Northern Light's Great Adventure

2010-11-21T17:52:00.006-06:00

JUNE 22,2009

The 240-mile trip west across Lake Erie typically has the wind on the nose making for a long ride in a sailboat. That coupled with the fact that there are limited ports of refuge along much of the shore make planning the transit of usually 7-10 days challenging. When we arrived in the Lake and heard our weather forecast of calm winds and flat seas for the next 48 hours we decided to travel throughout the night and the next day and see how far we could get. Around 4:30pm Tuesday June 23 We arrived in Cleveland Ohio and docked at Whiskey Island Marina, 200 miles from Buffalo.

The trip across Lake Erie was fairly uneventful with one exception. Shortly after dark on Monday evening we observed a vessel on radar following us. They were close enough, 1-mile, that we should have seen them however they did not have their navigation lights on. Highly unusual, not to mention illegal. The boat followed us for an hour slowly getting closer when suddenly it was right behind us with emergency lights flashing. They called us on the VHF radio and said they wanted to board us and instructed us to lower our sails. The passengers identified themselves as a local sheriff patrol accompanied by several other government officials. After we lowered the sails and motored at low speed they came alone side and four officials boarded; sheriff, coast guard, border patrol and homeland security. Their vessel continued to follow us closely with several more armed personnel on deck observing our activities. Well it seems they had been watching us for several hours on radar, traveling in middle of night along the US/Canadian border. For some reason they found this suspicious. They checked our documentation and after a brief inspection and some friendly conversation they disembarked and we were back on our way. We decided we should probably alter our course to stay in US waters before we got a similar visit from Canadian officials.

On Thursday June 26th we passed under the Ambassador Bride on the Detroit River in downtown Detroit. It felt good to be back in Michigan as we relaxed that evening at Jefferson Beach Marina in St. Clair Shores.

2010-11-21T17:05:00.009-06:00

June 19, 2009

Prior to arrival in Baldwinsville, NY we crossed the Oswego Canal. This is the point where many loopers exit the Erie Canal after 250 miles and take the short 24 mile trip north to Oswego NY on the south shore of Ontario. From there they either travel thru the Great Lakes or take the Trent Sovereign Canal into Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay. The route is limited to boats with 5 foot draft or less so it was not an option for us. We would have to continue on the western section of the Erie Canal for another 100 miles to Tonawanda NY where the Canal connects with the Niagara River just above the Falls

Much of the western Erie Canal still have sections from the original barge Canal. The toll path used by the mules to pull the barges has been converted to bike and hiking paths and parts of the old Canal wall are very evident.

On Thursday June 19th we arrived in Holley NY and tied up for the night on the wall right next to the lift bridge. On this section of the canal there are several lift bridges that only operate during the day so you have to plan your overnight stops based on lock and bridge schedules. Several towns have two bridges that are operated by the same bridge tender. They raise a bridge and lower it after you pass then get into their truck and drive down the canal and meet you at the next bridge where they repeat the procedure. Not a place to be in a hurry.

On Friday we passed through our last two locks of the canal at Lockport NY. At this point we had passed 34 locks and had been raised from sea level in the Hudson River to 564 feet above sea level at Lake Erie.

We arrived in Tonawanda NY Saturday June 20th. We were not scheduled to step the mast until Monday so we spent the weekend relaxing on the wall in downtown Tonawanda.

We were a bit surprised when we arrived at Wardell Boatyard on Monday morning to step the mast. The boatyard consisted of one employee, the owner, and the “crane” that he built to raise sailboat spars, hardly a full service boatyard! Quite a contrast to some of the yards we has seen a few months earlier in south Florida. Remarkable though, in a couple of hours we had the boat rigged and we were ready to sail again. By five o’clock that afternoon we had passed the Black Rock Canal on the Niagara River and were in Buffalo on the eastern end of Lake Erie

Erie Canal

2009-06-18T20:14:00.011-05:00

On Wednesday, June 10th, we arrived at Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill NY where we planned to build a couple of cradles and un-step the mast in preparation for the 340 mile trip on the Erie Canal. The maximum bridge clearance on the canal is 15 ½ feet so our 63 ft. mast has to come down.
Friday morning the mast was down and loaded on the deck and we started on our last day up the Hudson River to Albany, NY. Once again we arrived with the Hudson anniversary replica fleet and watched the celebration at the Albany Yacht Club. Denise, Kevin and Reese ended their trip in Albany and flew back to the real world on Saturday morning. I’m glad we had a week to share the experience with them.
Sunday was Andy’s 27th Birthday so we went downtown for dinner and after that we took in an arena football game. Later Sunday evening Gary Gaudreau flew in to rejoin the crew for the rest of the trip home.
On Monday the 15th the three of us entered the Erie Canal in Troy NY about 9:00 AM. Within two hours we had passed through the first 5 locks called the Waterford Step. In this group of locks boats are raised 169 feet, five times the total lift of the Panama Canal. By the end of the day Monday we had transited 11 locks before arriving in Amsterdam NY for the evening.
Tuesday we passed through 8 more locks on our way to Herkimer, NY. Mid afternoon we passed through lock #17, the largest single step lock on the canal, a 40 foot lift. The original canal had 5 locks to raise boats at this site. There are ruins of the old canal where you can see the original canal walls and the towpath that ran alongside it. The original Erie Canal was only 40 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep and mules, on the adjacent towpath, pulled the barges through. Later , as steam powered vessels became self propelled, much of the old barge canal was replaced with wider/deeper “canalized” stretches of rivers. Tuesday evening we tied up on a canal wall in Herkimer, NY.
Wednesday we traveled 92 miles, including 20 miles across the open waters of Oneida Lake , ending up for the evening in Baldwinsville, NY.

Thoughts from Denise

2009-06-10T20:59:00.005-05:00

Reese Goes to Summer School

Taking land lubbing family members for an afternoon ride on your treasured sailing vessel is one thing -- inviting them along for a week with you boating the Hudson River is another! In a weak moment that’s exactly what Brad did, and brother Kevin (Stu), nephew Reese (8), and sister Denise were only too happy to accept the invitation. Brad’s son Andy would be joining us as well, and he’ll remain on the boat after we depart.

We packed Andy’s car with provisions for the 12 hour drive to NY: blue Gatorade, red bull, pop tarts, Doritos, pretzels, and 4 lbs of red licorice. Don’t worry, Clare, the licorice was made from strawberries. Andy drove half the distance, Stu and I shared the other half. Reese slept for the majority of the trip, waking up at 4am. He said he always wakes up early. We were all surprised by the landscape as we neared West Haverstraw, NY. We weren’t expecting the beautiful hills and scenic winding roads that greeted us when we rolled into town at 5:30am. Thinking it was a bit early to wake Brad, Jay and Linda, we drove into town to look for a place to get breakfast and gas (for the car). We found a great local deli staffed by Puerto Ricans and got our orders in just before the rush of locals started coming in for their breakfasts to go.
After breakfast we found the marina and the Northern Light crew greeted us warmly. Before going aboard, Reese learned the importance of wearing a life jacket on the boat. Captain Brad filled us in on some essential information, assigned tasks (Reese will raise and lower the flags each day), and we were off on our first adventure. We started with a trip to Phillipsburg Manor where Reese and I learned how to milk a cow. From there we took a shuttle bus to the John D. Rockefeller estate. WOW, what a beautiful setting, and the home wasn’t too shabby either. At the estate Reese got some lessons in human anatomy as we passed by larger-than-life statues throughout the property. By the end of the day Reese had developed a fine blue moustache after drinking four of the Gatorades. Stu and Andy are on a mission to clean that upper lip, but so far haven’t succeeded.
Sunday morning Stu, Reese and Iwent for a jog before church. Reese learned the importance of pacing himself on a jog, but neither Stu nor I complained when we had to stop and give Reese rest breaks. They were never long enough. After church, we motored out of the marina, dodging water police, kayakers, and the Hudson River quadricentennial flotilla as they were all coming into the marina for the day’s celebration festivities. We motored to Newburgh and docked at a marina in the waterfront district of Newburgh. The place was packed with people awaiting the arrival of the flotilla later that day. We were treated to live music from three bars along the waterfront. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t make those three different styles of music sound like three part harmony to my ears. About 6pm the noise went up a few notches as the flotilla began to arrive. In the lead was a Coast Guard cutter, then came a parade of floating vessels: water boats shooting off their water cannons, police boats with lights flashing, canoeists, kayakers, stink boats, the flotilla itself, some of whom were shooting off cannons, and bringing up the rear was another Coast Guard cutter. All the while the boaters at the marina were honking their horns. It was quite exciting. During the excitement we were treated to a young lady making a wardrobe change in a boat not too far away. Clare, I tried to distract Reese, but I was no match for that cute girl. Stu, Reese and Andy were standing at the end of the dock when the Half Moon (replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed) clipped it. A lesson in paying attention when you’re at the wheel. Yesterday while visiting the Hudson River Maritime Museum, we noticed a photo taken in 1909 showing the Half Moon replica o ship ramming another ship. Must be a Half Moon tradition to hit something at these river celebrations.
During our motoring down the river that day we spotted a Rocky Mountain on the riverbank that appeared to have a hiking trail. We anchored the boat and took the dinghy ashore. We were advised by some hikers to take the forest trail rather that the rock face trail. We had a real nice hike in the beautiful mature woods. We didn’t make it to the top of the trail before deciding we should head back to the dinghy. As we launched the dinghy Reese found out the importance of proper weight distribution in an overloaded dinghy. Don’t worry, Clare, he had his life jacket on and Andy would’ve gone in first if we had capsized. That night while Brad and I made dinner Reese was getting a math lesson from cousin Andy who was teaching him how to play Black Jack. He’s real good at adding to 21 now, Clare.
After galley duty I joined the guys for some 5 Card Stud. Andy’s already making plans for a Las Vegas trip with Reese as soon as he’s of legal age. Our next night we moored at Hyde Park Landing. This night Reese was taught the finer points of peeing off the boat - proper wind direction, good arcing angles, and whatever else he needs to know about that manly ritual. I have to admit I’m jealous I can’t participate, it’s a bit trickier for women! But I still have three and a half days to perfect a system.

Yesterday we found a great docking spot in Kingston, NY, right in front of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. After docking, we found another local deli where we had lunch. Reese switched to an orange flavored drink to add a little more color to his upper lip. After our private guided tour of the museum, Stu and I went for a jog, then off to do laundry and get some supplies. Reese chose a lavendar colored Gatorade this time. I was able to wash Reese’s Red Wings jersey after I assured him he would be able to wear it to watch the game later that night. Unfortunately, Andy’s prediction that washing the shirt would jinx the team came true. They lost last night’s game, but there’s still a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Sorry, Clare, I think the lesson learned from that experience was “don’t wash your jerseys”.

At the grocery store I requested eight strips of their artery clogging, man-sized bacon. The man at the counter didn’t understand English too well and we went back to the boat with at least two dozen strips of bacon. Breakfast today was cooked by Andy, great scrambled eggs, bacon enlaced with “gelatinous gobs of fat“, coffee, OJ. Sue, you would have been proud. I topped my meal off with a couple pieces of licorice. Perfect! Clare, I’m afraid to say that Reese is now a real bacon lover, I heard him ask for more after he finished his first six pieces. After switching to the lavendar colored Gatorade, his upper has taken on the same color as the rest of his face - dirty brown. I’ll drop some hints to Stu tonight about throwing Reese in the shower for an hour or two. He does have clean underwear at least!
This brings us up to date. We are motoring up to Catskill, NY where we’ll spend the rest of our time on this great adventure. I am truly having a great time, and I honestly wish you all were here (but I’m not sharing my comfy berth with anyone but Steve).

I just heard Andy up on deck say something to Reese about a barge passing by and mooning. I think I better get up there with my camera.

Denise signing off.

2009-06-09T21:17:00.007-05:00

Monday, 6/1, we continued our trip down the New Jersey coast to the Manasquan Inlet. That afternoon, after several failed attempts to find a deep water dock in Brielle NJ, we were forced to anchor at the end of a small creek amongst a fleet of shrimp boats. The tidal current there was very strong so we set two anchors to limit our swing as the tide changed. We went to sleep listening to the anchor lines groaning until about 9:30 PM when one of the lines finally broke. Without the second anchor there was no way we could stay in that tight location so back out into the Ocean we went in the dark. We sailed south another 35 miles till we rounded Sandy Hook and found an anchorage in Sandy Hook Bay around 2:00 AM. Sleep came easily that morning.
Tuesday we made the short trip out of Sandy Hook Bay, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, into New York Harbor and anchored in a basin behind Liberty Island the home of The Statue of Liberty.
Thursday, 6/4, after two days of enjoying the sights in the “ Big Apple”, we left early to catch the flood tide on our way to Haverstraw Marina in Haverstraw ,NY. Here Andy, my sister Denise and my brother Kevin and his son, Reese will join us for the trip up the Hudson River. Jay and Linda will leave the boat and drive Andy’s car back to Michigan.
While in Haverstraw we drove to Sleepy Hollow, NY and spent an afternoon touring Kykuit, the estate built by John D. Rockefeller.
Late Sunday morning, 6/7, we left Haverstraw just as the flotilla of replica ships arrived as part of the Hudson Quadricentennail. This is a weeklong trip of replica ships sailing up the Hudson River to commemorate Henry Hudson’s discovery of the river that bears his name. More info is available at the website http://www.exploreny400.com/ . The fleet includes a replica of Hudson’s square rigger the Half Moon. That evening we arrived at Front Street Marina in Newburgh NY , several hours later the anniversary fleet also arrived for the night.
Monday, 6/8, we anchored at Hyde Park Landing and spent the afternoon touring the Vanderbilt estate, another of the many mansions and castles that line this part of the river.
Tuesday, 6/9, we traveled up the river to Kingston and we were able to dock at the Hudson River Maritime Museum. We will have to leave early tomorrow because the Hudson fleet is arriving and evicting us.

Tour of the Big Apple!

2009-06-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Tuesday we stayed at one of our best anchorages of the trip and a milestone we have been looking forward to. The anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty in Liberty Park, it was awesome!

Today we had a wonderful day touring the City of Manhattan. We covered a lot of ground by ferry boat, buses and the famous New York Subway. They sure have a great public transportation system.

We started with the Empire State Building Observatory and the great sites of the city. If you look real hard you can see Northern Light across the Hudson River in the Lincoln Harbor Marina in this photo.

Next, we made a visit to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and said a few prayers of Thanksgiving.

We spent a lot of time at the World Trade Center Memorial & Museum; it was a very moving experience that we will not forget. The photos of all of those lost on 9/11/01 were overwhelming to us.

This photo is the plan for the future WTC, a single tower 110 stories high and memorial park. Building has started and is scheduled for completion sometime in 2012.

We ended the day taking the subway to China Town for a great Chinese dinner. A great day in the Big Apple!

Delaware/New Jersey

2009-05-31T19:17:00.008-05:00

Friday morning on the 29th we left Annapolis early in a light fog; by noon we were coming off the Chesapeake Bay and entering the Elk River. The Elk River turns into the C&D Canal on the North end of the Delmar peninsula. The C&D Canal, the third busiest canal in the world, was dug in the early 1800’s to provide a water route between the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay.
We spent the evening at dock in the Summit North Marina in Bear, DE.

Saturday morning we woke at 3:00 AM for a very early departure. The tidal current in the canal and northern part of the Delaware Bay runs up to 4 mph as the tide ebbs and floods, so we needed to time our departure with the falling tide. Traveling with the tide we move at 10 mph, against it we go 2 mph. On the days trip of 60 miles you can see why we departed when we did.

That evening we stayed in Cape May, NJ at the South Jersey Marina. Cape May is a delightful little resort/fishing village on the southern end of the Jersey shore.

The town was founded in the 1630’s, in the early 1800’s it became a resort area for visitors from Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City. Today the entire town is on National Historic Register as a Historic Landmark City. The town also hosts a fleet of the best maintained shrimp boats we have seen, all brightly painted.
As we entered the harbor we viewed the graduation exercises for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy located in Cape May.

Sunday, the 31st, we left Cape May and traveled in the Atlantic Ocean up the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City. We anchored for the evening in a small basin just inside the Absecon Inlet. We will be travelling in the ocean for the entire trip up to the New York Harbor because our mast height prohibits us from using the N.J, intracoastal waterway.

Historical Annapolis!

2009-05-29T07:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we spent a day on a wonderful walking tour of historic Annapolis, Maryland. These are just some of the highlights and photos of what we enjoyed:

The State House (Where George Washington resigned his commission in 1783 and is the location where the Treaty of Paris was ratified by Congress in 1784 ending the Revolutionary War). It is the oldest State capitol in continuous legislative use.

St. Mary’s Church (Built in 1860 and designed by architect Louis L. Long)

suThe Charles Carroll of Carrollton Home (Built in 1749). Charles held the distinction of being the only Roman Catholic and the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The Hammond-Harwood House (Built in 1774 and designed by architect William Buckland)

United States Naval Academy (Established in 1845 is home to 4,000 midshipmen during their 4 years of training to become officers in the Navy or Marine Corps). The Chapel and Museum housing the best collection of ship models from 17^th century to modern times were awesome.

Saint John’s College (Chartered in 1784 and today is best known for its curriculum based on the Great Books program)

The Green House (Built in 1740, Jonas Green was public printer and Publisher of the Maryland Gazette)

We sure enjoyed the history of Annapolis!

Chesapeake Bay

2009-05-28T20:18:00.005-05:00

Sunday, 24th : We left the free dock early after a brief visit with an elderly Japanese couple on the boat next to us. They were heading west, eventually to the Panama Canal then returning home across the Pacific. Somehow our six thousand mile loop doesn’t look so big anymore. That morning we motored down the Elizabeth River through Norfolk VA past the many boatyards and out into the Chesapeake Bay. That evening we arrived at the Deltaville Marina on the west side of the Bay in Deltaville VA.
Monday, 25th: We left Deltaville traveling north up the Chesapeake; we crossed the Potomac River and crossed into Maryland. That evening we anchored in the rain on the Patuxent River near Solomons Island.
Tuesday, 26th: The day started out like so many previous days; weighed anchor at 06:30 and had the sails up by 07:00. The forecast was for east winds 10-15 knots, perfect for that day’s trip. Surprise, by 08:00 the wind was a steady 40 knots with gusts up to 50! The wind and rain made for the most exhilarating day on the water that I have ever experienced. After what seemed like 40 hours we finished the 60 mile trip and arrived in the harbor at Annapolis, MD, actually it was only around 1:00 in the afternoon. The boat was such a mess that we knew we would need a couple of days here to put things back together. Wind and waves like we had just come through make things below deck look like they went through the washing machine spin cycle.It worked out good because the weather forecast for the next couple of days called for rain and scattered thunderstorms and we sure didn’t have a stomach for anymore of that for awhile. That evening after 2 Motrin and 2 Margarita's life was good again.
Wednesday we straightened up the boat and shopped for groceries. Thursday we had some time to enjoy this great maritime harbor town. Annapolis claims to be the sailing capital of America and it would be hard to argue that title. Between all the fabulous old buildings, the many boats, the great seafood restaurants and the Naval Academy there was plenty to see and do.

Deliverance From The Great Dismal Swamp!

2009-05-23T20:43:00.008-05:00

Thursday we departed Oriental, NC early for a long travel day. It turned out to be a 75 mile trip one of longest on the Loop. A beautiful day spent motor sailing most of the day across the Sound and rivers. We found a beautiful anchorage on the Alligator River off Tuckahoe Point.

Friday, we made it to the Great Dismal Swamp after a great morning motor sailing on the Alligator River and across the Albemarle Sound. We had to dodge a lot of crab pots (was like a mine field at times) but a beautiful sunny day on the water. Arrived at Elizabeth City and the Pasquotank River the entrance to the Dismal Swamp. We wanted to top off our diesel fuel and Lambs Marina was the only place we could find it. We should have known we were in trouble when Billy Bob had difficulty telling port from starboard. When we tried reaching them on the VHF radio we found out their radio was not working, but we went there anyway, down a very narrow channel with minimum depth. We tied up at the only dock deep enough for us and had to wait for the fuel truck to come to our dock. When we saw the fuel truck (an old 1970 Ford F600) that wouldn’t start (because it was out of fuel!) we started to really get worried. After Billy Bob spilled diesel fuel all over the hose and himself, we decided to use our diesel jugs to top off and depart ASAP. Interesting but not one of our best fuel stops just part of the adventure! We did find a great anchorage behind Goat Island; it was so quiet and peaceful.

Today we crossed through the Great Dismal Swamp Canal and into Virginia. It is the oldest operating man made waterway in the US, first used in 1805 to transport flat bottomed vessels with grain and farm animals the 22 mile length. Our trip started early in dark flat water the appeared as a mirror reflecting the trees from each bank. The canal in narrow, only 60 feet wide in some sections with over hanging branches made it interesting. We made 3 stops, 2 locks and a stop at the NC Visitors Center dock. After we left the 2^nd lock we had an engine problem. The engine was running hot due to not enough water coming through the intake. Had to stop and emergency anchor and Captain Brad had to go down into the dark water (zero visibility) with his pony SCUBA tank and clean the intake port under the boat. It was almost like the Great Dismal Swamp was saying “Not so fast Northern Light, I am not finished with you yet”. We did make it passed the Swamp and stayed at a dock at the Chesapeake Yacht Boat Yard near Norfolk, VA.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow when we will enter the Chesapeake Bay!

Camp LeJeune Lagoon

2009-05-20T19:36:00.009-05:00

Friday, May 15th we left Wrightsville Beach and traveled 42 miles down the ICW to a lagoon inside the Camp Le Jeune Marine military base. The Marines allow boaters to stay in the lagoon but we are not allowed to leave the boat or go ashore. After observing their training maneuvers we decided to follow their rules. We got a front row seat to training exercises that included troops deploying from vertical takeoff fixed wing aircraft. When we arrived in the lagoon there was one other boat at anchor, two hours later there were 17. The site is about the only spot available to anchor on the waterway from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort.

Saturday we motor sailed the 40 miles to Beaufort N.C... We had gone to Beaufort several years ago by car and enjoyed it very much, so we were anxious to see it again. We spent a couple days taking in the sights at this historic seaport. They do a great job of retaining and commemorating their history in the area. The town is full of beautifully restored homes, churches and store fronts. Susan and I spent an hour in one of the old church burying grounds with grave sites dating back to the early 1700’s.

Monday afternoon Susan and I rented a car and drove to the airport in Raleigh Durham. Susan flew home Tuesday morning to help care for her mother. Jan had heart bypass surgery last Saturday and her recovery has been slow. I’m sure Sue will provide invaluable support to her parents as they work through this difficult time. We’re all praying for you Jan. I’ll miss my first mate immensely; I hope we are together again soon.

Tuesday morning I returned to the boat and Linda, Jay and I left the Beaufort Docks around noon. After a wet breezy ride we arrived at the Oriental Harbor Marina in Oriental, NC late that afternoon. Wednesday we stayed at the dock waiting for the rain and high winds to pass. We plan to get an early start tomorrow morning and start to make up for some lost time.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week!

2009-05-14T16:51:00.002-05:00

Monday, while waiting for Kurt the mechanic to arrive we had an opportunity to explore Georgetown a little more and enjoy a leisurely walk down quiet streets and historic homes. When the mechanic arrived at Northern Light he had his work cut out for him; after taking apart half the engine he was able to find the cause of our engine problem and made the necessary repairs. It was a disconnected wire (due to engine vibration) to the solenoid of the starter, hidden by the alternator.

Thankfully, we were back on the ICW and happy to be moving again. We had a beautiful trip on the Waccamaw River through abandoned rice fields and large plantations and antebellum homes.

Arrived at our anchorage a little later than usual where we found several other boats. We named it Jay’s Oxbow since it was unnamed. We anchored near a couple (Ed & Linda) from Daytona Beach aboard “Sea Smoke” a New England style Lobster boat. Our anchorage was near Bucksport, SC named after Captain Henry Buck a famous Lumber Baron.

Tuesday we departed our anchorage early for a short trip (25 miles) to Myrtle Beach. A great stop for all of us, just happen to be Motorcycle Bike Week for the boys and a great shopping opportunities for the girls right at our location at the Barefoot Landing Marina. Myrtle Beach got its name for the waxy leaves of the native Myrtle bushes in the area.

Wednesday was another early departure for a longer trip up the ICW into North Carolina. After a quick stop for fuel we traveled through some interesting areas. First, we negotiated the “Rock Pile” a very narrow part of the canal with large rock formations on either side. Then we got to a very unique pontoon bridge where the center span actually floats away to allow passage through. We had a short wait with several other boats since it only opens on the hour.

We got to the North Carolina Border about 10am and enjoyed the sights of sea birds, turtles and dolphins, especially at our great anchorage near Cape Fear, Dutchman’s Creek where we could see the tall (169 feet) Cape Fear Inlet Light. It was an interesting day with a lot of narrows, strong tidal currents, breezy and scenic nature and wildlife to keep us entertained.

Today we crossed the Cape Fear River on the way to Wrightsville Beach at the Seapath Yacht Club. Made very good time motor sailing and got to our dock just before the rains came. We hope to go outside (Atlantic Ocean) and do some sailing tomorrow if the wind and weather cooperate.

It is great to be back aboard Northern Light, thanks so much to our dear friends for the wonderful adventure!

Brokedown in Georgetown

2009-05-10T17:01:00.012-05:00

We spent four days in Charleston working on the boat and sightseeing while we waited for a guest and our new crew. Fred Cook joined us for dinner while he was in town on business and Linda and Jay rejoined us for the trip. Charleston with its old homes and beautiful gardens is one of the prettiest cities I have seen so we all enjoyed the opportunity to walk the town.

We spent Friday night at anchor in Winyah Bay. It was our intention to leave this morning and go out Winyah Inlet into the ocean and sail up to Cape Fear, NC ., however our engine had other plans. The engine failed to start this morning so it was time to develop alternate plans. Somehow we would have to get into Georgetown SC the nearest city about ten miles away for repairs. Luckily the wind and tidal currents where both in our favor and we were able to sail into the Georgetown Landing Marina. As we approached the marina we tied the dingy to the boat and used it as our auxiliary engine to get to the dock.
Susan and Linda got an unexpected Mothers Day dinner at the Goat Island Grill in downtown Georgetown. Happy Mothers Day Therese and Jan ! Georgetown is the third oldest city in South Carolina. The town was surrounded by prosperous rice plantations prior to the Civil War that all went out of business with the abolition of slavery. Fortunately the beautiful homes that were built by the wealthy plantation owners in town are still maintained today.

Hopefully we will be able to get an engine mechanic tomorrow and get back on our way, if not we will likely become quite the authorities on Georgetown history.

Low Country

2009-05-03T19:45:00.014-05:00

This past week was one of transition. We traveled from Florida through Georgia into South Carolina. We watched the waterway's shoreline change from the grand homes back to palm trees and mangroves then to salt marshes and live oak trees covered with Spanish moss.

Sunday, April 26: We left St. Augustine early and headed out the inlet to travel in the Atlantic Ocean for part of the day, we re-entered the ICW via the St. Johns Inlet at Jacksonville, FL. The day ended at an anchorage in Nassau Sound at the south end of Amelia Island.

Monday, April 27: We made the short trip to Fernandina Beach Marina on the north end of Amelia Island. We spent the afternoon enjoying the attractions in historic downtown Fernandina Beach.
Tuesday, April 28: We left the dock early and shortly after crossed the St. Mary’s River into Georgia. We arrived mid afternoon at the docks at Jekyll Island. We enjoyed cocktails that evening with Mary & Andy aboard their motor vessel Good News and Brad & Patty, m/v Salvage Crew. They are two other looper couples we have met along the way. We first saw “Good News” when we were in the rivers back in September. They are also now on their way back home. The friendly interesting people you meet along the way continue to be the highlight if the trip.

Wednesday, April 29: Traveled to another anchorage in the Back River near Doboy Sound.

Thursday, April 30: Left early for a 10 hour ride in the Atlantic Ocean. The wind and seas were ideal and we made around 60 miles to the Wassaw Sound and the Wilmington River. The river leads to Savannah however we stopped before that at the town of Thunderbolt GA. When we arrived at the dock we were again greeted by the crews of Good News and Salvage Crew. Sharing hors d’oeurves and cocktails with them that evening was the perfect way to end a long day on the water.

Friday, May 1: We left the Thunderbolt Marina at 10:00 and shortly thereafter passed the Bonaventure Cemetery. The cemetery was featured in the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. Around 11:00 we crossed the Savannah River and entered South Carolina, we spent the evening at the dock at the Hilton Head Marina.

Saturday, May 2: We traveled to Beaufort S.C. hoping to get a dock at the downtown city marina. On the way we passed the well known Marine Corps Recriut Depot at Parris Island. This is where all male Marine recruits east of the Mississippi train. It's also where all female recuits train.We didn’t see much going on they must have had the weekend off. When we arrived at Beaufort we were surprised to find the place was full. It turned out this was the weekend for their big “Taste of Beaufort “festival. We anchored near the marina and took our dingy into town to enjoy the music and food at the festival. Now we know were all the Marine recruits were. Later that evening we had dinner with Molly and Gary, a couple from North Carolina who were returning from Key West on their sailboat. They both retired from their jobs in January and took off on a boat. Sounds familiar!

Sunday, May 3 : After church service at the local Episcopal Church and a breakfast out, we spent the afternoon traveling to an anchor site on the South Edisto River about half way to Charleston.

Florida's First Coast

2009-04-25T20:24:00.011-05:00

The only thing better than enjoying the sights and experiences of this trip is sharing them with friends. That was certainly the case during a recent visit by our good friends from home Mimi & Larry and Martha & Mike. They joined us for dinner and an overnight stay on the boat Tuesday. In spite of running aground and getting lost in the dark, a good time was had by all.
On Wednesday Martha, Mike, Larry and I took a 28 mile boat trip from Daytona north to Palm Coast. Mimi and Susan joined us by car and again we enjoyed cocktails and dinner at Palm Coast’s European Village.
Mimi, Larry, Marta and Mike thanks for joining us, we love you guys lots. Safe travels home.
Friday Susan and I traveled to St. Augustine where we docked at the municipal marina right in the heart of downtown. St. Augustine is a charming city with lots of fabulous architecture and art. On Saturday we rode our bikes to the Anastasia State Park on Anastasia Island and relaxed on the beautiful beach.
No discussion of St. Augustine would be complete without mentioning its history. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the U.S.A., settled by Spanish colonists in 1565. Susan and I attended church services Saturday evening at Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, the first parish in the America’s.

Back on the Magical Mystery Tour

2009-04-19T20:05:00.005-05:00

This past Tuesday, April 14, Susan and I returned to Northern Light docked at Soverel Marina in Palm Beach Gardens. Jay and Linda plan to re-join us in early May.We spent the day Wednesday repairing, preparing and provisioning for the continuation of our journey. We haven’t covered much ground/water for the last month so we anticipate putting in some long travel days over the next couple of weeks. We don’t have a firm schedule but obviously if we don’t start moving a little faster we’ll never get home by this summer like we had planned.
Thursday we traveled to Fort Pierce, Friday to Melbourne, Saturday Cocoa And Sunday we’re in New Smyrna . Most of the traveling was done on the Indian River Lagoon, a 130 mile long river that runs north and south up Florida's East Coast and provides a great waterway when it’s too rough to travel offshore. That’s been the case this week with 25+ mph winds and offshore seas over 9”. The weather has been great and we have been able to anchor each night along the way. Tonight we are anchored behind a beach island just inside the Ponce de Leon Inlet.
Here are a few pictures from some of the high points of the week before we flew back home.

Posie and Tom , thanks for dinner and the use of your car !

Andy, we loved your visit, wish it could have been longer.

Lastly I wanted to mention my visit with my old high school buddies the Boca Boys. I went to high school in Ft. Lauderdale and graduated with these guys 42 years ago. The last time I saw any of them we were all 18 years old, we’re now 60. What a hoot it was to see them, catch up and talk about old times.

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2009-04-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

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Rest in Peace

2009-03-30T15:32:00.005-05:00

This blog is dedicated to Mathew D. Uler, the beloved son of
Linda and Jay Uler, who unexpectedly passed away on Friday, March 27th, 2009.

He had many hardships in his life and his strength and courage were an inspiration to all those who loved him.

We will miss his mischievous smile, sparkling eyes, dry wit and humor and his sincere appreciation for the smallest of favors.

To quote Linda, “Our loss is his gain”.

Rest in Peace Matt!

(We will be in Michigan for the next two weeks.)

Where the Boys (and Girls) Are!

2009-03-25T18:43:00.002-05:00

We spent a wonderful week in Fort Lauderdale at historic Cooley’s landing and enjoyed all the fun things to do there. Even though we had a few days of rain we were able to take advantage of the down time to get some things done, boat projects, laundry and needed provisioning. We also took in a couple of movies, went to the famous Fort Lauderdale beach. Yes, the Elbow Room is still there and it looks the same as it did in the 1960’s when we spent time here from college spring break. We spent much time on the River walk and enjoyed the restaurants and scenic beauty.

St. Patty’s Day was celebrated with our Looper friends Hank & Ann from “Queen Ann’s Revenge”. It was a great time visiting with them. We met them back in January in Mobile and it was nice to see them again.

Departed Cooley’s early Monday morning and headed north along the Intercoastal Waterway and enjoyed viewing the opulent homes, fabulous landscaping and mega yachts along the way. We needed a lift from a lot of bascule bridges but the schedule matched our travel time well. There was only a short wait for a few of them and all the bridge tenders had their own unique personalities which made it interesting.

Found some great anchorages along the way. Monday night at Lake Boca Raton, Tuesday in Lake Worth next to Peanut Island where we explored a beautiful park. An interesting fact about this island is that it housed the presidential bunker for JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Waved at Donald Trump when we passed his home. Wednesday continued our journey north to North Palm Beach and found a special anchorage in the NE corner of Lake Worth.

We are all looking forward to having Andy Light come aboard this evening!

Florida's Gold Coast

2009-03-22T20:27:00.017-05:00

Thursday, March 12 In the morning we took a short ride across the Biscayne Bay to Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove. Later that evening we celebrated my 60th birthday at a great dockside seafood restaurant overlooking Biscayne Bay. We spent the next two days enjoying this trendy little town on the outskirts of Miami.

Saturday, March 14 Today we motored over to the chic Miami Beach Marina located just two blocks from “SOBE” Miami’s South Beach district. Spent the afternoon sunning and taking in the sights on the beach.

Sunday, March 15 We departed Miami through the Government Cut and sailed south toward Ft. Lauderdale. Our high spirited 30 mile sail in the Atlantic ended mid afternoon as we re-entered the Intracoastal waterway at Port Everglades. We spent the night anchored in Lake Sylvia, a small lake just off the waterway in Ft. Lauderdale. That evening we had a clear view of the space shuttle launch from 200 mile away Cape Canaveral.

Monday,March 16 Took a slow sightseeing ride several miles up the New River on our way to Cooley’s Landing Marina. The marina is located in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale’s historic/restaurant/theatre district. Ft. Lauderdale isn’t a very old city so there is not a lot of history here, but what there is started at the site that is now occupied by the Marina. In 1836 the Seminole Indians attacked and killed the Cooley Family at this location. This marked the beginning of the Seminole War in South Florida and led to the founding of the military post, Fort Lauderdale

This is Heaven!

2009-03-11T21:56:00.007-05:00

It is so good to be back aboard Northern Light again after a short absence. Linda and I arrived on Saturday at Burdines Marina in Marathon. Our dear friends Dan & Kathy May drove us to the Keys and will be returning our car to Michigan this spring. Thanks for your generosity. We all had a delightful dinner of steamed shrimp & honey buns at the Castaways.
We spent Sunday in Marathon (Vaca Key) exploring the area and preparing for our departure to the Atlantic Ocean.
On Monday we departed Burdines after breakfast and had a great breeze so we were able to sail along the Keys up to Lower Matecumbe Key. We arrived at Matecumbe Bight about 4:15pm after going under a 65 foot bridge (Linda’s first) she also saw her first dolphins and a huge sea turtle swimming alongside the boat.
Tuesday was another great sailing day in the keys and we arrived at our next anchorage at Rodriguez Key. We took a short dingy ride to check out our new surroundings. Brad and I put on our snorkeling gear and cleaned the bottom of the boat and swam around looking at all the pretty fish.
Wednesday was another perfect sailing day for us and we needed to get an early start since it was our longest day (about 53 miles) to our next anchorage at KeyBiscayne near Miami. We arrived at Bill Baggs State Park, a beautiful little anchorage called “No Name Harbor”. I renamed it “Brad’s Bay”. All enjoyed hiking in the park and taking a cool shower outside. Enjoyed cocktails after dinner while waiting for the shuttle launch that never happened.
These last 3 days have been beautiful. This is what I imagine heaven to be; sailing in aquamarine waters with a fresh breeze on a beautiful boat with good friends, nothing could be better. Thank you Brad & Susan for giving us this wonderful opportunity of a lifetime.
Tomorrow is a special day! Brad’s 60th Birthday and we plan to celebrate in style.

Now we are four

2009-03-08T19:09:00.005-05:00

We’re still in Marathon on Vaca Key at a great little marina named Burdines Waterfront. From here we have a great view of the sunset at the end of Seven Mile Bridge. When we arrived a week ago it was exciting passing under the Overseas Highway at the Moser Channel Bridge but I was a little saddened when I realized that from that point on we would be heading north. We still have a long way to go and I’m sure there will be many more adventures but somehow it doesn’t seem like it’s time to turn the corner and head home yet. Maybe that’s why we have stayed here as long as we have. The time has passed way too quickly.

Jay and Linda moved aboard

yesterday for the trip back north. It will be nice to have them along to share our new experiences. We hope to leave tomorrow for a three day trip up the Keys to Biscayne Bay, anchoring at night along the way.

Florida Bay

2009-03-01T20:11:00.011-06:00

On Tuesday the 24th we left the mooring field in Matanzas Harbor and began our 40 mile boat ride to Naples. We went around the north end of Estero Island out the Matanzas Pass and across San Carlos Bay for our sail out into the Gulf. By 2:00 that afternoon we were entering Gordan Pass on our way into Naples Bay. The waterway from Gordan Pass to Naples Bay displayed some of the finest homes we have seen on the trip. Beautiful homes with beautiful boats docked out front but not a soul to be seen anywhere around.

The Naples City Dock was a delightfully simple spot among all the opulence. The dock was located in the “Olde Town” section of Naples within walking distance to the Pier, Tin City and the old downtown area. There are still some very quaint early Florida cottages located right off the beach in the old section of town, however their prices definitely reflected new Florida. We were pleasantly surprised and greatly enjoyed our three day stop while waiting for the right weather conditions to head for our next stop in the Florida Everglades.

Friday morning we left early for our 75 mile trip to Cape Sable. Around 5:30 that afternoon we arrived at our solitary unspoiled anchorage nestled among the mangroves just inside the mouth of the Little Shark River. The river is located inside the Everglades National Park between Ponce de Leon Bay and Cape Sable. A strong freshwater current coming out of the everglades provided us with a comfortable anchorage for the evening unaffected by changes in wind direction or tidal flow. We would have loved to have stayed there for a couple of days but a cold front accompanied by strong winds and waves was due to hit Sunday so we were forced to press on. Saturday morning we headed south for our trip across Florida Bay toward the Keys. We dodged crab traps all day before arriving at the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway around St. Mile #1192. From there we passed under the overseas highway (US 1) at the Moser Channel Bridge and entered Boot Key Harbor. Boot Key is better known as its largest city, Marathon. The Boot Key City Marina has a mooring field with 225 mooring balls and dock space for another dozen or so boats. We have spent two nights at the dock, tomorrow we go out on a mooring ball for a few nights while we decide where to next.

Dingy dock for the mooring field

Best to all…..

I Do !

2009-02-28T21:15:00.005-06:00

A post by Susan:

Brad and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on February 23rd and both decided we would say “I DO” all over again. I would also say “I DO” again to this trip, but there a few things I miss …
*A hot shower (After we have anchored out for three days, the cold military showers become old.)
*A kitchen. (I love my galley and take great pride in fixing meals, but equipment and space make it challenging.)
*A sewer system instead of a holding tank.
*Space.
*Privacy.
*TV (Yes, I actually miss it from time to time.)
*Mail (We get our basic mail sent to us every 10 days but I miss my catalogs!)
*Washer/dryer. (The marina’s w/d take $8.00 in quarters and never seem to fully dry.)
*A car. (I am thankful for our bikes, but balancing a case of water plus other items becomes a challenge.)
*Bay City Book Babes. (I have read 7 books and no one to discuss them with.)
*Family and friends. (I think of you all often!)

BUT …
With all that said, the positives far out weigh the negatives. This trip has been an adventure of a lifetime and I am having a blast with my husband and best friend. I would say “I DO” to this trip as I wouldn’t want to miss the …
*Beautiful blue skies.
*Sunshine.
*Green palm trees.
*Vibrant flowers.
*Clear aqua water of the Gulf.
*Our daily escorts; the dolphins.
*Sunshine.
*Meeting new and interesting people at each stop.
*Our 10-hour crossing with flat seas!
*Flying fish.
*Looking out at the water and seeing the curvature of the earth. Majestic.
*Sunshine.
*Sea turtles.
*Sunsets
*Sunrises.
*A solitary night in the Everglades with the night sky illuminated by “billions and billions” of stars.
*Have I mentioned the sunshine? “Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.”

I DO, I DO, I DO!

Gin !

2009-02-22T19:54:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed our shore leave with my parents in North Port although it took a couple of nights to get used to sleeping in a bed that wasn’t rocking back and forth.
When we returned to the boat we had a nice walk and dinner in Boca Grande with Steve and Dina Wirt, friends from back home who are staying on Siesta Key.

The next two days were spent at Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda. When we arrived at the dock at Burnt Store we were surprised to be greeted by our neighbors from back home, Paul and Helen Drzyzga. They were having lunch at the marina restaurant as we pulled in. We enjoyed their company for cocktails in the cockpit that evening.

After leaving Burnt Store we motored to a favorite anchorage from previous trips. The site is located between Useppa Island and Cabbage Key just behind Coya Costa Island. Sue and I had one of our best evenings of the trip playing gin on the deck and watching the sunset.

The next day we reluctantly left our anchorage and headed off to Ft. Myers Beach on Estero Island. The first night at Ft. Myers Beach we tied up to a mooring ball in mooring field just East of the ever popular beach area.

Sue " left her heart in Sarasota"

2009-02-16T10:31:00.008-06:00

We enjoyed our three days in Sarasota; two of the nights were at Marina Jack right in the center of downtown Sarasota. Susan even got to spend some time shopping on St. Armands Circle. That may have been the highlight of the trip so far for her. While Sue shopped I rode my bike around some of the sights on Longboat Key.

From Sarasota we had a short ride to Venice where we spent one night at the city dock near the Venice Inlet.

The next morning we left Venice and motored down Lemon Bay and found a well protected anchorage off Manisota Key near Englewood Beach. The anchor site was just a short dingy ride and a two block walk to a great beach near Stump Pass.

After a couple of days at the beach and two nights on the hook, we headed to The Gasparilla Marina in Placida. We will leave the boat here for a couple of days while we visit with my parents in nearby North Port.

Zarazote

2009-02-09T19:40:00.005-06:00

We had a great three day weekend on Anna Maria Island. The island has several " old florida" style communities and a great natural beach, Coquina Beach. The fabulous weather allowed us to enjoy it all.
Today we moved on to Sarasota, Zarazote to the 15th century Spaniards. What a difference from the old florida of Anna Maria. We anchored out for the evening. I think we felt like we needed time to assimilate the modern cosmopolitan city. The city lights are very pretty from the water.

Tomorrow we will take a dock at Marina Jack in the heart of the city and spend a couple of days doing the town.

Beach Time

2009-02-06T18:05:00.012-06:00

Northern Light left Clearwater this morning after 10 days at the Clearwater Beach Municipal marina. The first couple of days were spent doing crew changes. Gary left on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Susan and Linda arrived on Friday, Jan 30. Jay and Linda departed for their condo in Englewood FL on Saturday, Jan 31.
Sue and I have spent the week enjoying the area and meeting new friends in the marina while trying to stay warm. The marina is located right across the street from the beautiful white sand Clearwater beach. However we have not had beach weather since Susan’s arrival. The last two nights have had hard freezes with cool breezy days. But now the forecast looks great for the next week or so.

The Pier in St. Petersburg

Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach Sunset at Clearwater beach

Bill & Debbie, our new cocktail hour friends from Gulf Shores AL living on their 52’ Grand Banks,Ajax . See ya at Marina Jack.

Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina

Dolphin riding our bow wake today in the Gulf

We went out the Clearwater Pass this morning and sailed in the Gulf until we passed Tampa Bay and entered the intracoastal waterway near Anna Maria Island in the early afternoon. The 45 mile trip ended when we arrived at the Bradenton Beach Marina on Anna Maria Island mid-afternoon. We will stay here for the weekend. The ready access to the beach should come in handy since the weekend calls for sunny days with temps in the mid 70’s. Monday we plan to head off for Sarasota.

Gary' s Goodbye & Night Crossing

2009-01-28T18:35:00.010-06:00

We motored South down the Inter Costal Waterway about 24 miles to Clearwater yesterday. There is a lot of activity here because of the Super Bowl being played close by in Tampa this Sunday. A lot of big yachts are starting to arrive here for the rich & famous. The largest we have seen so far is the "Big City" a new Trinity 140 foot motor vessel that charters for $195,000 a week. The delivery crew was working on it all day (cleaning & polishing) and we are anxious to see who the special guests will be tomorrow. Weather is warm (high 70's) and very pleasant. We enjoyed a morning walk on the beautiful white sand beach of Clearwater and a fun dingy ride to town to do some needed provisioning. We will be staying here for a few days while our wives (Susan & Linda) are traveling from the North country to join us. We miss them a lot and are looking forward to our reunion with them this Friday.

Today our dear friend and Poet Laureate sailor, Gary Gaudreau departed Northern Light and is heading back home to Michigan. We are sad to see him go. Before he left, he was inspired to write another great poem about our perfect night crossing of the Gulf of Mexico a few days ago. We would like to share it with you and hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Night Crossing

On a warm winter morn in St Joe Bay

Northern Light caught the tide running out for the day.

She fetched her marks on the rollers with ease,

Gently turning to course, softly kissing the seas.

We three that sailed her, she knew of our dream,

Of a swift sea voyage, fifteen knots on the beam.

So she served up a ride, the best I think now,

With dolphins and sea birds swiftly passing our bow.

Now light fading fast, we’ve sailed well all day,

Crossing the Gulf toward Anclote Island’s bay.

Northern Light knows our needs, she coaches us on

Thru a sea of stars, brilliant sunrise at dawn.

We’re tired and damp but our spirits renew

Over praise for the yacht and her love for the crew.

Sailing on to the docks, we’ve seen many great things.

Raising our Margaritas, three embrace Tarpon Springs.

Gary T. Gaudreau

1/27/2009 1500 Hours

Gulf of Mexico at Tarpon Springs, FL aboard Northern Light

Eating our way through Tarpon Springs

2009-01-26T21:27:00.012-06:00

It was nice to sleep in and stay put for a day following our previous five days of travelling. After a morning walk through the historic district of Tarpon Springs, we found something to do along the sponge docks……EAT. The Greek restaurants and bakeries along the docks offered so many irresistible options we simply couldn’t decide which to choose, so we tried them all.
Yes, these pictures were all taken on the same morning!
When word got out of our gastronomic overindulgence family members came from far away to restrain us. My parents, Bob and Therese, and my sister Denise came from North Port FL to save us from our feeding frenzy. We enjoyed their attempted intervention but alas they failed. They soon joined us for the final meal of fresh local shrimp and fish, grilled on the boat.

Perfect Day/Night for Crossing Gulf

2009-01-25T13:26:00.004-06:00

After enjoying a great day in Port St. Joe Marina and a great dinner of oysters on the half shell and Grouper sandwiches we studied weather and wave conditions on the Gulf of Mexico for our crossing and it looked like we had a very good window in the next few days.
Northern Light departed the dock at 10:15am on Saturday, Jan 24th heading Southeast (126 degrees) for our crossing to Tarpon Springs. We had a fresh breeze after we cleared the harbor and rounded Point San Blas.
We were able to deploy our full sails and motor sailed all day and night in high seas at first (8-10 foot rollers) receding to calm by morning. We were escorted at times by frolicking Dolphins and sea birds. It was a starry, starry night since we had no moon the sky was brillant with bright stars. The time went by quickly, we had an excellent watch schedule of 4 hours on and 2 hours off maintaining 2 crew members on deck at all times. The sunset was beautiful but the Sunrise this morning as you can see in the photo was awesome! We encountered several shrimp boats working at night and a lot of crab pots when we got near the Anclote Key North entrance to Tarpon Springs.
The entire crossing took 28 hours from dock to dock and we traveled 231 miles. Our average speed was a little over 8 mph which is great for a sailboat.
Glad to be here in Tarpon Springs were it is warm and sunny. It was a perfect crossing!

Gulf Waters

2009-01-23T20:35:00.007-06:00

Thursday morning we left the Palafox Pier Marina a half hour before sunrise for our first ride in the open waters of Gulf of Mexico. We had a great introduction to the Gulf with a 108 mile trip to Panama City,FL. We motor sailed all day in bright sunshine and fair wind arriving at an anchorage behind Shell Island just inside the Panama City inlet at around 21:00 hrs (9:00 PM.). We were treated to dolphin escorts several times throughout the day, a real treat for freshwater sailors.

This morning we made a 40 mile sail to Port St Joe ,FL where we enjoyed the afternoon ashore after long hot showers at the St. Joe Marina. It's a real nice marina in an area that has the " old Florida" feel to it.The weather is finally starting to warm up, we wore shorts for the first time this afternoon.

"Today we sail the Gulf"

2009-01-22T13:00:00.004-06:00

“Today we sail the Gulf”, the words have been spoken.

With calm anticipation she slips her dock before day has broken.

On a calm bay at dawn with an outgoing tide Skipper sets her course for the magical ride.

Northern Light has surrendered her soul to the three that will guide her to a new port on the sea.

Learning these waters for the very first time reminds one to respect the sea, wind and brine.

The sea can be calm or a desolate place, a graveyard of ships from the old human race.

With a face like a mistress, or hard, wrinkled white while deep in its heart there is no light.

But today all is well and fresh for the three, as their spirits have brought them here to the sea.

With their minds full of wonder, they’ve left the fair shore to dance on the waves with their ship once more.

Again deep love for the water is unbroken.

“Today we sail the Gulf!”, the word has been spoken.

Gary T. Gaudreau

1/22/2009 1300 Hours

Gulf of Mexico near Panama City, FL aboard Northern Light

Back on the Loop in Florida!

2009-01-21T18:38:00.011-06:00

Northern Light is back on the Loop but in very cold weather. Departed Turner Marine at 9:30 am Tuesday morning with a great sendoff from the friends we met during our stay there. We crossed Mobile Bay under sail to our destination, a beautiful peaceful anchorage at Ingram Bayou off the Gulf Intercostal Waterway were we saw a variety of wildlife (deer, dolphins, pelicans and loons) and several barges hauling jet fuel to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. We woke up this morning to 32 degrees in the cabin and 22 degrees outside. After a breakfast of hot oatmeal and coffee and waiting for the frost to melt off the dodger, we headed to our next stop at a marina in downtown Pensacola. From here we go out into the Gulf for the first time on a long sail (80 miles) to Pamama City. We hope weather will be warming soon.

Afloat

2009-01-18T09:25:00.004-06:00

Northern Light made it back into the water midday Tuesday. She still floats! We continued to do rigging and maintenance chores during the week while we waited for the arrival of our third crew member on Friday. As we have found in the past, there are always interesting people to spend time with while living aboard. We have met a young family of four from Arcadia Michigan that built a catamaran sailboat in their barn over the last 2 years; they launched last October and came down the river. From here they plan to start their circumnavigation the globe. We had evening cocktails several times with a couple from Indianapolis who recently retired and also were on their way around the world. We had dinner last night at the nearby Mobile Yacht Club with Clint who we had met last October aboard his trawler on the Mississippi. He’s on his way to Galveston to help out with the hurricane reconstruction. Good luck to all of them.
We picked up Gary Gaudreau at the Pensacola airport Friday morning; he came from 7 degree temps in Michigan to the balmy 20 degree nights here in Mobile. But days here have been very pleasant with clear skies, lots of sunshine and temps in the mid 50’s to low 60’s. We were planning to sail out of Mobile Saturday but a failed depth sounder altered our schedule. The plan now is to install the new depth transducer Monday then head out Tuesday A.M. We are hoping to get to the Tampa FL area in about 5 travel days plus any down time for weather or sightseeing.
We send our sincerest condolences to our friend and family back in Michigan’s deep freeze. Wish you were here! Finally if anyone sees Kathy Mills tell her we finished her fabulous cookies and and she can send some more to general delivery at the Panama City marina.
Peace….

Back in Bama!

2009-01-12T20:35:00.003-06:00

We are back in Mobile, Alabama. Brad and I drove down on January 8th & 9th, stopped overnight in Nashville. Good drive and good weather after leaving snow and cold in Michigan & Ohio. Arrived in Mobile late afternoon on Friday and went straight to the marina and Northern Light. Worked hard all weekend getting the boat ship shape and ready for launch. We had to sand the bottom for new salt water bottom paint, apply bottom paint, wax the hull, varnish the teak and check all boat systems.
We moved from our hotel to the boat on Sunday and it is nice to be back on board even though it is like living in a tree house since it is still on jack stands in the boat yard and it is a long ladder climb to get aboard. We don't have heat or water but it is still very comfortable on the boat.
Today we were able to finish all prep work for launch tomorrow. Northern Light is ready and looking good!!

Summary of 1st Leg of Trip

2008-10-30T09:20:00.002-05:00

Sharing some interesting facts of our last 50 days aboard Northern Light on the 1st Leg of the Great American Loop adventure.
Distance traveled - 1657 Statute Miles
Elevation traveled - Down 651 Feet
Locks completed - 24 Locks
Rivers/Waterways - 9 Rivers or Waterways traveled
Time traveled - 225 Engine Hours, 50 days

On our way home to be with our family & friends over the holidays.

Hope you enjoyed our blog and sharing our adventure. We hope to continue in January and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
See you in 2009.

Northern Light on the Hard!

2008-10-29T12:30:00.006-05:00

Last few days has been a lot of hard work getting Northern Light ready for storage for the next 2 months. We topped off the fuel tank and had a much needed pump out. Mast stepping was at 9:30am, took awhile to complete rigging & tuning then haul out at 11:30am and Northern Light is now on the hard until January when we continue trip South to Florida.

Mobile by water

2008-10-25T14:03:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting a post to you, but we've been pushing through the Black Warrior Waterway, but now we are back to civilization.

Mobile has been our initial target as we complete the first leg of the Northern Light 2008-2009 Loop. We crossed the 00 landmark around 3:30 PM and docked at Turner around 5:30 PM. We were excited about reaching this goal, and salutes, high 5's and congratulations over the phone from our wives. More than 1650 miles from Northern Michigan to Mobile.

You will see from the photos that the size boat has changed dramatically when looking at giant international based freighters competing for the same space as our 40 ft sailboat. The other boat is a shrimp boat, and Mobile lies in the distance.

The Yacht Club is a short walk for dinner, but we had a celebratory vodka and tonic on the boat. We earned it!

Bill

The Black Warrior River!

2008-10-25T13:40:00.004-05:00

We have been off the grid for a few days (since we left Demopolis). No internet, no cell phone and no radio except for country. We started down the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway on Tuesday (10/21/08) at MM 217. The river winds through some pretty isolated wilderness areas with a lot of Snowy Egrets and Blue Herons constantly fishing (they sure have a great appetite and do very well catching fish). This river is natural and has many sharp and winding turns which presents a few challenges, when encountering a large tow from the opposite direction there is barely enough room to pass so you have to stay in contact with them during the turn.
This waterway is much older than its more famous cousin the Tenn-Tom Waterway. Between 1888 and 1915 a total of 17 locks and dams were built on this waterway to make it navigable. South of MM 217 (where we entered) the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers join at MM 45 to form the Mobile River, which will take us to our destination, Mobile, AL. Originally there were four locks on this 217 mile stretch. Two taller locks eventually replaced these four and this is what we traveled thru the last 3 days. We are now at sea level after going down another 74 feet and are now in salt water and have a new thing to contend with, tides and aligators. Both the change in current and water depth are new to us Great Lakes sailors.
We have stayed at some great anchorages on this part of the trip and it is nice to be in our home stretch ahead of schedule. We are looking forward to being home with our loved ones for the holidays!

Demopolis, AL

2008-10-19T20:29:00.004-05:00

After four days"off the grid" we pulled into a marina today in Demopolis, AL, out of water, food and ice and ready to touch some terra firma . This is the last marina on the river until we get to Mobile in around 250 miles. It is the last chance for fuel, water, food and a hot shower for the next four days. The Demopolis Yacht Basin is located on the Black Warrior River, the last river we will forge on our trip to the Gulf of Mexico.
A little tid bit about Demopolis. Demopolis was settled by a group of political exiles who had been banished from France by King Louis XVIII in 1817. The U.S. Congress granted them four adjoining townships on the Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers. Many of the refugees who were from aristocratic families died of fevers and other diseases after the vine and olive crops that they brought from France failed. So far we have not encountered any French Aristocrats around the docks.
The attached picture shows some of the white cliffs we passed on the last section of the Tombigbee River today.

Tourist Time

2008-10-18T19:47:00.001-05:00

Saturday, October 18 we weigh anchor around 7:00 AM leaving an excellent anchorage near Columbus, MS. We are greeted by a chilly morning with some fog and plant growth on the surface that can tangle in the prop.
I'm still chuckling about our return to the boat last night. We returned about dusk from our very first Southern bar-b-que and walk around town. Two young girls were on the railroad bridge waving to us with some chatter, which we returned and thought nothing more of it as we prepared the boat and ourselves for bed. Our nightly ritual includes a pee off the side of the boat and apparently the girls were still there and found the event humorous and had some laughs and animated discussion... whatever that means.
So today was a tourist kind of day for us because by noon we were at the Tom Bevill lock and dam and we spent some time at the visitors center, a large 4 story Greek revival house. We also toured a US Snagboat, the Montgomery. aThis stern wheeler was one of the last steam powered snag ships in the US and was used primarily to clean river bottoms, snagging trees, sunken logs and other debris that would obstruct a river. The house was circa 1830-1860, a period of growth and prosperity for the Tombigbee Valley.
We anchored out again, this time at Cook's Bend cutoff, a beautiful star lit night, but cold.
I have mentioned the Tombigbee River, etc. The name is a blending of usage and custom for this area. It has roots in Choctaw Indian language and French pronunciation, finished-off with some Southern drawl.

Old Possum Town!

2008-10-17T19:17:00.000-05:00

That was the original name of this town (Columbus, MS) in 1817.

Another productive day on the Tenn-Tom. We went through another 4 locks today (down 102 feet) now at 136 feet above sea Level and we traveled another 47 miles south. We found a great anchorage on the old part of the Tombigbee River near Columbus, MS and took a short dingy ride to the city. Enjoyed a walking tour of some of the old Southern homes where Tennessee Williams lived as a young boy. Columbus is also home to one of the nation’s busiest Air Force bases that currently trains over one third of all new US Air Force pilots. Columbus Air Force Base as measured by number of takeoffs & landings ranks right up there with Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield. We saw a lot of these training jets flying around all day.

After our walk we enjoyed some traditional Mississippi BBQ and cold beer at Little Dooley’s.

back downstream

2008-10-16T19:34:00.001-05:00

We left Pickwick Lake and entered the Tenn-Tom Waterway early this morning. We passed through 4 locks , traveled 74 miles and anchored near Smithville, MS right at sunset. It was nice to be traveling downstream again. For the last ten days, ever since we left the Mississippi River, we have been going against a current of ½ to 2 knots. Now we go with the current until we get about 100 miles above Mobile where tidal waters start to have some affect.
The single largest drop we had today was 84 feet at The Jamie Whitten Lock where the descent took about 20 minutes. The combined vertical drop for the four locks we passed through today was 174 feet. We are now at 245’ above sea level. In one of the photo’s on the blog you can see Jay tending the floating bollard at the lock. We tie up to the bollard when we enter the lock and it holds us in place as the water level goes down.

the Ole swimming hole

2008-10-15T20:22:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 and we are at Grand Harbor Marina, Counce, TN. Jay, designated Galley Guy for today awoke early and drove to the store so he could prepare pancakes for us. You know, micro wave pancakes are not bad. We really did enjoy the diversity this A.M.
The ignition switch has been giving us some concern lately, and we only missed getting into a lock by a few seconds, so Brad called a mechanic who really didn’t fix the problem but did give us the confidence to continue our venture to Mobile.
Our first challenge tomorrow will be to enter the Tenn-Tom waterway.
Construction began in 1972. It took numerous public hearings to over come President Carter’s proposal to stop all waterway construction. The waterway was completed in 1985 after spending two billion dollars, but it was completed ahead of schedule. The waterway shortened the trip for vessels by 720 miles from Pensacola, FL to Chattanooga, TN. At its peak, the Tenn-Tom provided employment for over 5,000 people. The waterway begins at Pickwick Lake and allows a vessel to lock down 341’ over the distance of 450 miles. We will be “descending” for the rest of our trip to Mobile.
The swim shot is a frequent afternoon activity for us while anchored.

Starting on the Tenn-Tom

2008-10-14T20:27:00.007-05:00

This morning we traveled down the last 20 miles of the Tennessee River and through the Pickwick Lock and Dam (went up 55’) with good friends from Bay City, Michigan, Brad & Frank on sailboat Evergreen and into Pickwick Lake then to the Yellow Creek, the start of the famous Tenn-Tom Waterway (Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway). We are now at 341 feet above sea level and will be going through 12 locks that will take us down to sea level between here and Mobile (about 450 miles away).

We enjoyed the change of terrain when we entered Pickwick Lake. High bluffs with beautiful homes at the top of the ridges on the lakeshore and deep water. This looks like a great sailing lake. We stopped for our overnight at Grand Harbor Marina, located at the 3 corners of Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama borders. It is a beautiful new marina with very friendly staff, especially Chip Lucas the Harbor Master who helped us with a lot of good tips about the area and the river. We finally found the book (The Tenn-Tom Nitty-Gritty Cruise Guide) we have been looking for several days here at the marina. In fact Chip introduced us to the author Fred Myers who lives here aboard his fine boat ”Liberty Belle”. After hot showers we had a great seafood dinner at Freddy T’s nearby.

Shiloh National Military Park

2008-10-13T19:38:00.005-05:00

We made it a short trip today. After leaving Swallow Bluff Island around 7:00 we arrived at another anchorage behind Diamond Island shortly before noon. The island is just past Savannah, KY. We stopped here because we wanted to tour the site of the Shiloh Church Civil War battle at Pittsburg Landing. There were 23,000 casualties in this battle for control of the southern railroads when 40,000 union troops led by General’s Ulysses Grant, D. Buell and Sherman fought 44,000 troops under the command of General’s Johnston and Beauregard.
The Shiloh National Military Park has an 8 1/2 miles of battlefield tour route, a visitor center and bookstore as well as a National Cemetery. It required a 30 minute dinghy ride followed by a 45 minute hike to get there, but it was worth it. The Park is a fitting monument to the thousands of soldiers that lost their lives here.
After our tour we returned to the boat for a swim .and another. The weather has been great, mostly sunny and temps in the high 70’s and low 80’s. Later it was another gourmet meal in the cockpit while listening to nearby hoot owls.

So long for now……

Moon River

2008-10-12T19:31:00.001-05:00

We planned an 8:00 AM departure from our marina at Cuba Landing, but our cook was a “no show” so it was back to cold cereal and juice on the run. And, that’s OK because we had lots of river to cover to reach Swallow Bluff Island and anchor out. Jay is getting very good at salmon on the grill and that was the dinner tonight on the boat.
We also caught up on grocery shopping and cleaning the boat. These marinas like to charge $1 per foot each night, and that is really a bargain we think . They provide shore power, a courtesy van, computer access and showers, water, etc. Plus, we enjoy talking with the other “loopers”.
We made our planned anchor site around 4:00 PM but it’s too cool and overcast to interest us today. We’re really making good time going mostly South or SSE and we plan to spend some down time tomorrow when we visit Shiloh.
The only other news from the boat is that I’m being sent back to knot school to learn how to do these knots faster and correctly. I have problems with the clove hitch and Brad and Jay are getting tired of redoing my knots, so my objective is to learn how to do the Bowline and also get better at the slipped clove hitch for the fenders. Those of you with a Scouting background will remember learning to do the bowline, but it has been many years for this old Scout.
While sitting on the boat tonight, Brad remarked, “We want to stay ahead of fall.” Seeing the colors turn on the river reminds that winter is on its way, and we’re not quite ready.

Tennessee River

2008-10-11T19:56:00.003-05:00

After spending 2 beautiful days on Kentucky Lake at spectacular anchorages, it is time to continue our trek south. Weather has been perfect (sunshine & temp in the 80’s) and swimming off the back of Northern Light has been refreshing.
We are now on the River again and taking our time heading south. Today was another pretty day on the Tennessee. We saw a lot of fisherman mostly in fast bass boats going from one spot to another in their pursuit of the “big one”. We encountered a few tow barges and actually passed a few on the #1 whistle. The scenery along the river is just beautiful, many trees, rock ledges, little islands and a lot of birds heading south like us. The white pelicans are the most interesting and we have seen very many of them. We are spending the night a Cuba Landing Marina near Sugar Tree, TN (about 75 miles SW of Nashville). It is a small quaint marina with all the facilities we need.
Tomorrow morning we will continue our journey south.

Hello Tennessee

2008-10-10T19:40:00.009-05:00

We left our anchorage at Pacer Point on the west side of Kentucky Lake just south of Aurora, KY, shortly after sunrise. We motored south on the Tennessee River toward an undetermined anchorage for tonight. By late morning we crossed the state line from Kentucky into Tenessee, we'll soon be off this part of the river they call Kentucky Lake.

Kentucky Dam was originally built to control floodwaters in the region. The 160,000 acre lake that was created as a byproduct of the process is a tremendous recreational asset to the area. There are countless miles of hiking trails, camp grounds and boating and fishing sites. In addition the lake serves as a reservoir for a major hydroelectric generator.

In the afternoon we found a great anchorage in Richardson Creek on the “Land between the Lakes” side of Kentucky Lake. There is no town nearby to identify our location; we are approximately 60 mile west of Nashville.

Rather than put another sunset picture on the blog, I decided to post a picture of the three of us. It has been awhile since our families have seen us and I don’t want them to forget what their loving husbands/fathers/sons look like.

Our fondest thoughts to all.

Three retired guys and their dinghy

2008-10-09T21:29:00.002-05:00

Off at 9:30 AM after Capt’n Brad cooked us eggs and sausage on the boat. This is a big treat for us - to get away from cold cereal and tomato juice for a day. We’re going to explore Kentucky Lake and anchor out some where along the way. Our plan today will allow us some free time on the boat and with the 80 degree temperatures and full sun, we are ready to jump off the boat’s swim platform. It’s a beautiful early fall day, so in the PM we hop in the dingy and explore a Scout camp and Murray State has a biological research center near Kenlake State Park. The fishing is good in this little inlet also, as we watched this woman and her dog fish for hours. She told us they were biting.
We have met some very interesting people along our travel path and one couple from Canada has invited us to join them for their Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday. Pat, a grocer by trade, built his own 38 foot sailboat, and he is not an experienced sailor or a craftsman.
Jay had galley duty tonight and cooked fish with sautéed vegetables… very tasty with cookies for dessert. My turn tomorrow and dinner will be chicken and corn on the cob. None of us is losing weight on this trip and we each eagerly await “home cooking”, but we do OK and surprise each other with our limited culinary skills.
Tomorrow we will once again head South to Harmon Creek, about 43 miles and 6 hours at 7 knots. And finally,we really appreciated the swimming off the boat and look forward to showers off of it. The photo is of us swimming at Pacer Point.
Bill

Land Between the Lakes

2008-10-08T20:57:00.011-05:00

Thanks to the TVA, the Kentucky Dam was built in 1938-1944 to form a beautiful lake on the upper Tennessee River. The dam is the longest dam (8,422 feet) on the Tennessee River and a major generating plant in the TVA system (199 megawatts). The reservoir behind the dam is 184 miles long, the largest artificial lake in the eastern United States.

We arrived at the Kentucky Lakes Recreation area from the North a few days ago. We are enjoying our time at present location of Green Turtle Bay Marina, near the historic town of Grand Rivers, KY. It is a beautiful place and a favorite of many veteran Loopers. A lot of our Looper friends that we have met on the way are also here at the marina. This is a photo of Pat & Lynn from Ontario, Canada that we have been traveling with. Check their web site (Adamant1.ca) it is quite interesting.

Kentucky Lakes Recreation area consists of 2 major lakes, Lake Barkley to the east and Kentucky Lake to the west. Both are about 35 miles long and 2 miles wide separated by a land mass in between called appropriately “Land between the Lakes”. There are many parks, hiking trails and small marinas throughout the area. The next few days we will be exploring the Kentucky Lake/Tennessee River at anchor and at a few select marinas on our trip south.

Lake Barkley,KY

2008-10-07T20:50:00.001-05:00

Monday afternoon we arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina on Lake Barkley in Grand Rivers, KY. This is the first full service marina we have been to in five days. Needless to say we and the boat were way overdue for a good cleanup. This location is like an outpost for loopers. There have been no marinas on the Cumberland or Ohio Rivers as well as the last portion of the Mississippi so gas tanks and refrigerators/coolers are empty and dirty laundry bags are full. Everyone is glad to be here and in no hurry to leave.
Tuesday was a rainy day here so it was a perfect time to focus on boat clean up. We spent the day doing laundry, cleaning the boat inside and out, getting an oil change and shopping for groceries. We also restocked alcoholic libations; it seems the next 450 miles of the trip are through dry counties.
We have enjoyed the company of the other dozen or so looper boats during our stay here. They are from the USA, Canada and Europe and they all have interesting stories to convey.Some are doing the trip in nine months, others two years and some are travelling for an even greater undetermined length of time.

Kentucky Lakes or bust

2008-10-06T19:51:00.000-05:00

We weighed anchor with 3 other boats in a diamond configuration which helped us get underway quickly this A.M. at 7. We went to the lock quickly and this is our first lock where we went up with the water. This lock was built in 1929 and it was quite small considering the huge dam adjacent to it.
En route we chose the Cumberland River because we thought it would be faster for us to get to KY Lakes, and we were right – a beautiful, winding river with little barge traffic. We didn’t keep much of an increase in speed, but no delays and we can easily spend 45 minutes going through a lock and that’s without their forced delays.
Water level also affects how fast we can travel. The Des Plaines and Illinois rivers were very high, the Mississippi was right and the Ohio and Cumberland were low. Also turbulent water causes us to make more turns to avoid hitting stream debris. But we are excited because we will make Turtle Bay by dinner time tonight.
Our last challenge before we get there is Barkley Lock and Dam where we go up 57 feet. For dinner we went to Patti's for pork chops and peach pie. The photo is of the Cumberland River.

Halfway to Mobile!

2008-10-05T20:34:00.001-05:00

Today we left a great anchorage near Cape Girardeau, MO early at 7:15am since there was no fog. Traveled down the last 48 miles of the Mississippi and made the BIG left hand turn up the Ohio River. Going up stream slowed us down a bit but we still made good time to our anchor 5 miles West of Paducah, KY on the river but off the channel near the long I-24 highway bridge. It was a good day, clear and warm with a light SE breeze. We have now reached the half way point to Mobile, AL our destination for the first leg of the Loop.

Hazy Daze

2008-10-04T21:04:00.002-05:00

We were hoping for a sunrise start but once again the river had other plans for us. At 7:00 am the fog was so thick we couldn’t see either shore from our anchorage. The fog lifted around 9:30, the anchor weighed and we were underway.
Today was the busiest day we’ve had for commercial traffic, a single tug pushing up to 20 barges. Each barge being 35 feet wide by 195 feet long. They looked like they were moving two city blocks. They stir up a wake that would warrant small craft warnings on the lakes.
Mid afternoon we arrived at an anchorage just south of Cape Girardeau, MO. The anchorage was at the entrance of Little River Diversion Channel. After dinner we baked a cherry pie and shared it with a Canadian couple from one of the 9 other boats anchored here.
Tomorrow we should be heading upstream on the Ohio River on our way to the Cumberland River and then Kentucky Lake.
Peace to all.

Three retired beach bums

2008-10-03T19:51:00.007-05:00

Our Hoppies departure was not as early as planned (7:00 AM) today because of morning fog. At Hoppies it's sort of a boating free-for-all until each boat wanting to dock is finally tied up to the improvised long dock. The bath facilities leave much to be desired, but Fern Hopkins is a local legend on the river and she gave us all assembled a great update on conditions of the river and changes that we should be aware of. What a character!
With no locks and favorable currents we made great time today and anchored out at 1:30 PM at Rockwood Island, near Chester, IL. Since we had some extra time before dinner, we got the dingy down and went exploring. Rockwood Island has a great sand beach and we took lots of photos. Steaks and salad for dinner tonight thanks to Galley Guy Jay..... my turn tomorrow to cook and clean-up.
The photo is of Northern Light with Jay and me. Background is Rockwood Island.

Bill

Hello Saint Louis - The Big Arch!

2008-10-02T20:23:00.007-05:00

We got an early start again today at 7:15am on our way down the Mississippi River. Only two locks today on the river, the Mel Price Lock and the Chain of Rocks Lock, both went well and we locked down all together with 8 other Loopers. We passed by the big Arch about noon. The view was spectacular from the water and we wanted to share it with all of you.
We made it to our destination at “Hoppies” at Kimmswick, MO (About 20 miles SW of St Louis) about 3:30pm and had a river discussion with Fern Hopkins and the other Loopers to learn the current river conditions and suggestions for good places to anchor on our way to Green Turtle Bay Marina and Kentucky Lakes.

Ole Man River

2008-10-01T19:38:00.010-05:00

Left a great anchorage on the river south of Beardstown IL, early this morning after a very peaceful evening. No moon last night so the stars were brilliant.

By mid morning we passed the westernmost portion of our trip on the river , just south of Naples IL, longitude 90'38.78" W for you nautical types. As soon as we turned south the sun came out and it felt much warmer. A couple of hours later we passed a large flock of white pelicans....no kidden !

At the end of the day we arrived in Grafton IL at the Grafton Harbor Marina, after completing our longest distance day of the trip so far, 86 miles. A 2.5 mph down bound current sure helped. Grafton IL , another town explored by Pere Marquette, is at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. From our dock we can see both rivers rushing by.

Had a fabulous dinner at a local Cajun joint and enjoyed hard cider with our beans and rice. I think we are in the South.

River progress

2008-09-30T19:35:00.002-05:00

The Dow is up 485 today and we too are "pumped-up" to travel the IL Water Way. We departed before 8:00 AM and made anchor at 4:30 PM. Jay has galley duty today, so we had cereal for breakfast, Susan's wonderful chicken soup for lunch and some great salmon on the grill for dinner. Cookies later for a treat ( thanks, Mary)
We have really eaten great on this trip and simple foods combined with portion control have made it work. We also have enjoyed fewer delays, like at the locks. Main reason for the delays you might ask????? Some substantial delays at the locks as tug boats push their barges up the river. You see, commercial traffic gets to go first thru the locks. These river boats can push 15 barges up or down the rivers and you really need to try not to "piss them off" since they truly do "rule the roost".

"This is what we came here for," said Capt'n Brad. The reference, of course, was to our non stop, 9 hour, wind assisted 69.3 mile miles on the IL Waterway today. Progress is now part of our objective for each day.

Some other challenges and excitement today would include: Coming to the Peoria dam and Lock. They were totally flooded and we motored over the top of them both. How about facing-off against a tugboat coming North, we are going South, and we have to call him and ask for directions as as we prepare to pass. Oh, also, the guy speaks with a Southern drawl that no-one in our boat can understand and he uses codes like, "whistle 1". So, Jay needs to call this guy to confirm and they are busy people who are not really interested in talking to Northerners from Wisconsin.

So, we are anchoring tonight with a beautiful sunset and I snapped this quick photo which doesn't do justice to the richness of the colors and the cool quiet night we have here in Beardstown, IL. Tomorrow will be "the mighty Mississippi".

Bill
'

The River is Open - Finally!

2008-09-29T19:39:00.006-05:00

We received great news from the US Coast Guard today. They have opened the entire Illinois River for recreational boat traffic all the way to the Mississippi. So we will be departing Peoria early tomorrow morning. We have full fuel tank, water tank and all the provisions we need for a few days on the river. We picked out a few good anchor spots down river so we will probably be out of touch for a few days without internet & cell phone service.
We enjoyed a great dinner in the cockpit of Northern Light this evening of Susie's famous goulash (from Mackinaw Race days) and fresh baked muffins. Thanks Susie! Captain Brad did a great job of preparing that excellent dinner for his crew. Thanks Brad!
Our stay in Peoria was brief, but we enjoyed every minute of our time in this beautiful city and also EastPort Marina.

This was our view of the city skyline from the boat, priceless!

Back on the River

2008-09-28T15:25:00.006-05:00

Friday afternoon we drove from Charlevoix back To Ottawa IL and reboarded the boat at Heritage Harbor Marina. Most of the loopers that were at Heritage Harbor last weekend had left there that same day. We anxiously left the marina Saturday morning hoping to reunite with some of our new found friends somewhere down the river.. After waiting 4 hours to lock through at the Starved Rock Lock we were able to travel the rest of the day till nearly sunset. We found a anchorage in an abandoned rock quarry near Henry,IL and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Sunday morning we motored down to Peoria and we were able to get a dock at EastPort Marina just across the river from downtown Peoria. We were fortunate to get a dock here, there are none available downriver from here. The marina is located at mile marker 164 and the river is still closed at mile marker 101 per today's Coast Guard bulletin . It looks like we'll go down as far as we can tomorrow and anchor somewhere until they open up the next section of the river.

Shore Leave

2008-09-24T15:11:00.002-05:00

Captain Brad gave his crew a week's shore leave due to the barge and boat traffic backup on the IL River. After we scrubbed and cleaned up Northern Light (that's our boat) to remove the scum accumulated by dodging logs, trees, and other stream obstacles, the six hour drive to Charlevoix passed quickly. So, our first week of "looping" has been slow, hot and muddy on a smelly river. However, our adventure will improve and we expect to actually enjoy mother nature this fall.

A River Break

2008-09-20T20:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we were able to pass through 3 locks, but once again we were forced to stop due flooding on the river by mid afternoon. The Starved Rock lock is closed for an undetermined lenght of time. We were fortunate to get one of the last docks available for sailboats at Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa IL. We are here with around 15 other loopers waiting to head dowriver. The marina that just opened this season, couldn't be more accommodating for us all. The water level here is now about 6 feet above normal, a couple of days ago they were 15 feet above normal. Needless to say they have a lot of cleanup to deal with. We've started to realize that we need to let some time pass before we proceed downriver, even if we could . Each day that we are able to travel we arrive somewhere that is just starting to clean up from the flood waters. It's amazing how long the water remains a problem for people along the rivers. The rains were over a week ago yet some areas are just now seeing the crest of the flood waters. They announced on the local news today that the Des Plaines and Mississippi Rivers are closed and " any recreational boats on the rivers will be ticketed and their trip terminated" .

So with that news we've decided to rent a car and drive home for a week. Hopefully that will be enough time for things to get back to normal on the River.

On a positive note ,I must say that with all this down time we have been able to develop some new skills. Meals are the highlight of the day and an opportunity for each of us to display his culinary skills, or lack thereof. Not to worry Susan, Linda and Mary we are not losing our appreciation for your home cooking.

We'll post again when we get back on the boat, our best to all.

Four nights in Joliet, IL

2008-09-18T17:12:00.006-05:00

Hey, they finally let me on the official blogspot as an "author". And I'm delighted to once again have the computer in my lap. Ellie took me down to Joliet mid-day on the 16th but we are planning a departure tomorrow AM to get underway again. We really do a lot of walking when we're confined to the port and at the dock (here it's a wall).

We ran into the Blues Bros yesterday and couldn't miss the photo opportunity. Joliet is a quiet little city known for its prison and has a lot of new buildings to support city and county (Will Co) functions. Vince Gill is in town tonight, but neither Brad nor Jay have heard of him and I don't think that it's worth $65 for a ticket.

With the many boats tied up along with us on the wall, we truly have an international community - the UK is represented along with a French family, German and some Michiganders all who will be pushing toward the first lock with us, probably tomorrow AM, my 66th B'day.

Joliet

2008-09-18T15:41:00.003-05:00

Well, it's now our third day tied up to the wall in Joliet, IL. There were 2 boats when we arrived, there are now 9. One boat is a family of 5 from France, another is a couple from London. We are all waiting for the Marseilles Lock near Ottawa to open up. It's still closed as a result of flood water from last Saturday.

We are becoming quite the experts on Route 66 and the Blue's Brothers, both favorite topics around Joliet. Hope we can leave tomorrow but the lock masters are not making any commitment. Love to all.

Going with the Flow-Down River + Our First Locks

2008-09-16T19:42:00.006-05:00

We finally left the big city of Chicago and had a beautiful trip down the river. Made it all the way to Joliet where Bill joined the crew this afternoon. It is great to have him aboard. The river is still at flood stage so the current is very swift and has lots of debris floating as a hazard. It was exciting going through our first locks. Very little barge or other boat traffic so our trip was quick. We left Crowley Yacht Yard at 7am and arrived at Joliet about 1pm. Many thanks to the staff & crew at Crowleys. Appreciate all your help and advice. A great day on the river!

The Windy/Rainy City

2008-09-14T20:16:00.008-05:00

Susan and I arrived at Crowleys Yacht Yard on the Calumet River Friday morning to remove the mast, ( in the rain). The yard did a great job and the spar was down by noon. Jay got here mid-afternoon after driving from Charlevoix,(in the rain). Jay and I spent the day and part of the night Saturday packaging the mast,boom and rigging in preparation for shipping to Mobile, AL ( in the rain). As it turned out, Saturday's rainfall was an all time record for a single day in Chicago, over 7 inches.
Sunday the rivers were over flood stage and the locks were closed to traffic. The rivers are now in "reverse flow" meaning they flow into Lake Michigan as opposed to into the Mississippi as they have since the locks were built in the 60's. Glad we're on a boat ! This has been our second delay in 10 days due to remnants of hurricanes, this one is compliments of hurricane Ike.
Susan heads home tomorrow morning, Jay and I will wait for the locks to open and head out as soon as possible after they do. Bill plans on joining us Tuesday evening wherever we are.

The Windy City

2008-09-11T20:53:00.005-05:00

Wednesday was a great day to cross the lake. We left South Haven before sunrise, got into Chicago mid-afternoon after sailing almost the entire 80 miles.It was pretty exciting when the Chicago skyline came into view still 30 miles away.

What a view of downtown Chicago from DuSable Harbor, just across the river from Navy Pier. Friday we head for the Calumet River to have the mast removed. After that we enter the river system.

Susan's entry, day 5

2008-09-09T19:06:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhhh. Nothing like percolated coffee. My new morning mantra, "bap, bap, bap, bap, BAP, bap ..." We left Grand Haven (been there done that) at 7:45am. We arrived in South Haven at 2:30pm, a port I would gladly return to. Although the seas were rough, it was only a half of Dramamine day. Tomorrow we hope to cross Lake Michigan but as always, "It depends on the weather." ... a saying a planner like me hates to hear.