October 5, 2006 Solomans Island

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.