bill and Karen Murray, will be arriving from Charlevoix with our car for a few days of sailing. Our plan is to go to Martha's Vineyard and maybe Buzzards Bay with them. Then we'll take the boat to Bristol and get it ready for winter.

BLOCK ISLAND, RI

Sunset at Block Island




We have spent the afternoon and night in the New Harbor at Block Island, RI. It was a wonderful/strange experience. A channel was cut through from Block Island Sound to Great Salt Pond in 1895. For the next 100 plus years the boats have flocked here from all over the world......and now from Michigan. The water is deep (with very few rocks) and the Pond is well protected from the winds.


All that's good, right? I have no idea how many boats can dock at the 4 marinas - maybe 100. Then, there are an unknown number of private moorings. Then, there are 100 town moorings that sometimes have 2 boats rafted together. We arrived at 1 pm and all the public moorings were gone. So, we anchored in the large anchorage area with 300 (give or take) other boats. The web site says that there is space for 1,000 boats to anchor. It was the most unusual anchorage we've ever been in!


Now for the wonderful part. We sat on the deck and watched a beautiful sunset (almost as good as Beaver Island's sunsets), ate homemade chicken noodle soup, and watched the lights on the masts come on. It was like being in a star field with the stars almost close enough to touch. It was magical.


I love the feeling that Lou and I are sailing in the same waters Matt and Brian sailed when they were on Trader. I first noticed this feeling as we came down the Erie Canal and again when we were around the Statue of Liberty. As we head toward Newport, it's a strong feeling again.


The trip from Block Island to Newport is like being on a freeway with so many boats heading in both directions. We have a beautiful blue sailboat off our starboard that Lou is having an unofficial race with. The other boat has a main and head sail up, and we are sailing with just a head sail. So far we're winning.



NEWPORT HARBOR 9-4-09

Sometimes (despite the recent stories otherwise) I think we live under an umbrella of good luck. For example, if you want a campsite at White River Campground for the Labor Day Weekend, you would need to make a reservation in June or early July. I called Carl, the owner/manager or moorings in a section of Newport harbor, this morning and he saved us a spot on a floating dock. When we arrived, he said he'd have several calls after mine and this was the last mooring he had. So, for $45 a night we have a safe location away from the craziness of Center Harbor just off a State Park beach. One of the marinas charges $300 per night plus $20 for electricity. Ouch!!!!

Now we go exploring.

HAUL OUT

Going up!

I KNEW it was going to be a no-good-very-bad day as soon as I woke up. You've heard of "getting out on the wrong side of the bed" right? Admittedly, that's hard to do when you sleep on a boat that doesn't have walk space around the bed. But, believe me, I got out of bed on the wrong side today!

Actually, weather-wise it couldn't be better. The sun was shining and the breeze was comfortable. Weather was not the problem.

We ran aground leaving Watch Hill. Try as we might we couldn't plow through the sand to get where we needed to be. Even the tow boat captain said the sand was shifting and filling in the channel. Before the tow arrived Lou tried putting up the head sail and gunning the engine.

KA-PLUNK! R-O-C-K-S!!!!! When the tow captain hooked up the tow rope, he said he would try to wiggle us out, but we would probably find a few more "pebbles." He was right. That is a really sickening sound. He also said we were lucky to not need the crane to lift us out of the rock field.

We got out and decided to be towed to Stonington, CT, which is just across Little Narragansett Bay from Watch Hill. It was a piece of cake to get in the travel lift to haul out the boat to check for structural damage. Except for some nicks and dings (some pretty big ones) in the keel, the boat checked out. I can't remember if we've ever had such a thorough inspection. So, maybe this was a blessing. The captain isn't so sure about that!

The next problem appeared when we tried to leave the lift and head for a mooring. The tide was out........you guessed it........and we got stuck AGAIN!!!!! It took 4 yard hands and their boat with a big engine to maneuver us around into a slip. I think they felt sorry for us and let us stay in the slip instead of the mooring at no extra charge. That saved us about $100.

THINGS THAT WERE GOOD ABOUT TODAY.........

*Lou and I didn't kill each other

*The weather was GREAT

*The floor boards got lifted up during the inspection and then the bilges got cleaned

*We're close to a cute town and will walk in for dinner

*The cell phone worked for all the calls to the insurance company

*We have $250 towing on our insurance instead of just $50 on our membership to Boat US

*Best of all this was written as an insurance claim so everything should be covered

Now my job is to remind Lou of all the positives. Tomorrow will be another beautiful day.

Watch Hill, RI

9-1-09

What a fabulous day! We started by touring Watch Hill which took us by the Flying Horse Carousel which was built (so they think) in 1867. Originally it was pulled by 2 men turning cranks, then a horse unwound a rope, then water power, and in 1914, it was switched to electric power. It came to Watch Hill in 1883 by a carnival and then was abandoned.

Originally the horses were carved as spring rocking horses. During the Civil War, they were adapted for use on carousels. The 20 horses are hung by rods from the overhead sweeps. The speed of the ride causes the horses to swing out on their rods, thus the Flying Horse Carousel. The horse hair manes and tails are replaced so that the 50,000 children who ride them can experience the joy of the Flying Horses. We have no idea who these children are, but we wish they were Kyle and Ryan.

Then we took a dingy ride to the spot where we went aground yesterday. We gave thanks (silently) to the rocks for letting us go. You can be assured that we won't make that mistake again! It's beautiful in Little Narragansett Bay, and the houses are HUGE. Maybe we'll come back on our return trip.

ROCKS!!!!!!

I wish I had started a photo collections of lighthouses. There are a lot here and all of them are all different.

Once again we found ourselves in just the right place at just the right time. (This is not referring to the title of the blog.) We decided to "weather out" the winds and rain from hurricane Danny a few days ago on a mooring ball in New London, CT. That way we could swing as needed and not bang into a dock. By the way, our friends in the Caymans are welcome to this hurricane weather.

We returned from dinner ashore and dinghied out to the boat in a light rain. The first thing Lou did was start the engine to charge the batteries and check the dial that tells the "charge and discharge" rate on them. He couldn't believe the readings. After a summer of worry-free battery usage, he was seeing the dial jump from big charge to big discharge. Everything (including the refrigerator) was shut off and we went to bed by flashlights......HIS and HERS.

The winds weren't terrible that night but it rained harder than I can ever remember. Of course, the pounding rain was on the deck about 3 feet above my head.

Saturday morning we came to a dock and called a marine mechanic. Here's the really fortunate part........Carl came to look at the problem on Saturday and returned on Sunday to fix it (and didn't charge time and a half). He was a master mechanic in the Coast Guard and has traveled to the North and South Poles during his career. Our problem was not with the batteries or the alternator or some other expensive electrical malfunction. Instead, the vibration of the motor had caused a bolt holding the alternator to break and thus the wild readings at the meter. It's fixed, and we're on our way again.

8-31-09

It was a beautiful day after several rainy days. We had nice wind and could sail with the main and the head sail. What a pleasure! We weren't going far......we thought Fishers Island but that was only 30 minutes away. Then, we thought of Mystic, but we had been there by car and didn't need to go back by boat. So, we decided on Watch Hill, RI. These ports are so close here.

We took a look at the charts and headed for Watch Hill.

First we needed to sail around for a couple of hours to let the tide rise a bit. (This tide stuff adds an element to planning.) Then, we headed in. We got a bit confused as to whether Watch Hill Yacht Club was to the left where there were sail boats or to the right where there were more boats. In that moment of indecision we got on the edge of the narrow channel and ran aground in a rock field. I saw 5'2" on the depth sounder after we got stuck (we need 7 1/2 feet of water). I really believed that we would need to be towed off after the tide got higher (it was already rising). However, 2 power boats stopped and took the main halyard and pulled the boat over on the side to free the keel. The rail was almost in the water, but it worked. We were able to drive the boat back into the channel. WHEW! Of course, Lou will be checking the keel for "scars" when we pull her out for the winter.

I'm glad we're here. Watch Hill is a quaint town on Little Narrangansett Bay off Block Island Sound. We'll go in search of the restored classic carousel and the beautiful beaches here and explore with the dingy today.

Waiting For Danny

Lou taking me on a "dingy" date in New London, Connecticut. It's great but we always get wet feet.

Waiting for the effects of "Danny" on a mooring in New London, CT.

8-26-09

Milford, Connecticut, is a very cute port. It has the longest village green (except for Boston) in New England with stores and restaurants on both sides. For lunch we found The Rainbow Gardens along the green which was quaint AND delicious.

We had a busy day in Milford. We have three modes of transportation: walking (yuk!), riding our bikes, and going by dingy.......and, we used them all. On the way to the laundromat with our clothes strapped on the back of Lou's bike and in both backpacks, Lou discovered that he had NO brakes on his bike. Fortunately, there was a bike shop "on the green", and he got his back brakes working. The front ones will require a bigger repair. Laundry, hair cuts, lunch and back to the marina. Off we went in the dingy to find the boat store and explore the Wepawaug River.

There are some very strange names in this part of the world. But, some familiar ones too. We were in a town and on a river named Saugatuck.

We carry a large supply of tools, nuts & bolts, and various other "necessary" items on board. This morning Lou needed the most useful one......the duck tape. For some reason the tip of the autohelm arm fell off. Without it to hold the tiller to the autohelm, Lou would have to "man the tiller," and that's pretty tiring. Or.......turn it over to me, and that's not good either. I can't steer a straight coarse to save my soul. When you look at the wake I leave, you would think that it was the path of a drunken sailor. I'm much better at reading or writing the blog or enjoying the sights. We have a following sea today which means that we're surfing down 3' to 4' waves. With me at the helm,, we'd probably broach (that's NOT good). Well, the duck tape seems to be working. It's not pretty, but it's working!

Recently we visited with a Canadian couple on the next boat. Rob got his Masters at U of M in Marine Engineering. That was in the 70s when boat building was going gangbusters. He has designed at C & C, Nunsuch, and Hunter. In fact, his name was published for his design of the Hunter 33. Now he's selling boat building supplies and living in NJ. It was fun hearing about some of his Hunter experiences.

I think the boating people in Connecticut are RICH. I can't believe the docking fees. Essex is more expensive than New York City. We barely traveled up the 400 mile Connecticut River, but it was beautiful with BEEEEE - u - tiful houses. (Must be all that NY money!)

8-29-09

Now we are waiting out our second hurricane or tropical depression (Danny) in New London, CT, on a mooring ball. Apparently the boats were banging around on the docks during the last "blow." One fellow snapped three new docking lines. Depending on how high the winds reach I thinking we'll be safer on the ball. Unfortunately, we can't get Internet on the boat, so it'll be a couple of days before we can give you an update. Live by my philosophy......no news is good news....and......take a nap when things get stressful.

Just let me say before anything goes wrong that this has been a fabulous experience. We met a couple who did the Great Loop in 34 months and loved it! I thought we were doing great at 3 months. We'll be wintering in Bristol, RI, so we only have a couple more weeks of living in 550 square feet with motor noise as our constant background "mood" music.

Milford, CT

This is the actual depth sounder on our boat. We docked at the Milford Yacht Club in 12.5 feet of water at high tide. At low tide this is what our depth sounder said the water level was. Hummmmm-----our boat "needs" 7.5 feet of water for the keel to be floating safely. So, I guess we are deep in mud!

We left Westport, CT, where we waited out our first hurricane......Bill. It amounted to a few thunderstorms and lots of rain (that translates to wet cushions, damp starboard bunk, and soggy towels that Lou used to soak up the drips.) Here he is in Milford getting ready for Happy Hour. What a guy!

This is a very cute harbor. The city has put floating docks down the center of the river to add more dock space. We are at a dock at the Milford Yacht Club and just as safe as can be and an easy walk to the pool. Yea!.
It is too hot and humid to make me a happy camper. Tomorrow we'll load up the bikes with the laundry and pedal off to town to the laundromat. Nothing on a boat is simple. But, there are some really nice sides to it. I'll tell you more (or not) later.

Westport, CT

We came straight from NY City to Westport, CT, in order to meet Gui, Christine, and Nina over the weekend. They were able to have a little sail on Saturday and a swim off the boat. It is still HOT and HUMID here!!!!! We decided to stay an extra day to wait out Bill, but the weather has turned quite nice. We have had a few wild thunderstorms, but they have all passed.





Our plans are to "hop" up the coast of Connecticut and spend some time looking at the cute colonial towns along the way. I thought Westport was one of those towns, but it is quite a busy mid-sized city and the marina is a LONG way from town. Our first cab ride in cost $36.00. Fortunately, Gui drove us around town and to another fabulous grocery store in the next town.

The Big Apple

Gui, Christine, and Nina Ferreira

New York Deli

Debbie, her son, Lou, Kristin, and Ashley

The NY Skyline

At last I can check off something on my "Bucket List." Ever since Matt and Brian brought Trader past the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, I've wanted to do the same thing. We've cruised the NY harbor and dodged the ferry and cruise boats for a water view of this amazing city with a local who told us what we were seeing.

What a thrill to come down the Hudson River and pass the entire west side of Manhattan! We sailed up to the East River, around the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, drove through the incredible traffic of the city with our personal tour guide, Debbie, and even ate lunch at a real NY deli. What a nice day.......except for the heat. It must be in the 90s again with 100% humidity. Our marina in Jersey City looks across to the NY skyline.

We've been able to spend time with my nephew, Steve, and his family (we missed Lori though), and his neighbor, Debbie, and her son & daughter. Debbie was our guide, and I must say she shared her love of the city. We can't thank her enough for driving us around. She is my hero for her driving skills and non-stop narration.

Between the ferries in the NY harbor and the cars on the island and the hundreds (or so it seemed) diners in Katz deli it's easy to get a feel for the millions of people living in such a small space. I'm not sure what is the most impressive thing.......seeing the NY skyline from the water, looking across the Hudson at night at all the lights, or "sneaking out" of the harbor before the crack of dawn while the city is still asleep. I loved it all!

A true highlight of our stay in Jersey City was having dinner with Gui, our first exchange student, and his wife, Christine, and 3 year old daughter, Nina. He lived with us 20 years ago in East Lansing. We plan to meet them again in Connecticut this weekend. (Nine speaks 3 languages and she's only 3.)

August 20, 2009

We left NY at 5:30 am today to get the incoming tide in the East River. I haven't figured this high and low tide stuff out yet, but Lou's timing worked! Through Hells Gate and into Long Island Sound we were going 11 knots and no slower than 9 knots over the land. Towns were closer than we're used to in Michigan, so we had to keep a close eye on the charts and the road map. What a neat experience.

Haverstraw Bay. NY

Sharon and Jon Morris

Kate The Great

Sharon, Jon-boy, Kate, and Jon

While we were in Haverstraw Bay we were joined by Don's sister and her family.

Kate, and Jon (the giant) were so much fun! We loved having them come and meet us. It was the first time we inflated the dingy, the first time we went swimming, and the first time we had 6 people sleeping on the boat. Havershaw Bay was the biggest marina we have ever been in.......

1,000 slips. The Morris family noticed the size of the boats and the number of BMWs, Lexises, Lincolns, and Mercedes in the parking lot. I couldn't believe the docking fee...$117 per night. On the other hand it appeared to be a luxury country club with a huge pool and restaurant attached. It is so stinking HOT and HUMID that we couldn't wait to jump in the pool.

This was a first time sailing experience for the Morris family. Here are some comments:

Jon-Boy (8) "It's awesome!" Kate (11) "I LOVE it and I want a boat!" Sharon (age unpublished) "It's very relaxing and I love the GPS and plotting program!" and Jon (the giant) "The beds are too short, I broke my toe in the cockpit, and I sat up in bed and gave myself a concussion. Ouch!!!" (But secretly he loved it.)

Even with all that we had a great day of sailing, swimming, and visiting. We also loved Aunt Kim's coffee cake and pie. (Thanks Kim.)

The Hudson River

The northern part of the Hudson River is just beautiful. It's hard to believe that NY city is coming up soon.

We are official members of the "I've Been Aground in the Hudson River" club. We were motoring south when Lou got a little confused on the markings. Unfortunately he picked the "short cut" and it was a BIG mistake. The tide was changing, we were in a muck field, and there was no help in sight. I was convinced that we were hard aground, but Optimistic Otto (the captain) kept trying different things and we got back into the channel. It probably took 10 minutes but it felt like 4 hours!!!

We continued south to the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club where we snagged a mooring. In the morning we woke up in our own world.......fog so thick that we couldn't see the boat on the next mooring. It was like being wrapped in a cocoon.

We have met the nicest people on this journey. The folks at Hop-O-Nose went out of their way to help us recommission the boat, the couple from Sparta unselfishly shared their experiences with us, and the manager at the Julius Petersen Boat Works was the nicest guy in the world. The only "gripe" I have is that Jim McConnell is not aboard to refresh our 11th grade history on the Revolutionary War.

Mast Up!

I'm a firm believer that it's the little things in life that are important. Below you see our new spider web remover bought as a gift by Mike and Marlene. It holds an important place in our "necessary equipment" department. I probably killed 30 spiders today as we dismantled the
cradle that held the mast above the deck. Those little fellows came out from every hiding place.





Our mast went up today with the help of this OLD equipment at
Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY. This pully was used during the original canal days. I must say that it was a far cry from the stuff they use at Irish Boat Shop, but it worked!

Now our job is planning for the next leg. Where shall we go? We consulted the state map, a guide to the Hudson River, the Waterways Guide , the phone and talked to lots of people. (It seems that that is the best source of information.) In two days we'll be in Haverstraw Bay and meeting Jon and Sharon Morris and their two kids (Don's sister and her family). It will be fun to introduce the boat to non-sailors. They will spend the night (6 people in a little space!!!!) and we'll sail or motor to a swimming beach for a day of laziness. It will be so much fun. We just wish that Kyle and Ryan could be with us too. They love their cousins and the boat.

Just a little note about what a small world this is.......we met a couple in Waterford from Sparta, NJ. They knew exactly where Wantage, NJ, is (Don's family is there.) They found us again in Catskill and we had dinner together. Turns out they knew Melissa (from the second blog) and someone else that Lou knew. We couldn't believe it!

The Crew

Meet the crew of Tequila's trip through the Erie Canal........(not in order) ........ there is Lou the Captain...Pretty in Pink Marlene the Pusher.....Mike the Map Reader........and Donna The Happy Hooker. We compiled our impressions of the trip so far and they are:

*The people are so friendly. We docked in front of a restaurant in Brockport, and they offered us free electricity without even knowing if we were going to eat there which we did of course.

*A perfect stranger in Amsterdam drove me to a store to buy a few supplies. and then the owner of the marina in Amsterdam went to buy a dozen eggs for our breakfast.

* The biker babes in Weedsport were very helpful and friendly.

*Boaters all along the way have been willing to share information on where they have been and marina locations.

* A US Representative for the NY 21st District (Paul Tonko) was interested in our experiences in the Canal and asked us to write to his website.

*There were plenty of houses and cottages to see along the canal but lots and lots of wilderness and wildlife to see.

*The locks were easy to negotiate (especially with four people) and the lock keepers were friendly and helpful.

*There are very few people in the canal. It's as though the whole system was built just for us.

We've all learned something about the boat. Lou has found that going under bridges completely messes up the GPS and compasses and coming out of locks makes the boat steering go kaflooie for a while. Mike has learned that he can't stand up in very many places in the cabin, and he has the lumps and bumps to prove it. Marlene has learned where things are stored - especially the candy.

We expect to finish the last set of locks in the Erie Canal on Monday and send Mike and Marlene on their way home. We will miss them. They have been a huge help, and we hope we've provided a new experience for them to put in their memory log.

Where Are We?

Sal the mule is taller than me! PARTY

!

Stopping in the Erie Canal

We have been in the middle of wilderness for the first 5 days of the journey in the canal. It's been just beautiful. We keep trying to remember the Erie Canal song we all learned in 4th grade, but if we do, we'll make each other crazy singing it!

We were motoring through what appeared to be uninhabitied land while Mike checked off the channel numbers. But, we didn't see any marinas or towns and felt "lost in time." Suddenly we came upon a wall we could tie up to. (It's not easy to allow for a 60 foot mast hanging over the bow and stern.) It just so happened there was a restaurant, band, 300ish people, and at least 80 motorcycles. We had found a PAR-TY and still didn't know where we were! I finally asked one of the biker babes and found that we were in Weedsport. Now you know. We had dinner and listened to the music which was quite good and went to be at 9 pm.

Friday we stopped near Syracuse and plan to motor across Oneida Lake on Saturday morning with the winds in a favorable direction.

Erie Canal

August 3, 2009

Our friends from East Lansing, Mike and Marlene Cosgrove, drove back to Buffalo with us and survived the 46 mile long traffic back up. Whew! We wondered if that was a sign of things to come. IT WAS!!!!!!

Thank heavens for Mike's experience with tools and wood. With his help Lou has built a cradle to hold the mast on the boat that will last 100 years, not just the two weeks to get through the canal. That being said the cradle lasted 1/2 hour. When we left Buffalo and entered into the Niagara River, things began falling apart......literally! The strong current combined with choppy waves and big power boats rushing by us going full out. When we hit the 3 to 4 wake, Mike knew we were in trouble......BIG TROUBLE. The mast lifted off the transom support by about 2 feet and then the front lifted out of the bow pulpit and the support collapsed. Mike and Lou rushed to the bow to hold the mast down while Marlene and I were left in the cockpit to steer the boat. No worries though. Mike and Lou lifted the mast up enough to reposition the supports and everything was tied down very securely. Then it was HAPPY HOUR!!!!!

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 after a 7 year construction period. At 2 pm we excitedly entered our first of 35 locks which will drop us a total of 338 feet. This one only dropped 49.1 feet. Each of us had different ideas of what we would find, but all of us are pleasantly surprised at the greenery and peacefulness. It's like traveling down the White River if it was 150 feet wide and 14 feet deep. We've seen a blue and green heron, a horse, black ducks, Canadian geese, a fox, a pair of egrets and a llama. It's just beautiful.

In one place we passed over the famous (of course we've all heard about it) Culver Road which was built in 1823. The road passes beneath the canal and drips water from the ceiling of the tunnel. I think I'd want to drive quickly!

There are a lot of walkers, joggers, and bike riders but very few boats. Today we passed 6 boats. It's as though this waterway was built just for us.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like grocery stores. I could wander around one in every town whether I need anything or not. I've found the Bentley of grocery stores. It's called Wegman's and it's fabulous. There is a kids playland staffed by store employees so you can shop in peace. I could be lost in the fresh meat/deli section for days.

Tonight we are tied up in front of the ribs restaurant in Brockport, NY. Of course, we have to have dinner there. Yum!!!

Just Hanging Out

Our visit in Mt. Pleasant with the Sytsema family is about to come to an end. We're leaving in a couple of days to return to Buffalo and our sailing/motoring trip into the Erie Canal. It's been so fun to watch Brady in his first few days and his brothers reaction to him. They are all wonderful. Lisa and Don are certainly calm parents and that carries over to the "youngins".

Kyle has suffered from a bout of the flu, but so far no one else has gotten it. Ryan just keeps us all in stitches. He's got a wonderful sense of humor.

Life on Land

After we left Tequila in Buffalo, we drove back to Mt. Pleasant in time to "grab" the boys (Kyle is 5 1/2 and Ryan is 3) and set off on a three day "adventure." This included a trip to Indiana, a visit with the Cordray clan at White River Campground, a dune buggy ride, and two nights in motels. We had a fabulous time. Thank heavens for DVD players in cars!!!!! While we were gone Lisa played in a golf tournament (2 days before delivering baby #3).

Monday, July 20th we welcomed Brady Jacob Sytsema to our family. He weighed 9 pounds and was 19 1/2" long. He is a BIG boy. Mom and baby are doing fine now, but Brady had the cord around his neck at birth and needed some extra oxygen and monitoring for awhile. He looks like the other two boys but especially Kyle.

We'll be landlocked for the next couple of weeks, but plan to return to the boat and start into the Erie Canal system around August 3rd. To be continued......

PS Once again I have to thank my personal computer guru, Bill Murray, for holding my hand and helping me through the technical stuff.

Buffalo

Sorry you are getting two blogs at the same time. Somehow I lost them in the "draft" section.

July 12, 2009

Did you think that The Great Adventure would concern events only on the water? Tonight we decided to treat ourselves to dinner out and picked the Anchor Bar which is where Buffalo Chicken Wings were discovered/developed/created. They were really good, but the story is in the cab rides there and back. The first cab driver got lost and couldn't find us. He felt so bad about keeping us waiting that he turned off his meter before we got to the bar. The second cab driver who brought us back to the boat had no idea where the marina was located either. So, he talked non-stop and drove like a race track driver. He also turned off his meter. I felt like I had whiplash.

It's been so fun to get feed back from so many of you about the blog. Thanks for reading it. We're hoping to get the mast pulled on Monday, 7-13, and head for Michigan on Tuesday. However, as with all our plans, everything is subject to change.


July 15, 2009

The mast pulling went without a hitch. The guys were good......but not as good as the Irish Boat Shop crew. Still, we have no complaints. Lou and I spent the entire day getting the sails down and prepping it to be pulled and then wrapping the shrouds and halyards to the mast. We were pooped. My hat goes off to the people who do this day after day.

This is my good will story. In Erie a few days ago a Hunter 33 docked behind us. It was a young family with two children - 9 and 10. That was just the time we started sailing with Matt and Lisa. We exchanged some stories, he gave us some advise on where to dock in Buffalo, and we sailed away. They have met up with us again, helped us get to the airport to pick up a rental car, and given us directions. I hope we see them again!

New York

July 8 - Erie, PA

Look out Sam and Susan. We beat you to the surfing waves that you find in Hawaii. Our trip from Ashtabula, Ohio, to Erie, PA, was one big surfing day with winds driving the waves from 13 to 16 knots (gusts up to 18). Those are high winds but still "safe". Can I tell you that I was happy to get into the marina?

As marinas go, this is the "Cadillac" of marinas we've been in. The bathrooms are fabulous, the washers and dryers are new and actually dried the clothes, and the common grills are the best we've ever cooked on. Since the winds are turning (in the wrong direction), we've decided to stay in Erie for the next few days. We'll get our bikes off the boat and go exploring or rent a car and go farther from the water.

July 10 - Buffalo, NY
We made the big push to Buffalo today (69.6 miles) in order to have time to set up the building of the cradle and unstepping the mast in the next few days. The winds were favorable at 6 am but died by 9 am. We motored almost all the way. It was a 12 hour day. We'll be carrying the mast on the boat through the Erie Canal and expect that it will stick over the bow by 10 feet and over the stern by the same amount. The man we need to arrange this with is on a 3 day vacation (imagine that!). So, here we are in a big city, no friends to meet us, and no car. Hummmmm.......

Ashtabula, Ohio

Today was a completely new experience. We were trying to get into Ashtabula to the Yacht Club. When we came into the outer harbor, we were stopped by this big conveyor hanging over the river ready to off-load cargo. There weren't any signs telling about the height over the water, so we had no idea if our mast could make it under it (it sure didn't look like it would). We circled around and around and around and finally called the Coast Guard for advise. They contacted the coal dock who called the ship and the conveyor was raised. A man was on the deck of the freighter giving us the high sign that we could make it under. It was just like crossing under a bridge.......no perspective. Whew!

Cleveland

This is our 16th day since leaving Charlevoix and our beloved Lake Michigan. Today was our first PERFECT sailing day. The winds were steady, we had the main and head sail up, and we were doing about 7 knots with only a little heel and no motor noise. This is what it's all about!!!!!

Vermilion

Thanks Bill, Susan, and Joelee for advice on sending more than one picture. Now if I can figure out how to space them better. We'll save that for another blog.

We sailed/motored under a black cloud from Vermilion to Cleveland today. It finally dropped a few sprinkles on us as we entered the Cleveland Harbor. This is the first time I have been to

Cleveland by land or by sea, so I want to do a little sightseeing by bike and taxi. We plan to stay here through the 4th, so we'll get to see Cleveland's fireworks.

Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island in Lake Erie didn't quite match the picture in my head developed from Lou's stories. It is cute, but not that cute. The mooring field probably has 80 mooring balls and I counted 15 sailboats and 5 power boats. I'm not sure if that's a sign of the economy or the weather. There's a water taxi that runs from 8 am to midnight so people aren't "stuck" on their boats. In fact, they want to make it easy to go ashore and leave some cash in the T-shirt shops, restaurants, and bars. Unlike Mackinac Island, there are cars --- and hundreds of golf carts.

It was an easy sail to the next port - Vermilion. It's located on the Vermilion River and is CUTE, CUTE, CUTE. The houses along the river and side canals are all white and well tended. We took our bikes off the boat and rode around town before and after dinner. After we were tied up to a wall another boat arrived and tied up behind us. It was a beautiful Jeanneau sailboat. Just to give a few comparisons:

Papa Bear (Jeanneau) Mama Bear (us)

54 feet long 40 feet long

5 1/2 feet of freeboard 3 feet of freeboard

dingy davits no davits

bow thrusters no bow thrusters

Vocabulary:

freeboard - distance between the water and deck

davits - fancy system to hold the dingy out of the water

bow thrusters - motors that push the bow right or left (We use arm power.)

We've noticed a few differences in the ports we've been in so far:

Northern Lake Huron ports - empty

Detroit - very quiet

Put-in-Bay - high winds made the rigging "sing"

Vermilion - busy train tracks about 2 blocks away

Cleveland - airport "next door" and busy 4 lane highway very close by

Fortunately, when we are snug in our cabin, we don't hear (actually we have trouble hearing anything) the outside noises. What we can hear is the splashing under the transom. It's enough to drive you crazy.

The lake levels are up again this year so we need to use a 2 step step ladder to get on and off the boat. Thank you Mike and Marlene.

We've had some hitchhikers on the boat:

*hundreds of pesky flies

*thousand of gnats

*one small bird

*one large bee or yellow jacket

The little bird rode on our bow rail for quite awhile. He must have needed a little rest. The bee came aboard and settled on the cooler lid. He must have thought it was the biggest flower he'd ever seen. He stayed a couple of hours and looked like he was taking a nap. He finally left after we docked in Cleveland

Now it's raining and cold so we'll probably watch a movie tonight. All the comforts of home in 550 square feet.

Detroit

We arrived at Bayview Yacht Club on Friday (26th) early enough to have dinner. The City of Detroit has cleaned up Connor Creek which runs along the west side of Bayview. That has allowed the Yacht Club to build more docks which are great. The situation couldn't have been better. Most other boat owners live nearby, so we were the only "live-aboards." It was quiet!

Saturday morning (at early early o'clock as Kyle used to say) a shell came gliding past us with a happy wave from Molly & Libby (friends). We watched them doing their morning rowing workout in the creek while drinking our coffee. These "girls" are long and lean while the coffee drinkers are short and round. Hummmmm? Maybe it's time to trade in Tequila.

Libby and Molly returned for us and off we went to watch Molly's and Todd's boys in a mini-swim-meet. Certainly felt familiar. Tucker is just 5 and swam a 25 freestyle and a 25 fly. It was so cute! Ethan (9) is a "fish". He has qualified for the State Meet in EVERY event for 9 and 10 year olds. That's amazing.

The rest of the day was devoted to doing errands with our friend's car. What a good friend is Sherryl Benton! We even made it to Costco and stopped in to see Lou's sister, Marie. (Just a little note here ----- Marie took us in for 5 summers while Tequila was SLOWLY being retrofitted from racer to cruiser, and we were "homeless." We'll never be able to pay her back!

Walt and Sherryl and Lou and I went out for dinner and did some catching up. Walt and Lou have been friends since Mackenzie High School, Olivet College, and MEA days. (58 years)

Sunday (still had Sherryl's car) was laundry, food shopping, and a sail on the Detroit River with Todd & Molly and their boys, Libby, and Mike & Sally (M's & L's mom and dad. ) Wouldn't you know that it was a rock-n-roll sail with winds gusting up to 25 - 27 knots? Fortunately, everyone has sea legs and it was a short sail, so no one got sick. At some point we dropped the sail and Todd and the boys jumped in for a swim. Remember......Tucker is only 5. Then we went home with them for a delicious dinner and celebrated Sally's birthday.

Monday brought our first good sail since the Charlevoix-Cheboygan leg. Winds were 17 to 19 knots and gusting higher. We were doing 8 to 9 knows with the jib reefed in (that means not all the way out) and the rail in the water. The waves were only 2 to 3 feet high with some white caps but they were hitting us on the beam (the side of the boat). This makes the boat rock back and forth A LOT!

This is my first time in Lake Erie. I was prepared for it to be a lot different than Lake Michigan (it is the most shallow of the Great Lakes), but so far the only thing different is the water is green and not blue.

One of the first stories Lou told me in our early dating days was about coming to Put-in-Bay for the PAR-TY. He was 24 and living life to the fullest. I'm sure he had his fair share of Cold Duck.

This time around his boat partner is a little old lady who can't drink much before getting tipsy. Oh how life tricks us! We came 51 miles in 8 1/2 hours. We've come 386 miles so far.

We read the charts and came into the mooring field. Who has ever tried to hook a mooring ball in 14 knot winds? It was an exciting (never to be repeated I hope) experience. We'll spent a day exploring this little tourist spot before heading farther east.

Life on a sailboat....

Life on a sailboat slows down to the basic necessary elements. With no car, no landline phone, and no TV what does one do? We spend our time when there is no wind and the motor runs all day by:



*wishing we had Rich's and Diane's big engines but not their big fuel bills.



*cleaning the cabin ----everything has a place, but it's usually not in it.



*scrubbing the bugs off the deck and out of the cockpit - those pesky flies!



*doing projects - hanging up towel hooks in the head, sanding the deck wood, coating the deck
wood with Sikkins, calibrating the instruments, etc.



*practicing with the remote wireless, the radar, the navigation program.



*listening to music on the Serius radio (thank you Scott and Cheryl)



*reading, reading, reading (Donna) and doing Sudoku puzzles (Lou).



*thinking about doing some exercises.



*drinking a beer now and then.



*killing flies!!!!!



On windy days the fine adjustments of the sails requires a lot of attention and "tweaking" by Lou. I'm kept busy bracing myself and navigating the companionway steps. It's on the day's when the boat is heeled over that we discover all the items that haven't been stowed in their proper place (see item #2 on the previous list) as they fly across the cabin.



Our immediate daily concerns are:



*Do we need to get fuel?



*Is the holding tank needing a pump out?



*How much water do we have on board?



*Is the navigation correct to get to the next port?



*What's the next meal?



Pretty simple isn't it?



Rainy days add some new elements to the daily concerns list:

*Is the plastic under the dripping ports?



*Where can we hang our foul weather gear when we come below into the cabin?



*How do we get things dry?



*What can we do for entertainment?



Think of everything you "NEED" and we've managed to fit it on the boat (not an easy task.)



We are making good time down the eastern side of Michigan in Lake Huron. This side of the state is marketed as "The Sunrise Side", but there's nothing as spectacular as the sunsets on the Lake Michigan side. On Wednesday we went into a port that I've never been in before - Harbor Beach. There is a shipping channel from the entrance to a Detroit Edison plant which allows the freighters a deep channel to deliver coal. We've always avoided this stop because the water isn't deep enough for us to dock. We "draw" 7.5 feet of water which means we always have to be aware of water depth AND rocks.



This was our first attempt at anchoring, and it couldn't have gone any better. The anchor held on the first try, and it was early enough for us to sit on deck and make sure it wasn't dragging. I love to anchor. The boat swings and bobs and rocks me to sleep. The captain, on the other hand, is completely vigilant and on guard for any difficulties with the anchor. I felt him scramble out of bed (pretty agile for a 73 year old!) at 4 am when there was a wind shift. The boat did a 180 degree swing on the line. I don't think he ever relaxed after that, so I can sense a nap on this day's program.



Now we're headed to Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit and as we approached the Detroit skyline, we passed through at least a hundred "go fast" boats on their way to A PARTY. When we turned to look at the meeting spot, we couldn't begin to "guest-a-mate" how many boats were already there. It looked like bees returning to the hive.



This is total togetherness in 550 square feet! What a life.


Charlevoix - Cheboygan - Presque Isle - Harrisville - East Tawas - Harbor Beach - Pt. Huron - Detroit

The Straits

Here's a little information about the Straits of Mackinac parapharsed from a book called The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis. Thank you Karen and David for giving it to us.


The first landmark a boater can see when approaching the Straits is the Mackinac Bridge (pronounced MACK-in-awe). (Dave Himes will sail under it one day.) As the boat gets closer, the massiveness of the stanchions is overwhelming, and the roadway across seems to be at sky heighth (200 feet above the water.) However, when the boat passes beneath the road bed, it looks like mast and steel will meet and that will be the end of the story. It takes your breath away - even when you know it can't happen.

The Bridge opened in 1957 spanning the distance between the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. At that time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Under it flows the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (the only 2 great lakes on the same level). The winds funnel between the two lakes and the Straits can often be dangerous to navigate. Our trip, however, was "a piece of cake."






The shores of Lake Huron appear to be dinsely forested with an occassional "cottage" to be sighted. It turned out to be a 10 hour day on the water from Charlevoix, but what a great way to begin "The Adventure."

We docked at the Cheboygan County Marina which is a wonderful facility ---right next to Melissa who I mentioned in the second blog. You would have thought we were old old friends. Boaters bond that way! She's on her way to the North Channel and the Georgian Bay while we are headed south toward Detroit. Coffee and a few stories gave us a late start but well worth the delay.

Each day on the boat is a brand new experience. This day (6-21) the waters were as smooth as glass, the sun was shining brightly, and the wind was so light that the head sail couldn't stay filled. I so wanted to jump in for a swim but the water temperature was only 62 degrees.....brrrrrr. I tried to get Lou to live dangerously and sail naked (can you imagine that?!!!!) but we had a big frieghter off the stern and gaining on us quickly. Guess it was just a pipe dream.

I've developed a new hobby which is collecting boat names. The ones I saw in Cheboygan go in the I'D NEVER NAME A BOAT THAT category......Spider Haven (that's not even funny), NoName, What's Next. Our boat started out with the name Splash Dance and all the kids racing on her sat around eating pizza and drinking (soda probably) and thowing names in a hat. Finally we all decided that Tequila had some character.

It has been beautiful traveling down Lake Huron, but there is NO wind. The economy of Michigan is obvious in the marinas.......empty slips. At Harrisville the Harbor Master said it was his busiest day this year with 6 boats registering.