Mark and Vicki aboard Living the Dream

Christmas Journey - Part II

2010-02-04T19:26:00.007-05:00

After leaving Vicki's parents house in MN, we headed to NC for a visit with Vicki's brother and his family (Brian, Rebecca, Nathan and Jared). Our daughter Nicole and her children (Aubrey, Christopher and Thomas) came to be with us for a couple of days to celebrate the holidays and spend some time with Mark before he leaves for Abu Dhabi. We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Aubrey got to sleep in a "Big Girl" bed for the first time and did a great job! We had a great time and got a chance to cuddle with the grandkids. Auntie Rebecca took every chance she could get to snuggle with the boys and help give Nicole a break to rest a little. Of course Grandma couldn't resist snuggling too. Mark got a surprise gift from Brian and Rebecca of a NUK! You will have to ask him about it. Nathan and Jared loved having Aubrey to play with and she enjoyed them just as much! We will miss them when we are in Abu Dhabi quite a bit!!!

The Christmas Journey - part I

2010-01-15T16:30:00.005-05:00

Another page in our lives is unfolding and we find that Mark has been given an opportunity of a lifetime to go and work in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He will be helping them to start their training program for their new industry of nuclear power. We are very excited at the possibilities before us: from learning a new culture to all the potential travel that we can do from a much more centralized location to the various places in the world that we long to explore. He will be leaving the US on Jan. 13th and has an initial contract for 2 years.
In preparation for leaving the country, we decided to travel around to see everyone. We started in Detroit to see Micheal, Dana and all the kids. Jack and Charlie are growing sooo fast and really, really cute!
After visiting with them for a day, we continued up to our house where we had a quiet Christmas all by ourselves. We really enjoyed the few days of quiet and each others company that we had there!
After Christmas, we headed up to and across the upper peninsula to Wisconsin and on to Minnesota to visit our great friends John and Nora. Mark and John went ice fishing while Nora and Vicki did a little lunch, visited with Mom Costello and just had great fun with each other! We were also able to catch up with Vicki's high school friend Barb and her new hubby Rick. The six of us met at a local restaurant and had a wonderful time catching up with all that has been going on in our lives and what the future might hold for us.
After visiting with our friends, we headed to meet Vicki's brother Don and his wife Tessie for breakfast. It was very nice visit.
We make a quick stop in Duluth to see Vicki's grandmother, Edna Victoria, whom shares her birthday with Vicki and whom Vicki is named after. She will be 100 years old in February 2010. It was wonderful to see her and Vicki didn't want to leave but we needed to continue our journey south to her parent's house.
Next on the stop was Vicki's parents, Don and Betty. We stayed for a couple of days and took them out shopping and to dinner. We had a very nice visit with them and got them set up on their new computer so that they can Skype with us while we are in the UAE. Believe it or not, both of them took lessons from Vicki on how to get on to Skype and make calls. They are both proficient at this time and looking forward to staying in contact with us.

Thanksgiving in MI with family

2009-12-18T23:10:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving this year was extra special because we had Nicole and the grandkids in MI with us. Aubrey loved the Rhino and when we took her riding, she would say "Go, Go, Go!". She got to see deer in the backyard in the evenings eating bird seed out of the feeders and to my delight on Thanksgiving morning it was snowing and I was able to show it to her. When I told her to look out the window at the snow, she literally dropped her mouth open and babbled something at me and pointed at it. I took her out the front door and let her put her fingers in snow on the wheelbarrow and listened to her squeal in delight! What a great thing childhood innocence is! The children were a wonderful addition to our normally rather quiet Thanksgiving.

More of our CO hunt trip

2009-12-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

More pictures from our hunt in CO with Pam and Randy. What a great time and such beauty all around us. The picture of the pool of water is actually a hot spring that Mark and I made it down to from our camp the first night there. We were really glad we did as it soothed our sore muscles from the hike in.

Hunting in CO

2009-12-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

Hunting for Elk in CO was probably one of the best vacations that we have had as we got access to so many of the things that we enjoy! Family, the outdoors, hiking, camping, hunting and each other! Pam and Randy (Mark's sister and her husband) brought their trailer in from TX and we flew in to Denver and drove down to meet them in Pagosa Springs. We spent a couple nights in base camp getting prepared and then hiked 6 miles & up 2000 feet into the mountains to where we camped and hunted. It was a spectacular place to see and walk through while we were there. It rained, sleeted and snowed on us. Of course on the way out, we had sunshine.....LOL. No Elk but a great trip which we would do again!

October and hunting in MI

2009-11-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

October is always a great time as we go hunting in MI for whitetail deer. Mark and I love the woods in the fall and this year was no exception. We were able to spend time with our good friend Ralph whom we love dearly and spend time getting ready for our next hunt out in CO with Pam and Randy for Elk. Mark put a deer in the freezer before we left MI.

Christopher comes home too!

2009-08-13T15:45:00.002-04:00

YEAH!!! Christopher gets to come home today! Now we will have both of the boys home together. Aubrey is so excited to have Thomas at home. We are wondering how she will do with both of them at home. Now Nicole's real work starts! Please pray that she will have the stamina to do what she will need to do for all three of her precious little ones.

Thomas comes home first

2009-08-09T15:39:00.002-04:00

Thomas is getting to come home and we are very excited! Although we wish both could come home together, it's nice for Nicole to have one at a time to get used of it. They will both come home on monitors to watch their heart and respiration. We're just very glad to have him coming home!

Aubrey meets the boys

2009-07-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

I have to say even though I'm her grammy that Aubrey is one of the most best behaved children that I know. Everyday we go to the NICU so Nicole can feed the boys and Aubrey goes with us. I know that the nurses were skeptical when we first started coming in because of the way other children have acted in the past, but Aubrey proved all their concerns to be false. She never gets loud or tries to run around or fusses whenever we are in the NICU. She knows when we go into the NICU that she needs to wash her hands, then she says "hi" to the nurse at the front desk and then she heads right straight for "her babies" in the back of the unit. Nurses say hi to her while she is on her way through and she has her favorites and will stop to talk to them and play with their badges. Once in the back by her babies, I need to lift her up so that she can see that they are both ok and if they are awake or not. She loves to give them kisses and hugs and we even figured out a way for her to hold them. She is a great big sister and worries when they start to cry. She will go "OH...." and point to the incubator of the baby that is crying and she expects that you will get up with her and see what is wrong with them. She will be a great big sister when they come home. I have been having sooooo much fun with her. We have been working on baby skills while we play at home (like being gentle, feeding them the bottle, wrapping them up in the blanket, rocking them, etc.)

Meet Christopher and Thomas

2009-07-20T15:05:00.001-04:00

July 18, 2009 Meet Christopher Joseph (named after his Grandpa Mark Joseph) 4 lbs 6 oz. and Thomas James (named after his Great Grandpas Thomas and James) 5 lbs 1 oz. born by C-section. Nicole is doing great and the boys are in the NICU as they are premmies. They will probably stay in hospital for about 4 - 6 weeks (which is when they should have been born). They are cute as can be!!! Vicki started to drive down to get Aubrey when Nicole called to say that they were going to be taking the boys by C-section so she will stay with Nicole to help for about 4 weeks depending on how the boys and Nicole do.

Not much happening

2009-05-15T10:51:00.000-04:00

Not too much has been happening since Mark's sister Pam and her husband Randy came for a visit at the end of April. Mark has been traveling quite a bit for his job and I have traveled to visit with Nicole and Aubrey a couple of times. I was able to go to one of her ultra sound appointments and see the twins. AMAZING! She is doing well and we are hoping that she can make it to at least 37 weeks with the twins.

Our plans for the fall are coming along. We are planning to go bow hunting in MI and considering Elk hunting with Pam and Randy. Thanksgiving is being planned at home in MI as well as Christmas too. Other than these trips, Vicki will be in VA when the twins are born to help Nicole with Aubrey and the babies.

Pam & Randy come for a visit

2009-05-10T14:32:00.002-04:00

Mark's sister Pam and her hubby Randy came for a visit at the end of April and stayed on the boat with us one night. We had an opportunity to go to dinner in Little Italy with them and then Pam, Randy and I explored Fort McHenry the next day while Mark worked and headed for VA for a visit with Christine, Mick, Taylor, Nicole and Aubrey when he got off. It was really nice to see them and be able to spend some time with themsince we had not seen them since November of 2007. Family is very important to us all.

Aubrey is One Year Old!!!

2009-04-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

Aubrey turned one year old on April 10th and it is hard to believe that she is already a year old! By the way, Nicole (her mom) is pregnant with twin boys and is due Sept 3rd. God give her the strength to handle three little ones under the age of 2!
Pictures are of her birthday party.

Time to visit VA

2009-03-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

March 2009 Since moving to Baltimore, we have been able to go to VA to visit with Mark's sister Christine, her hubby Mick and our niece Taylor several times. Nicole and Aubrey (whom they had not met yet) came to visit while we were there and of course we had a great time! Taylor couldn't wait to "walk" Aubrey who had started to walk around the furniture and loves to walk with someones help. Aubrey also got a chance to meet Goldie and Molson (the dogs) while she was there.
Pictures are of Mark and Aubrey (of course only Grandpa matters), Taylor and Aubrey, Aubrey, Great Aunt Christine and Aubrey, Aubrey, Nicole and the dogs and Great Uncle Mick with Aubrey.

5 Generations!!

2009-02-28T12:38:00.002-05:00

February 20, 2009 Nicole, Aubrey and Vicki travel to MN to obtain a 5 generation picture with Great, Great Grandma Edna Victoria Amyotte in Duluth, MN. Vicki was born on Great, Great Grandma Amyotte's birthday and Aubrey received her middle name from this grandma (Victoria). Grandma Amyotte turned 99 this year and we thought it not only a landmark but important that we capture the family history.

This was also the first time that Great Grandma and Great Grandpa LaLonde got to see Aubrey. We had a short but great visit and have the cherished memories for the future. Thanks to Mark for allowing (and paying for) the trip as he had to bach it while Vicki was away.

Pictures are of Aubrey with her "Mousie" whom she always sleeps with, Vicki and her Grandma, Nicole, Aubrey and Great, Great Grandma Amyotte, Great, Great Grandma Amyotte and then the 5 generation picture of Nicole, Aubrey Victoria, Great Grandma LaLonde (Betty, Vicki's mom), Vicki and Great, Great Grandma Amyotte (Edna Victoria) (Front)

More Christmas pictures

2009-01-16T12:09:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures of Aubrey opening her presents and more of the family. My favorite picture is of Aubrey and her grandpa (which she just adores).

Aubrey's first Christmas

2009-01-15T17:30:00.001-05:00

The weekend following Christmas down in VA with Nicole and Aubrey was great! Vicki's brother Brian and his family came from Winston-Salem to celebrate with us and family time was excellent! Pictures are of the time we spent at the hotel and the restaurant for dinner.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-15T17:14:00.002-05:00

We were able to spend some time at the house in MI at Christmas time and thoroughly enjoyed the snow. When we first arrived, Mark had to wade through thigh deep snow to the pole barn to get the snow blower out to clear a path up the driveway. While we were there, he had to run the snow blower everyday.

Pictures included are of Mark snow blowing the driveway, Mark while we were out snowshoeing, the house and driveway (showing all the snow) and a red headed woodpecker eating some of the seeds we put out for the birds.

Thanksgiving in MI with Vicki's mom and dad

2008-12-10T16:46:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 2008 was a wonderful time for us at home in MI. Vicki's mom and dad come for a visit and we were able to obtain a special hunting permit for Vicki's dad allowing him to hunt from a standing vehicle. Although they didn't see anything for him to shoot, just being in the woods with her dad once again meant everything to her. Vicki was fortunate the have been able to shoot her first buck with her bow in October and there is a picture of that here. Other pictures include Vicki and her mom going for a ride, Vicki and her dad while hunting and Vicki's dad hunting.

South to Baltimore, MD

2008-12-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

At the end of summer 2008, Mark took a job in Baltimore, MD and we had the boat hauled and transported by truck to a marina in the town of Northeast, MD where we had it put back together. While Mark was working up in Oswego, NY still, I got the privilege (a little scary) of moving the boat to her new home in Baltimore Inner Harbor Marine Center at the beginning of November 2008. I took one of the riggers with me as he knew the waters around Northeast and we sailed down the Chesapeake to Baltimore. It was a great sail and I was very proud of doing this "all by myself" (meaning without Mark on board).

Summer in Fair Haven, NY

2008-11-17T21:32:00.002-05:00

The summer in Fair Haven, NY was really wonderful. We met so many nice people at the marina and were blessed to be able to share many great meals and conversations with them both at the marina (which has the coolest parties, complete with bands) and in towm at our favorite eatery, Pleasant Beach (owned by "H" and Bonnie who are sailboat owners from GA).
The fourth of July was really cool! The bay does this neat thing called the "Ring of Fire" which is when everyoe around the bay puts out flares by the water and lights them at dark. The result is a actual ring of fire around the bay and is quite the sight to see. The fireworks were really exceptional also.
The picture is of one of the fireworks and also shows the lights along the bottom of the picture (which is part of the ring of fire).

Pictures of Aubrey

2008-11-17T21:20:00.002-05:00

Aubrey is such a wonderful littl girl. We are truly blessed with her as our grandaughter. Nicole is a great mommy and Mark and I are becoming acustomed to being Grandma and Grandpa. These a just a few the pictures that we have taken during the first month of her life.
Pictured are Aubrey, Aubrey with Grandma, Aubrey with Great, Great Aunt Bonnie, Aubrey with Great Uncle Brian, Aubrey with Nicole (Mom) and Grandpa, and Grandpa and Aubrey.

April 10, 2008 - Here's Aubrey Victoria our grandaughter

2008-11-17T21:01:00.003-05:00

April 10, 2008 was a very important date for our family as Aubrey Victoria our grandaughter was born. Her mother, Nicole, did very well with the labor and delivery and is a great mother! We are extremely proud of them both!
Grandma and Grandpa were on their way to NY to our new home at Fair Point Marina when Nicole called to say that she was in labor and would be heading to the hospital. We stopped at a motel for a couple of hours of sleep and then got back on the road. Vicki drove as quickly and safely as possible to try to get to Nicole for the birth but missed Aubrey's arrival by only an hour and a half!
Vicki stayed with Nicole and Aubrey for four wonderful weeks after the birth! It was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience for her.
Mark headed to NY to take delivery of the boat and get it into he water. He then headed for MI to visit Jenel (our youngest) and then headed to TN to visit Halsey (our third) before heading to VA to see his grandaughter for the first time. He started work in NY after a whirlwind trip across country to see the family.

Time to move to New York

2008-06-27T17:59:00.000-04:00

April 2008 and with the end of Mark's consulting job in sight, a decision was made for Mark to take another consulting job as our insurance claim has still not been settled yet. Tom, Mark's very good friend from the Navy and current training manager at Nine Mile in Oswego, NY called to see if Mark was interested in coming back to NY and helping him. We talked it over and started looking for a place to live in NY on the boat and a way to get the boat up there. We decided to ship the boat by truck and found Fair Point Marina in Little Sodus Bay right off of Lake Ontario to keep the boat over the summer. For a better look you can go to their website at http://www.fairpointmarina.com/ and see where we are for the summer. Come the fall, we will need to look for an apartment that is furnished for the winter (YUCK). We have met a lot of very nice people here and our good friends from Key Largo, Annette and Gary live about 45 minutes away.

Sea Trial

2008-06-27T17:30:00.012-04:00

At the end of February 2008, Roger from Nance & Underwood came down with one of his riggers to go sailing with us and do our sea trial. We had a great day of sailing and ended up having to anchor out because we didn't get through the channel before the tide got too low. The tide was especially low since it was a full moon and we had not taken that into consideration when we left in the morning. While out at anchor, the rigger helped Vicki take apart the windless and clean and lube it. He also helped her take apart one of the big self tailing winches in the cockpit and clean and lube that. After sitting around for awhile, Mark decided to take them to the dock by the dinghy while Joy (our friend from the marina) and Vicki waited for the tide to rise enough to get the boat back to the marina.

John and Nora come to visit February 2008

2008-06-27T16:22:00.008-04:00

One of the best friends that I have finally came to visit us in Florida even though she is terrified of flying. My high school buddy Nora and her husband John (whom we just love and Mark has so much in common with) came to visit us in Key Largo in February. We were able to visit with them for an entire week and just loved having them.

We went to dinner at Bayside Grill on Valentine's Day (Mark and my anniversary) and had a great meal while watching the sun set. We tried to get out fishing but the weather just wouldn't cooperate with us.. We did make it down to Key West though and had a good time while there. Nora, Joy (one of our friends from the marina) and I shopped while the guys sat and had a couple of drinks at one of the many bars. Nora and John also went to swim with the dolphins and had a fabulous time with two dolphins that normally work with learning disabled and really get excited to work with normal people. They swam so fast that they actually made a wake pulling John and Nora back to the dock! Both of them said that it was wonderful and that it was "a once in a lifetime" opportunity. We are so glad that they visited us and hope to see them again soon.

A new mast at last!!! Jan 2008

2008-06-27T15:22:00.007-04:00

Off to Ft. Lauderdale for a new mast (finally!!) On January 15, 2008 we left Key Largo on our way to Playboy Marina for our new mast. On board were Mark and I and our very good friend Gary (who came along to help us and take a rode trip so to speak). We took two days to motor up to Ft. Lauderdale, anchoring the first night and staying in the marina across from Playboy the second night.
On January 17, 2008 we went into the hole over in Playboy and watched as the riggers from Nance & Underwood set about standing our new mast. WOW what a great feeling to finally see our girl with a new mast after being without one for so long!
We had a very long, bumpy ride back to Key Largo on Saturday the 19th and ended up anchoring just outside of the channel to our home at Marina Del Mar due to the tides. The wind was of course right in our face leaving Ft. Lauderdale and we ended up tacking back and forth away from and back towards the shore trying to make headway. We took a lot of waves over the bow and we were reminded what a great boat we picked as she just kept right on going strong even though we didn't have great weather for our first trip with the new mast up.

January 2008

2008-06-27T15:11:00.003-04:00

January 2008 found us in Branson, MO being treated like a king and queen. We were invited to attend a VIP event for Park West Gallery were they picked up the tab for everything! Our suite was wonderful and the view of the lake from our balcony was beautiful! We met several couples from all over the lower southeastern United States. They were all very nice and we thoroughly enjoyed their company and our time at the event. Vicki even got a chance to wear a poodle skirt at one dinner event (they even gave it to her to keep).

Thanksgiving 2007

2008-06-27T14:50:00.004-04:00

Thanksgiving was a great time in Key Largo and once again we were invited by Patty to her orphans dinner. This is a dinner that she cooks for all the people at the marina that don't have family to have dinner with. This was our second Thanksgiving orphan dinner that she made and it was just wonderful!!! She is a great cook and always cooks so much (turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, beans, pearl onions, pies of all kinds, cranberries, dinner rolls, etc, etc, etc.) My stomach gets full just thinking about it. We are very blessed with the friends that we have in Key Largo and miss them greatly.Candi the dock mistress always dresses up for the holidays and Thanksgiving was no different. As you can see, she dressed up as a turkey and looked great! Every holiday she does something different, you'll have to drop by the marina on a holiday to see what she's got on.

Pam and Randy come to MI for a visit-Nov 20007

2008-06-27T14:37:00.004-04:00

Surprise, surprise, surprise!!! Pam (Mark's younger sister) and her husband Randy made it up to the house in MI while we were there. Randy wanted to go hunting and Pam wanted him to see our house and property. It was really nice having them visit our home and be able to spend some time getting to know Randy and visit with Pam.

One day we took them over to Ludington to see Lake Michigan. Randy had never seen it and it was in quite a state when we got there as you can see. We had lunch, drove around the area and even stopped by an Elk ranch where we watched from the car as a couple of the bulls play fought. It was amazing to see them play fight. One can only imagine what it looks like in the wild where they are serious.

Home to MI for a visit and hunting in Oct. 2007

2008-06-27T14:13:00.005-04:00

At the end of the month during deer hunting season, we went to MI to visit with Mike, Dana, Emily, Erin and little Jack (our god son). We were able to go out sailing with Mike on his sailboat on a blustery day and had a great time! The visit with Dana, the girls and little Jack was really great too!

We stayed up at the house in Evart and unpacked a few more boxes to get settled and drank a couple bottled of wine from the wine cellar (ha, ha). There was a small amount of snow and the property was beautiful although the temperature was chilly. The stove kept the house cozy for us and we enjoyed the quiet of the woods and each others company.

Ralph came up to see us, do some hunting and stayed for a couple of days. It is always so good to see him. he is such a good friend, mentor and a very important part of our family.
We just loved being up at the house in Evart for hunting. We purchased new bows on the way up there and sighted them in without any problems. Both of us saw several deer but unfortunately neither one of us was able to shoot one.

The old mast goes for scrap

2008-06-27T13:55:00.005-04:00

In October 2007, the Key Largo boatyard where we were keeping the old mast changed ownership and the new owner decided to close the boatyard and we were told that we needed to get our mast out of there.
We striped the old hardware off of it and took pictures and measurements for placement of the parts on the new mast when it came in. The picture attached shows how the mast was bent and also the furler laying on the ground next to it showing how that was bent also.
We decided that we would try to get a little money for it and went to cut it up. It took several hours and more than a couple saw blades and a lot of muscle to get the job done. We took the pieces to a Miami scrap yard to sell it and got $300 for it. Not much for all that work but we didn't want to leave it to the new owners to scrap.

Liz returns August 2007

2008-06-27T13:38:00.002-04:00

In August 2007 our niece Liz came back to visit us again. We took her out fishing in our skiff past the reef just outside Key Largo. We were trolling just trying to catch something and hooked up with a Bonito (something that we had never caught before). Liz had never caught a fish in the ocean so we had her haul it in.

While Mark and I were trying to find out what kind of fish it was in the book we had, Liz sat and watched it flipping around on the back deck of the skiff. All of a sudden, she let loose a scream and we thought that she must have been bitten by the fish. What really had happened was that the fish was bleeding all over the deck and she was freaked out by the sight. We got her calmed down and threw that one back and went back to trolling.

We did catch several others and kept one to try. We were proud of Liz when she held it for pictures. We had a great time with Liz once again and told her to come back anytime that she wanted.

Summer 2007

2008-06-27T13:12:00.005-04:00

During the summer of 2007, Mark and I had a great time with our neighbors Mikie and Charlene who own a power cat. We went snorkeling with them a couple times out at Carey's Fort Reef and had a great time. We had the priviledge of their company almost all summer and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and have adopted them into our family. We hope to catch back up with them this summer (2008) in New York sometime.

During the summer Mark continued to work at Turkey Point power plant and we got the opportunity to get to know several of his co-workers during a weekly poker game on Thursday night which was a lot of fun and sometimes rewarding.

We were able to do some fishing over the summer as well and got to go home to MI for a short visit.

Vicki visits Nicole and Brandon in VA - June 2007

2008-06-27T12:54:00.004-04:00

At the beginning of June 2007, Vicki went to VA to visit Nicole and Brandon where they were living in Newport News. While there, she met their current love interests and caught up on what had been happening in their lives since she had seen them last which had been quite awhile. We went to the beach, ate lunch and walked on the boardwalk where there is a giant statue of Poseidon one day.

Our neice Liz comes for a visit in May 2007

2008-06-27T12:30:00.004-04:00

In early April my niece Elizabeth (Liz) called to see how we were doing and we invited her to come for a visit. She arrived and started to relax. We took her snorkeling (which she had never done), to Robbie's to feed the Tarpon and to Key West to check it out. We had a really good time with her and invited her to come back again. The picture of the Christ statue is at one of the reefs off Key Largo and the picture of Mark and Liz feeding the Tarpon is down at Robbie's on the way to Key West.

Our spontaneous cruise April 20007

2008-06-27T09:36:00.003-04:00

On Friday Mark came home and asked me if I wanted to take a cruise, I said "Sure, where to and when?" His reply was the Western Caribbean and that the cruise left on Sunday. With a phone call to American Express, we had tickets and were on our way. We visited Costa Rica, Grand Cayman and had 2 stops in Mexico. This was our first cruise and although we enjoyed it, neither one of us felt relaxed totally. We both came to the same conclusion that we would rather either visit those places in our boat or just go on a cruise that goes out to sea and then back to shore allowing us to do whatever we wanted on our schedule and not theirs.

What's been happening????

2008-03-03T22:49:00.004-05:00

Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote of our journey south. After leaving Solomon's Island, we moved our boat up the Potomac River to the Pirate's Den Marina in Oct. 2006 and headed home to Michigan after visiting with Mark's sister Christine and her family (Mike and Taylor) for a few days. While home in Michigan, we hunted for deer and unpacked a few more boxes.
Mark received a phone call asking him if he wanted to work a short term consulting job (until March 2007) at Turkey Point Nuclear Plant in FL and after some consideration (and investigating) we decided to do it. We ended up hiring a captain to move the boat the remainder of the way to FL from the Potomac River and the crew had an accident just north of the Cape Canaveral Barge entrance. They ran between an 85 foot tall cement pillar and the guide wire that holds it in place for high winds and effectively clothes lined the boat doing around $60,000 in damages. We have yet to settle the claim with our insurance company and only just got our new mast and rigging in about 4 weeks ago.
Good news is that Mark was able to continue on in a new contract at the power plant and that has helped pay for our repairs, Bad news is that Mark is still working....
We ended up filing a law suit against our insurance company and that has yet to be settled. We are hopeful that it will be settled in the next 6 months though.?.?.?
I have looked for a job in the banking business (my career for the last 20+ years) but I haven't been able to find anything due to the fact that I am not bi-lingual in Spanish. Disheartening to say the least...
Well, that about brings you to date although there has been a lot happening at the dock here at Marina Del Mar where we have been since Oct 2006. The picture that I have included is of the live aboards from the winter of 2006 - 2007. We enjoyed every minute spent with them and did quite a few community dinners with them. We have enjoyed a continued relationship with most of them and all but one couple are back this year. I will write more about all the in between times and add pictures of all of our friends from along that way. More later....

October 5, 2006 Solomans Island

2006-10-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

We left the West River about 8AM. The wind had picked up and it appeared the weather was turned for the worse. One of the boats in the anchorage dragged this morning as the winds picked up. The waves were high (3 - 4 feet) when we reached the bay but the wind was from the North and it followed us all the way down the bay to the Patuxent River where we anchored near the Comfort Marina in Solomans Island. We finally sailed most of the day with the exception of entering and leaving the harbors. We spent most of the day "wing and wing" (where you have your jib out one side of the boat and the mainsail out the other side, kind of like birds wings) with following 3 - 4 foot seas. It was a bit rough but we made good time and even past other boats up along the way as the winds were between 10 - 20 knots and our boats loves that and she likes to fly...

The weather is supposed to blow at about 35 knots from the NE for the next two days. We may end up here until Sunday. The anchorage is filling up. "Dream Weaver" anchored next to us (they are the boat that dragged in the West River and I'm sure you can understand our concern with the winds that are supposed to be coming). We are in 11 feet of water with 90 feet of 3/8 inch chain and the 66# Bruce out. Mark is fairly confident that we will hold.

We were greeted by 2 beautiful white swans after we anchored. Vicki promptly fed the rest of our rock hard baggette left over from New York City to them.

October 4, 2006 Wednesday

2006-10-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

We left Middle River as soon as it was light enough to see. One other boat did anchor in after sunset. The weather was calm and the clouds that had pulled in last evening were on their way out.

We made Annapolis by about noon and tried to anchor in Back Creek but it was much too crowded for out comfort. We decided to continue south and ended up in West River, about 5 to 6 miles beyond Annapolis.

There were 6 or 7 boats anchored here by the time the sun set. We will probably leave at first light tomorrow and try to make about 40 miles to the Patuxent River and stay near Solomans Island.

October 3, 2006 Chesapeake Bay - Tuesday

2006-10-15T16:29:00.000-04:00

We left Chesapeake City at about 8:30AM. We managed to sail a little today and made Middle River and anchored about 2 miles sack in. It was 80+ degrees today! It's supposed to shower tonight but be sunny and 84 degrees tomorrow. We plan on going to Annapolis, MD tomorrow. We have friends there at the moment. They say it is getting crowded and that there has been reports of boats dragging in some locations. The sailboat show is this weekend.

October 2, 2006 Chesapeake City

2006-10-15T16:26:00.000-04:00

We spent the day in Chesapeake City visiting the shops that were open and a bar called Hole in the Wall. It was a very relaxing day for us. We met a couple on "Emerald Fire" along with their grown children (23 & 19) who are helping them sail the boat south for the winter. We had a very pleasant evening visiting with them on board their boat.

October 1, 2006 Delaware Bay and C&D Canal

2006-10-15T16:21:00.000-04:00

We left Cape May about 9:45AM, about 2 1/2 hours after low tide to support our trip up the Delaware Bay. We had to motor most of the way as the wind although predicted to support sailing did not. It rained at the beginning and the end of the trip. We did see a full rainbow as we entered the C&D Canal. It was almost a double rainbow! We made Chesapeake City, MD at dark. The anchorage way very crowded and Vicki thought we would swing and hit someone. We didn't though. The new 66# Bruce anchor worked very well.

September 29 & 30, 2006 The ocean

2006-10-15T16:10:00.000-04:00

The weather was lousy in the morning so we spent more time getting ready and stowing things onboard. The weather did look good for today's departure so we watch and hoped it would get better. We talked with Nick and Karen on "Caribbean Dream" about it and they said they were staying put. The weather cleared in the afternoon and it appeared the tide was right so we decided to leave and do a night passage to Cape May.

The New York harbor was scary with all the ferries and commercial traffic. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were fantastic! What an incredible journey so far!!

We sailed through the night. It was a very calm night compared to what was predicted. Vicki got to see Atlantic City all lit up from about 3 miles off shore at 5AM or so. We made it through the Cape May inlet at about 1PM on Saturday. It was a little hectic as the inlet is pretty small and there were a bunch of small boats anchored in it fishing. We docked at Miss Chris' marina after passing under a 55 foot bridge. We are 53.5 feet off the water and it was a bit un-nerving watching the mast go under the bridge knowing that there would be nothing we could do if we hit. We finally got a pump out but Mark sprayed crap all over himself. He took a shower on board and we went in town to do laundry and then for dinner.

September 28, 2006 Thursday

2006-10-15T16:07:00.000-04:00

Spend most of the day readying the boat for the passage around to Cape May, NJ. Went into Manhattan late in the day for dinner. Got back to the boat and raised the outboard and stored the dinghy on the foredeck. Went to bed to get rested for tomorrows sail.

September 27, 2006 Tour of Manhattan

2006-10-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

We walked to Time Square and caught a tour bus (should have done that the first day). It was really neat as you can get off and on as many times as you want in a 24 hour (our ticket) period. We saw all the important things that everyone says you need to see when you are there (Macy's, Staten Island Ferry, Time Square, Empire State Building, etc.) We got off in the Little Italy / Chinatown area and walked around. We had an early dinner in Little Italy and shopped in Chinatown before getting back on the bus. We got off the bus back at Central Park and took a horse drawn carriage through the park to the other side where we needed to go (I always wanted to do that - very romantic too). We stopped at a tapas restaurant (Spanish / Portuguese) and had a few drinks and a snack before going back to the boat. Mark bantered with the bar tender Diedra (DeDe) and had a lot of fun. When we were on the dinghy back to the boat we noticed that "Caribbean Dream" was moored and had caught up with us.

September 26, 2006 More Manhattan

2006-10-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. We took a walking tour of it and got to see the best of it with someone to explain it all. It was really neat and we both enjoyed it greatly. After the MET, we walked through Central Park (again as the MET is on the other side from where the marina is) and back towards the marina. We stopped at Zabar's Deli (world famous) and purchased some hard cheese and pepperoni to take back to the boat. It's hard to make up your mind in there because of the amount of different things that they have to offer. It takes up almost a city block. We had dinner on board again and got to bed early.

September 25, 2006 Manhattan at last!

2006-10-15T15:47:00.000-04:00

We were able to leave Nyack and made Manhattan's West 79th Street marina and got a mooring ball. We put the dinghy down and fought the current (as much as 4 knots) to the dock and registered. After that we walked to the Natural History Museum and went through it. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Very cool! We explored a little and then headed back to the boat and had dinner on board.

September 24, 2006 Sunday

2006-10-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

We ended up staying at Julius Peterson's again as the West 79th Street marina is full due to the weather off the coast. Hopefully we will be able to leave tomorrow and get to Manhattan and the West 79th Street marina. We went to town and walked around. Nyack is a very nice town.

September 23, 2006 Mark's birthday

2006-10-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

We left Newburgh and traveled to Nyack and stayed at Julius Peterson Boat Yard ($30.00 a night for a mooring ball). This was our first time with a mooring ball and the man from the marina was so nice, he came out to help us get secured. We tried to get to another marina close by that had mooring balls for $5.00 a night but couldn't get them on the radio or phone. We had Thai food for Mark's 43rd birthday dinner.

We traveled past West Point today on the water. It's very beautiful and huge too! Coming down the river, you see it at the bend in the river. What you don't realize is that what you are seeing first is the newer section and once you go around the bend, WOW there is the original section which is even bigger than the newer section. We are really enjoying the Hudson and all that we are seeing so far.

September 22, 2006 Heading down the Hudson

2006-10-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

We left Hop-O-Nose and on the way out went aground in the creek. Very embarrassing! Nick and Karen on "Caribbean Dream" helped and "Sea Life" pulled us off. No new water in the bilge (thankfully). Got separated from "Caribbean Dream" as they are much faster than us. We agreed to meet them down further and stop to anchor. Couldn't locate "Caribbean Dream" so we stopped at Newburgh and ate at Torches Restaurant and got to stay the night free.

September 21, 2006 The mast goes up!

2006-10-15T15:25:00.000-04:00

Hop-O-Nose put 4 masts up in a little over 6 hours!! Amazing how quick and efficient they are. Sean, the owner, handles all the masts on deck himself (and he's not even a boater). He's very cautious not to make a mistake and has a very good team to help him (Vic, Gramps and Holly). We learned a lot about rigging and our boat. We got the boat completely rigged (lines on and sails attached) and ready for departure tomorrow. It was a stressful day for us but a good day as everything went smoothly and we were able to get everything done.

September 20, 2006 Wednesday

2006-10-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

We left the dock on schedule and got through the federal lock at 7AM. We arrived at Hop-O-Nose mid afternoon. We had to put our spreaders back on our mast so they can get our mast up on Thursday as scheduled. Mark and I have to take a crash course on rigging because they only put your mast upright. The rigging is our responsibility. Thank God, he always supplies our needs. Nick and Karen are very experienced and will help us through the learning curve. We had dinner at the restaurant with Nick and Karen and turned in to be ready for the mast to go up in the morning. Hop-O-Nose has 4 scheduled to go up in the morning.

September 19, 2006 Tuesday

2006-10-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

Another rainy, hazy day. We kept the rental so we could drive down to check out Hop-O-Nose marina where we will have our mast stepped on Thursday. Nick and Karen rode with us and we talked with Holly at Hop-O-Nose. We stopped for provisions and then Mark brought the car back while Vicki did some laundry. Plans are to leave the dock at 6:30AM with Nick and Karen to keep the tide in our favor most of the way to Hop-O-Nose.

September 18, 2006 "Flight of Five"

2006-10-15T15:09:00.000-04:00

Left Schenectady Yacht Club and traveled through locks 7 - 2 to Waterford. Locks 6 - 2 are the "Flight of Five" and drop you 33', 33.6', 34.6', 34.6' and 33.6'. It's amazing as they are all very close to each other! In fact, you can see the next lock in line while you're in the previous one waiting to go down on most of them. There wasn't much room on the wall at Waterford and we ended up way out on the end by a sailboat named "Caribbean Dream" owned by Nick and Karen from Toronto, Canada and headed south for the winter. We ended up renting a car so we could pick up our order from the West Marine store. We ordered a nice big new Bruce Anchor for our primary anchor (it's 66 pounds!). We had dinner with Nick and Karen at a nice Italian restaurant.

September 17, 2006 Locks 14 - 7 Schenectady Yacht Club

2006-10-15T15:05:00.000-04:00

Traveled through locks to between 8 & 7 to Schenectady Yacht Club (free dockage for us). They have restrooms and showers to use. Ate dinner on the boat and watched a movie. Dave (on a power boat, we met him back in the Erie canal a good bit) showed up to visit a friend in town and Mark helped him dock.

September 16, 2006 Lock 17 to Canajoharie

2006-10-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

We left Little Falls and traveled through Lock 17 which is the largest lock in the system (40 plus feet) and continued on through Lock 14 to Canajoharie (the Indian word for "pot that washes itself"). Lock 17 is the only lock that actually has to raise up to allow you in and out. Anyone on deck prepare to get wet! We stayed overnight at the town dock in Canajoharie(no power or restrooms but a nice park). Walked to the gore to see the water fall the "pot". Pretty neat to see it. We had dinner at Church & Main (recommended by Tom from Little Falls). Vicki actually ate chicken liver Risotto for an appetizer. She said that it was pretty good but has a strong taste. Overall it was a good meal.

September 15, 2006 Friday

2006-10-15T14:58:00.000-04:00

Rode our bikes to town to pick up a couple items at the Dollar General Store. We had lunch at the East End Steak House and then Tom took us to dinner at Belle Vista later that evening. Good food and a healthy debate between Tom and Mark (political). Lots of fun!!

September 14, 2006 Thursday

2006-10-15T14:55:00.000-04:00

Another rainy day! YUK!! Tom (the harbor master) gave us a ride to Herkimer to the Verizon store and we got new phones and an air card for the computer so we can be online wherever we have phone signal (KEWL). We had dinner with Tom and Kimberly again, this time at Beardslee Castle after going to their home for a tour and cocktails. They purchased an old home and have renovated it. It's very beautiful and they have done an excellent job restoring it. Dinner was great! They have a very cool bar down in the dungeon there also.

September 13, 2006 Wednesday

2006-10-15T14:52:00.000-04:00

Tom (the harbor master) gave us a ride to the laundry mat to do our laundry as it was raining. We explored the town after on feet and walked back to the boat in a light drizzle. Tom gave us a ride to the Canal Side Restaurant in the evening and returned a little later with Kimberly to have dinner with us. Great food and company provided us a nice and relaxing evening.

September 12, 2006 Lock 20 to Little Falls, NY

2006-10-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

We left lock 20 and passed Lock 19 on our way to Ilion to see the Remington Arms Museum. Quite nice! Left Ilion and continued on through Lock 18 to the town of Little Falls, NY. Stayed at the town dock with electricity, restrooms and showers. It's a very nice facility and even had a sort of clubhouse with sofas and chairs to sit in and enjoy the jazz music that played inside. Met Tom and Kimberly Ryan (the harbor master) whom are very nice. Tom was willing to run you all over the place and quite often did just that (not only us, but anyone staying at the dock). Willow and Tom from Abeliene were also docked there when we arrived.

September 11, 2006 Lake Oneida to Lock 20

2006-10-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

Crossed Lake Oneida in waves of 2 - 3 feet and a little windy. Stopped at Rome to see Fort Stanwix and the museum. Continued to the downside of lock 20 and stayed on the lock wall. It is a very beautiful lock (all freshly painted and even has restrooms for us to use). The lock attendant was a very nice guy also. He even offered to allow us to use his car to go get ice cream (we declined). We had a nice quiet night.

September 10, 2006 Brewerton, NY

2006-10-15T14:43:00.000-04:00

Bill, Nancy, Tanya and Vicah came to say their goodbyes on their way to church this morning. We will miss them. Cast off and locked through lock 24 on our way to lock 23. We stayed on the east side at Brewterton town dock.

September 9, 2006 Saturday

2006-10-15T14:42:00.000-04:00

Stayed around the boat most of the day getting things ready to leave. Went to dinner with Tom and Vickie Shortell and Bill and Nancy Stalter at Lock 24. Good food and company. We will miss them all. Nice relaxing day.

September 8, 2006 Friday

2006-10-15T14:38:00.000-04:00

Mark changed the oil and did a few other misc. items in the morning. Nancy Stalter drove us around to get a new computer as our other one crashed and Best Buy crashed too! No more business from us to Best Buy! Picked up GPS chip from West Marine and had pizza at Bill and Nancy's while watching a movie.

September 7, 2006 Thursday

2006-10-15T14:35:00.000-04:00

Took a ride to the wine country with Nancy Stalter and Vickie Shortell (the Finger Lakes). Stopped at 6 or 7 wineries to taste test and had a nice lunch before returning to Baldwinsville. Had a very nice relaxing time.

September 6, 2006 Wednesday

2006-10-15T14:32:00.000-04:00

Nancy took us to Passale's to stock up our liquor cabinet in the morning and then we just stayed around the boat and relaxed. We ordered pizza for dinner (something that we haven't had in a long time) and watched a movie.

September 5, 2006 Tuesday

2006-10-15T14:30:00.000-04:00

We rode our bikes to Tom and Vickie Shortell and took a look at their marina to see about possibly moving our boat there but it looked too narrow and shallow. Had a relaxing afternoon and then rode back to the boat. We went to dinner with Tom and Vickie at a nice Italian restaurant. Good day.

September 4, 2006 Baldwinsville, NY & Friends

2006-10-15T14:25:00.000-04:00

We had a good day of travel although it was a bit cool. We made Baldwinsville in excellent time as the current was with us. The girls were very helpful and took turns at the helm again. We went to Bill and Nancy's for BBQ and our long time friends Tom and Vickie Shortell came over to join us for dinner. Vicki brought the laundry to do in Nancy's new machines (which was really nice of them to allow us to use). A good time was had by all and we got an opportunity to catch up on old times.

September 3, 2006 Lyons, NY

2006-10-15T14:22:00.000-04:00

We left Fairport in a drizzle with all aboard. We went through several locks and made Lyons with no problems. Bill and Nancy left as Bill needed to be back for work but they left the girls on board with us for one more day. We had a nice quiet evening with the girls. We are enjoying having them on board with us quite a bit.

September 2, 2006 Saturday

2006-10-15T14:19:00.000-04:00

We woke up to a rainy, hazy day. We lounged around the boat with Bill, Nancy, Tanya and Vicah most of the day. We did go to the little coffee house in the evening to listen to local music and check our emails. Had a very nice day despite the rain, with the Stalters.

September 1, 2006 Fairport, NY

2006-10-15T14:14:00.000-04:00

We made Fairport in good time and lazed around the boat after taking the girls to walk around the town. The girls enjoyed going through the locks and loved being at the helm of the boat! Bill and Nancy met us at about 7PM and we went to dinner in Rochester at a Russian restaurant. Um, um good!

August 31, 2006 Meet Tanya and Vicah

2006-10-06T18:37:00.000-04:00

Easy day to Brockport. Met Nancyand the girls. Nancy spent the night and we made arrangments to meet Bill and Nancy in Fairport to have them join us for a couple of days. Nancy departed early on Friday.

August 30, 2006 Locks 35 & 34

2006-10-06T18:21:00.000-04:00

Made it through Locks 35 & 34 without incident. Had a nice easy day. Saw four deer down along the canal wading as we left Tonawanda. Stopped for the evening in Middleport about 29 miles covered today.
Called Bill and Nancy Stalter (friends that live in Baldwinsville, NY that used to live in IL when we did) to see if their girls (Tanya and Vicah) would like to take a ride for a couple of days before school starts. They called back and were excited to do so. We made arrangements to meet in Brockport tomorrow to pick them up.

August 29, 2006 The start of the Erie Canal

2006-10-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Tied the mast on top today and headed for Tonawanda, NY, the east entrance to the Erie Canal. Made it through Black Rock Lock after a slight delay due to a huge gas barge which left us in a large wake next to the wall. We tied up part way down and hopped a fence to get to a really big Westmarine store where we purchased a few things. Made Tonawanda, tied up and Mark got stung on the finger by a bee. We met another sailboat heading south called Abilene. Had dinner at a little downstairs bar and went to bed.

August 28,2006 The mast comes down!

2006-10-06T17:43:00.000-04:00

The mast was taken down today and the racks to carry it on are being built. Just spent most of the day putting around the boat. The boat looks funny without the mast on it.

August 27, 2006 Sunday

2006-10-06T16:14:00.000-04:00

Good thing that we took the sail down yesterday as it is raining like cats and dogs today. (Do cats and dogs really rain?) We will see what the day holds as we wait to unstep the mast. We met Bonnie and Larry Johnson who are in the marina to have their mast taken down and store their boat. We shared a taxi to downtown to see an art festival. Bonnie and Larry are doing one Great Lake each summer. This year was Erie and next year is Ontario.
Downtown Buffalo is beautiful except their are no people living there any longer. the churches are exceptional! Evidentially most people commute to the city to work.
We ate at the Anchor Bar (home of the original Buffalo Wings). Of course we ate Buffalo wings! We walked the downtown area and stopped in the Pearl Street Brewery for a drink with Bonnie and Larry. Took a taxi back to the boat and went to bed.

August 26, 2006 RCR Yachts, Buffalo, NY

2006-10-06T16:09:00.000-04:00

The weather looked good enough to leave so we did at about 8:30AM. NOAA said winds would be from the East/SE. Winds were from the NE, our nose the whole day! Along the way we mulled over some of the advice that we were given at last nights party and decided to go to RCR Yachts to have our mast taken down. This will also allow us to not have to deal with two lift bridges between Lake Erie and the Erie Canal. Tied up at about 3PM at RCR Yachts in Buffalo, NY. Took the sails off, folded them and put them in their bags for storage, made dinner, watched a movie and then went to bed.

August 25, 2006 Friday night Pot Luck

2006-10-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

We decided to stay for the Friday night pot luck party. Broke out the bikes and rode about 3 miles to Fredonia, NY to a farm festival. It was nice. Vicki bought a hanging basket to help keep bread and chips from getting smashed. We put it up over the stove when we returned to the boat. Mark made some fresh salsa with the hot peppers we purchased at the farm festival. The "HOT" was VERY HOT and almost all of it went at the party. They medium and mild had more left. The pot luck party was good. Met Jim and Ardi (AKA "Grace") of Jardim. They have done the trip before. It was good talking with them and getting their insights. The weather looks iffy for tomorrows departure.

August 24, 2006 Dunkirk, NY

2006-10-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

Left Erie about 9AM for Dunkirk, NY. The weather was iffy (started out with rain but cleared up some). Played Yatzee along the way. Vicki won the first game and Mark the second, then we played some Scrabble. Mark won that but says that his vocabulary has considerably shrank and needs improvement. We need a dictionary. Spent the night at the Dunkirk Yacht Club with very nice people. They had Shark races (a type of small sailboat) that night. We were informed about a pot luck on Friday nights that the club has and decided to stay to attend. We met Ron (a Leer jet pilot) who took us up to the grocery store for beer and a few groceries.

August 23,2006 Erie, PA

2006-10-06T14:49:00.000-04:00

Left Conneaut, OH at about 7AM and headed to Erie, PA. We actually got to sail some before having to motor the final 10 miles in. We had dinner at the Erie Yacht Club and met Ron at the bar. He has a marine business up here in the summer and lives on his boat in Key West, FL during the winter. Interesting fellow. He gave us his contact information to get parts drop shipped anywhere in the world. Spent the night in the Yacht club harbor.

August 22, 2006 Conneaut Harbor

2006-10-06T14:34:00.000-04:00

Left Mentor around 6AM and headed towards Conneaut a very small anchorage area. We passed the Perry nuclear plant on the way around sunrise. Very beautiful to see the sun between the towers. When we arrived at the anchorage I was a little nervous to see it because it was such a small area. It is a very industrialized area and we heard the train and pile driver going long into the evening. We did see a Bald Eagle swoop down and pick a fish up out of the water and land on the breakwall with it. Shortly after that, we saw two juvenile eagles cruising the breakwall too. Very KEWL to see them!!

August 21, 2006 Mentor, OH

2006-10-06T14:18:00.000-04:00

We left Cleveland under grey skies and headed for Mentor Harbor Yachting Club (taking Brutis with us). It was a short day which was nice. Upon arrival we pumped out and decided to moore on the wall. It was very expensive! $20.00 for the pumpout and $1.50/ft for the mooring. The club and pool were closed so we did laundry and had a quiet dinner on board.

August 20, 2006 Sunday

2006-10-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

Ugly day on the lake - winds coming from the NE with lots of chop and waves. As you can see, some people still went sailing in the weather though. Glad that we're in port. A lazy day that turned into a nice sunny day in the afternoon. We took the bimini down so I could work on the zippers. I replaced two and mended what we found that needed to be fixed. Early night as we leave tomorrow.

August 19, 2006 Saturday

2006-09-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

When we got into Patty's car, we found that she had left us a guide to the city and our new mascot (Brutis Buckeye and also 50 buckeye nuts to share with new friends). We drove downtown, parked and walked around the city. We stopped to browse menus at several restaurants and decided to come back for dinner at Mallacro's (a Spanish/Portugese rest.) Mark had 2 stuffed lobster tails and I had lobster tails in champagne cream apple sauce. Way YUMMY!! Service at the rest. was 5*****.

August 18, 2006 Cleveland, OH

2006-09-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Pulled anchor at 8:30am and headed for Cleveland and the Edgewater Yacht Club where we will stay for a couple days. Pulled into the harbor about 5pm and went to the gas dock, filled up with diesel and tried to pump out but they didn't have the proper connector. We moored across from the gas dock.
We met a truly outstanding lady named Patty Phillips at the bar. She was going on a sailboat race over the weekend and decided that we could use her car while she was gone to see Cleveland. HOW GREAT IS THAT???

Aug. 16 - 17, 2006 Meet Mike & Kylie on "Meggie"

2006-09-26T20:43:00.000-04:00

Wednesday morning we met Mike and Kylie from "Meggie" a 1965 30' wooden Choey Lee. Mike is a carpenter by trade and refurbished most of the boat. Very nice job, what a beautiful boat! We found out that they are also headed for the East Coast and going through the Erie canal like us. Very Cool...This is the couple that heard about us from James and Michelle when they were up in Tobermory. We spend the day together (ate lunch, went to Mike's to swim in his pool and then ate dinner).
Thursday morning when leaving the dock, "Meggie" broke her spreader loose. It was horrible, but Mike said it could be fixed. We helped them locate some Douglas Fir for Mike to use to fix it and left them at the dock to complete their repairs. We will see them later down the lake hopefully.
We headed down the river to Lake Erie and headed south to Bass Island and Put-In-Bay to anchor for the night. It was a little bumpy in the anchorage due to all the traffic but it calmed down over night.

August 6 - 15, 2006 Home in Detoit

2006-09-26T20:36:00.000-04:00

We took Jenel (our daughter) and her boyfriend Robert with us up to the cabin for a long weekend (Thurs - Sun) to check things out and spend time with Jenel. We had a very nice visit with her.
Time spent on the dock was very relaxing. Friends and family came to visit, see the boat and catch up on old times with Mark and I. People who visited the boat were: Mike Carey, Dana Volpini, Emily and Erin Carey, Dan Bradshaw, Jim Wagel, Louis Rote (Dr. Lou), Frank Miseraca and Matt Rigotti.
We were also very blessed to have Father John come down on Tuesday and bless the boat for us. He brought us a St. Christopher medal which is now mounted in the campanionway and a statue. It was a very moving time for us. The blessing was great and the prayer heartfelt. Thanks Father John!!

August 5, 2006 Saturday

2006-09-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

Left Jefferson Beach Marina about 6am and headed for the Detroit river. It was WAY KEWL seeing the downtown area from the water! It was something that Mark had never done even thought he grew up around there. We made the Wyandotte Yacht Club about 2pm. We are scheduled to be here for the next 10 days so we can get to the cabin and check things out.

Dana came down with little Jack (our godson and nephew). Sooooo cute!!! Mike came down and brought up a bunch of fruits and veggies (so we won't get scurvy). Very nice of him. It's starting to feel like we're really doing it!

August 4, 2006 Friday Back in the US

2006-09-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

Entered the St Clair River at about 10am. Made it to Jefferson Beach Marina on Lake St Clair and spent the night. Checked back in with US customs (not too bad).

We met Jim and Michelle on the river (the couple that we had dinner with in Killarney) and they told about another young couple that they met in Tobermory that are heading the same way as us. They gave them our information. Interesting to run into people we know.

North Channel part 2- July 31 - August 3, 2006

2006-09-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

July 31, Monday
Pulled anchor and headed for Killarney in grey, hazy skies. Weather said it was supposed to clear up and be nice but we ended up with fog first and then rain/thunderstorms all at the same time (That's not supposed to happen right?) We ended up having to queue the foghorn at Killarney to help us locate the entrance channel. We stayed at the Sportman's Inn Marina for the night. (Very expensive at $81.69) They reallypacked them in there (2 and sometimes 3 boats on each side of the dock). We met Joe and Jadzia from "Solo Passage"and Jim & Michelle from a powerboat (I can't remember the name) on our dock and we all had dinner together at the Sportsman's Inn. Very nice time...

August 1, 2006 Tuesday
Woke up to sunny skies and decided to take advantage of the good weather to head for Tobermory. Winds were out of the W at 15 - 25 knots and we put up the main and genoa. The winds picked up more and the waves started to build so we reefed the main. No sooner had we done that, the winds died down to 10 - 15 and changed direction from the SW (right where we were heading of course). We shook the reef out of the main and continued on our way. We started to get ugly skies towards evening and discussed the possibility of just keeping on going towards Port Elgin but decided to anchor in Big Tub Harbor in Tobermory. There were 2 other sailboats anchored in there and we met Rick from "Sweet Dreams" and had him over for dinner. His wife Irene had gone back home and he was waiting for crew to come to hlep him move his boat back to the Detroit area. Very nice man and we enjoyed his company.

August 2, 2006 Wednesday
During the night (about 2:30am) a severe thunderstorm past overhead. Winds were about 30 knots and lots of lightning and thunder came with the rain. We put on our rain gear and just in case the anchor gave, Mark started the engine to help keep us headed into the winds. Rick gave us weather updates over the VHF from his radar and we watched the storm on ours as well. We made it back to bed around 4am. Later in the morning when we got up, the forecast was for more rain and thunderstorms all day. We talked with Rick and planned dinner with him again for that evening (weather permitting). Mark baked bread onboard and it was great! We dinghyed into town for a few supplies and came right back as we were worried about the weather. Our dinner with Rick went well and we had an opportunity to tal with Charlie from Big Marina (very nice and knowledgeable man).

August 3, 2006 Thursday
We pulled anchor at 9:30am and went over to the marina for fuel and pump out. Left and headed for the long haul down the lake (Huron) to Port Huron and to check back into the United States with US customs. We motored some but were able to put out the spinaker. We came across a dinghy half filled with water. We did a search for other debri and persons in the water and thankfully found none. Continued on into the night...

Noth Channel part 1- July 21 - July 30th

2006-09-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

July 21, 2006 Friday
We didn’t drag (yeah) and are headed to Thessalon to clear customs into Canada. We have our Canadian flag up and the quarantine flag up for the first time (this shows that we haven’t cleared customs yet). Pretty exciting…no wind, had to motor.
We made Thessalon, Canada by about 1PM, successfully cleared customs and got ride from a very nice man named Eugene to go and get our Canadian fishing licenses. We headed out to anchor at East Grant Island. The winds picked up nicely and we sailed another 20 miles and anchored right at dark at Clara Island. It was nerve racking anchoring at dark but we did it.

July 22, 2006 Saturday
We thought we would stay a Clara Is. for a day, but when day broke we decided to move to John Bay near John’s Island about 8 miles farther east.
We arrived at John’s Bay, anchored, cooked bacon and eggs with coffee. We were in the cockpit eating when Bob and Laurie came by the boat in Headonism. They were anchored just across the bay. What a small world.
Got the dinghy out and went to shore, has a swim at the beach and discovered lots of blueberries on the shore. Went fishing, caught two nice small mouth bass and cleaned them for dinner. Fresh Fish was good! It started to rain so we napped the rest of the day. (Vicki fixed our sheet cover so it would not pull out when we slept.

July 23, 2006 Sunday
Broke out the fly rods and went back to the bass hole. I had a couple on but couldn’t land them to the boat. Vicki managed to catch two. Practiced catch and release today. Went back to the boat and got the spinning rods. We caught bass all afternoon. What fun!

As we were trolling and scouting the exit from the bay, we were invited onto Neil and Judy’s boat. Had a drink and got invited to Voila (Howard and Iliane Packman’s Boat) for social hour at 7:30 pm. While sitting on Neil and Judy’s boat it looked like another sailboat had gone aground at the harbor entrance. Vicki and I set off in the dinghy to investigate. We arrived to find “Miss Bee Haven” hard on the rocks. We used the main halyard to heel her over and managed to get her off the rocks. Our good deed done for the day.

I forgot the first thing in the morning, I awoke to a leaking wash-down pump. Had to reconfigure it as the pressure switch sensing line broke off the ball check valve. Removed the valve and pressure switch from the system. Should work for what we use it for. May re-install all the other stuff if we get extra funds.

July 24, 2006 Monday
Woke up to rain this morning so we decided to stay put for the day. Went through the parts locker and better organized it. Chester and Carol stopped by from Miss Bee haven and thanked us again for helping them off the rocks. We opened up the liquor cabinet and gin and scotch flowed freely along with a splash of wine .
Went to Voila to talk to Howard and Ilaine about were to go in the North Channel. Ilaine set us an itinerary. It has been a good couple of days in John Harbor.

July 25, 2006 Tuesday
Moved over to Beardrop Harbor this morning. When we arrived we were one of two boats in the harbor, by evening there were 13 other boats besides us in the harbor.
When we arrived we discovered an oar missing from the dinghy (evidently lost while pulling Miss Be Haven off of the reef). We had a long dinghy ride to look for it and did find it near shore all the way back where we started over in John Harbour.
We met Jerry and Mary of Whisper. They had been down the east coast and we picked their brains for a while. They are here with another boat – Leonard and his wife (can’t remember name at moment). We went there for drinks after fishing and blueberry picking. We picked about a pint and a half of blue berries. Good Big ones. Vicki caught a nice 4 lb. bass while fishing (and one small one). I got skunked.

July 26, 2006 Wednesday
We left Beardrop Harbour in a downpour at about 10 am for Oak Bay. The wind was not right for sailing and the batteries needed charging so we motored most of the way. We put the jib out for about the last two miles to help us along. Visibility was limited at times. It made going through Little Detroit (a pass with enough room for one boat) a little scary. We made it through OK and safely into Oak Harbour where we anchored. (with 11 other boats in the cove we selected. All the anchorages seem to be crowded here. (North Channel) A beautiful place but lots of boats. We hope to be here tomorrow to explore, fish and pick blueberries.
The wind blew most of the night. It seems to blow better here at night then it does during the day.

July 27, 2006 Thursday
We awoke to sunshine and blue sky, and a milder wind. We went fishing but didn’t catch anything worth keeping. Mark caught a little bass that was smaller than his lure. We did find big blue berries though and we now have about 12 cups in the freezer section of the fridge. We went swimming and I took a sun shower up; on the front deck.

July 28, 2006 Friday
We pulled anchor at 6 am and headed for Heywood Island. We went through Little Current on the way and stopped at the town dock to see the sights, get a few groceries, and call family. Mark met and talked with Mike and Janet on the 27’ Cape Dory next door while he filled the water tank and I stored our purchases. We moved over to Wall’s to pump out and wait for the swing bridge to open. (It opens hourly for 15 minutes). It was very hot and muggy in town and I couldn’t wait to get back out on the water. We sailed once we left Little Current on our way to Heywood (genoa only) but upon nearing Heywood we saw approximately 10 boats in the small harbor. We decided to head over to Strawberry Island and the little harbor made with Beaver Island. No one was there! Amazing!! We anchored, had an extremely nice evening and dinner after swimming and watched the stars while listening to the radio (CD’s)

July 29, 2006 Saturday
We woke up to grey skies. NOAA said the weather should be nice. We drank coffee and decided to go fishing. No Sooner were we out in the dinghy than we started to hear thunder. Quick storm passed through. We tried fishing and fishing to no avail, couldn’t catch anything.
Another sailboat shared the harbor last night. Went for an evening fishing trip, still nothing. Came back and went for a late night swim, then off to bed.

July 30, 2006 Sunday
Awoke to grey sky today, hazy and misty. It is supposed to clear off by this afternoon. We decided to stay put today and catch up on some computer work (such as entering all of our ships log electronically so we can share be email). Made copies of other important paper work and some personal cards with the boat name and Vicki and my names on them so we can share with other cruisers. We are headed to Killarney tomorrow for an evening in the town and at the dock. A special treat as dockage in Canada is somewhat expensive compared to Michigan.

July 12th - July 20th

2006-09-24T11:51:00.000-04:00

July 12, 2006 Wednesday
We left Isle Royale fairly early (6:30 AM). There was a little wind when we started but it soon died off. Started up the motor (diesel) and motored for Copper Harbor. Since there was no wind, we looked for things to do. Mark sanded teak and then we washed the decks down since they were dirty. We arrived at Copper Harbor without incident. The marina is excellent, although expensive ($40.00 a night) for two nights. The wind blew all night. Tomorrow is supposed to be hot.

July 13, 2006 Thursday
Got up and went to breakfast, did laundry and grocery shopping. We are currently at the Harbor Haus Restaurant doing emails and bills. We will probably be on our way to Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow.

July 14, 2006 Friday and July 15, 2006 Saturday
We left Copper Harbor at around 9AM. NOAA said clear skies with SW winds. Once out on the lake though and too late to turn back, they changed to severe weather alert – thunderstorm warning with 35 MPH gusts. We put on our storm gear, double reefed the main and pulled in the genoa. We actually saw gusts on our meter to 31 MPH coming from behind and we were traveling at 6 knots. We survived the storm and the lightning stayed about 8 miles away. Thank God!
We headed for the Sault going overnight. After the storm calmed, we had a Southly wind with the main and genoa out. Then came the FOG…at about 6:30 or 7PM I saw a ship on radar and woke Mark up to help me. It was very scary because it was hard to tell where he was going- all we kept hearing was his fog horn. We answered with outs and changed course to due South to avoid him. He past within ½ mile of us (or less) and we never saw him! God saved us again! Mark had an uneventful watch other than loosing the great wind that had us going at 7.2 knots. We made Whitefish Point of Refuge at 5:30 or 6PM followed by two more sailboats. Met Chris and Michelle from Northern Harrier, Thunder Bay, Canada who also know Rob and Laurie from Hedonism. Had a nice visit with them early in the evening in our cockpit. They were on their way to do the Chicago to Mackinaw race. Bed at 11PM.
P.S. I still feel like I’m on vacation after a month of no work.

July 16, 2006 Sunday
We visited the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. We had a storm earlier in the morning and the power was out so we only saw part of the museum. The good news is that it was free. Spent the rest of the day relaxing in the harbor.

July 17, 2006 Monday
Left Whitefish refuge for the Soo. Winds were out of the SE but soon shifter to the SW. Excellent as we needed to go SE. Winds were strong and waves were high but we made the Canadian lock by about 1:30 having left the refuge at 6:00 AM. Spent the rest of the day at George Kemp Downtown Marina in the Soo, arrived just in time as a storm was coming in. Windy conditions in the marina caused us to scrape our bow pulpit on some railing while trying to dock. Everyone came running out to help so it was a way of getting to meet people in the marina.
We met Mike and Karen, two experienced cruisers who had taken their young daughters on a year and half cruise to the Bahamas. We picked their brains for clues about cruising. They were there with another couple taking the summer off.
We also met John who had built his own boat out of steel with a junk rig. Very nice fella and had a nice golden lab too!
Went to Antler’s for dinner and then went for beers with the group to Maloney’s, good conversation and information. Went to bed.

July 18, 2006 Tuesday
We spent the day provisioning for the adventures in the North Channel of Canada. We also spent time and money trying to figure out how to get through US customs upon our return. We already have passports; however needed I-68 forms ($32.00) three passport photos of each of us ($40.00) and a customs sticker for the boat because we are over 30 foot in length ($25.00). What a pain!!! Finished all that and went to bed.

July 19, 2006 Wednesday
Left George Kemp Downtown Marina at about 11:30 and headed down the St. Mary’s. Strong winds out of the South made sailing impossible. Heard about strong thunderstorms on NOAA and decided to anchor in a little harbor just south of West Neebish Channel Cut on the down bound side. Nice relaxing day as we only spent 3 – 4 hours traveling. We went swimming (water was quite cool). We spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing little projects on the boat. We plan to head for Harbor Island tomorrow.

July 20, 2006 Thursday
Headed for Harbor Island – we were able to get the jib out in light winds for awhile while we were in the channel. When first heading by Harbor Island, the winds were coming from the SW and we went to anchor between the Rogg Islands. The wind switched to the NW (where NOAA said it should be from) and we went back to anchor in Harbor Island in the outer bay with another small sailboat. Short day on the water so we had time to swim and clean the back and side of the boat. It looks nice now. Two more sailboats came into the harbor and rafted together over by the little sailboat. Towards sunset, a large (55 – 60’) power boat came in and anchored right behind us. Hope we don’t drag!

July 4th - July 11th, 2006

2006-09-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

July 4, 2006 Tuesday
We finally left the dock at 07:45 CDST and left barker’s Island behind us and headed off to the Apostles Islands. We left the dock without incident. The wind was good but died about 10:00a.m. so we started the diesel and did the calibration of the auto pilot. About noon the wind picked up to about 5-10 mph out of the southwest. We decided to try our new spinnaker. It worked well and was easy to get up and down. Sailed most of the way to the Apostle Islands and anchored southeast of Raspberry Island.

July 5, 2006 Wednesday
We moved from Raspberry Island to Rocky in anticipation of going to Isle Royale. We sailed almost the entire way which was great! As soon as we anchored though the winds switched to the South/southwest and we moved across to South Twin Island for the night. During the night the winds switched between Northwest , west and southwest which made our night rather long due to getting up to check the anchor.

July 6, 2006 Thursday
Left for Isle Royale-made a night crossing-used the spinnaker a good bit of the way-made great time with it, 5.5 to 6.5 knots out on the lake – saw 4 – 5 big freighters out there going out of the lake or back to the twin ports of Duluth/Superior. The sunset was gorgeous as well as the sunrise! Mark didn’t sleep hardly… he let me sleep from about 10:45-5:30 (just before sunrise) Very sweet of him. Made Windago, checked in and registered to spend 5 nights on Isle Royale.

July 7, 2006 Friday
Anchored out most of the day behind Beaver Island near Windigo. Took a nap and tried out our wet suits (top half) and went for a swim. After the Wenonah III left the dock at 4 pm (EDST) we moved over and moored for the evening. Offered a beer to Scott Thum and he immediately quit fishing. Slept good this night.

July 8, 2006 Saturday
Left Windigo Harbor for Hay Bay. The weather was not too good. We took a few waves over the bow. We had wind gusts on our meter at 35 mph. Ranger Steve Martin helped us leave the dock. Very nice man. We need to send him a note when we reach the Atlantic. I think he has a similar dream.
We motored and used the jib sail. We were traveling about 7 to 8 knots most of the way. Anchored at Hay Bay with 2 anchors due to high winds.

July 9, 2006 Sunday
Woke up at 2 am and 6 am to check on how the anchors were holding. Sunrise was just beautiful! No sooner did we oooh and ahh about that, the winds changed directions and we could see the front moving in form the NE. We decided not to stay. Mark found out the anchors had gotten tangled during the night. He had to work hard to get them apart and stowed so we could leave. He had to do this in the rain of course- thank goodness for our new rain gear! We motored over to Chippewa Harbor as the winds were out of the East and to charge the batteries. Anchored in the second basin and took the dinghy around to explore after taking a nap and watching a movie. Dinner was relaxing and we went to bed early because we were a little tired. (before 11 as most nights sunset is after 10) Talked to Ranger boat (Ranger Pete) about the weather and lake conditions. (Ranger Cliff only said Hi and ran the boat).

July 10, 2006 Monday
Anchored at Chippewa Harbor Second Basin still. Hiked to Lake Richie and went swimming and fished a little after lunch. Caught and released about 6 Northerns of various sizes. Mark caught the only one big enough to keep. One the way back we picked about two cups of blueberries, yum! We plan to have them in muffins or pancakes for breakfast. Three powerboats came into the second basin and one sailboat wanted to also but there was no room for them. Cool night but warm day. Swam off the back of the boat- VERY COLD!! refreshing though when you got out.

July 11, 2006 Tuesday
Made a picnic lunch and hiked to Mason Lake today. No fish and it was not as nice as Richie Lake. Picked some more blueberries. Came back and cooked a pork roast on the BBQ. UM-UM good!! We leave tomorrow for Copper Harbor. We hope for clear skies and fair winds. Our stay here at Chippewa Harbor, Isle Royale has been a good one. We’re alone in the harbor at the moment. One canoe snuck by earlier.