"Noah Genda" Our Adventure

Closure of a wonderful journey.

2010-09-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

A wonderful arrival and our home port in Hampton, Illinois.

On Monday August 30, 2010, Noah Genda crossed her wake in St Charles, MO officially closing what we like to refer to as one of the most fantastic experiences of a lifetime.

Our 12 month journey is difficult to put into a few words the enjoyment we have shared together on this fantastic voyage. We can’t believe a year has passed and our journey has come to an end. We are thankful that we live in a country that affords us the freedom to experience this incredible trip. This has been a truly wonderful amazing, rewarding experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Our travels introduced us to so many interesting, fun, good quality people whose friendships we will cherish forever. We are often asked, “What was the best part of the journey?” It is difficult to refer to a “Best Part” of the Loop, but maybe more simply stated the entire loop has been the best part. There are certainly memorable events such as dolphin sightings, the people we have met along the way, Canada, the history of the entire East Coast of America, all of Florida, Dismal Swamp, Lake Michigan, the Studebaker Museum, the inland waterways and of course the educational AGCLA rendezvous. However it is all great and you could just go on listing the entire experience as the “Best Part”. Our routing included a side trip to Chattanooga as well as north from NY to Lake Champlain, Richelieu canal, Montreal, St Lawrence to the 1000 islands to Kingston, Ontario before reconnecting with routing to the Trent-Severn Waterway..

So what’s next?? Who knows, however we have both decided we love this cruising lifestyle. We will take a break in this chapter to visit family and friends at home and plan our next cruising adventure somewhere in this beautiful country on the waterway.

We wish to extend our most sincere thank you to all who have traveled with us on this journey through the intranet. We have enjoyed your kind words, support and lasting friendship. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We additionally hope this encourages others to pursue their dreams and share your visions together while you are able.

Statistics:

Total Great Loop Miles 6,889.0
Total gals of diesel fuel consumed 2,842.0
Number of Engine Hours 888.6
Days Start to Finish 360.0
Days underway 162.0
Average miles per travel day 42.7
Average miles per travel hour 7.75
Average travel hours per travel day 5.49
Number of nights at anchor or free dock 50.0
Number of days in a marina, w/slip fee 310.0
Number of locks 130.0
Number of States visited 21.0

Diann & Tom Lanum
“Noah Genda”
’91 39’ Ocean Alexander Sun Deck

Day 358, 359, 360 Arrived Home 9/8/2010

2010-09-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks Dennis, Diane, Carollee and Ron for the fun welcome reception.

Steve & Liz northbound in Lock 18, Mississippi River. Hate to see them go, they have been fun companions

Roger, Rod & Jolene at anchor our first night back in hometown waters.

Our grandkids Sydney, Jensen and Riley heading home.

Our long time friends Randy and Kris Teel, Paul and Linda Slagel greeted us just before the nights anchorage.

Entering the harbor at our hometown Lindsay Park Yacht Club.

We departed Burlington IA at daybreak for a long days run. We had three locks to pass through, address severe oncoming current, and deliver our daughter Dawn and family to their vehicle located at the Fairport IA marina.

At MM 470 (Andalusia, IL) one of our favorite anchorages of years past, we found our friends Rod & Jolene Teel already anchored. Storms and high winds were predicted later in the evening but we were secured to Rod’s boat just before the high winds arrived.

It was a pleasant surprise as we entered our hometown area to see so many friends welcome us home and the radio chatter was a warm welcome. The following day the very high winds continued as we ventured one additional lock along with our looper friends Steve and Liz Kemper that we caught up with at Lock 15 on the Mississippi River. We peeled off at our hometown yacht club in Davenport IA and decided to stay one additional night out before heading for home port the next morning, eight miles up the river in Hampton, IL. Our very dear friends Ron & Carollee Baltzer, Dennis Smith and Diane Oberhardt greeted us at our home port Tuesday Morning 9/7/10 bringing our “Great Loop” to our final chapter. What an absolutely memorable journey.

Day 357 Burlington, IA 9/4

2010-09-04T18:34:00.001-07:00

Tom Biehl and Daughter Dawn

Tom Biehl, Diann & Tom

Tom & Tom

Daughter Dawn, Riley, Jensen, Diann & Sydney

Dawn at Burlington downtown City Park Fountain

Dawn, Kevin and family

Another Street Rod, Tom just manages to find.

Friday 9/4 our friend Tom Biehl delivered our daughter Dawn and her family as promised from Quad Cities to Keokuk. Thank you Tom for your generosity. We had a great time catching up before Tom ventured back to the Quad Cities.

The Keokuk Yacht Club was having an annual Labor Day festivity and invited us to join them for a cook your own steak dinner. All of us enjoyed the cook out as well as the warm friendly hospitality extended by the members of Keokuk Yacht Club.
Today’s itinerary was a short run up to Burlington Yacht Club. The current has subsided to a more tolerable pace providing a much more relaxed cruise than the last few days. The bridge clearances are still reduced by high water and today’s RR bridges were required to open for us to pass under them. Trains were scheduled on both bridges and we had to wait a few minutes for trains to pass the bridges before opening. All three of the kids spent time steering the boat and learning the electronics.

Our good friends Steve and Liz Kemper are also here at Burlington’s Bluff Harbor. Tomorrow’s goal is departure at daybreak for a 60 mile run to Fairport, IA plus we have to pass through 3-locks. The commercial traffic has increased dramatically since the river closing this past week for dredging at Hannibal, MO. The channel has since opened up and the backed up traffic is now moving north and south. We are dropping Dawn, Kevin and family off at Fairport tomorrow evening hopefully before dusk.

It has been fun with the grandkids, Dawn and Kevin and we are glad it worked out to connect. It is always difficult to make this work out with timing, location and logistics, but I think we can call this a success story. Everyone is having a very relaxed good time.

Day 355 Keokuk, IA

2010-09-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Quincy Riverfront Park

Quincy IL has some interesting old buildings

Our view of the skyline sailing up the Mississippi River from Hannibal MO.

Mark Twain excusion boat - Hannibal MO

Quincy Bridge

Lock 20 with rollers up - can you see all the logs?

A little current wouldn't you say????

The high water and current slowed us down to sometimes 5 MPH. When we met the Des Moines River flowing into the Mississippi River just below Keokuk IA the current was relentless. Just a wall of water and debris.

We pulled into Keokuk Yacht Club at 1:30 on Thursday and our first problem happened when Tom called the marina telling them we’d be a day early making a 2 night stay rather than one. They had cancelled our Friday reservation and of course a big party was starting Friday night. Tom got that straightened out when he said find room because we're not leaving! Where we had docked the boat ended up being right in front of the band and picnic tables. Tom had also called for a diesel truck to meet us and when he arrived it was a raining like crazy! On the brighter side it is taco Thursday here so I don’t have to cook! After dinner and some conversation with some very pleasant Yacht Club Members the wind picked up significantly. Several members suggested that we relocate our boat to a safer location inside their harbor in lieu of exposed on the seawall. With help of considerate club members we successfully repositioned our boat in a slip out of the strong winds. A special thank you to the Keokuk Yacht Club members for their extended kindness.

With today’s storm, it appears the weather is going to be moderate with cooler days, nights and less humidity. A welcome change for cruising the remaining miles to home port.

We are getting closer to home and the reality of this wonderful journey coming to closure is certainly bitter sweet. We will miss the adventure and the many friends we have met along the way. However, we will also be happy to be back home to see family and friends.

Day 353/354 Port St Charles, MO & Rockport, IL

2010-08-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

Now we have are own Burgee!

Jim & brenda Hampton off "Dream Catcher" just starting their adventure!

Clarksville, MO

Wide open rollers at the dam

A little current on the Old Mississippi!

These were pictures when we had dinner at the Aeries Resturant in Grafton. It was located high high up on a bluff.

Great new friends Heidi & Kelly York

Grafton IL is a happening place on the week-end due to the many waterfront Pubs that provide music all week-end. A stand on Main Street provides fresh vegetables, canned products and more important is fresh baked pies daily. The staff at Grafton Harbor (AGLCA sponsor) is very efficient and friendly. I spent hours on the bridge of Noah Genda watching all the traffic coming in and out of the harbor. It is the busiest marina I have seen with boats getting fuel, coming in to eat at the restaurant or local boaters leaving or coming back to their slips. Those dock boys ran their behinds off catching boats that come in with no lines or fenders ready.
While we wait for the flooded river to go down, we chose to spend 6-nights at Grafton Harbor and take advantage of the pay 4 and get 3 nights free. We enjoyed the harbor swimming pool, on site restaurant, courtesy vehicle and spending time with several “Loopers” coming and leaving Grafton Harbor.

Our friends Brenda and Jim Hampton from the Quad Cities started their “Great Loop” journey Thursday 8/26 and arrived in Grafton yesterday. We spent some time catching up on their first 3 days traveling down the flooded Mississippi. We are so happy for them, starting out on a new adventure to enjoy the beautiful American and Canadian waterways. They will meet so many new wonderful friends on the journey.

We both departed Grafton, IL this morning in a light shower and headed across the river to Port Charles Harbor (St Charles MO). This is where we had our first boat repair done. (You remember the rock story after our first anchorage, don’t you?)

We had our 2nd Gold “Loopers” Burgee sent here to Port Charles Marina since we crossed our wake a few miles ago and wish to display our celebration flag the rest of the way home. We also filled up with diesel fuel here for our last leg heading up the flooded Mississippi River. This has been the most reasonable fuel cost per gal for the last year. $2.68 gal. Entry in to Port Charles Harbor has changed from a year ago. Call the Marina on channel 16 or cell for harbor entry instructions. The previously used channel entry has been filled with dredge spoils and is no longer a safe course of entry. DO NOT Use the old routing from main channel south of the harbor or you'll find yourself aground.

Jim and Brenda Hampton “Dream Catcher” came to our boat with champagne to celebrate our completing the loop and the beginning of theirs. We borrowed the Harbor courtesy car and with map in hand headed out to find the restaurant “LOCO”. We were a little turned around on the country roads (I had the map but hey, we only missed 1 turn) After flagging down a pickup truck and following their directions we finally made it for a bite to eat. It was worth the long trip because we didn’t stop laughing the whole way. Jim wondered if the meal was for breakfast. We had the mgr print out specific directions for the return.

Port Charles Harbor is also an AGLCA sponsor and an absolute pleasure to stay at their facility. Fuel and dockage is very reasonable and the staff is just plain first class. Huge accolades for Paul Hopkins, family and staff. They offer a full service yard and their workmanship is extremely professional.

We departed Port Charles Harbor at 6:15 to reach Two Rivers Marina 61 miles and 2 locks away. We drove right into both locks so that was a plus but it still took us 10hours traveling at 6-7 mph fighting the horrendous current and watching for floating logs and debris. The dam rollers/gates were all of the way out of the water at locks 24 and 25. The river is flowing fast with absolutely no restrictions. Anyway we’re here now at Two Rivers Marina in Rockport, IL and in the air conditioned boat so we’re happy campers! Quincy, IL tomorrow is our goal.

Day 350 Grafton, IL

2010-08-28T07:53:00.001-07:00

Pot luck at dockside, Grafton Harbor

Us dining at the "Mississippi Half Step" restaurant in Grafton

The Mississippi Half Step Restaurant

Main Street Grafton, IL

Our view of the Illinois Bluffs along the Mississippi River from our boat located in Grafton Harbor.

We are holding up here in Grafton Harbor in Grafton Illinois with several Loopers waiting for the Mississippi River to recede from flood levels. This is a junction point of the Illinois River meeting the Mississippi River. The river is running very fast both north and south from here from the elevated water levels. We anticipate departing north the Monday or Tuesday of next week although water levels are falling very slowly.

This has been a fun lay over with all of the Looper vessels coming in and out of this marina. We have enjoyed meeting new friends as well as rekindling previous friendships. This is very small community that has taken advantage of the tourism opportunities offering a few restaurants, specialty shops and bicycle riding. Grafton Harbor is a nice facility and a great place to rest up from the trip down the Illinois River before starting your next venture north or south.

Last night, Liz Kemper, off “Shingebiss” assembled a dockside pot luck for seven looper vessels. This always a fun evening sharing tales, mishaps, funny experiences and just reliving the last year of great memories. What a fun night. Thanks Liz, you are the greatest.

Day 348 Grafton crossing our wake

2010-08-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Waiting to enter the Lagrange Lock on the Illinois River.

Diann and Liz

Leaving one of our anchorages

Some of the group

The gold burgee for crossing our wake

Liz and Steve Kemper

It is nice to have our computer back so we can stay in touch with everyone. Our good friends Jim and Brenda Hampton left the QC's today for their start of the "Great Loop". We are planning to connect with them somewhere in this area later this week. We are picking up our daughter, Dawn, and her family on the 3rd of Sept for a couple of nights and a 100 mile cruise with us on the boat. Our current goal is to reach the QC's by Sept 6th, Labor Day - We will just have to see how we do going north against the strong Mississippi current.

Grafton is where we came down the Mississippi River from home last Sept and crossed the mouth of the Illinois River. It just doesn’t seem like it has been a year! We still have 300 miles to travel north up the Mississippi River to reach home, however we have “Crossed our wake” here in Grafton which means we have completed the loop and you get to replace your white Looper flag (burgee) with a gold burgee. You take your picture with your gold burgee and send it into the Great Loop Assoc along with a recap of your adventure and it gets published in their magazine. Well, we could do that if I hadn’t screwed up when ordering our gold burgee! It was sent home to Hampton instead of to our current marina. Since our friends the Kempers also crossed their wake, we borrowed their gold burgee for our picture. Don’t tell – that may be against looper protocol! We’ll have ours in a couple of days thank goodness, since Tom has not been easy to live with!

This destination is certainly bittersweet since it seems close to the closure of our journey of a lifetime. We have met so many wonderful friends and seen so many beautiful parts of this magnificent country. At this junction of the rivers, you can turn south and head to Florida or north to the Quad Cities. We have missed our family and friends at home so we are turning north. We will make future plans for the next chapter of the cruising lifestyle that we have grown to love.

Day 347 Peoria & Grafton, IL

2010-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Our computer was stricken with a virus that completely blocked access for 4-days. Talk about out of touch, Wow !!

Just got it back out of the shop today, but it is going to take a lot of time to catch up.

We are in Grafton, IL waiting for the Mississippi River to recede from flood stage at Hannibal to St Louis. The Peoria Lock repair that has been going on all summer was extended into Oct 2010. They are open for locking all day on any Sunday, closed Monday through Sat, 7:00 am to 5:00 PM. Can you imagine the backed up barge traffic? We were granted passage at about 4:00 PM last Sunday and cruised to an anchorage about 15 miles below the Peoria Lock. There are very few Marinas below Peoria until you get to Grafton MM "0" on the Ill River. We were addressing a huge "push" down the river when we entered the Grafton area of the Illinois River. Several channels of the Mississippi River flow into the Ill River and create an incredible rush or current causing a very rapid push towards the Mississippi River. It will take a few days to settle down.

Day 341 Chicago and Joliet

2010-08-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Buckingham Fountain located in Grant Park, Chicago - Gorgeous !!

Cal-Sag Canal junction with the Chicago River

Looking west on the Cal-Sag canal

One of the dozens of industrial facilities on the Cal-Sag downstream from Chicago.

Coast Guard boat downtown Chicago on the Chicago River with 50 Cal machie gun on the bow. This will get your attention real quickly.

Fountain on Chicago River

Chicago Yacht Club, where we had lunch

Us at Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain

Also Grant Park

Bike path along the lake

The Chicago Park District provides miles and miles of well landscaped and groomed bicycle paths away from vehicle traffic and most are along Lake Michigan. There are so many very large beautiful parks including Grant Park and Millennium Park right in the heart of town. There are many artistic sculptures, fountains and waterfalls. It is so easy to travel this City by 2-wheels and of course parking is never a problem. There are many bicycle racks to park your bike, lock them up and continue exploring on foot.

This morning we completed some badly needed boat chores and then hopped on our bikes and headed to the Chicago Yacht Club for lunch. We sat outside under the covered patio adjacent to the Yacht Club harbor and enjoyed the view.

After lunch we continued riding along Lake Michigan to Navy Pier and along the Chicago River. Chicago tourism offers many opportunities to see the City by double deck tour buses as well as many site seeing water vessels on the Chicago River. It is so pleasant to sit on any of the well positioned shaded benches along the river and just people watch.

Today we departed Chicago via the Calumet Sag Channel. Tom decided he didn’t want to risk getting under the 17’ bridge. This narrow, very industrial route took us a little longer with 2 locks and 45 bridges and definitely not as scenic. There are dozens of barge terminals, coal yards, quarries and industrial plants along the Cal-Sag/Chicago River. Certainly not a great photo opportunity, however, the water is flat, no matter what the weather. Tonight we are tied to the free Bicentennial Park wall in Joliet. There is power available for air conditioning which I’m happy about because tonight it is pretty humid.

Day 339 Chicago 8/17/10

2010-08-17T17:01:00.001-07:00

Burnham Harbor

Chicago skyline on a cloudy day

Coming into our harbor

Skyline with Chicago River

Tom at the Viet Nam Memorial

The bean at Millenium Park - The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33feet high.

Stage at Millenium Park with orchestra playing

Before we left our slip, we checked 2 weather web sites for lake conditions and NOAA said 1-2’ and Weather Underground said 2-3’. Who do you believe? We left New Buffalo, Michigan with instant 3 footers out of the west and grew to about 4' to 5’waves an hour later. about 10 miles out of Chicago the waves decreased to about 2 footers but swung around from the north to catch our beam - little bit of a roll coming into Burnham Harbor. The heaving and pitching broke the stainless steel fender baskets on the bow of the boat, ruptured a spare fuel tank in the dinghy and spilled fuel, cupboard doors flew open, and dishes we thrown, but Diann salvaged them and got the doors secured. Anchor locker door flew open and anchor chain came out onto forward berth. Glad to be safe in slip, all damage is repairable. The dinghy was a concern of flying off the hardtop, it made lots of noise and strained against fasteners; however it stayed in place on its chocks. Lake Michigan can be rough and it was today.

Getting a confirmed slip in a Chicago Harbor is a challenge. When my messages weren’t returned, I kept calling until I had a live person. They take all your information plus your credit card # and put you on a waitlist. Okay, now I’m on 3 waitlists and only one called us back (Burnham). DuSable, the marina I really wanted, just called us at 1:45 to say we could have a slip. Sorry we’re tied up now! Thanks for the advance notice!

Burnham Harbor is near Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Natural History, McCormick Place and Soldier Field. We had a wonderful afternoon riding around the lake front and through the parks. The City of Chicago offers many miles of user friendly bicycle paths thorough out the City. It is actually easier to get around on bicycles than automobiles. And parking your bike is painless and easy on the wallet. The photo opportunities are endless, however today was mostly overcast with a light sprinkle thrown in. We hope to have a sunny day for photos Wednesday

We stopped in the Chicago Yacht Club to check out using our local LPYC yacht club privileges. Looks good to have lunch or dinner tomorrow.

Now for your history lesson - In 1885, a cholera and typhoid epidemic killed thousands when sewage was washed into Lake Michigan which was the source of drinking water for the city. By 1890 the Chicago Sanitary District succeeded in reversing the flow of the Chicago River to divert sewage away from Lake Michigan. Now the river flows west and south via the Sanitary and Ship Canal to the Illinois River. The Illinois empties into the Mississippi River and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico instead of Lake Michigan.

Day 338 New Buffalo, Michigan

2010-08-16T18:36:00.001-07:00

"Noah Genda" in transient slip at New Buffalo Munincipal

New Buffalo City Beach

Diann at New Buffalo City Beach

"Noah Genda" in transient slip at New Buffalo Municipal Marina

We had breakfast here at "Michigan Thyme Cafe", very good.

Some of the 100's of condos here in New Buffalo

We are really enjoying these Michigan towns once we are off the water and into a slip. Our trip here yesterday was not the most pleasant with rough water and very hot & humid. The flies were severe and wanted big chunks out of our skin. We pulled into the breakwater at New Buffalo and went to Snug Harbor for fuel and met 5 or 6 boats coming towards us trying to get out. We were the only boat pulling up to the fuel dock but none of the 3 dock attendants were anywhere to be seen. Once they appeared, so did 2 other boats wanting fuel, and it was hectic in these narrow fairways!

Things improved once we were secured in our slip at the Municipal Marina and had the air cranked on. Again we seem to visit every port that is celebrating an annual event and this port was no exception. The Ship & Shore celebration was in full swing. Streets were closed off and live music was in store the rest of the day and evening.

With a tip from Mark, we tried upstairs at the Stray Dog Restaurant for a great dinner. Breakfast this morning was at the Michigan Thyme Café, then riding around town and spending a couple of hours at the beach. What a beautiful day, but windy with small craft advisory on the lake with 3’6’ waves. No one left the marina/harbor this morning, choosing to wait out another day for better weather.

At the moment it appears in the morning we will depart New Buffalo for Chicago at Burnham Harbor Also we are investigating the possibility of navigating the Chicago River with a fixed bridge clearance of 17’. We can get the boat down to 16’10” but we do not know if the water is normal, high or low. It is a long way back around to the Cal-Sag if we cannot clear this 17’ fixed bridge plus we miss going through downtown Chicago.

Tonight we had a great Mexican dinner at the El Rancho Grande which is within a half mile from the marina. I bought guacamole at the farmers market in South Bend and I have a craving for more, hence, the Mexican food.

Day 336 South Haven Michigan

2010-08-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our cruise through the Notre Dame Campus today.

South Haven Municipal Marina Office on the Black River

In dinghy looking up at live concert in South Haven Waterfront Park

In dighy, harbor hopping and overlooking concert.

Studebaker Museum, 1948 1/2 ton pick up

Vintage Studebaker

In Museum, 1924 Studebaker

Studbaker 40 room residence, constructed in 1898

Marc picked Tom up this morning and drove to South Bend, IN to visit the Stuabaker Museum. I’m sure you’ll get to see more car pictures on the blog.

I walked to the Phoenix Café for breakfast and ordered their from scratch corn beef hash that Susan told me about. I heard the waiting time was 40 minutes but since I was alone I sat at one of the 4 stools at the counter and struck up a conversation with another woman sitting there. As I waited for breakfast, I scanned the advertising on the place mat and saw The Hair Loft Salon at 251 Center St and I knew it couldn’t be very far away. I figured my hair couldn’t look any worse and it would grow out if it turned out badly. After breakfast I was lucky enough to get right in with Angie Bussing. She gave me an excellent hair cut and I walked out feeling much lighter and definitely more stylish. Good for the ego!

From there I walked to the Farmers Market and bought Michigan peaches and blueberries. For my friend Carollee, I checked out several stores and found one more top to add to my pile. I also climbed the hill to the outdoor art display but even though I am not looking for art, I was disappointed. They need to check out our “Renaissance” art show in the QC. I was in need of a rest so I sat on the back of Noah Genda and watch boat after boat go by.

Tom here. Wow where do I start with such an energy pack day. The other day, Mark Sandock overheard me state that if I ever had the chance to go through the Studebaker Museum I would like to do that. Mark graciously asked if he could pick me up in his vehicle and we would run down to his home town, South Bend Indiana, we would tour the Notre Dame campus as well as the Studebaker Museum. Now those that know me, know that I am one over the top gear head. I have to tell you this Museum was far more than I ever expected. What an incredible experience. The Museum was constructed new in 2005, and it is fantastic. This truly is an educational lesson in America’s industrial revolution, business polices, family relationships, politics, world economy, world wars and of course just plain timing. The (5) Studebaker Brothers were craftsman skilled in many fields and one of those fields was blacksmithing. They actually started out in the 1860’s constructing horse drawn carriages, fire wagons, and covered wagons. In the 1900’s they went from horses to horsepower. The display of meticulously restored Studebakers of many vintage years is rotated on a regular basis. This is one incredible display of vintage Studebaker’s from horse drawn carriages through their final years of vintage vehicles. If you are a car buff, and ever have the opportunity, do not miss a tour through this absolutely beautiful museum. You will not be disappointed. I was extremely impressed.

An additional high light of the day was a cruise through the well groomed campus of Notre Dame. We all have seen TV images of the famous campus, however seeing it up close and personal is a rewarding experience. I cannot thank Mark enough for his gracious hospitality and exposing me to a tour of huge Midwest history that I would certainly miss if it were not for him. What a wonderful memorable day in South Bend, Indiana.

The remaining portion of the day was another great fun afternoon. One of the programs of the South Haven 47th Annual Blue Berry Festival was a garden tractor pulling contest. Now I have never seen one of these events although I have heard of them. Unbelievable!! These guys take this serious. What incredible machines. Narrowed automotive rear-ends, automotive 4 or 5 speed transmissions, mag wheels, spoke front wheels, huge camber no less, can be supercharged, some are diesels. These guys are creativene; it kind of reminds me of my old drag racing days. One tractor was built using a 1-1/4 tube frame. Now these are Garden Tractors, not large farm tractors. Talk about good wholesome family fun. These guys are teaching their sons and daughters how to be creative, how to compete, how to win and how to lose. That was a fun afternoon that really put a smile on your face. Our visit to South Haven has really rewarded us with a fun time.

Now back to boating, Diann and I took the dinghy “harbor hopping”, visited with a looper on an Ocean Alexander we met back in Little Current, Ontario. Next we ventured over to the main stage area and listened to live country music. We did not bring navigation lights for the dinghy so we headed back to Noah Genda before dark. The water patrol was out in full force. Weather permitting we will head for New Buffalo MI tomorrow A.M., and maybe Chicago by mid week.

Day 335 South Haven, MI

2010-08-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

Vintage Farmall Tractor, manufactured in Rock Island IL, still in use today at Berry Farm In Michigan.

'28 ford "woody" actually driven to "Cruise In"

'32 fiberglass "high boy"

Vintage truck at another Michigan farm.

Our friends Susan, Mark and us at "Salt of the Earth" restuarant.

Liz & Diann

Entrance coming into South Haven off of Lake Michigan

We arrived at South Haven with the understanding we would only have the opportunity for a one day visit since there were no long term transient slips available because of this week-end annual Blue Berry Festival. After we arrived at the dock, a pleasant pair of young dock hands asked if we wanted this slip for the week-end. We were totally confused, surprised, looked at each other and said sure. Apparently the person slotted for this reservation, cancelled at the very last moment and we were at the right spot at the right time.

We learned earlier in the day that our looper friends Liz & Steve Kemper, “Shingebiss” from the Twin Cities, MN were due in South Haven also. We haven’t seen Steve and Liz since Manhattan, NY. They arrived mid afternoon and ironically were assigned a slip immediately adjacent to us. We had a wonderful time discussing past travel experiences, highlights and just catching up. The four of us planned on a bike ride to the “Thirsty Perch” for dinner, however just out of the parking lot, we discovered Diann's bike had a flat tire. Steve & I rode on, Liz and Diann walked the four blocks to the restaurant. We enjoyed cocktails in the bar and were quickly seated for a good meal, good service, lots of laughs and just reconnecting a friendship.
Saturday morning, first priority (after coffee) was to repair Diann’s bike. Pretty smart lady, she brought spare inner tubes with her from home. Next question, where are they on this boat? After a little search we found them, I removed the old tube, installed the new, walked over to the marine service center at the next door marina, asked to buy some air and the courteous technician offered their air compressor free of charge. Re-assembled the wheel on the bike and good to go.

It is hot and humid. We decided to launch the dinghy and go exploring. There are thousands of boats here in South Haven on the Black River. The river is narrow and lined with beautiful homes, condos, marinas, restaurants and yacht clubs. It wanders inland for miles and is an interesting dinghy cruise.

This afternoon we connected with our good friends Mark & Susan Sandock from South Bend, IN. We met last month in Petoskey, traveled with them down the coast to Muskegon and reconnected here in South Haven. Mark and Susan picked us up, took us to the grocery store and a hardware store. Later that afternoon they picked us up again for a fantastic tour of South Haven’s beautiful Lake front homes and parks. We then drove to Fennville, MI for a very quaint and wonderful dining experience at “Salt of the Earth” restaurant. Mark drove us through some of the most scenic countryside of Michigan you could imagine. We drove along the coast of Lake Michigan looking at high end homes and then through some of the most beautiful farmland, vineyards and orchards you could see. We were headed for dessert at a Berry Farm on the way back to South Haven and wouldn’t you know there was a “Cruise In” car show in at the farm this evening. Now were talking! I also spotted a vintage working “Farmall Tractor, manufactured in Rock Island, IL at the farm, couldn’t resist a photo op.

Michigan is beautiful, and we owe a huge thank you to Mark and Susan for their gracious hospitality and sharing a beautiful evening with us. We would not have seen South Haven like we did if were not for Mark and Susan's.

Day 333 Douglas-Saugatuck, Michigan

2010-08-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

Leaving Muskegan in the haze, it was a very humid day

Ship & Shore Hotel, Saugatuck

Chain ferry from Saugatuck to Douglas

Downtown Douglas - Everyday People Cafe

We departed Muskegon on Tuesday with forecasted 1' or less seas. This time the forecast was correct. It was a very humid, hazy day but the seas were comfortable and it was an uneventful 50 mile cruise from Muskegon to Saugatuck/Douglas Michigan.

We are at Tower Marine in Douglas with Saugatuck across the Kalamazoo River from us. Tower Marine is a very nice larger marina complete with swimming pool, laundry, showers and ships store. We took advantage of the pool on this very hot muggy afternoon. Later in the evening we rode bikes to downtown Douglas, and walked around specialty stores. “Everyday People Cafe” was a restaurant recommended to us but it was very noisy and a long wait so we selected Wild Dog Grille for dinner. It was a nice quiet dinner outdoors in the courtyard.

This morning I tried to beat the line at the laundry and I was successful but by the time I finished, it was a down pour and I had to sit and wait for half an hour for the shower to pass through.

Right now we are trying to plan an itinerary to Chicago but kind of hard to do when the lake determines when you will travel! Tomorrow we were going to move across the river to Sergeant Marina in Saugatuck ($2.25’) but decided to pass since we have visited this destination many times by car. Saugatuck is an artist’s retreat with 30 art galleries and upscale boutiques. It is a very unique community with many boats for Tom to view and many specialty shops for me to visit during the day. There is live music on Thursday evenings in the City Park Gazebo which I think we will ride bikes to.

Day 331 Muskegon 5th night

2010-08-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Dawn Wendt and family at our house.

Jeff Lanum and family at his house

Our son Gary and his family with friend Kayla having breakfast.

Granddaughter Lauren Lanum with some of her many awards for horse riding.

Just to keep you posted, we’re back from our trip home to the Quad Cities. Tom’s mother is still in ICU and is trying to get some strength back in case another surgery is necessary.

While we were home we were lucky enough to find all 3 of our kids and their families in town and able to get together. Our neighbors came over to welcome us home and it was so good to see everyone. It was a hectic 2 day trip but we managed to get a lot accomplished.

At the moment the weather tomorrow for Lake Michigan looks like we may be able to depart and head for Saugatuck.

Day 329 Muskegon, MI

2010-08-07T03:43:00.000-07:00

Muskegon City Libray - Nice building

Free concert every Friday night in Downtown City Park

Submarine at Museum

Out trolley stopped at museum

Concert in Park

We had a very nice lunch here at the Cullinary Arts Institute in downtown Muskegon.

Today we are going to park the boat for a few days here in Muskegon Michigan, rent a vehicle and drive home to Illinois to visit my mother in ICU. She fell a few weeks ago fracturing her hip and vertebrae. Surgery was performed, however, recovery is not going as well as hoped for. We both feel we need to be home to visit and comfort her. We have access to rental cars here in Muskegon so we are taking advantage of that option.

Our guide books reflected you may want to make a day visit or a place just to get out of foul weather, however, we have found Muskegon very entertaining with some interesting history. There is a beautiful bicycle path adjacent to the marina that connects us with provisions, restaurants, the downtown area and miles of scenic bike path enjoyment. We hopped a tour trolley along with Andrew and Sally Ann (Freedom) and had a educational scenic tour of Muskegon.

Last night in the downtown City Park there was a free concert featuring a very good blues band, food and beverage vendors. We rode bikes to the park with new boating friends, Mark & Sue. We had met them a few days back in Charlevoix. They boat out of South Haven MI. We enjoyed a very pleasant summer evening in the park.

The Lake Michigan winds have picked up and have not been pleasant for several days with no relief in site until the first or middle of next week. Winds of 10-20 MPH and waves of 3’-5’ are forecasted which makes traveling on the Lake very uncomfortable.

Day 326 and 327, Ludington & White Hall

2010-08-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

On board the Coast Guard Vessel Hollyhock

On the bridge of Hollyhock

Beautiful engineering on board

Ludington Municipal Marina

Very Fast RIB

Artist/Photographer studio in Ludington

We had our dinner at MP Steamers which our Quad City friends Diane & Doug Johnson recommended. Once we were at the restaurant, we remembered, we had eaten there a couple of years ago when we were here by car. Everyone’s meal was excellent, additionally it is close to the harbor and reasonably priced.

We decided to spend a third night in Ludington. It is nice to have a couple of days where you don’t have to get up early and get busy for a departure. I tried to do laundry around 9am but I was 3rd in line for the 2 washers. Tom gave the boat a badly needed thorough scrubbing from top to bottom.

The U.S. Coast Guard Vessel “Hollyhock” was in Ludington Harbor for under hull repairs. While docked it was open for public tours a couple of hours a day. We walked over to it just adjacent to our tie-up at Ludington Municipal. We had a youthful female tour guide but the group was too large, her voice was very soft and we were disappointed in not really learning anything about the boat. The boat was an engineering marvel. The tour was 20 minutes long and not nearly long enough to adequately appreciate the vessel’

Later that same evening we rode our bikes to the popular Blue Moon Bistro for a nice dinner. This reasonably priced venue is just 3-blocks east and one block north of the marina on James Street. We also stopped in the beautiful art store operated by Todd Reed and his father. There professional photography is worth a visit if you are in town. Look at the vintage cameras on the top shelf of image.

In our humble opinion, this is one of the premier cities to visit on the Michigan coast of Lake Michigan.

This morning we departed Ludington with fellow loopers “Freedom” for a 45 mile cruise south to White Lake Michigan Municipal Marina. For anyone following, the marina Ellenwood Landing is right next door and it looks like that is the place to be. We walked to town with Andrew and Sally Ann for a Chinese buffet lunch. Later, Tom stayed on the boat, (on the computer I suspect) while the 3 of us took a ride on the 24 mile bike path. Great way to work off lunch!

Tomorrow our goal was to stay at Grand Haven but as luck would have it there is a huge annual Coast Guard Festival going on all week and week-end and there is absolutely no space for an outsider. Instead we’ll stop at Muskegon where Tom and Andrew have appointments to discuss an upgrade on their Raymarine electronics.

Just some interesting statistics off of Tom’s spreadsheet.

To date: 6088 miles; 2,487 gals of Diesel fuel; 111 locks; 21 states and 2 Canadian providences.

Day 324 Ludington 8/4/10

2010-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ludington Light house

410' Car ferry "SS Badger" crosses Lake Michigan to Manitowoc

The Badger

Active Coast Boat here for repairs

Coast Guard Boat we're hoping to tour tomorrow.

Sallyann and Andrew celebrating crossing their wake

The 4 of us on board "Freedom"

Early 1930 Ford pickup

At stop at the beach on our bike ride.

Saturday we again lucked out on the calm lake and traveled to Manistee. In the 1840 men were becoming millionaires from the lumber and salt industries. In 1896, the population of 10,000 was one of the richest cities per capita in the US. As in so many cities today, when you walk the streets of Manistee, you see many businesses that have not survived.

On a beautiful Sunday we arrived in Ludington where our fellow Loopers Sallyann and Andrew arrived shortly after us. Their boat “Freedom” just crossed their wake and invited us to celebrate with champagne. Crossing your wake means you have returned to where you started your trip and are crossing back across that same water.

We took a bike ride around town and had our daily dose of ice cream at the House of Flavors. We had dinner on board of meatloaf, (one of my favorites), creamed new potatoes, corn on the cob and asparagus. Not low on the calorie scale but oh well.

Today, Monday is a cloudy day but we’re inside the boat doing chores anyway. Tom is changing oil; and I might add it wasn’t pretty. He dropped the old filter full of hot oil in the bilge. It is a very tight space and the hot oil is extremely slippery. No bad language during that chore! Meanwhile, I defrosted the freezer (amazing how much room I have now) and scrubbed down the shower.

Ludington is another gorgeous Michigan coastal community. The area surrounding the two Municipal Marinas has bicycle trails, winding walkways along the waterfront, picnic tables, barbeque pits, kid’s playground and the beautiful landscaping makes this a stunning attraction. The marina and the staff are first class. There are several dining options all within walking or bicycle ride distance away. Since the marinas are getting closer together and more marinas per port, slip availability has become more accessible. This is a very worthwhile visit, and I think we will stay a few days. Our friends Andrew and Sally Ann (Freedom) are staying here also. Weather permitting the four of us plan on dinner at PM Steamers tonight.

Day 321 Frankfort MI

2010-07-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Old dwelling along the highway, pretty cool old building

Frankfort beach area

Tom on the bow, adjusting something!!

What we see from our boat -sailboats, water & bluffs

Sand dunes on the way to Frankfort

Another great bike path.

Some Michigan marinas distribute transient slips by “reservations” only and some Marinas are first come first serve basis. There is no consistency. So our Charlevoix two day reservation was just that, 2-days only. When departure day arrived the Lake was delivering 7’ waves. We requested a 3rd day in our slip or an extension. No way, your slip is reserved for the next person on the list and you have to be out by noon. So we scrambled with a quick departure to seek either another marina in the area or an anchorage.

We found an anchorage in Oyster Bay about 2-miles into Lake Charlevoix in a protected cove that worked out well. Although the wind blew pretty hard through the night, the anchor held well and we did not move an inch, other than swing 360 degrees through the night in about 25 knot winds. We woke this morning at anchor, jumped on the computer at daybreak, checked the weather forecast that indicated 3’ seas out of the NW with gusts to 20 MPH. We talked it over, decided if we left at daybreak we would be at our destination of Leland MI before mid-morning and before winds picked up. Wrong! As soon as we pulled out on Lake Michigan we were greeted with 3’ waves on the beam all the way south today. Not terrible, just makes for a long rolling day.

Leland has only one Marina and it is the City Municipal Marina (State Funded) and their policy is a “first come first serve” basis. They do not accept reservations, and you have to be in the harbor before they will assign you a slip. You can’t be a quarter of a mile out and call on the radio, they have to see you in the harbor. Long story short, they were full by the time we arrived and we only found that out by listening to the marina talk to another boater. So many boats were calling for slips, they would not answer the phone or the marine radio. Also they no longer allow anchoring in their harbor.

Now our next opportunity for a marina is 34 miles down the coast in Frankfort, MI. with no anchorage opportunities in between. Frankfort municipal is also a first come, first serve basis, no reservations. Now it is getting later and they have been assigning slips to transient boaters all day long. There is one other Marina in Frankfort, a privately operated resort and marina. We called the private operator for a slip reservation but they were full. We arrived mid afternoon and were given the last available slip at the City Municipal marina. Kind of a white knuckle day here in Northern Michigan.

We were disappointed we were not able to visit Leland MI. However Frankfort is a very likable small resort community that is kind of like an undiscovered secret. A very clean City Marina adjacent to a nice city park, bicycle path, many restaurants, Post Office, banks retail, hardware, groceries and several ice cream stores all within walking or bicycle distances. There is a large beautiful sand beach with quite a few condominiums around the area reflecting a family atmosphere used by many families from around Michigan. There are no franchised stores, restaurants or hotels of any type here. Frankfort is a very nice quiet enjoyable community. Glad we stopped here, we will stay a couple of days or longer if the lake whips up, which is likely. At least in this Frankfort area, if slips are not available, there is plenty of protected harbor area to anchor. This Lake Michigan water is very very clean. Tonight was live acoustic guitar music in the park next to our boat.
Yesterday we received some very alarming news. Tom's mother fell, fracturing bones that are going to require surgery. We will have to keep close contact with family at home for the next medical procedure for her. If it is required for us to halt our travels, we will seek a marina here in Michigan to leave the boat and drive home to Illinois.

Day 317 & 318 Charlevoix

2010-07-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

B & B located near the marina in Charlevoix

One of the many beautiful homes in Charlevoix

Beautiful waterfront at Charlevoix

Noah Genda next to the seawall

16' bridge to enter Charlevoix harbor

Long canal before the bridge

Belvedere private club

Sunset at Petoskey

The excellent staff at the Charlevoix Municipal Marina helped us into our unorthodox slip. You are at an angle when you back in and are next to a boat on one side and a seawall on the other. Captain Tom did great as usual. This city waterfront was completely refurbished and expanded in 2008 and it is beautiful. Our slip location is right next to the park where we can see everything that is going on.
You are in the heart of the business district and a grocery store is 2 blocks. Tonight we are listening and watching their community band play in the park amphitheater just a short distance. Every Tuesday and Thursday they have some type of music.

This morning we took a bike tour on Park Ave to view the “Mushroom Houses” built by Earl Young, Master Builder of the 1920’s. We toured Club Belvedere by bike, an exclusive summer home community had all the amenities you could imagine during the 1920’s
Many of the boats here, including us, were planning on departing tomorrow for Leland, however the forecast may have changed that plan. We are watching the weather rather closely tonight to see if this front materializes. If it does, we may enjoy Charlevoix for another day or two. Hopefully, we will be able to stay in our slip. If we can’t make it out I wouldn’t think others can’t make it in. We also discovered Leland does not take reservations so it’s a first come first serve policy.

This Charlevoix visit has been spectacular, a very upscale community, a beautiful safe protected lake off “The Lake”, and a fantastic waterfront/marina. We have found plenty of supplies, restaurants, and a grocery store about a block away. Bicycle riding has been very pleasant as most of the community is flat and void of any steep grades.

Tomorrow, Wed 7/28, is forecasted 7' waves on Lake Michigan. That being said, it appears we will not be traveling as planned to Leland, but instead hope to find a safe place here in Lake Charlevoix for protection until Lake Michigan settles down. You just have to accept, that is "boating" on Lake Michigan.

Day 316 Petoskey

2010-07-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Diann with Little Traverse Bay in background

Waterfall in Petaskey City Park, near downtown Petoskey

City Park adjacent to City Marina

Tom can't help it, He is just not right.

Waterfall on bike path in Petoskey

Downtown Petoskey

Viet Nam Memorial for Northern Michigan, Petoskey City Park - Very nicely done.

Where is my coffee???

Breakfast at American Spoon.

Petoskey City Marina

View of Lake Michigan from the bike path

We have to keep the lbs off somehow

Rapids we passed on the bike path

Awesome bike path

Our plans were to stay at Petoskey for 2-days but this was changed to 4-days when we learned there were no slips available until Monday 7-26 in Charlevoix, our next planned stop. There are lots of planned activities on any given week-end in Michigan creating sold out marinas. This week-end is the Chicago to Mackinac Island Sailboat Race. Anchorages are few and far between in Michigan, so often a slip in a marina is the only alternative.

For a city of 6080, (2000 census) Petoskey offers many services you would find in a much larger city. You have a choice of 25 non-chain restaurants within walking distance of the marina. Out of the 10 hair salons within walking distance, I was able to get my hair done at Vogue. Heather cut and colored my hair and for anyone following, she works until 6:00 pm on Saturdays. Tom was able to find a barber shop on Sat morning that worked out well. The downtown area is very unique with sidewalk cafes’, one of a kind stores and not a chain store to be found. Well one or two “Chico’s” and Papagallo. The bay area is lined with dozens of really well maintained homes and Bed & Breakfast Inns.
There is an awesome bike path that goes all the way to Charlevoix to the west and part way to Harbor Springs to the northeast. The smooth asphalt path that travels along the shore of the lake/bay, is well maintained with benches and rest areas along the way with an absolutely spectacular view of “Little Traverse Bay”.

If your request for a Michigan Municipal marina slip is more than 24 hours away, most of the City Marinas must be booked through Michigan’s 800 number. There is an $8.00 service fee for each reservation and you prepay by credit card. The advantage of using this service is having a confirmed reservation and the marina staff hands you all your area info when you come into your slip. You are already checked in so you don’t have to go to the office. Besides the service fee, one disadvantage is a $10.00 cancellation fee if you have to make a change due to weather. It doesn’t seem quite right since you are not actually cancelling but just changing to a later date. There are other cancellation policies as well, so check it out on line. If your request is with-in the same day of arrival, you can only book direct with the respective marina, but you take your chances of slip availability.

We have really enjoyed our visit to Petoskey. It is beautiful, has a lot to offer and we have met wonderful people. There have been 5-6 loopers in and out of here the last couple of days.

Day 312- 313 Mackinac City & Petoskey

2010-07-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

A small local car show, Wed. evening - A Chevy Pick Up Truck

Another truck, International Pick Up

Keyhole Restaurant in Mackinac City

One of the few times Tom is taking time to relax on the boat.

Part of the 4 mile Mackinac Bridge

One of the freighters we saw on Lake Michigan in the Mackinaw Straits

A navigational aid for fog that you hear every few minutes.

Linda Tuls “Perfect Timing” was so gracious to rise early to help with lines and see us off the dock at Drummond Island. We had a great time with looper friends Dave and. Linda.

We had calm water for our travel to Mackinaw City. Since we visited Mackinac Island a couple of years ago we decided not to stop there by boat. You have to take a ferry to get to the island where bicycles and horses are the only mode of transportation. When we cruised by Mackinac Island the large ferry boats were running in and out of the harbor creating waves that make a very uncomfortable mooring experience at the docks. Additionally, this week is packed with sailboats participating in the Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race.

We chose to venture about 10 miles further west over to the Municipal Marina located In Mackinaw City on the mainland. We purchased diesel fuel next door at Sheplers’ Marine Service before securing a slip. We rode bikes around town and wouldn’t you know, Tom spied a car that looked like it was going to a car show so we had to follow it. Once we got back on the bikes, we rode by many fudge, ice cream and
t-shirt shops. Of course we had to sample ice cream. We had dinner at the Keyhole Bar & Grill that was recommended by our friends Dave & Linda. It is a very fun and popular place.

We departed Mackinaw City early on Thursday for our 55-mile cruise on Lake Huron/ Michigan and we were pleased that the water was very calm. Around 7:00 am we passed under the 4 mile, 135’ high Mackinac Suspension Bridge which separates Lake Huron with Lake Michigan.

Currently we are at the Petoskey City Marina for 2 or 3 nights. This good size community is more metropolitan than I’ve seen for awhile. Although it was cloudy and threatened rain, Tom rode to a Walgreens to fill a prescription and I ventured on to the shopping area and now I have to find room on the boat for a couple more articles of clothing. After we both returned to the boat, it started to drizzle as predicted so we chose to dine on board and stay dry. We are hoping for a dry day Friday to visit the large Farmers Market plus ride and explore this town. This area, Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix are quite crowded with transient boaters this week and week-end. Local marinas are full to capacity.

Day 311 Drummond Island, MI back in US 7/20

2010-07-20T12:26:00.001-07:00

Tom could not resist stopping to get this shot of vintage Case tractor manufactured in Rock Island, IL our hometown area. Don't know the year of manufacture, but would guess the 1950's

Tom with our Indian decent waitress, Jess, at the Northwoods Restaurant.

Dinner at Northwoods - Us with Denny & Randi, Dave & Linda

Our marina at Drummond Island

The customs office but they come to your boat.

Hurrah - we’re back in the good old USA! Drummond Island is on the northern tip of Michigan 7-miles from the northern border of Canada and also where we check into US customs. We handed the customs official our passports, D-top and registration number, and a few questions and we were done. It was painless.
The island is still far enough away from everything that we don’t have cell phone service or intranet on the computer but the marina offers WIFI.

This island is still in the very north woods, no roads/bridges here from the mainland. The only way here is by ferry or your own boat. It is a big island with population of 1200 and pretty amazing that it functions with no bridge to the mainland. There is a huge resort here, schools, banks, hardware, groceries and restaurants and everything you would need not to have to go to the mainland. The ferry runs 365 days a year, 4 trips a day, and they break ice in the winter.
Dave and Linda Tuls off Perfect Timing, (we met way back in Columbus) are staying at this marina so we were happy to see them after many months. We met and went to dinner at the Northwoods with Dave and Linda and their friends Dennis and Randi Nickels off the boat Shenanigans. We had a friendly waitress, good ribs and a fun time.

The weather sounds good for tomorrow so we will try to leave at daybreak and get an early start The water is calmer in the morning. We hope to make a marina in Mackinac City.

Day 309 Turnbull Island - N. Channel

2010-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

We departed a very nice two day lay-over at Little Current at the Town Dock. The winds were predicted to 25 knots westerly by late morning. Our goal was an anchorage in the Benjamin Islands before the wind picked up. Well, that didn’t happen. The winds picked up mid morning and lasted well into the evening. We managed a 3’ foot chop and found a protected anchorage in Logan Bay, very near the Benjamin’s. It was a great protected anchorage, sand bottom, great holding and we rode out the wind at anchor with-out dragging an inch. This was a pretty secluded anchorage of about (4) boats including ours. There was plenty of room to swing on anchor with-out fear of hitting underwater rocks or other vessels.

Sunday morning, after a light breakfast we were on our way to an anchorage at either John Island or Turnbull Island, which ever looked least populated. We selected Turnbull Island and it is also a very nice anchorage, well protected, however the number of boats has increased to 14 by evening. It has been raining all afternoon so consequently, launching the dinghy and exploring was no longer an option. It is interesting to watch boaters with dogs shuttle their canines in the dinghy, back and forth to shore; Rain or shine, the pups must get to shore.

The last two days have been either high winds, or cloudy/raining. Photo opportunities have been limited.

We will have open water between here and Thessalon or Drummond Island so we’ll have to watch for a good weather day. Rain and possible thunderstorm are predicted for tonight. Depending on Monday’s weather we may set course for Drummond Island, Michigan in lieu of Thessalon, Ontario an additional 16 miles.

Day 307, Tom's Contribution to the Blog

2010-07-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Me, in front of Korean War Memorial located here in Little Current, Ontario

Pier "A" from the aft deck of Noah Genda at the "Town Dock", Little Current.

Hometown friends, Steve and Margie Cooper today in "Town Dock" Marina.

Steve and Margie's sailing vessel "Coop' Sloop" on our pier here in Little Current.

We chose to lay over another day here in Little Current. It is a cool town, harbor, and marina with an opportunity to connect with traveling boaters. We bicycled to a little deli style restaurant for an O.K. breakfast, but hey we did not have to prepare it and no clean up. We came back to the boat, completed a couple of long overdue boat chores, and some cleaning. I chased down some dinghy fuel, rode to the hardware store for a couple of plumbing parts and hardware for the anchor system.

Today we had the pleasure of connecting with Quad City hometown friends, Steve & Margie Cooper. They are here in Little Current on their sailing vessel “ Coop’ Sloop". They keep their boat in Wisc and sail the North Channel most of the summer. We had the pleasure of touring their beautiful vessel late this morning. Since I have not been exposed to sailing vessels, especially of this quality and craftsmanship, it was truly an educational experience for me and Diann. We had a wonderful couple of hours of conversation with a remarkable couple. This was a pleasant surprise, meeting up with hometown friends

The restaurant and hotel “Anchor Inn” sponsors a happy hour complete with complementary horsdevours from 3:00 to 5:00 PM and we took advantage of that opportunity to socialize with several power boaters as well as sailors. Everyone at the town docks are passing through the area and it is so much fun to meet boaters from all over Canada as well as the U.S. We also had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with Roy Eaton, the voice of the “Little Current Cruisers Net”. During happy hour Roy offered a tour of his “Studio” located on the 2nd floor inside the hotel. For the last 7-years Roy has generously donated his valuable time to broadcast during the month of July and August on VHF channel 71 at 9:00 AM, news of the world, sports, business, health, local history and knowledge, weather, and upcoming local events. Additionally anyone with in radio range can call in and share your current location or itinerary. A truly valuable service that is beneficial to all. Walking back to the boat we could not resist the local ice cream stand adjacent to our pier. This Canadian home made ice cream, may go down as one of our favorites.

After dinner on board, I spotted a new arrival here at the “Town Dock” flying a “Looper” flag. I couldn’t resist walking over to introduce myself. Diann chose not to join me. I had the pleasure of meeting Kelley & Heidi York from Southern Calif. They are aboard their 1999 42’ Ocean Alexander cockpit motor yacht ”Prime Time”. That is the same boat as ours with a cockpit extension added to the stern. Anyway, a beautiful boat, and a very pleasant couple in the middle of their great loop. They started their loop in Naples, FL. I know I have said this hundreds of times, however it is so true, the most interesting and rewarding part of this wonderful journey is the people you meet along the way.

Day 303 - 306 Baie Fine & Little Current 7/15

2010-07-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Dinghy exploring in Baie Fine

More dinghy exploring in Baie Fine, near Killarney.

Tom climbed the bluff behind us just to take pictures of Noah Genda.

Tom took this from the top of the bluff while I debated how to climb it.

View from our climb up the rocks

We only climbed half way to the top but I was wondering how we were getting down. VERY VERY slowly!

Tom is retying our shore lines so we can release them in the morning from the boat.
He looks confused doesn't he?

We departed a great anchorage (other than lots of boats) at Covered Portage Cove, in Frazer Bay and headed for an anchorage known as Mary Ann Cove, two miles in Baie Fine. Most vessels in the cove were anchored med style, drop a hook, and secure your stern to a land based object such as a tree or pins driven in the stone with about 150’ of line. We put out a second anchor off the bow since the wind was at our beam. Tom decided another stern line was necessary to shore, off the stern, to create an “X” tie. Okay, can we take the dinghy out now?
We are out in the wilderness. We have no air card signal and no cell phone signal. When we are able to publish this, probably Thursday 7/15 from Little Current, this will be two or three day old news.

We traveled the 8 additional miles of Baie Fine by dinghy to what the locals call the” pool”. The “pool” could really be a great anchorage; however it is full of sea grass growing off of the 6’ bottom in crystal clear water. So we are happy we stopped where we did. The North Channel is a more popular location for anchoring than Georgian Bay. It is located between mountain ranges of Blue Ridge and La Cloche Range. It is beautiful, but the trade-off is at any given location there are going to be a large number of boats. It's not as quiet or peaceful as the recent anchor locations. Today was perfect day with sun but not too hot to enjoy the afternoon exploring in the dinghy.

Today, 7/14 Wed, we woke to an absolutely beautiful flat water morning, cool, no humidity and clear skies. After a large breakfast of eggs, sausage, OJ, toast and coffee we set of exploring in the dinghy. Had a fun day just going from cove to cove, found a beach and a bluff we could climb and shot some great images. Again the water is just crystal clear and spectacular.

Tonight we are having what Tom calls “just like around the campfire when he was a Cub Scout” Bush baked beans with hot dogs and flour tortillas. I just tell him nothing is too good for my little Tommy. Besides it’s one of his favorites!

I read about picking blueberries that are in the hills and I was excited to be able to say I did that but……….. I would be going alone, (Tom wasn't interested) a local said take a stick for snakes, it’s a good climb uphill walking on slippery pine needles, lots of bugs (who love me) to say nothing of bears! I guess I’ll continue buying my bluebberries at the grocery store.

7/15 Happy Birthday to our grandson Tyler!

We made it to Little Current city dock run by Little Current Town Docks not Wally’s like the Waterway guide says. They now have several finger docks as well as the seawall with room for about 200 boats. They are very busy but very good in responding and helping you into your slip. The current and wind can be treacherous here as we have observed with other boats and heard horror stories from the dock hands. Tom pulled in perfectly of course!

Little Current is Manitoulin Island’s largest area with a quarter mile long dock constantly busy with boats of all size. Sailboats out number powerboats 10 to 1 but there are some beautiful sailboats here. Wouldn’t you know Tom knows someone here from the Quad Cities; Steve Cooper. He and his wife Margie come here for 3 months in the summer?

Day 303 Covered Portage Cove

2010-07-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Point Au Baril Lighthouse from a few days ago

There are so many fantastic anchorages in this area in the North Channel that there is no way to sample all of them. It is so whisper quiet you hear nothing but wildlife and the wind. There are very few cottages, and cities are far and few between. There are thousands of uninhabited islands, no fishing boats, no wave runners and very few cruisers. This is the premier anchorage, well protected by high bluffs. I think there are 15 boats here, although there is room for more but you hear people talking, generators run, etc. We did do some badly needed cleaning on the boat.

Unless Tom wants to blog, I won’t update this for a few days until or unless something exciting happens. We’ll just be moving from one beautiful anchorage to another. This is a rough life!

Day 302 Burnt Island & Killarny

2010-07-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

While in the dinghy, snapping pictures of the many remote islands around our anchorage. We actually landed on this island and walked/climbed the rocks. Absolutely beautiful.

One of the 100's of islands around our anchorage.

While at Killarney Mountain Lodge, Hatterass's from Bay Harbor Michigan departed here today.

More yachts from Bay Harbor Michigan

And another from Bay Harbor Michigan - What recession?

One of the islands around Burnt Island anchorage

Tom relaxing on one of the islands we were exploring.

We had 20 miles of open water to travel from our anchorage at Bustards Islands to our next anchorage at Burnt Island. This area is the most exposed portion of the Georgian Bay open to Lake Huron’s furry. We were lucky and had water smooth as glass for the majority of the trip. At anchor tonight, when it is totally dark around you the sky is covered with exceptionally radiant stars. How beautiful. Burnt Island in Beaverstone Bay is a spectacular anchorage which we had to ourselves most of the day. One sailboat join the anchorage but off a distance to allow total solitude. It is so whisper quiet and remote, we just sit and enjoy the sounds of wildlife.

We leisurely had breakfast before heading off to Killarney, the entrance to the North Channel and the oldest community on the north shore of the bay!
This town was settled by French in early 1800’s and later was populated for lumbering purposes to supply the Industrial boom. This was the shipping port at the bottom of the LaCloche Mountains & is now a gathering place for boats moving between Georgian Bay & North Channel. Always considered a great “getaway” in summer, Al Capone used to holiday here. Getaway probably had a dual meaning for him.
We had a tasty lunch from the famous Fish & Chips School Bus on the Dock. We enjoyed lunch outdoors at waterside. Of course we found local ice cream next door. Tonight we had little more formal dining at the Killarney Mountain Lodge, which is where our marina is located. The entree's are changed every night and tonights menu and dining experience was excemptionally good. Nice north wood atmosphere and great service. This is a nice place to stay a day or two.

Day 299 –300 Byng Inlet & Bustard Islands

2010-07-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

You can see how narrow the channel gets in places!

These rocks are close to our anchorage.

Here you can see 2 piles of inuksuit rocks.

We left our beautiful anchorage at Byng Inlet earlier than we wanted because storms were predicted and we wanted to be tucked into a harbor when that happened. Wrights Marina at Byng Inlet is a looper sponsor so we decided to stay here at $1.50 foot and diesel $1.09 liter. St Amant’s Marina a mile further is $1.25’ and has a well stocked store with a restaurant on the 2nd floor above the marina office. We unloaded the bikes and headed to St Amant’s for lunch. Having been a boater for 30 years, I packed my rain jacket on the bike but Tom decided he wouldn’t need his. Sure enough, the sky broke loose during lunch and while it had let up a little by the time we left, I was behind him chuckling to myself as he peddled as fast as he could back to the boat. He was thoroughly soaked! After a couple of hours, it cleared off so we hit the road again on bikes to find Little Britt Inn for dinner. This is a very popular place with a casual downstairs or more upscale dinning above in addition to a few rooms for rent at the Inn in back.

Jim Hampton sent us the explanation of the stones we’ve been seeing:
As one travels across Canada, you will see piles of rock slabs and stones built to resemble the shape of a person with arms stretching out. These stone structures put up by Inuit are known as inukshuk (pronounced 'in-ook-shook'). In the Inuit language, inukshuk means "likeness of a person" or "in the image of man". The inukshuk is a well known symbol in the Canadian north.

Traditionally, multiple inukshuk structures are used to guide or channel caribou into areas where Inuit hunters could easily harvest them. The hunters would often hide behind the larger inuksuit. The inukshuk can also be found along Arctic coastlines as markers to open channels for navigation. Inland where the tundra is treeless, the inukshuk could indicate direction of a valley for travel through mountains. The longer arm of an inukshuk points in the direction that one should travel to. Sometimes an inukshuk could have a peep hole in the middle and if someone looked through it, another inukshuk in the distance could be seen. An inukshuk could serve as a marker for fish. This inukshuk would be placed at an equal distance from the shoreline to where the fish could be found in a lake. In this case, the figure would be more like a neat pile of stones without arms or legs.

We are anchored at Bustards Islands at MM23, Georgian Bay. A Canadian couple anchored nearby came by in their dinghy and had a nice conversation for an hour. As soon as dinner is ready and we turn the generator off we will have another quiet beautiful evening. This is a well protected anchorage and also is very popular. There are (2) sailboats and (3) powerboats here tonight. There is ample room for about (5) additional vessels. Tomorrow weather permitting we will pull anchor and head for another anchorage.

Day 297 Anchor Shawanaga inlet

2010-07-07T18:44:00.001-07:00

This water is crystal clear, see rocks at bottom of bay.

Noah Genda at today's anchorage in Georgian Bay near Point Au Baril

Airplane services available at Parry Sound, Ontario

Lite house at Snug Harbor

This smiley fare shows the entrance to the Hole in the Wall

Water was 30' deep through the Hole in the Wall

Rock face on both sides as you travel through the Hole in the Wall

The dinghy as we explored the rocks - Noah Genda off in the distance.

We see these rock piles everywhere. Is it a tribute to the spirits?

A man and his dog?

Tuesday morning we left Fryingpan Island to follow the Small Craft Channel further North in Georgian Bay to Parry Sound. We went through 5 Mile Narrows and 2 Mile Narrows where you radio to all boats that you’re coming through & hope you don’t meet another boat who has entered from the other end. Thank goodness they were not “miles” long as their name suggests. We are at Big Sound Marina and the float plane runway is just behind us. We are enjoying the show. The grocery store that was nearby has moved quite a distance but they will pick you up so Tom and Ken on the next boat did that while I did some laundry. Only 1 washer and dryer so it took awhile. It is now hot and humid (98). We almost stayed in the air on the boat but then decided to get the bikes off and ride to town. On the way, Tom spotted a car show and had to ride back to the boat for the camera. In the meantime, I continued to town which is a long uphill incline. We had dinner at the Bay Street Café and watched the old cars go by as they left the show. Ice cream for dessert across the street pretending like we didn’t’ read the closed sign and went in anyway.

Tonight we are anchored at Shawanaga Island near Pointe Au Baril, MM 30, just off the Georgian Bay small craft channel. Today we launched the dinghy and explored for a couple of hours. When we would turn the dinghy engine off, and just drift, it was so amazingly quiet you hear birds flap their wings. While drifting today we heard a pack of wolf’s howling. It is just us and nature. Awesome! This a beautiful place to anchor, it is so tranquil. There is no sign of civilization for miles and miles. No development, no industrial facilities, no commercial facilities, just wilderness.

We have traveled 5500 miles to date on our trip and negotiated 111 locks.

Day 297 Fryingpan in Georgian Bay

2010-07-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is how you get your material to an island

to build these homes - no lawn mowing here!

Sallyann getting Freedom ready to dock

Andrew walking to Henry's Restaurant

Andrew, Sallyann and us

We see lots of sea planes in this area

Tom with Tut

They say this is the 30,000 island area but if they count all the land that is just below the surface it would be more like 100,000 islands. It’s a beautiful area but it will keep you on your toes winding in & out of narrow channels and around huge rocks.

Since we try to support the businesses that sponsor AGLCA we stayed at "South Bay Cove Marina" in Honey Harbor. Bill Snider and his staff extended the most professional service that you could expect. This is a first class facility at a very reasonable price. They promptly respond to a VHF call on 68 and assist your arrival with dock hands at your assigned slip. Along with the AGLCA membership discount, elec., water, cable TV, strong WIFI, free ice from the onsite ice machine, newspaper delivered to your slip, trash pick-up at your slip, 4 individual very clean showers and laundry amenities. The ships store offers a variety of items including shrink wrapped frozen meats and poultry. The on-site gourmet restaurant is a little pricey but very good. The grounds are well groomed and comfortable chairs on the deck to watch the sunset over the marina.

We traveled 28 miles to Fryingpan Island and Henry’s Fish Restaurant. The restaurant was first started in 1951 in a tent to provide fishermen a place to stop for a meal. Sallyann and Andrew off “Freedom” arrived soon after us for lunch together. Great to see them with their cat “Tut”. Andrew had a CD of areas to visit going forward so he and Tom were on the computer while Sallyann and I sat out back and chatted.

The “Bay” waters are crystal clear. We are "stern in" on this dock with the stern about 6’ off shore. It is 17’ deep under the boat and you can clearly see every crevice in the granite below the vessel. Pretty amazing, certainly a beautiful area to cruise at in a leisurely pace. It is going to be hot and humid for a couple days, we may seek out marinas for air condition in lieu of a anchorage until it cools down a little. Are we ever happy??

Day 294 Trent Severn Big Chute

2010-07-03T18:08:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous granite bluffs, Today on the Trent-Severn Waterway about MM 200

View from the top, on the bridge of Noah Genda, during our portage of the "Big Chute"
Quite interesting. About 4-minutes from one side of the waterway to other side and launched. Pretty amazing.

Noah Genda tucked in for the night below lock 40, Thorah, Ontario, Trent Severn Waterway. Nice quite night, absolutely no one around. We were the only boat there.

This is what the Big Chute looks like getting ready to unload boats.

Me on the bow watching us head downhill.

One thing we didn’t previously mention was the ATM service charge of $8.08 for $140.00 in Fenelon Falls. A little pricey don’t you think?

We had a very quiet night all by ourselves above Thorah, Ontario (lock 40) on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Had we known there were docks to tie to right before entering Lake Simcoe, we would have gone another 2 miles, gained a couple of hours on the next day’s destination as well, since we would not have to wait for locks to open at 8:30 A.M. Oh the things you learn on the first time around. The second time around would be so much easier just from your first hand experience.

At the beginning of the Trent Severn at Trenton it was 243 feet above sea level. We traveled up 35 locks to reach 840 feet above sea level. In lock 36 we started locking down and tomorrow we will be at our last lock 45 on the Trent Severn at 576 feet. It took more than 90 years and over $19 million dollars to complete this enormous undertaking. Only 2 locks use marine radios and very few have lights to let you know what is going on. After 240 miles we have experienced 4 types of locks; vertical lifts, step locks, pan locks, and today "The Big Chute". The Big Chute is a railway car that you drive your boat onto; they lift your boat with hydraulic powered slings. Cables pull the railway out of the water and over a highway where it travels down a steep bank to set you back in the water. It is truly an amazing piece of engineering.

The weather has turned spectacular, warm, sunny, low humidity days and cool nights in the 50’s. When we left Albany NY, through the Champlain, Richelieu, Chambly Canal, Montreal, St Lawrence River, Thousand Islands, Kingston and the first half of the Trent-Severn Waterway it rained constantly. There were never two dry days in a row for three weeks. The month of June goes down as Canada’s most precipitation accumulation in recorded history. So this is a welcome weather window. Tomorrow we transit our last lock (lock 45, Port Severn) and complete our journey on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Leaving Port Severn we enter Georgian Bay.

Day 293 Lock 40 Trent Severn

2010-07-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

Dam/Spillway at lock 27, Trent Severn Waterway in Young's Point

A Church located on one of the many isolated islands in the Trent Severn Waterway

One of the many cottages on islands along the way

One of the Fenelon Falls spillways feeding the Trent Servern

Lock #34 coming into the City of Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Us at the City of Fenelon Falls lock. A very beautiful community.

I don't know how Tom finds these, but he can't resist a photo opportunity. He is like a kid in a candy store when he sees these.

Me at Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Us at Fenelon Falls, Ortario. The weather is chilly, high of 63, July 1st

Canada Day Celebration on the lock wall in the City of Fenelon Falls, Ontario. A very fun 2-day. This is really a cool city to visit.

Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Us at the "Lakehouse Grill", in Fenelon Falls for dinner.

Today on the Trent-Severn. Very narrow, very shallow and unforgiving. We did meet two on-coming boats today. Very tricky.

We came up behind this on the Trent-Severn today, no way to pass it.

Lift lock at lock #36 Kirkfield, Ontario

Our TSW cruise from Young’s Point to Fenelon Falls was very pretty. We went through an area described as a little bit of Georgian Bay and a little bit of the 1000 Island area. It is tricky, tight and narrow and you must observe the twisting narrow channel without exception. It is unforgiving outside of the channel. There are so many little islands with a single home or cottage on each of these islands. What a beautiful setting. We spotted a little white Church on one island that was really interesting. The only method of accessing any of these dwellings or Church is by very small boat.

HAPPY CANADA DAY! July 1 is comparable to our 4th of July. We are at the lock wall above lock 34 in Fenelon Falls and we are really enjoying this town. We’re in the heart of this small populated area but with a downtown that appears to make the community much larger. The hospitality extended by the local businesses and the residents is just remarkable. It’s like we have reacquainted with old friends. It was truly a fun couple days tied to the lock wall right in the center of town and joining in the celebration. We also met several current loopers and other loopers that have either called Fenelon Falls their home or are visiting friends in Fenelon Falls. We highly recommend taking the time to visit this beautiful community. There are great opportunities for provisioning here as well as the many choices of restaurants. We chose Dockside Grille the first night which turned out to be great food, but the atmosphere as well as the service was less than acceptable. The 2nd night we dined at the “Lake House Grille” and we were very pleased with the prompt service and the food.
The weather has finally turned absolutely beautiful. The last 3-weeks of rain that we have experienced is part of a record breaking amount of precipitation for this area of Canada in recorded history. It’s nice to be part of history, but not that kind.

We left Fenelon Falls, Ontario this morning, continuing our venture toward Port Severn. Today was not a good distance day as we traveled only 26 miles and negotiated six locks. The local boat traffic has increased dramatically. We are tied to the wall at lock 40, a very very remote lock that I expect to be extremely quiet tonight. Today’s distance was challenged with very narrow, very shallow areas and a max speed limit of 6-MPH the entire 26 miles. We called it a day early and will address the continued journey northwest tomorrow. So far we are the only boat here on the lock wall tonight. They close at 7:00 PM and vacate the area. There is nothing with-in 11 miles of here except one gravel road leading to this lock and lock 41 a half mile away. Kind of spooky.

Day 290 Young's Point Trent Severn 7/2

2010-06-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Click pictures to enlarge.

Peterborough Lift Lock - just like on the highway a traffic signal telling us which side to use.

Trent University - nice view right on the water

Diesellicious how appropriate for a boat name!!

Lockside Trading Co.

Not much to report, we departed the mooring dock above Peterborough lock at 8:15. There is a swing bridge ½ mile away that doesn’t open until 8:30. Today’s mileage was only 15 miles but after 6 locks we stopped at noon in Young’s Point. The locks do not have marine radios and very few have lights so when you get to a lock you don’t know what is happening. The procedure is to tie up to the blue line which lets them know you want to lock through. Tom got me right up to the wall so I could get off the swim platform; tied the stern and was in the process of cleating the bow when the gates opened. How frustrating! We had a dark cloud over us in one of the locks and just so we didn’t break our record, we had a light rain plus it is 20 degrees cooler than normal (63). I see it's 79 in our home town!

Right at the lock is a house/store called Lockside Trading Co. They have used every inch of space for a variety of items from bedding, furniture, dishes, clothing, food and ice cream! This was a fun place to browse. There are 3 restaurants available but we elected to stay in our warm boat and eat on board.

Day 289, Peterborough, Ontario - TSW

2010-06-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

"Noah Genda" On the lock wall at TSW lock 18 Hastings Ontario

Looks like I missed another car show opportunity.

The Trent Severn has had so much rain they are opening the dams to let more water out of the pools.

Diann with Peterborough Marina in background

Form the aft-deck of "Noah Genda" looking over "Pan" at top of 65' verticle lift of the Peterborough Lift Lock. Just Beautiful !!!

Peterborough lift lock

Trent Severn Waterway at 6-MPH posted cruise speed limit.

Diann is not in the mood to address a blog tonight, so I will take a stab at it. As we departed Hastings, (TSW MM 50.1) Ontario Canada it was overcast after an all night rain. Can we buy a dry day? The clouds broke as we approached the Peterborough Lift Lock, MM 90.1, and it is a beautiful site to see. What a remarkable piece of engineering and to think it was constructed in 1904. I think this will be my highlight of the Trent Severn. This 65’ vertical lift is the largest hydraulic lift in the world. The sequence is quite simple, like a balance scale. The (2) pans, mounted on pistons, receive the vessels. The upper opposing parallel pan has one additional foot of water added to the pan (130 tons) and that added weight descends to the lower level, lifting the opposite pan with water driven hydraulic cylinder to the canal level above. Just to cool. Gets my attention real quickly, but I have been called a gear head before.

We chose to capitalize on our Canada Seasonal Mooring Pass and stay the night on the lock wall just above this magnificent lift lock. I am just clicking the camera constantly. With the mooring pass is the use of the nice quiet park, with restroom and city water that is adjacent to all of the Canadian Canal lock walls.

We rode our bicycles about a mile from our boat into Peterborough for an afternoon of exploring and catch lunch and maybe a grocery store. We met some very nice local residents for some conversation and directions. Most are very interested in your journey and sharing information about their communities. We had a lucky find for lunch at Reggie’s Grille on Hunter St about ½ miles from our boat. Great sandwiches sat outdoors and conversed with a couple of ladies at the table next to us. Her nephew is attending the Univ of IL in Champaign. Neat girls plus they assisted us with some directions to the Peterborough Marina. We rode over to the marina, looked for other loopers, (one there, Kids Again, 34’ PDQ), they were not around their boat. We saw the grille/lounge located on the 2nd deck overlooking the Marina. We could not resist the temptation to just relax on the open air deck, enjoy a beverage and the view overlooking this pretty nice landscape. While relaxing we both observed that it appeared it could rain pretty soon. We started back towards home, the boat, stopped for fresh baked pastries for breakfast on board, and lastly a grocery store for a few provisions. Remember we are on bicycles, so moderate purchases are in order since the pack mule has to pedal them back to the boat. Well it was getting darker by the minute, and we had a few sprinkles before arrival back to the boat. We just secured the bicycles on board and the sky let loose. A major shower that lasted about an hour and a half. Skies cleared, temperature and humidity dropped dramatically for a low tonight around 50 degrees.

Day 287 Trent Severn step lock 7-12

2010-06-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

Nice house at the lock. Originally constructed in 1914, it sits at lock 9 on the Trent Severn Waterway (TSW)

The first half of the step lock (lock 11)

It looks like we're on top of the world!

View after reaching the top of the second level of lock #12 of the TSW

Hey guess what??? It’s raining again. Tom thinks it has rained 10 out of the last 15 days. Good thing I bought my waterproof pants. I wore them all day and stayed nice and dry. One of the lock operators shared with us today, that with all of this rain, they are starting to have water level control issues with the dams on the Trent-Severn. Of course understand, there are 44 locks and dams on the Trent-Severn-Waterway

Starting June 25, the lock hours are 8:30 to 7:00 pm. Today we traveled 25 miles and passed through locks #7-12. Lock 11 and 12 are called step locks where 2 locks are end to end of each other. The water in the lock lowers or raises as needed until the water in both locks are level with each other. Noah Genda was the only boat in the chambers but if a boat was descending, one of you would pass the other in the narrow lock. The water raises or lowers a total of 41’. You can see from the pictures the elevation we are at and what a beautiful view. It would have been really gorgeous on a sunny day.

If you aren’t up on your liter conversion, it is 3.875 liters per gallon on fuel. When you stop for fuel, it is helpful to know ahead of time how much a gallon will cost- we didn’t know and had to rely upon the attendant’s calculator. Not rocket science, however when you feel your tank can hold 175 gallons, you need to know what that equates to in liters. We filled with diesel at Frasers in Trenton and paid close to $4.00 gallon.

This afternoon, after we were soaked from the relentless rain, we stopped between lock 12& 13 in Campbellford at Old Mill Park city marina for $1.00 per foot without power; $1.25 with power. You find space along the wall, plenty available; tie up and go check in. The facility is operated by the City of Campbellford Chamber of Commerce located adjacent to the tie-up wall. Here you can purchase diesel on the other side of the waterway at MacMillians for $0.92 a liter or $3.60 gal. There are a couple of restaurants, drug store and a grocery store all with-in a walk from the City tie-up wall. Between rain showers we walked up to the grocery store for a few basics, looked at the Waterfront Park and did a walk by of a potential evening dining establishment. Of course it started to sprinkle before we returned to the boat.

After a few more showers/sprinkles in the late afternoon, it finally cleared enough that we walked up to "Rubbs Barbeque" for actually a very good serving of food. The service was good, a lttle noisy, but all in all it was worth the trip.

Day 284-286 Kingston, Lock 1-6 Trent Severn 6/25

2010-06-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Prince George Hotel Kingston

Pub Bar in the hotel

Us with Cindy & Alex Shue

Confederation Park, Kingston

Clocktower at Trenton, Ontario before starting the Trent Severn

Tied up to lock wall Above lock 6

Upon our arrival in Kingston we were greeted by our good friends Cindy and Alex Shue. They completed the loop a few weeks ago and live close by in the New York area. They are familiar with Kingston, Ontario area since they often come here for outdoor concerts. Alex & Cindy introduced us to the 19th century Prince George Hotel that houses 3 or 4 lively Irish pubs and then we enjoyed a delicious outdoor lunch at the hotel. They also helped us find a grocery store and with their car we were able to stock up on the bulky heavy items. We are so grateful for thier generous hospitality, plus what a fun day rekindling our friendship and discussing "Lopper" experiences of the last nine months together.

We were hoping to investigate Kingston, Ontario on Thursday but it was raining when we got up. Oh well, I guess we won’t melt on our way to the Farmers market and to a great bakery, “Pan Chancho”. When we returned to the boat it cleared off and was sunny so out we go again. I went my own way to find some waterproof pants to wear when we’re locking. I’m tired of having to change wet clothes all the time. Tom did some things on the boat (computer) and we agreed to meet at 12:30 in Confederation Park to listen to one of the bands that play at noon every Tues, Thurs and Sat. No sooner had the band set up when it started a light rain just long enough to get things wet and then it quit and we saw the sun again. The band was able to play one song before we got another downpour which made them pack up. Soon the sun was back. What a strange weather day.

We enjoyed the Prince George Irish pub so much we went back for an outdoor dinner. Food was great, lots of people watching and we noticed they all had ice cream cones. You can bet we found that store. On Thursday nights at dusk, they have a free movie in the square. Momma Mia was playing on a huge screen; take your chairs, and purchase popcorn and pop for sale. Walking back to the boat we passed a young girl in the park playing bagpipes. Kingston keeps things going for entertainment. The population is 117,207.

Today we traveled to Trenton and the start of the Trent Severn by way of the Bay of Quinte (Quin tey).

The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for commercial purposes but now exclusively for pleasure boats, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn. Construction began in 1833 and completed in 1907. By the time it was completed its design had been made obsolete by larger boats: it had been designed for boats too small to be commercially viable. In the years that it was under construction, railways had further developed their networks and improved service, which influenced settlement patterns.

We went through 6 of the 44 locks and 7 miles of the total 240 miles on our journey through the Trent Severn Waterway. This ended up being way too long of a day (12 hours) which makes me cranky! It takes awhile to lock up 20’ and then the gates are opened manually. If a lock master is working alone (often) he cranks one side of the gate open and then walks to the other end of the lock so he can cross at the closed walkway, walks all the way back on the other side to crank open the other side of the gate door. Don’t be in a hurry folks.

Day 283, 6/25 1000 Islands, St Lawrence

2010-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Coming out of a lock on the St Lawrence

Singer Castle in the 1000 Islands

Singer Castle located in the 1000 Islands on the St Lawrence Seaway

One of Hundreds of Beautiful Homes in the 1000 Islands

A freighter we met on the St Lawrence

Another Island with structure

The navigational aids along the way on the St Lawrence

Another freighter we met on the St Lawrence

The Canadian National Park Island. We are tied to a provided dock at the park tonight. Is is beautiful.

Our books tell us to be prepared for a 1-4 hour wait at the St Lawrence locks so we have been happy that our longest processing was 1 hr 15 minutes. The Canadian locks provide pleasure boat docks at the lower and upper gates of each lock, which are multipurpose. You tie up; climb stairs to a booth, use a credit card and pay $25 to $30 for your lockage, find out the wait time, return to the boat and wait until they call you. The benefit is that if there is a wait, you have a convenient, safe place to wait your turn for locking through these busy locks. Saint Lawrence Waterway lock usage is not included in your Canadian Canal seasonal pass; however staying at a Canadian National Park is included in the Canal fee. We are capitalizing on that privilege and using a Canadian National park tonight located in the 1000 Islands. Actually there is 1800 islands but who’s counting? A nice facility and very quiet.

We anchored Sunday night at mile 151.6 at Baie St Francois and Monday at mile 77.4 which is an abandoned canal that used to by-pass some St Lawrence rapids. This cruise up the St Lawrence to Kingston, Ontario has been more pleasant than we anticipated. The waterway is beautiful, void of industrial and commercial development and very scenic. The 1000 Island area is spectacular and we are happy we chose this optional route. I know we missed the Ridaeu as well as the Ottawa River, but we are not disappointed. The number of islands is mind boggling and I have yet to see one that didn’t have a unique house on it.

And how about this castle??? We didn’t find out about a tour until we were settled in a marina and I searched for information on the intranet. Singer Castle on Dark Island is open to the public who wish to have a guided tour of the intricate architecture, beautiful furnishings and puzzling secret passages of the magnificent 100-year old Castle. Tons of granite quarried from nearby Oak Island were brought over ice and water in 1902-1904 to construct the “hunting lodge” of Commodore Frederick Gilbert Bourne. Mr. Frederick Gilbert Bourne from New York City was a self-made millionaire who expanded global production as well as international sales of the Singer sewing machine. Singer Castle is the only castle on this river to be completed, fully furnished and resided in during the heyday of the 'great builders' and industrials in New York.

Day 281 Leaving Montreal

2010-06-20T03:19:00.001-07:00

The very clean and clear fresh water of the St Lawrence Seaway.

Lock 4, Upper Beauharnois on the St Lawrence Seaway

Our Anchorage tonight at Baie Saint Francois.

How do you like this for a bike path? The wide path follows the river a long distance and then narrows down to a normal bike path.

Several streets are closed off to vehicle traffic

This is the area everyone gathers to listen to different music view sidwalk musicians and entertainers as well as this is restaurant row. Pretty cool.

Fireworks every Saturday night and the marina fills up to watch them.

We missed our Grandson Connor’s high school graduation party. I hope everything went well for you Connor.

I didn’t mention the population of Montreal is over 1,600,000. During our stay, there were there 30,000 Rotarians Conventioneers in Montreal. No wonder the “City Tour” I tried to get on was sold out. You can see from the pictures this city is a gathering place.

In the afternoon, Tom and I took different bike paths and although the rain wasn’t in the forecast, we had a torrential downpour. Tom had made it back to the boat and was nice and dry but I got caught and I was dripping wet. Some people waited it out for over an hour.

Every Saturday night Montreal provides a spectacular display of fireworks over the St Lawrence River. The downtown marina is booked full every week-end for fine Montreal dinning, a great social and cap the night with a great display of fireworks. We were able to view the entire 40 minutes of the fireworks show while sitting on our flybridge. Montreal has to be one of the most enjoyable cities on our journey. A few days here are not adequate for a true sense of the city. The dining opportunities are endless, the architecture is stunning, the ethnic communities are interesting and you could people watch forever. We did limit ourselves to one sampling of ice cream and selected an excellent store called Moozoo. Actually we had frozen yogurt and was very pleased with our selection.

We departed Montreal this morning, traveling southwest on the St Lawrence River but we are going against the current. It’s not slowing us down as much as I anticipated. The St Lawrence River is a remarkably clear, clean, fresh water river and no tide to deal with. A beautiful day as we cruised to our evening destination, an anchorage at MM 151 on the St Lawrence River adjacent to the city of Baie St Francois, Canada. Nice homes along the shoreline here at our anchorage in this little rural Canadian Community. Our goal is to be aggressive for the next few days getting to the head of the St Lawrence River and ultimately to the Trent-Severn Canal.

Day 280 Montreal

2010-06-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Montreal skyline

We read we would be up against some current but come on...........

2 miles of this to get to our harbor.

The 126' Perseverance II, owned by one of Chicago’s wealthiest financiers; available for charter with 4 state rooms and a crew of 6.

Why am I always holding a map? Perhaps so I can find my way back to the boat..

China Town

The BIXI Bikes for rent.

Thursday we traveled 50 + miles to our anchorage at MM 63.5 on the St Lawrence River. Russ and Cindy on Ladybug anchored near us and we launched the dinghy and walked around La Grande Ile. We found ice cream and soon after found beverages at the local pub.
We left our anchorage at 6 am so we could get to Montreal and have half the day. We knew we were in for a battle with current of the river and you can see from the picture the amount of turbulence.

We are staying at Port D’escale du Vieux Port de Montreal right in the heart of downtown. In short it is called Old Port Marina in Quai King-Edward at $2.00 foot including power (if we had it). All the docks are so new they don’t have power hooked up yet. Their goal is to have the power connected and energized by Friday evening and sure enough, by dusk (9:00 P.M) we had power. This week-end is their season opening celebration and the slips are filling up with locals here for the night or week-end. We were informed that there is a fireworks display every Saturday evening right in front of the marina.

Tom and I rode to a marine store and from there we found an office supply store for printer ink cartridge. So far we found everyone in the stores speaks English but 65% of the population speaks French which makes it the 2nd largest French speaking city in the world, after Paris. This is a beautiful city with many public parks, bicycle paths, café’s, art sculptures, architecture and retail and business district. We find the European atmosphere to be so unique; it is like being in Europe, but you are in North America. We located a sidewalk café, enjoyed dining outside and listened to French music while people watching though an “okay” dinner. Hey they can’t all be good!

Old Montreal and its wealth of cultural, artistic, recreational, sporting and historical activities is a favorite destination for tourists and Montrealers alike during all four seasons. Old Montreal also has many fine restaurants serving a wide array of different types of cuisines. Saint Paul Street and its surrounding streets are heavily packed with restaurants and cafés offering tourists and locals an extraordinary dining experience. We were amazed at the thousands of people from all areas of the world.

Some of the activities available to you while in Montreal are a ferry to cross the St Lawrence River and view the site of the Expo 67 World’s Fair. The famous Montreal Underground City, directly under the heart of the city, 19 miles long. Constantly growing, the "city" - which links many major buildings and multi-level shopping malls in the area - is a shopper's paradise in any season. You’ll be amazed by its brightly lit, scrupulously clean passageways, linking thousands of boutiques, major hotels, restaurants, universities, dozens of office buildings and attractions.

Besides your city bus tours, you can book a 3 hour guided bike tour around the city using their fabulous bike lanes. Don’t have your own bike? No problem! Read on:
Three-thousand bikes are available for short-term rental around Montreal's downtown core at 300 locations. The bikes, which cost $2,000 apiece, are made of aluminum and are theft-proof, according to their designers. The bikes contain a GPS chip, and if rented and not returned will "slow down, and the brakes will lock automatically," explained Julian Joseph, a Montreal high school student who's part of a team hired by the city to repair the bike fleet.

Day 277 Chambly Canal

2010-06-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

Be sure to double click on these pictures.

Waiting for the 12:30 swing bridge opening at the start of the Chambly Canal

Our first lock #9

Following Russ and Cindy on "Lady Bug"

Close quarters in these locks. You can see the upcoming step locks.

The water couldn't be any higher on these lock walls.

Manually closing the lock doors.

What a day! We left Gaines Marina in Rouses Point, NY at 8 am and could not reach the custom office by phone so we pulled into the Canadian Customs area and a woman come outside, ask # of passengers and what do we have on board and told us to keep going. We thought that was a bit strange that she took our word on everything but she didn't want to be bothered.

We arrived at our first swing bridge on the Chambly Canal (MM 50, bridge #12) at 10:30. They do not open the bridge during lunch between 11:45 and 12:30. We walked to the lock master’s house because we needed to purchase our Canadian Canal passes. After a very very long walk, he said he would sell them to us once we were in the lock so the walk was for nothing but exercise. They coordinate the lock opening with the bridge opening. There is room for only 2 boats of any size in the lock chamber. For anyone following behind us, the 2010 seasonal mooring pass is $9.80’ and the seasonal lock pass is $8.80’. The step locks were a new experience with women manually cranking shut the bridge, walking to the other end and manually opening the valves to let water out and then using the same crank opens the bridge for boats to go out. The speed on the Chambly is a maximum 6 MPH so we traveled 28 miles in 8 hours; 9 bridges, and 9 locks. Negotiating the last three locks of the day was a challenge. As you enter the 20’ wide lock, the top of the lock wall projects 8” above the water line. This leaves very little area for a fender to protect the side of the vessel from the concrete wall. Additionally complicating the maneuver were strong threatening winds that were strong on the stern, or swirling in unpredictable high gusts. Kind of a white knuckle afternoon.

With the (9) locks completed it started raining just as we exited the last lock of the day. We decided to call it a day and tie to the "Blue Line" just as we exited lock 9. We are tied behind Russ & Cindy off the motor vessel “Lady Bug”.

Day 275, Monday Burlington, VT

2010-06-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

One of the mysteries surrounding Lake Champlain is the legend of “Champ” Reminiscent of the Loch Ness monster, Champ is purportedly a giant aquatic animal that makes the lake its home. Sightings have been sporadic over time. Locals and tourists have developed something of a fondness for the legendary creature. Representations of Champ can now be found on tee shirts, coffee mugs, and many other tourist souvenirs.
Lake Champlain is safe for swimming, fishing, and boating. It is considered a world-class fishery for Lake trout, Atlantic salmon and bass. About 81 fish species live in the Lake, and more than 300 bird species rely on it for habitat and as a resource during migrations.

Lake Champlain has been connected to the Erie Canal via the Champlain Canal since the canal's official opening September 9, 1823, the same day as the opening of the Erie Canal from Rochester on Lake Ontario to Albany. It connects to the St. Lawrence River via the Richelieu River, with the Chambly Canal bypassing rapids on the river since 1843. Together with these waterways the lake is part of the Lakes to Locks Passage.

We made a 25 mile trip to Burlington, VT and stayed at the Burlington Community Boathouse and Marina for $1.75’. It is not listed under the marinas in the Dozier’s book we were using but called them at 802-865-3377. The Ferry Dock Marina only takes boats 27 feet or less. Our boat was filthy and I couldn’t stand looking at it so the first thing we did was to scrub it down.

We were glad to be in a slip because the sky turned ominous looking and it turned windy, cold and a light rain. Tom rode 2 ½ miles to get spare filters to have on hand before we get to Canada. For .60 cents, you can catch a bus right at the marina which will drop you off at a West Marine Store. I bundled up and walked to the Church Street Marketplace. This is a closed off street a few blocks up the hill that has many venders, specialty stores and restaurants. This area is definitely a college town which you can tell as you walk around. The ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center sits right above the waterfront.

We met at 5:30 on the boat “Dolphin” Ray and Sandy; with other loopers “Lady Bug” Russ and Cindy; and Jim & Linda on “Selah”. None of us had complete charts for the next part of the trip and the discussion was which route to travel. At the moment we think we will pass on the Rideau Canal and the 45 locks involved along with an extra 46 miles.

Day 274 Vergennes, VT Lake Champlain 6/14

2010-06-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last lock going up the Champlain Canal - highest level 140'

Is this 2 inches or 6 inches?

Champlain Memorial Light House below Fort Ticonderoga

Adriondack Mtns of New York.

Waterfalls at Vergennes, VT

It rained all day and evening traveling to Fort Edwards. NO WAIT... it would quit until I went to the bow to lock through and then it would start up again!

The communities along Champlain Canal have built and provided free City Docks for overnight tie ups some complete with electricity and water. Generally they are park like environments, close to stores, restaurants, post offices, ATM's ETC. This was a very nice facility right below lock 7 and half mile off of the Champlain Canal, very protected and clean, and close to amenities that a small town has to offer.

Sunday we started out at 7:15 with a cloudy and misty morning. We knew we had 4 locks left to finish the canal route and 17 bridges to get under in the 17' range. It seemed every time we went around a bend in the river there was another bridge! Tom had removed the crane to get our height down to 16’ 10". Good thing I’m still agile as I would climb up on the hardtop and try to determine if we were going to clear or not. The least amount of clearance was 2", and never more than 6-8" of clearance. If a bridge was supposed to be 18’, I wouldn’t bother to climb up to check and we’d hold our breath until we passed under it. We don’t know how much rain the area has had and since it had rained all day and night was the water up? The bridges here do not have measurement markings like we’re used to seeing. The last thing we need is another $2000.00 expense with knocking off the radar.

When we reached Lake Champlain the clouds disappeared and the Adirondack Mountains on the New York side and the Green Mountains on the Vermont border were spectacular. The average depth of the lake is 96’ but we saw as deep at 392’. It is 109 miles long and sometimes as wide as 9 miles. Instead of stopping at our planned anchorage in Bulwagga Bay ( MM 70) we continued to Vergennes, VT. This was 7 Miles up Otter Creek which was more like a river; 10'-18' deep and wide. The dock is free for 48 hours with 300' of dock space on the north and south shore complete with electricity and city water. There is a beautiful waterfall within site of the docks and after dark the falls were illuminated with colored lights. We attempted to ride up the very steep hill to town but ended up pushing our bikes most of the way. We had an excellent dinner on the patio of the well known Black Sheep Restaurant. Vergennes is known the oldest city in Vermont.

Lake Champlain had a role in our country’s history with the British against the American Colonists during the Revolutionary War. Fort Ticonderoga was built in 1755 by the French, captured in 1775 by the English and taken in 1776 by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys. It was retaken in 1777 by the British.

Day 273 Lake Champlaian Canal

2010-06-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

The "Pack Mule" out in the rain.

This was a scarry sight. The spill way along the channel is exposed and the only safety measure keeping you from going over the dam are these steel cables. If you lost power, you had better get an anchor set PDQ or you are going for a very dangerous ride.

This is all that is between you and going over the dam.

Looking over spillway/dam to the water level below the dam.

Fun time at the Albany Yacht Club last Friday night

Albany Yacht Club with Hudson River in the background

Our first lock on the Champlain Canal system, and the rains came.

Well, it is time to make a choice, Erie Canal, or Lake Champlain route.

Diann has done such an excellent job keeping up the blog and I am grateful. Today wasn’t what you call the most pleasant boating day weather wise and she is just too tired to write tonight. So you will have to struggle through my attempt at keeping everyone in the “Loop”.

Milestone, We are completely out of salt water and the effects of tidal waters. Nothing but fresh water the remainder of the journey.

Last night (Friday 6/11) we were invited to join the members of the Albany Yacht Club for their weekly Friday night dinner and party. They had a live band on the patio, beverages and a very nice dinner prepared by club members. It was a very fun way to cap the end of our stay at Albany Yacht Club. The AYC members extended the most gracious hospitality.

Today we planned leaving our fun 2-day stay at Albany Yacht Club and heading north to start our venture up the Lake Champlain route. It was overcast, showers predicted but no high winds. It started drizzling about the first lock (8:00 AM) and hasn’t quit all day. It is 8:00 PM and it is still drizzling. Traveling in the rain isn’t so awkward if you are just cruising, however locking through (7) locks today made for amn unpleasant day. It is much like any canal system you have ever traversed. Narrow, no wake practically the entire canal, consequently you do not cover a lot of ground in a day. We departed at 7:00 AM, negotiated (7) locks, made headway for a total of 45 miles and decided we had enough punishment for one day. We are tied to the free City Dock at Ft Edwards NY. A very nice City provided dock wall complete with electricity and water connection. We planned on walking to town to find a restaurant, but it just won’t quit raining. After dinner on board we walked 1-block into the very small quaint town for view of the city as well as pick up a couple of provisions.

Once again we are just amazed at the history lessons learned on this wonderful journey. This Lake Champlain/Hudson/Canal route had such a huge contribution to the success of the American Revolutionary War. The Cities along the way are proud of this heritage and display it well. The little communities are so well groomed, quaint, and charming. All of the residents are so helpful and interested in your journey and where you started your trip. We see families walking their dogs and kids riding bicycles along the waterfronts. Pretty cool.

Lake Champlain is situated in the Lake Champlain Valley between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York, drained northward by the 106 miles (171 km) long Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec northeast and downstream of Montreal.

One of the difficulties of this route is bridge clearances. We have managed to reduce our air draft to 16-10”. Most Champlain Canal bridges are in the 18’ range, however there are about (3) bridges in the 17’ range and unfortunately the NY Canal system does not offer measurement gauges adjacent to the bridge as we have experienced everywhere else on the waterways. We were advised of a difficult bridge early this morning and the lockmaster assured us we would clear the next bridge. We knew it would be very close, Diann sat up on the hardtop (in the rain) while I slowly inched the boat under the bridge. We cleared by 2”, talk about white knuckles. We may have one or two of those dilemmas tomorrow also. I guess that is what makes the memories.

Day 270 Albany (Rensselaer) NY

2010-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our daughter Dawn. Have an awesome day.

After coffee and big breakfast on board, we left our peaceful anchorage at Houghtaling Island (also known as Schodack Creek or Hudson River MM 24.5) for a 15mile cruise to the Albany Yacht Club. Along the way we stopped at Castleton for diesel at $2.85 including Boat US discount. Albany YC is actually in Rensselaer; Albany (capital of NY) is across the river. With Boat US discount the slips are $1.25' plus $5. Electric; cable, WIFI included and canal passes are available for various user fees. I probably will not use the laundry since it is ½ block away. Although Albany is 144 miles from the ocean, there is still a 4-5 foot tide swing. We will stay here for a couple of nights so Tom can change oil and we can review all of our charts and books to see if we need additional ones for the New York Canals.

At this point travelers/loopers have to determine a choice which direction to proceed. 1. Continue north up the Champlain Canal and Lake Champlain & Montreal. 2. Head west on the Erie Canal to Buffalo and cruise Lake Erie. 3. Head west on the Erie Canal & Oswego Canal and cruise Lake Ontario. Although it adds 257 miles to our trip, we are taking the Lake Champlain route because we hear so much about its beauty and we want to visit Montreal.

Tomorrow will be a laid back day on “Noah Genda”. Oil is changed and about the only maintenance item is to address is to change fuel filters. No images today, (slow camera day) as we scout the area on bicycles.

Day 269-270, Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie - NY

2010-06-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Light house we passed today going up the Hudson River

Another unique light house on the Hudson River

U.S Coast Guard vessel on the Hudson River, today

Our good friend from our old Rock Island nieghborhood, Mark Riley

Us, during our tour, in front of the Culinary Art Institure "Roth Hall". Absolutely stunning campus, on the bluff, overlooking the Hudson River.

"Roth Hall" Culinary Art Institure, Hyde Park, New York

Inside "Roth Hall" first floor adjacent to the Apple Pie Cafe, open to the public and operated by the students. Fantastic aromas and taste with a great presentation.

View of fountain in front of Roth Hall

We left our anchorage at Pollepel Island, mile marker (MM)96.5 and traveled to Hyde Park Marina. While this marina is small without amenities, it does offer Boat US discount and it is 1 ½ miles from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). You could bike or walk to the CIA but it would be a challenge to bike up hills. There are taxis available at only $7.50 one way.

Mark Riley, a friend of the family and a South Rock Island neighbor from many years ago came to the marina for a visit and offered to drive us for groceries (which we badly needed). Mark lives in Connecticut with his wife and made a concentrated effort to connect with us. The 3 of us then took a 4:00 PM tour of the CIA which we all found very interesting to say nothing of the bakery aroma following us down the halls. The spectacular campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. Thank you Mark for your gracious hospitality. It was a fun afternoon.

The Culinary Institute of America is the world's premier culinary college. CIA offers an accelerated bachelor's or associate degree in culinary arts or baking and pastry. There are five restaurants choices: American, French, Italian, St Andrews (American & European) culinary using local sourced ingredients and The Bakery, all operated by the students. We dined at St Andrews which was the only restaurant open that night. The food and presentation was spectacular.

The weather has deteriorated to a cloudy drizzly day. This morning, Wed 6/9, we motored up the Hudson to MM 24.5 to a Skipper Bob recommended anchorage behind Houghtaling Island. It is a very quiet, pleasant and cozy little anchorage. The wind is about zip, the water flat, about 13’ deep and not a sole in sight. We will swing on the anchor every 6 hours with the tidal effect; however we look forward to reaching fresh water and out of tidal/salt water in a couple of days. Our next leg hopefully will be north on the NY canal system up to Lake Champlain. We might have a 15’ fixed bridge clearance issue but we are working on that.

Day 268, Depart Big Apple,

2010-06-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Departing Manhattan heading up the Hudson River

The Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River

Passing West Point today on the Hudson River, absolutely beautiful. Makes you proud of America and the freedom that we enjoy.

More of West Point

A view of our anchorage tonight on the Hudson River, MM 96.5. South of Poughkeepsie, NY

Pollepel Island, jsut a few yards north of our anchorage on the Hudson River

Out visit to the Big Apple was nothing less than spectacular. What a magnificent city. Our short visit did not do it justice; however we did pack a lot of touring in a short period of time. There is so much to do and we wish we could have spent more time there. One year to complete this loop is really not adequate time.

We left the rocking and rolling of Newport Marina around 9:00 am. The current was against us going up the Hudson River but Tom decided that would be better than being tossed around like a cork in a bathtub, than to endure the discomfort in our slip at Newport Marina. I’m not sure there is a marina in NY that doesn’t endure some waves caused by the many ferries going back and forth. At one point I counted 7 zipping in front, beside and behind us. They have the right of way and you better not get in the way! It seemed like the Manhattan skyline went for miles. No complaints because it was beautiful to see.

The Hudson River reminds us very much of the upper Mississippi (North of Dubuque to the Twin Cities or St Croix River) with many gorgeous homes on high green bluffs. We traveled by West Point but did not stop because you must have permission to dock and a call to them went unanswered. You cannot do a tour on your own; it has to be a scheduled guided tour.

We passed by Sing Sing prison in the town of Ossining. Though the original structure still stands, it does not and never will house prisoners again. Plans are presently underway to convert the huge structure into a museum, an idea which may soon become a reality. Many Hollywood movies used Sing Sing as a backdrop for their stories. Films like The Big House (1930), Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) and 20,000 Years at Sing Sing. 1901, to prevent confusion of goods made in the village of Sing Sing with Sing Sing prison-made items, the town changed the name to Ossining.
South of the Bear Mountain Bridge is the Bear Mtn State Park which looks like a tricky anchorage but you can dinghy to shore, walk through the tunnel that passes under the RR tracks, follow the path up the mountain and snap a picture of your boat anchored below. Sounds interesting but we didn’t do it. It happened to be too windy to launch the dinghy.

We anchored at mile 96.5 below Pollepel Island. In the early 1900, Frank Bannerman, a munitions dealer, built a replica of a medieval castle as a summer resort and storehouse. In 1967 the state obtained the property and conducted tours until the castle burned in 1969. Today because of the deteriorating condition of the building, you can no longer visit the island. Nice quiet area with not much boat traffic of any kind. Firing up the grille, and later maybe plug in a movie. Tomorrow pull anchor and head to Hyde Park Marina with a scheduled visit to the Culinary Institute and reservations for dinner.

Day 267 Manhattan Tour 6/6/10

2010-06-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Us on Broadway in Manhattan

Liz and Steve on Train to downtown Manhattan

Nan & Jack on the train

Our city tour bus

Construction at ground zero

Wall Street

Our group with the Bull on Wall Street

Rockerfeller Center

Carnival Cruise passing by our marina with Manhattan background

Just want to reiterate how happy we are to finally be off the ocean and into the Hudson River where we will not be so exposed & dependent on the weather, wind & ocean conditions. We will still have some tide and now it’s combined with the current but nothing like the salt water we’ve been dealing with. We will miss the dolphins but not washing the salt crust off the boat!

Our thanks to Liz Kemper for getting information and our tickets for a city tour of Manhattan aboard a double decker open air bus. On Sunday we walked nearby to the Path train station, after Tom found the correct language for purchasing a ticket (inside joke) we were off for Manhattan. For a Sunday, I was amazed to find the train packed to the brim. After a short ride we walked down Broadway and climbed aboard the tour bus “City Sites of NY”. The on and off boarding option, narrated tour, took us by 23 stops such as the Empire State Bldg, World Trade Center Site, Wall Street, Battery Park, United Nations, Times Square, Greenwich Village and etc. We walked at the World Trade Center Site and the St Paul’s Chapel which was instrumental in helping victims of the attack. The church has preserved all the mementos, pictures and stuffed animals from family and friends.

When we were on the tour bus our tour guides would make comments discouraging everyone from using taxicabs. I’m not sure why unless the taxicabs (all say NYC Taxi on the side of the vehicle) are city owned and they think drivers have a cushy job. The intranet says the 12,053 yellow taxicabs are the only vehicles allowed in New York City to pick up passengers hailing on the street or taxi stand.

What a fun day with Liz & Steve off “Shingebiss” and Jack & Nan off “Eschaton”.

Day 266 Atlantic City NJ, Hudson River -Manhattan NY

2010-06-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

Casino lights in Atlantic City

Verrazano Bridge to New York Harbor

"The Lady of Liberty Island"

Manhattan Skyline

Friday we left Cape May with apprehension about the weather for traveling in the Atlantic. Our weather web site may tell us 2-4 feet waves but it ended up being 3-5. We were happy to get the 49 miles behind us as we entered the Absecon Inlet to Atlantic City. Inlets are the only way you can get off the ocean and into protected water. They also make a person anxious as the waters are very turbulent and shallow water caused from shoaling is a problem. We stayed at the city marina called Historic Gardner’s Basin for $1.50 foot and $5.00 electric. It is the first marina inside the inlet so you have an easy exit back to the Atlantic in the morning. The casinos on the horizon and the lights at night were awesome to see. Our pictures do not reflect all the changing colors. The area has a couple of casual restaurants, an aquarium, and a few specialty stores.
We were off at 5:30 am on Saturday thinking we were headed 86 miles to Great Kills area where there is a private yacht club that is not in guide books. They allow loopers to stay for $2.00 ft plus $10 for power. For anyone following who is interested call John at 917-887-9446. There is limited space for transients and I was told there is an express bus for transportation to Manhattan. We must be getting used to the 3-5’ seas because we decided to continue another 20 (?) miles to New York.
The Verrazano Narrow Bridge is one of the world’s largest suspension bridges which divides Upper Bay and Lower Bay. New York Harbor is every thing you expected and dreaded as you travel with freighters, sightseeing boats, ferries, and tugs. With all the traffic and water turbulence, it was a challenge to get our pictures of the 300 ‘serene Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. She seems dwarfed by all the skyscrapers surrounding her. As you pass by the northern tip of Staten Island, the whole panorama of New York City is spread before you. From our dock in Newport Marina, we look across the Hudson at Manhattan’s skyline which positively beautiful both in daylight and evening. Ahead and behind us we see the lights of Jersey City.
I’m in a hurry to take a city tour so please overlook any errors.

Day 265 Atlantic City NJ 6/4/10

2010-06-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Dinner at The Lobster House Cape May

Pete and Jane off "Somerset 2"

Dick & Char off "Ellen Leigh"

Our shining prop being installed

Being transported to launch the boat

Atlantic City Casinos on the horizon as we approach the Absecon inlet

Thursday we rode bikes around town and had lunch. When we got back to the boat Tom found out the material for the shaft had arrived and they were working on it. Wonderful news! I’m not sure how much more of Tom’s second guessing himself I can take.

We had dinner Thrusday at the popular Lobster House with Loopers Pete and Jane from “Somerset 2” and Dick & Char off” Ellen Leigh” . You can walk the short distance from Utsch’s marina to the restaurant. The fish doesn't get any fresher than this place since the restaurant sits at the dock where the catch of the day is brought in and specializes in all things seafood. There is a separate raw bar, and take out fish market available if you want to something to take back to the boat. A docked schooner; “the American” is a place where you can enjoy a beverage while you wait for your table and you usually do have to wait. We got lucky and immediately sat down to a table of six. I’m not sure how many the restaurant seats but they have 3 parking lots which are usually full.

After Utsch's Marine installed the new shaft, replaced the prop and had a test run on the water we finally departed Utsch’s Marina at 11:30 AM. It was a sunny day and the sea forcast was 2-4’ waves and 10-15 west winds. We encountered 3-5’ rolling waves and believe it or not you get used to them. Currently we are at The Historic Garden Basin (the city marina- $1.50’ $5 for power) Neither of us gamble and since we’re tired, we will eat on the boat and chill. We covered todays' 50 plus miles in 4.5 hours. Hopefully, weather permitting, we can make the run of 86 plus miles up to Sandy Hook (NY lower harbor)in about 9 hours. We are trying to make up some time we lost waiting for underhull repairs.

Day 261-263 Cape May

2010-06-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Another Safeharbor in Lewes, Delaware

Kings ice cream - You can tell we're happy to be there!

Ferry ride from Cape May, MD to Lewes, Delaware

Ferry headed into the Atlantic

Ferry terminal

A rainbow of colors.

Sunday I went to a live theatre to see “Class” by Charles Evered and staring Thaao Penghlis (Tony on Days of our Lives) and Heather Matarazzo. I had no idea who they were but I wanted something different for the afternoon and it was very enjoyable. The theatre used to be a church but they had remodeled and every seat was excellent. It was a very intimate theater where you felt like you were on stage with them.

Memorial Day we went to the beach – well we sat on the boardwalk and people watched. We were dressed for bike riding and there is a $5.00 fee per person per day for all beaches in NJ. Of course it is a little cheaper by the week, etc. If you count all the umbrellas on the beach, that is a good days income.

Tuesday morning we returned the rental car before I read about a car and passenger ferry between Cape May and Lewes, (pronounced Lewis) Delaware. Dah! We should have done the ferry yesterday or kept the car another day. This was our chance to actually set foot on land in the state of Delaware so we took a taxi to the port and hopped on board. They have 3 very large ferries that I’m guessing carrying 100+ cars each. You have to drive quite a distance in both directions to find a vehicle bridge so the ferries get quite busy. Little did we know the shuttle to downtown Lewes doesn’t start operating week days until June 14 so we were 2 miles away from anything. I’m not above begging so I managed to get us a ride to the historic district of town. After we walked around and had locally made Kings ice cream, Tom did the begging and got a ride back to the ferry for the 85 minute ride back to Cape May. Since we were on a roll, he also secured a ride back to the marina.

Our prop came back on Tuesday but no word on delivery of the shaft. Tom is second guessing himself; we should have had it repaired when we were back here or there but unfortunately, we didn’t. Since we’re hoping we are back in the water today or tomorrow at the latest, I caught up on laundry this morning so we’d be ready to depart.

Day 260 Cape May

2010-05-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

Roller coaster at Wildwood boardwalk.

Cabana on the Atlantic Beach.

Every town has horse and carriage rides.

Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in New Jersey where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. During tourist season the population climbs from 4700 to over 40,000. We can tell by the backed up car traffic, the tourist season has started. Local signage is a little confusing! I’m glad we have the Garmin Nuvi GPS with us. Saturday we had an early dinner at Lucky Bones Backwater Grille close to the marina. This is a very large busy place with great food. Expect to wait for a table. My lobster and shrimp pizza was awesome. I thought of ribs when I saw the name but the name has nothing to do with BBQ ribs. It originated years ago when Cape May was a whaling village. Folklore said Lucky Bones keeps you safe and it refers to the hook-like claw found only in male horseshoe crabs. Sailors would keep anything that was rumored to help them return from the perils of the mighty sea.

Living on the hard gets pretty boring. You miss the camaraderie that you have when you are docked next to other boats. The weather looked decent so most of the other loopers departed around 6:00 this morning to head north to Atlantic City or Sandy Hook. It would be a little more convenient if this marina had a boaters lounge to hang out, watch TV or to work a puzzle. However it is a great marina and the staff has been extremely friendly. If we were in a slip we would have cable but on the hard we can only get over the air "NBC". At least that is something. You can find me on my Kindle most any hour of the day or night. I love what the Kindle offers me and a huge thank you to everyone for this thoughtful gift. I use it constantly.

2nd Blog Day 258, Pot Luck, Cape May

2010-05-28T18:21:00.001-07:00

Brenda in her galley of "Tellico Lady"

Guests aboard "Tellico Lady"

Guests aboard "Tellico Lady"

I will follow up with a second blog for the day. Around 4:00 PM we called on the VHF radio to Dave & Pam aboard Adagio to ask their ETA here at Utsch’s Marina in Cape May. They shared with us that it was somewhat of an uncomfortable cruise down Delaware Bay today. While assisting them to their transient slip fellow loopers Brenda & Ken off the M/V Tellico Lady, a beautiful 50’ Marine Trader graciously invited all of the transient looper's to a “pot-luck” aboard their vessel. What a wonderful evening sharing food, beverage and conversation with eight couples all with the same agenda. We shared great experiences, learned from others and expanded on our friendships. We would like to extend or deepest appreciation to Brenda and Ken for assembling a great group aboard their beautiful vessel “Tellico Lady”. What a fantastic fun evening here at Utsch’s Marina, awaiting a break in the Atlantic Ocean weather for departure north.

Day 258 Cape May, NJ

2010-05-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Go figure! Tom found an ice cream store.

Historic Catholic Church in downtown Cape May

Diann on bicycle break on the boardwalk in Cape May

Looking over Cape May Beach from boardwalk

Historic Cape May Fire Truck

New Jersey "Wildwoods" Beach Boardwalk

Tom can not resist a "Photo Opp" of a restored hot rod or antique

Cape May Lighthouse and State Park

Since we are living aboard “On Land” while our under hull repairs are being addressed, I’m reading all the local information that I’ve picked up to find entertainment for the week-end. Although the population of Cape May is 4700, there is a lot more here than meets the eye when you pull into the harbor. Utsch’s Marina is a short walk to a few restaurants but a couple of miles from most everything else. Since it is Memorial week-end there are plenty of outdoor concerts as well live theatres and a Burning Man Festival. I counted 65 restaurants listed in their local magazine. Now there is too much to choose from. It’s either feast or famine!

Wednesday, we rode our bicycles to downtown Cape May. Cape May has a lot of interesting historical site as well as a very unique downtown district. Very nicely done. We enjoyed our sidewalk café lunch and then we walked the area. Fun afternoon.

Actually living aboard is going quite well while the boat is “On the Hard” Today (Friday 5/28) we rented a car, went out to the Cape May Lighthouse constructed in the mid 1800’s and still used today for navigational aid to mariners. This is a very interesting State Park and tour. Additionally we drove up to Jersey’s infamous Wildwood. This is South Jersey’s beach, amusement park and boardwalk area. All of the vendors were gearing up for an expected large crowd for the Memorial Day week-end. It wasn’t what we both expected, however it is interesting and we felt while here we really should see it.

There are quite a few Looper’s stacking up here in hopes that the Atlantic Ocean seas improve soon. There have been as many as (12) boats here waiting for the Atlantic to settle down. Our good friends on “Adagio” are due here this afternoon and we heard though the grapevine that the Marina is full, and cannot accept any additional transients. I think some boats may depart Monday or Tuesday opening up some space for others.

The Cape May harbor hosts, Richard and Carol Nick left a sheet of information and stopped to meet us, share local knowledge and offer assistance if needed. What a comforting, rewarding experience to meet such pleasant people extending warm hospitality. The “Harbor Host” program works and we want to extend our deep appreciation to all that offer their services and especially to Richard and Carol Nick.

Since the boat is sitting in the boatyard, Tom broke out a cleaning agent and washed the brown mustache, and bathtub ring off the bow of the boat. This stain is deposited on the boat due to the tannin in the rivers coming up the east coast.

Day 256 Delaware & Cape May NJ

2010-05-25T17:29:00.001-07:00

Chesapeake City Bridge over C & D (Chesapeake & Delaware) canal marking mile "0" the northern start of the Chesapeake Bay

Tom taking a break from driving

An unusual looking light house on Delaware Bay

One of the many freighters in the Atlantic shipping channel.

We left Chesapeake City early ( 6:20) on Monday as we knew it would be a long day on the water. (7.5 hours) Fortunately, Delaware Bay was some of the calmest water we’ve been on. I t seems unreal that we went through the state of Delaware but we didn’t set foot on land. I’m still counting it as a state visited!

The Utsch’s Marina in Cape May greeted us with a nice gift basket. It is not the easiest marina to get into since you have shallow water approaching a very narrow entrance. We were lucky it wasn’t windy. About a month ago we went aground near Wilmington, NC and we’ve felt a vibration ever since. The weather does not look good for several days to go out in the Atlantic Ocean, so we took advantage of the down time and had the boat pulled for an under hull inspection. We hoped to find something as simple as a crab-pot line wrapped around the shaft. Well no crab-pot lines, and it appears to be no damaged prop, however, the shaft bent is bent and a new one has to be made and installed. For non boaters, this is a time consuming, expensive repair.

It is approaching Memorial Day week-end making matters more difficult. So with the boat sitting in the lifting slings we had to make a decision, put the boat back in the water and limp along with a slight vibration, or bite the bullet and start the repair process. With the shaft out of the boat, it can’t be put back in the water until the new shaft is installed, so we are living on the boat in the boat yard "On the Hard" We have a 20 amp circuit so we have to manage our electric load accordingly. I hope it doesn’t get to the predicted 90 degrees since we won’t have air! If you remember, we do have some experience with this situation!

These problems are common place on this journey and we are only one of many that have gone through this. It should take about a week for the whole turn around. In the meantime there are about a dozen loopers here waiting for weather improvements, so we are having fun with them, some old friends and some we have met for the first time here. This is a nice community, think we will rent a car for the week-end and enjoy the area

Day 253 Baltimore visit with Frishmans 5/24

2010-05-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

Chesapeake City:
106 year old cash register located in original 1861 General Store. Original wood floor, pretty cool.

Original 1800's granite stone bank building, converted to City Hall, converted to "Firefly Glass Factory", located in Chesapeake City

Chesapeake City original wood structure, 1861 General Store.

Tom & Diann

Beth & Jerry Frishman

On Sunday we returned our Avis rental car (Agency is not located on the airport proper), and took the shuttle to the airport. We were having coffee at the airport waiting for our friends Beth & Jerry Frishman to pick us up to go visit their house for brunch. We decided it was too way to much to ask them to drive 45 minutes one-way to the airport and back to their house and then an hour+ to get us back to our boat in Pasadena. We decided to take the shuttle back to the car rental and rent another car for another day. Obviously we were not thinking or we never would have turned it in! Our portable GPS is a life saver but the car we were assigned did not have either 12v lighter working so it was a walk back to the office for another car! Did I mention the first car we were assigned on Saturday was missing from its parking place so back to the office to get another one! What an ordeal!

It was a cloudy day but the ride was through scenic wooded areas to Frishman’s beautiful home. We have not seen each other for a couple of years so everyone had a lot to say. We met 16 year old son Chad and 13 yr daughter Jordan. What a delightful family. Additionally two other family members welcomed us at the door. These two are so cute and friendly, rescued from the local humane society.

Thank you Jerry & Beth for a wonderful time and especially to you Beth for the spectacular brunch. Jerry, a professional photographer, snapped some great pictures while we were there. These happen to be our amateur images, however. Also, Beth was so gracious to send so much food with us back to the boat. It was a pleasant experience this morning enjoying breakfast from yesterday's brunch. Beth, thank you so much, what a true delight.

Today we were up at the break of daylight and headed out on the "Bay" to finish our northern cruise of the Chesapeake. We chose MM "0", Chesapeake City to stay the night at the free City Dock. Chesapeake City looks like a cute little town. I think we will hop on our bikes and do our tour. Neat little community loaded with history. This (14) mile C&D canal built in 1822, hand dug by 2,600 men connects Philadelphia and Baltimore through the Deleware River and the Chesapeake Bay. This link deleted 300 miles off a ship's route to navigate these two bodies of water. The 450' wide canal is maintained at it's present 35' depth. This canal carries 40% of all shipping traffic between Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Day 252 Pasadena & Baltimore Maryland

2010-05-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Diann at the end of a tunnel entrance to a garden located in Fells Point, Baltimore.

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Baltimore Inner Harbor

Chick & Ruth's Delly in Annapolis

Breakfast with Pam,& Pam

Rich & Tom

Friday morning we were joined by Bob, Pam, Rich and Pam for breakfast at Chick & Ruth’s Delly. This is an Annapolis landmark where the walls are plastered with pictures of famous people and politicians. Every morning at 8:30, they play our national anthem and everyone stands and sings.

On our way out of the city docks we stopped at the marina next door and filled with diesel which was $3.07 including tax; lowered from $3.24. It was a calm day traveling on the Chesapeake and then heading up the Patapsco River to Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena, MD. The Waterway Guide shows this as a private club but they do allow boaters on the Loop to stay for $1.00 a foot. We joined Bob and Pam from “Mint Julep” and Greg & Barb Franklin off”GonCruzn III” for dinner at the picnic table. Perfect weather and fun conversation.

Greg offered Bob and Pam a ride to the Baltimore airport for their 8:30 flight on Sat morning. We tagged along for the 35 minute ride and picked up an Avis car rental. We plugged in our GPS and drove downtown to the Baltimore Inner Harbor where there are numerous attractions to choose from. We went through the excellent National Aquarium, had an outdoor lunch at one of our favorites “PF Chang” and then caught the water taxi around the harbor. We walked the cobbled streets of Fell’s Point which has a history as a major shipbuilder back in the 17 and 1800. It has a blend of stores, pubs, restaurants and homes. The clothing boutiques had some funky clothes that I’m not sure the Quad City is ready for so I didn’t purchase any. We worked up an appetite doing all that walking so we decided to drive the few blocks to Little Italy. There are so many restaurants to choose from that we had a difficult time but decided on “Amiccis” and we have no complaints about the food or ambiance.

Since we had a vehicle we stopped at Safeway on our way back to the boat. Noah Genda was parked at the very far end of the pier so fortunately Tom found a cart to transport our many sacks.

Day 250 Washington DC 5/20

2010-05-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

Tom at Iwo Jima Memorial

View of reflecting pool from Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Tom & Ed (Both are Viet Nam Veterans) standing at Viet Nam Wall Memorial

Looking at Viet Nam Wall Memorial

The Potomic River

World War II Memorial

Diann & Ed standing at Lafayette Park overlooking the back side of the White House

Back side of The "White House"

Ed Skinner, Tom & Andrew Newton

BJ Skinner and Sally Ann Newton

Today is an absolutely perfect weather day. We woke to clear skies, no wind and a predicted high of 78. Actually it turned out to be 82. This is a day we have been looking forward to. Our good friend Ed Skinner picked us up at dockside 9:30 this morning for our scheduled car trip to Washington DC. What a spectacular experience. Tom has never had the pleasure of visiting the nations capitol. Ed so patiently worked our way through busy traffic, providing us with a detailed narrated tour through some of the most interesting, educational, beautiful sites that this City has to offer. We were truly awestruck by the history, the architecture, the beautiful park like setting of the whole City. We snapped about 100 images trying to capture all we could. We knew this visit would be a quick overview and we really need a week to adequately visit sites of interest. The number of tourists is overwhelming. There are so many interesting sites it is hard to indentify the most interesting. However for Tom, he really wanted to see the War Memorials, especially the Viet Nam Memorial. This is truly a sobering experience. The number of names on the wall puts into perspective. The Iwo Jima and the World War II Memorials were no less awesome. The Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington monuments were breathtaking. The entire City is just like a huge park or garden. Everything is so well groomed, sculptured art work strategically placed, complementing the spectacular architecture. It really makes you proud to live in freedom in such a wonderful country.

Words cannot express our gratitude to Ed Skinner for taking time out of his busy schedule to share with us this introduction to our Country’s Capitol. Thank you Ed for your generosity. We truly enjoyed sharing the day with you.

This evening we were invited to dinner along with fellow loopers Andrew and Sally Ann Newton (Freedom) to Ed and BJ Skinners home for a great night of camaraderie and dining. Ed & BJ’s beautiful home is located about six blocks from the Annapolis City Docks. Tonight was a wonderful dining experience with some really great friends we have had the pleasure of meeting along the way of this incredible journey. Ed and BJ are the most gracious hosts and we want to extend a huge thank you for a wonderful day and evening entertaining us.

Day 249 Annapolis 5/20

2010-05-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

At U.S. Naval Accademy

USNA

Housing at Accademy

1700's Historic State House

Historic Signage at State House

At State House

We left St Michaels at 6:30 to travel 30 miles in calm seas to Annapolis arriving at 10:30. Outside of the harbor entrance were 7 freighters sitting at anchor waiting for clearance to head to Baltimore. We were told it can take many hours, even days to get the okay to proceed up the Chesapeake. We stayed at the City of Annapolis docks for $2.00 ‘ plus power. The harbor is not much more than a couple of blocks long and is very narrow with restaurant row on one side in Eastport and tour boats and a boardwalk on the other side where we are docked. Too bad for Tom we won’t be here on a week-end because they call this “Ego Alley”. It is a constant parade back and forth of pricey fast boats with beautiful young women sitting on the bow. We will also miss a blues fest this week-end featuring Chuck Berry and Buddy Guy along with a long list of other artists.

Our good friends, Ed and BJ Skinner that we met at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, live here in Annapolis and graciously picked us up for a personal guided tour around Annapolis including a drive through the campus of the United States Naval Academy. What an eye opening educational tour of this extremely historic community. Thank you Ed.

The academy is the undergraduate university for the Navy that prepares young men and women to become professional officers. I read online that they could also be assigned to the Marines and other branches of the military besides the Navy. Prospective candidates must be first appointed by a Congressman, Senator, Vice-President, or President; and must pass a physical fitness test and a medical exam. Midshipmen (students at the academy) who resign or are expelled from the academy in their first two years incur no military service obligation. Those who are separated — voluntarily or involuntarily — after that time are required to serve on active duty in an enlisted status, usually for two to four years. The alternative is for separated Midshipmen to reimburse the government for their educational expenses, though the sum is often in excess of $150,000. The decision whether to serve enlisted time or reimburse the government is up to the Secretary of the Navy.

Here at the Annapolis City Harbor are other looper boats including “Mint Julep”, “Fortuity”, and “Freedom”. Annapolis additionally offers several mooring balls and we understand there are several loopers in the mooring field. The provided water taxi offers free shuttle transportation from the mooring field to the city docks. We spent the last few hours of daylight touring this historic city. The area around the State House is just absolutely amazing. We snapped many images; it is just unfortunate that it was such a cloudy day. The images don’t capture the real beauty of the area; however the experience is nothing less than awesome.

After a very full day of touring this exciting city, we walked to a very nice dining establishment “Harry Browne” recommended by Ed Skinner and we were very pleased with the high end quality of food and service. I highly recommend this restaurant.

There is a lot more to add to this energy packed location. However, today, we have a wonderful opportunity extended to us from Ed and BJ Skinner to tour Washington DC. We are not going to pass up this most gracious offer. More to come tomorrow.

Day 248 St Michaels

2010-05-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

St Michael's is the town that “fooled the British” in the Revolutionary War. Because it was once a thriving port and boatbuilding center, it was a prime target for the British. In the dark morning hours of 8/10/1813, the British attacked this port. The town people heard word of the attack and devised a strategy. The residents had a “blackout” & hoisted lanterns to the tops of their ships and up high in trees. When the British arrived at night, they assumed St Michael's was on a bluff. The cannons overshot the town except for one house that took a cannonball through the roof. That house still stands today & is called the “Cannonball House.

The three Pams' (Pam Feltner, Pam Atwood and Pam Shircliff) and I took the hotel shuttle and managed to browse most of the unique shops on Talbot Street. It was easy for me to get a response when I said "Hey Pam"!

Tom took the harbor shuttle van to the grocery store this morning and chilled out on the boat the rest of the day. He caught up on paying bills on line, data entry and boat projects. Other loopers captains also took advantage of the weather down day and addressed boat maintenance projects.

We had planned on heading to Annapolis today (Tuesday) but we had to hold up for at least one day due to high seas. This looks like a great town to bicycle around if it weren’t for the high winds, the cold and rain! We spent the afternoon playing Dominos which I proceeded to lose big time! Everyone had dinner on board their boat.

No new pictures today.

Day 247, St Michael's, MD 5/17/10

2010-05-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

Diann, Bob, Tom & Pam -Dinner at St Michaels Crab & Steak House

Bob & Pam - Mint Julep"

Dave & Rich

Pam, Pam, Diann

Bob, Dave, Rich

We arrived at St Michaels, MD Sunday afternoon as planned after a pretty lumpy cruise up Chesapeake Bay with fellow looper friends Bob and Pam Shircliff from Louisville KY. We ventured past the marina and on to Hunting Creek off the Miles River for an anchorage we learned about on the VHF radio a few hours earlier from fellow looper Greg Franklin off “GonCruzin III”. This is a great anchorage, well protected, quiet, deep and quite remote. We woke up Monday morning to a pretty cloudy, drizzly cool morning. We pulled anchor as planned early A.M. for a very short trip down the river to St Michael’s Harbor Inn and Marina. This is a very nice facility with all the amenities including cable TV. Nice to once in a while get reconnected with what’s going on.

We have the pleasure of fellow loopers “Adagio”, “Adeana” and “Mint Julep” here at St Michaels tonight. We feel so fortunate to have so many long lasting relationships with loopers we have met along the way. Tonight the (8) of us took advantage of the Marina shuttle service and we all went to St Michaels Crab & Steak house. What a fun evening with many laughs and stories of our last 8-month experiences on this great adventure. Great food, great service, shared with great friends.

We have pretty heavy winds tonight. We hope to leave here in the morning for Annapolis, however if it is blowing like this in the morning, we may have to re-evaluate our departure plans.

Day 246 Solomon's Island

2010-05-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

Tom in front of Drum Point lighthouse.

What me have an attitude??

Welcome Veterans at the Calvert Museum.

Artist competition

That's all she wrote folks. Hand in your painting!

Lunch at the Captain's Table.

On Friday we passed the mouth of the Potomac River & would have loved to have visited Washington DC but that would be several hundred miles off the route & would be a minimum of 2 weeks so we decide not to take the time. Instead we went to Zahniser’s Yachting Center at Solomon’s Island. We biked to the Calvert Maritime Museum where an artist competition was under way. They had 2 hours to complete their painting and then the art was on display and judged at 1:00 and sold to anyone interested. Since I can’t draw a straight line, I admired their ability as we stood back and watched. The Drum Point Lighthouse was relocated to the Calvert Museum location and beautifully restored. This is one of the few remaining screwpile style lighthouses and it is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, Sunday, “Mint Julep” and "Noah Genda" ventured on to the Chesapeake for the forecasted 1-2 feet waves. I had always read to add a foot to whatever they predict and that is right on! We were in 2-3’ and sometimes 4’ as we made our way up the Chesapeake, past the wide mouth of the Choptank River and into the Eastern River for our overnight anchorage. Looks like a well protected quite remote anchorage here off the Miles River and up Hunting Creek in about 10' of water. We are also out of the wind that just won't lay down. Tomorrow we are headed to St Michael's for a one night stay at St. Michael's Harbor Inn and Marina. And then on to Annapolis for a couple of days.

Day 244 Deltaville on the Chesapeake

2010-05-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

Where the heck are we?????????????

One of the many lighthouses on the Chesapeake

Wine & cheese party provided by Doziers Regatta Marina

jack Dozier & his wife

Dinner at Toby's

Bob & Pam off "Mint Julep" at the restaurant "Toby's" in Deltaville

Traveling the Chesapeake

We've arrived Solomon's Island

We spent Thursday at the beautiful "Dozier’s Regatta Point Yacht Club" in Deltaville VA. They are a sponsor of the Great Loop Assoc. and the owners are Jack Dozier & his gracious wife. Jack Dozier also publishes the Waterway Guides, a most valuable tool of this journey. This marina is a very nice, clean, professionally staffed, well protected harbor with all the amenities including courtesy cars. They hosted a 5:00 PM wine and cheese party for all the transients in the harbor on the clubhouse veranda with a spectacular view of the marina. The restaurant “Toby’s” will pick you up so they sent 2 cars for the 6 of us going to dinner. Everyone had a good time. Deltaville has a population of less than 2000 residents but we were told there are 23 marinas and 4,500 boats in this area. Unbelievable.

Several loopers arrived here tonight and it was nice to reconnect with old friends. Arriving today were "My Way", "Adagio", "Mint Julep", "Adeana", "All that Jazz" and new friends "Frutity"

We all left around 7:00am for a 57 miles northerly cruise up the Chesapeake Bay. It wasn’t as rough as the other day but even with 2 to 3 foot following seas, it is not a pleasant journey since the auto pilot can’t stay on course so you are constantly fighting the waves. In the middle of our trip we crossed from Virginia to Maryland which is our 14th state number. Currently we are Zahniser’s Yachting Center at Solomon’s Island for the week-end. This is one of 13 marinas that are available for a tie up but we’re happy with our choice. We had a light dinner at The Dry Dock restaurant here at the marina. Bob and Pam off of "Mint Julep" are here also as well as Dave and Pam off of "Adagio" are one marina away.

Day 243 Gloucester Point & Yorktown VA

2010-05-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we took advantage of the marina’s shuttle for a 15 minute ride over to Yorktown. A free trolley was available to take you to either end of the peninsula for a historic education on the area. We went to the Yorktown Battlefield Visitors Center. Yorktown is best known as the site where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington in 1781 which ended the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The buildings are like stepping back in time with brick New England architecture. I found a very patriotic shop called Stars & Stripes where I found 1 Christmas present and 2 presents for me! You have the opportunity to take the marina shuttle back to Yorktown and catch the complimentary trolley to Williamsburg or Jamestown.

York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester Point is $1.75 foot for the first 2 nights and the 3rd night is free. Laundry, showers, swimming pool (not open yet) and a great dinner at the upscale restaurant “River Inn”. Riverwalk Landing across the York River in Yorktown is close to everything but you do not have a calm tie up since you are exposed to the water and it is still windy. It is also $1.75.

Wednesday Tom spent several hours applying Poli-Glow on the side of the boat. That stuff is amazing. I did laundry, boat cleaning, and then we took the courtsey car for lunch and groceries. Crock pot chicken dinner on board with onions, carrots, asparagus and chocolate pie.

We took pie over to fellow Loopers Bob and Pam Shircliff off “Mint Julip”. While we were on board discussing our previous travels and problems, the sky cut loose. Fortunately, we thought ahead to take rain gear.
This morning, (Thursday) we’re killing time waiting for an improved forecast for the Chesapeake. Our weather web sites says it should calm down later this morning.

Day 240 Yorktown, Gloucester Point VA

2010-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Leaving Norfolk, VA this morning waiting for channel clearance from the US Navy.

US Navy Shipyard

US Navy Shipyard

Freighters at Norfolk Va harbor.

80' Broward destroyed in a 3:00 AM fire this morning at York River Yacht Haven.

Happy 10th Birthday to our Granddaughter Lauren Lanum!

Today’s NOAA Weather Underground forecasted 2-3’ waves but later in the morning the winds and waves were to calm down. We left Waterside Marina at 8:45 thinking by the time we got off the Elizabeth River and on the Chesapeake Bay it would be late morning. Either we didn’t wait long enough for the weather or the prediction was wrong as we had 3’ and sometimes 4 ‘waves to contend with all morning until we reached the York River heading to York River Yacht Haven. This wasn’t quite as rough as the Gulf Crossing but a close second, however, this time it was daylight, and the time frame was for about 5-hours. We were happy to reach the York River. The winds have been severe for about the last 14 days straight.

Leaving Norfolk, we passed the 4,300 acre Naval Station, the largest naval base in the world, plus we had U.S Navy War Ships, freighters, pilot boats, tug boats, cruising boats, sail boats, fishing boats and U.S Coast Guard vessels coming and going in every direction. This is a very busy port. The radio chatter on channel 13, & 16 is non-stop. Trying to stay out of the way of U.S. Navy vessels, dozens of very large tug boats, and international freighters coming and leaving the Norfolk area is very trying. I would hate to call this my home cruising grounds.

We arrived at York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester Point, VA at 2:30 and were informed on the VHF radio that 2-3 boats had caught fire at 3:00 A.M this morning on the same pier as our assigned transient slip. One of boats in the fire was an 80’ Broward. Another 35’ vessel sank at the dock. At the moment it is undetermined which boat caught fire first since the damage and heat was so severe. No human injuries and fortunately the marina acted promptly and managed to get the burning boats free from the dock before a catastrophic disaster occurred from one boat to another. Can you image the potential danger with all the fuel sitting in about 50 fiberglass boats tied to pier and strong winds.

Our boat is a crusty salty mess from the high waves so we immediately got things ready to rinse the salt off but found the water was shut off due to the fire damage to the dock. Don't touch the rail as you walk by. Hopefully it will be on in the morning.

This is Monday and guess what day the on site marina restaurant is closed??? Bike riding is on the highway without a bike path but the marina does have a courtesy car available plus a shuttle to take you to Yorktown. We’ll do that tomorrow. We plan on staying put for a few days hoping this relentless wind will diminish. This Chesapeake Bay is just too wide and long for a comfortable ride in high winds.
We had a nice quite evening dinner on board, chilled out after a tense day. Watched news and Tuesday night dancing with the Stars.

Day 239 Norfolk VA 5/9/10

2010-05-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

This bridge across the Dismal Swamp is not in any books but a farmer was given permission to slide a portable bridge to move his livestock and farm machinery acrossd the canal. If it needs to be opened you lay on the boat horn. I hear he's 80-90 years in age.

Our 13th state

Our traveling companions through the Dismal Swamp & Norfolk.

From this.............

To this........Norfolk skyline

One of the many active Navy ships we passed.

The retired Battleship Wisconsin

All of these towns seem to have a mascot. There are several cool mermaids around the waterfront.

We thoroughly enjoyed our overnight tie up at the Dismal Swamp visitor’s center on Friday. Also spending the night were fellow boaters; “Bum’s Rest” (Patti & Wayne), “Mystic Rose”, Daryl & Janet and Bob off “Illusion”. We became acquainted and they invited us to an outdoor potluck at a picnic table in the park. Good conversation and great food.

This morning (Sat) we all left the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center at 7:30 and traveled the second half of the Dismal Swamp. I have to say I think it was prettier than the first half (if that is possible), and for 2 hours we had the fragrance of wild flowers , honeysuckle we think, all along the banks. We passed from North Carolina to Virginia and arrived at Waterside Marina in Norfolk. You can see from the pictures we left the peace and quiet to the hustle and bustle of a busy navy port. Yikes, these charts are getting real hard to follow! Do you know what is so great about this trip! Everyday is amazing.

Wayne and Patti have been here before so we joined them and Chuck and Kathy aboard “Sheet Music” for dinner at Freemason Abbey Restaurant. This is a beautiful 136 year old church that was converted into a restaurant twenty years ago. Very popular with locals as well as tourists.

This marina is within walking distance to: the National Maritime Center “Nauticus”, the Battleship Wisconsin, and ferry ride across Elizabeth River to Portsmouth, many restaurants (most are closed on Sunday), free ride around Norfolk on Norfolk Electric Transit (NET), Starbucks, and music on the waterfront.

The weather yesterday was 92 degrees – today it is 62 and windy as usual. Since we’ll be traveling on the Chesapeake Bay in very open water, we may lay over another day if it doesn’t calm down, and the forcast doesn’t look good for several days.

Day 237, Dismal Swamp Canal

2010-05-07T13:05:00.001-07:00

Cruising the beautiful Pasquotank River this morning

Dismal Swamp Canal at about MM 31

Tom, with Dismal Swamp Canal in background

Diann

Noah Genda at free Visitors Center Dock

Noah Genda at Dismal Swamp Canal visitors center

We didn’t mention our cruise across the Abermarle Sound on Wednesday. We had to weave our way through so many (1,000's) crab pots, I’m ready to give up eating crab! In addition, we encountered 3-4 foot quartering waves which makes the trip a little unpleasant and plus it gets hard to distinguish between the white caps and the crab pots. Tom did a great job of avoiding them.

At this point of the journey it was necessary to make a route choice. Select either the faster “Virginia Cut” route or the slower but more scenic “Great Dismal Swamp”. We chose the Dismal Swamp route which offers a spectacular scenic route leaving Elizabeth City, up the Pasquotank River and into the Turner Cut bringing you to the “South Mills” lock of the Dismal Swamp. What a beautiful winding cruise through some of the most remote areas we have experienced since the Tombigbee Waterway. It is so quiet, with pristine clean water, but tannic and very little development. Once in a while you would come across a dwelling in the wilderness that is miles from civilization as we know it. At MM 28 there is a State Visitors Center and museum with a free dock for overnight transient boaters where we have decided to spend the night. There are four other boats tied to the wall with us.

In 1793, construction began on the Dismal Swamp Canal. The canal had to be dug completely by hand so progress was slow and expensive. Most of the labor was done by slaves hired from nearby landowners. It is interesting to note that the slaves became so familiar with the swamp during this period that it eventually became a haven for runaways.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest operating artificial waterway in the United States. Visitors and canal navigators travel where famous explorers and presidents have stood and literary greats have been inspired for over two hundred years. For example, astride the two states' border is the site where the infamous "Halfway House" hotel was built in the late 1820's. The hotel was a popular spot for marriages, duels and those escaping the law. Since the hotel was on the state line, this last group simply walked to the other side of the hotel to avoid being captured in either state. It is also said that Edgar Allen Poe wrote "The Raven" during one of his stays at the hotel.

Today, the Dismal Swamp Canal is on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic Landmark, and is also noted as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In February 2004, the Dismal Swamp Canal was included in the National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program. It is maintained by The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a navigational resource along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

The “Dismal Swamp” name dates back to 1669 and there is debatable discussion on the origin of this less than flattering name. This subject is extremely interesting American history and too long for this blog, but for an interesting read. Use your favorite search engine for “Dismal Swamp history” or “Dismal Swamp Canal” you will find it fascinating.

Elizabeth City Day 234, 235, 236 5/6

2010-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Sunrise Thursday over the Alligator River, Columbia NC.

"Docktail" party hosted by volunteers at Elizabeth City, NC Free City Docks

The Memorial recognizing the original "Rose Buddy" Fred Fearing adjacent to the City Docks.

This is the posted signage visable from the water as you pass Elizabeth City on your way to the Dismal Swamp.

A view of the Alligatgor River from our slip at Alligator River Marina.

Our scheduled departure day from New Bern was Monday, however we woke up to a forecast of 50 MPH winds. Since we were entering Pamlico Sound we chose to wait out a day of weather in New Bern. Tuesday we left New Bern in a drizzle, however the winds laid down. We anchored at MM 153, Snode Creek. The Creek has silted in, keeping us from reaching an ideal anchorage. We anchored a few hundred feet off of the ICW among many crab-pots. All worked out well, nice night at anchor. The next day we headed to Alligator River Marina in Columbia NC. Marinas in this stretch of the ICW are far and few between. Alligator River Marina is a nice reasonably priced marina with a little deli/convenience store on site, otherwise, not much else around. We did purchase diesel here. The next day (Thursday) we woke up very early for a sunrise departure to Elizabeth City NC, 23 miles up the ICW. Now this is a town that knows and practices hospitality. They offer free 48 hour docking at the downtown provided piers. They have volunteers that assist you in securing your vessel upon arrival and a representative from the Chamber of Commerce stops by the landing and verbally offers information about their community and hands you a packet with information about the community. At 4:30 the welcoming committee offers a cocktail and informational party at dockside as they continue the rosebud tradition started years ago.

We launched bicycles and rode the downtown area looking at beautiful homes and landscaping. Purchased a few supplies at CVS and came back to the boat. We had dinner at Cypress Garden on Front Street. Tomorrow it is off to the Dismal Swamp Canal. More American history.

Day 233 New Bern

2010-05-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

New Bern Grand Marina with the Hilton in the background

Small house on the Trent River

My sisters Judy and Sandy

My sister Judy and husband Jerry

Nephew Kevin and Kelly

Nephew Jason and friend Amy

We have been in New Bern for 10 days and every day we’ve had more than normal high winds. We had planned on departing Monday but after hearing the weather forecast predict 50 mph winds and storms we decided to wait another day.

We needed to test the new cable for the dinghy so we did take a long a dinghy ride on the Trent River. Everything worked the way we had hoped. The water on this river was very clean and there were some beautiful homes.
What a wonderful long week-end seeing members of my family. When they arrived on Friday we hung out on the boat with snacks and beverages. We had an excellent dinner Friday night at the Chelsea restaurant. On Sat we took a 90 minute narrated trolley tour through the historic district of New Bern.

On Sunday we toured the Tryon Palace and Gardens which is a replica of a 1770 home of the Royal Governor and is regarded as the finest public building of the American Colonies. The gardens are spectacular! Unfortunately we didn’t remember our camera. We walked to the Cow Café where we found locally made ice cream. Yummy! Of course we managed to find time to browse the stores. Since my sisters were here by car I managed to send home lots of Christmas presents that I had purchases along the way. Good thing they had a van.

New Bern is North Carolina’s first capital; home of the state’s first printing press, and home of the first motion picture theatre. I think I mentioned this is where Pepsi Cola was created and it is home to author Nicholas Sparks.

Day 230 New Bern

2010-04-29T05:25:00.001-07:00

One of the places to stop and enjoy the Neuse River

Sculpture along our bike path

There are beautiful churches and restored homes in this area

We are hanging out here in New Bern, NC, on the Neuse River, (23) miles west of the ICW or Oriental NC. Our replacement parts for the dinghy crane lift arrived Tues and Tom installed them Wed morning. We are happy to have access to the dinghy again. Although Wednesday it was so cool and windy that we chose not to launch it. Hopefully today, Thursday, we can explore the area by dinghy.

After completing the crane/winch repair we rode around the area on bicycles. What a gorgeous display of historic homes along the Neuse River. We have truly enjoyed the beauty of the entire Southeast coast of this great journey. The warm hospitality and charm of these communities have been very rewarding.

The last four days we have experienced extreme high winds; it is just as well we are sitting here secured safely in a protected marina while we prepare to enjoy a week-end visit with family from Illinois,Iowa and NC. We have enjoyed meeting local and transient boaters here at The New Bern Grand Marina (Hilton Hotel). A very pleasant facility.

Day 227 New Bern

2010-04-26T16:25:00.001-07:00

Aren't these clever???

This bear has a monopoly game on his back

New Bern City Hall

Today, Monday I did some laundry which the marina offers free. Tom started sanding the rails and got one coat of varnish on. What an improvement! He’ll do another coat or two tomorrow.

I had previously cleaned and waxed the console on the bridge so today I cleaned all the isinglass on the bridge with a great cleaner our friend Cheri Mueller sold us. It is Plexiglass and worth every penny. Then after I scrubbed the floor, the bridge looked pretty darn good! Too bad it doesn't stay that way.

Tom checked on his parts but they aren’t in yet. We rode to a store to pick up a Christmas present I had on hold. We rode around town and took pictures of some of the bears. To celebrate New Bern’s 300th year history they painted and decorated fiberglass bears around town. I think I mentioned Bern means bear. Also for the celebration 40 volunteers of all ages have painted 40 fire hydrants to represent characters from the history of the city. They are so cute!

This another beautiful community offering hospitality and southern charm with the best of modern conveniences. This waterfront town is surrounded by two rivers, the Neuse River as well as the Trent River. Additionally this is the home of Pepsi-Cola. New Bern's settlement began in 1710 and grew by the mid 1700's to a major vital port for the new Colonies. New Bern was NC's first Capital City. This 250-slip marina is part of the waterfront Hilton Hotel-Convention Center and the slip fee costs are extremely reasonable. A very nice facility with all the amenities. Lots of nice boats here. This harbor is tidal since the Neuse River empties into the Atlantic Ocean with no obstructions between here and the ocean.

Day 226 Oriental & New Bern NC

2010-04-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sunset from our slip here in New Bern, NC

Shrimp boats at Oriental NC off the bow of "Noah Genda"

Oriental NC beautiful southern homes

Oriental NC home converted to retail shop adjacent to Marina

Transient boats off our port side at Oriental Marina & Inn

Oriental NC Java Cafe, across the street from the Marina. We enjoyed breakfast and coffee before departure on our way to New Bern.

We spent Friday at Oriental Marina & Inn where the marina staff was very friendly and helpful. Both our marina and the free dock are in the middle of downtown. Oriental is a small town where everyone knows your name. After washing the boat we had a great lunch at the onsite restaurant. We rode bikes to check out the area; found a grocery store and I found a few shops. Even if Tom had wanted to stop, he couldn’t because he had to get his ice cream back to the boat. We met the couples docked on each side of us and had dinner at M & M restaurant with Sally and Angus off the boat “Ginger II”. Enjoyed their company and my shrimp and grits and Tom’s meatloaf were both great.

We are meeting six of my relatives (2 sisters, nephews, & spouses) in New Bern so we are staying for 10 days and there will be only periodic blog updates unless Tom takes over. I am so excited to see everyone. We are here early so we would have an address to have new wiring parts for the dinghy mailed and Tom would have time to work on it. I’m finally getting my hair cut and colored this week at a salon close by. It’s always kind of scary but it CANNOT look any worse than it does. Can it?????????

Swiss Baron Christoph De Graffenried has been credited with settling here in 1710. He named the city after his home town of Bern, Switzerland. Bern means bear which is how it has become their official flag that features a black bear with its distinctive long, curling tongue. There are still black bears in the forests located near New Bern.

There is a Hilton overlooking the harbor (where my relatives will be) that has outdoor music every Friday and Sunday afternoon, plus next week-end is a blues and jazz fest right down the block. I think we can find enough to keep us busy for a few days.