It Has Begun!

YEA!

We left the dock in Charlevoix in fog and misting rain on June 20th. Since the northern Great Lakes are cool, fog is a frequent morning visitor. As the day progressed, the winds held steady and the weather turned sunny. We zoomed (can you imagine a sailboat zooming?) passed Beaver Island (Hi Davi) and Mackinac Island (Hi Joan), through the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron and entered the waters of the second largest of the Great Lakes - Huron.

Up or Down?

What goes down (can) (may) (should) will come up. The "little" problem we had requires hoisting the boat out of the water to pull the propeller shaft. Hummmmmm---how much is a safe boat worth?

I have noticed (and I bet you have too) that people come into our lives at just the right moments. In the past 2 weeks I can tell you three such stories:

*We are at a dock in Charlevoix - but just until we get things working and "ship shape." We met Melissa who is the owner of a trawler across the walkway. She came to dinner and talked about her westward trip (from Annapolis to Michigan) and shared charts and information that really put us at ease. Melissa is captain of her ship and my hero. She's spending the summer in the North Channel and the Georgian Bay.

*Last week our hard drive crashed. Almost all our navigational charts are run from the computer. The local computer shop installed a new hard drive, but our friend, Bill Murray, held our hands and got all the systems back in familiar running order. He was my personal tutor in setting up this blog. And, he's offered to help with computer problems along the way. What a guy!

*Lou installed a new hot water system on Tequila which required finding the method of moving motor coolant from around the engine to the tank and back around the motor. It was NOT and easy job. He got the plumbing, the electrical, and the hoses all completed but couldn't get the coolant to circulate around the tank. Our old time (and old) friend, Lloyd, helped him drill through the ribs to pass the hoses and the mechanics at Irish Boat Shop gave him hints and advice, but the system just wouldn't work. Lisa's and Bill's advice to Lou was "You can find anything on the internet." So, Lou fired off an email to Westerbeke and back came their advice. They sent a perfect description with a picture. It turns out that the fellow on the boat next to us, Rich, is a mechanical engineer who's career has been in the marine engine field. He came aboard to talk Lou through the adjustments and gave him the confidence he needed. The result is I HAVE HOT WATER. Thank you Rich!

Still no sail date. Rain is coming with winds from the wrong direction. More later.

Will it ever begin?

The "dream" is beginning. We're finally pushing off from the well known waters and ports of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. We call this our Great Adventure. Our dictionary says that an adventure is "an unusual experience or course of events, marked by excitement and suspense." So far the only suspenseful event has been what will need to be fixed next! (More on that later.)

It's been a 15 year journey with this old boat, Tequila. Many of you have lived through the years of us trying to get the boat into "sail away" shape (will that EVER happen?). Lou continues to dream about sailing in unknown waters, Our goal this year is to sail around Michigan and into Lake Erie. Then, it will be east to Buffalo, through the Erie Canal, and into the Hudson River. This will bring us out at Manhattan, NY. If time allows we'll make a sharp left into the East River and head for Maine. With our luck we'll have a few tales to tell along the way of broken parts and tides and surprises, but by sending you our progress we hope you'll be sharing in the adventure with us.

Matt was in Michigan at just the right time to wash and wax the hull. We would still be working on it without his strong arms! He had sore shoulders to prove that it wasn't an easy job. Lisa and her family were there on launch day and waited and waited and waited to help us move the boat to a neighboring marina. Fortunately it was a beautiful sunny day, but it was a painfully slow process. The picture shows the keel touching the water on May 25th. At that time we planned to commission the boat and push away from the dock on June 8th.

There has been one life lesson I've learned through the years with Tequila - NEVER make a schedule etched in stone! The goal is to get to Maine, but that might not happen this year. C'est la vie!

The new water heater that Lou installed will be a wonderful addition and I'm really proud of him for all the work and planning it took. However, we can't get it to heat the water from the engine. So, that limits it's use to being hooked to shore power. Not good!

While the mechanic was working on that something else occured (don't ask) which might or might not be an easy problem to solve. If we have to be hauled out to fix the problem, that will be another delay. THEN, the hard drive on the computer crashed. My new manta is "We'll go when we go!" Meanwhile, there has been lots of time to work on little projects, rearrange the storage, make the inventory lists and hand Lou tools. Tequila has turned into our unpaid job but has provided us with daily structure............

I am grateful to come home at the end of the day and jump in my shower with unlimited hot water. It seemed like it has rained for a month solid and I am happy to sleep in my king sized bed with windows that don't leak. See, there's a plus for every negative.

So, hopefully the next blog will be about our actual departure. We'll be able to send and receive emails, but will have to take the computer off the boat to the local coffee shops or libraries. Please, no jokes for the next few months.