Leaving the Great Lakes Behind

September 17,2017

I must admit that I was pretty happy to enter the Chicago Lock. As pretty as the Great Lakes were, as nice as all the people I met were, and as good as so many of the dinners were the Great Lakes left me traumatized. Entering the smooth, protected waters of the river system gave me a good feeling.

I passed under the Lake Shore Drive bridge and into the Chicago Sanitary and Barge Canal. Every bit as romantic as it sounds. I headed to Joliet, IL.
Yes, the lakes were done, but the rivers presented new challenges. The canal out of Chicago is really congested with traffic/ It is narrow and heavily industrialized. On more than one occasion, I had to dodge around a tow. It was interesting.
I had a 37 mile run to Joliet. Amazing how many miles can be run with the current pushing you along.
Joliet has a free city wall that loopers can tie up to. I was fortunate that there were other loopers already tied on to the wall because it was so tall that I couldn't have tied up without help. And, it's not just a free wall, they also provide electricity. Nice! I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of nights, but I wound up staying 3 nights.
I found a really great restaurant for breakfast in town. I indulged myself twice. I highly recommend the Route 66 Diner in downtown Joliet.

Chicago!

September 14, 2017

In the two days I spent there, I got a lot done in Portage, IN. But, I was really excited to be getting to Chicago. I was even more excited to be finished with the Great Lakes. Pretty as they are, they treated me poorly. And... they weren't done with me, either.
I got an early start and was underway on calm waters. But, true to form, by the afternoon the wind had picked up and the waves were tossing me around.
I had called ahead and reserved a spot at DuSable Harbor. As I was approaching, I tried to call them on the radio. I also tried to call them on the phone. I got no answers. I managed to find my slip and tied myself in. I thought that I'd get a little more help for $100.00 a night. I found the office to let them know that I had arrived. I also mentioned that I didn't get any answers to my calls. The kid working in the office explained that the radios didn't work in the office. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking that for that kind of money they could get a better radio or a bigger antenna. Oh, well.
I had a shower and treated myself to a couple of beers at the café that was right on the river walk next to the marina.
While enjoying my beer, I asked to look at a menu. They advertised Mediterranean food. I finished my beer and took a long walk over toward Navy Pier. By the time I got back toward the boat, I was hungry. I decided to eat at the same little café. I had lentil soup, kufta on rice, and a nice salad. It was all delicious.
I found out that Monroe Harbor, right next to DuSable, only charges $1 a foot for a mooring ball. So, after breakfast, I moved the boat to Monroe. I'd never grabbed a mooring ball before, but it was fairly easy. I wound up staying on the mooring ball for two nights. The mooring field and DuSable are all run by the city of Chicago. The mooring field is serviced by a couple of tenders that will pick you up and drop you off pretty much on demand. You just have to call them on VHF channel 68. Easy and fun.
After I got moved to the mooring ball I hailed a tender and went out for breakfast. On the walk back I decided to do some grocery shopping. I Ubered back to the boat with my groceries. I then spent the afternoon walking around Navy Pier and having a few beers on the pier. The weather was gorgeous, so I enjoyed my little break.
Next day I did much the same thing, walked, ate, enjoyed. But, the day before I had noticed a big group of people on Segways. I decided to treat myself. I again walked to Navy Pier and found the kiosk that rented the Segways. I asked the young woman at the counter if I could take a Segway tour. She pulled out an appointment book and asked me what day I wanted to go. I responded that I wanted to go now! She said let me check with Matt. They wound up charging me $10.00 more than the regular tour for a private tour with Matt. It was great. I really had a good time learning to ride the Segway and then taking the hour tour.

Tomorrow we enter the river system!

On to Chicago

September 7 - 14, 2017
After all those days in Pentwater, I finally got to move on down the west coast of Michigan. My first stop was in Muskegon. That's the home of the submarine, USS Silversides. I got into the marina late, therefore I couldn't get a ride to the museum. I guess it's quite the thing. You can arrange to overnight on-board the WWII sub.
I fueled up when I arrived and the dockhand who helped me fill up directed me to the slip I'd be tied up in for the night. After I was secured into the slip, I asked him where the office was so I could pay for the slip. He said that I shouldn't worry about it as it was late in the season. So, I got a free night in a nice slip.

Big Red Lighthouse, Holland, MI

I headed out early the next morning bound for Lake Macatawa and Eldean Shipyard. Eldean's is a pretty big operation. I got tied in for the night and took an Uber to Walmart. I got my prescriptions renewed and took on some fresh food. The next morning, as I was checking out, I noticed that they had an end-of-season sale on long-sleeved T-shirts. It was cold, so I bought one. And, glad I did.
Next stop, South Haven. Big, confusing marina. I got lost trying to find where I was supposed to tie up. I had to pull into an empty slip and, while I left the motor running, ran to an office to determine where I was supposed to be. Turns out there is a north marina and a south marina. I was talking to south thinking it was north and trying to follow backwards directions. It took some doing but I finally got squared away and spend a pleasant evening. I had been eating aboard my boat for awhile, so I decided to treat myself to pizza and a couple of beers. That went so well that the next morning, I decided to treat myself to breakfast at Captain Nemo's. Great breakfast. Good way to start another long cruising day.

St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse

I headed out for St. Joe. Kind of a short day, only 21 miles. The weather was pretty nice, no wind. I pulled in to the fuel dock and topped off the tank. A whole bunch of people on the dock started asking a million questions about the boat, me, and the Great Loop. That's always fun. After fueling, I cruised over to my slip. There was only one person working, so I got no help pulling into the slip or tying up. It was a nice evening. I ate dinner on-board and had a pretty good night's sleep.
Continuing south, my next port of call was the New Buffalo Marina. Another confusing entry to the marina. I managed to find the wrong marina. I tied up and walked around and finally figured out that it was a condo marina. Got it figured out and I got tied into the right place. I had a nice shower in a nice facility and decided to go out to dinner. I walked to within 100 yards of the restaurant row near the marina only to hear screaming football fans. I turned around and had dinner on-board. No problem. I charted my next day's cruise and found that this was my last day in Michigan. Tomorrow, I'll be in Indiana.
I set out early for Portage, Indiana. Nice staff, nice facility. I needed to stay for a couple of days. I had to make another eye doctor appointment. I managed to find a retinal specialist in a nearby town. I had to get up early to take an Uber to the office. I decided to have a shower that first evening in Portage so I could save time in the morning. I walked up to the shower room and got nothing but cold water. I did the best I could and went to bed.
I did get up early and I got an Uber over to the office. Got my eyes taken care of and headed back to the marina. I stopped at Walmart on the way back.
When I got back to the marina, I complained about the shower and the woman running the place said that she'd give me one night free. She later wrote to me and said that the nearly 20 year-old boiler needed significant repairs.
So, two nights in Indiana and off to Chicago.

Continuing South

Having turned to corner, so to speak, at the Mackinac Bridge did a lot to cheer me up. Even though I got beaten up again crossing over to Beaver Island, a southerly heading made me feel good.
First stop for September was in Ludington. One of Ludington's claims to fame is a coal fired ferry boat, the SS Badger, that runs from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI a couple of times a day. You can smell the coal fire before you see the boat (I don't think that the EPA is happy). The couple on the boat next to me told me all about it.
They had invited me over for beers on their boat. And, we wound up walking into town for dinner. It's just amazing all the nice people that I've met on this trip.
After Ludington, I headed to Pentwater, MI. Soon after I tied in for the night, a gentleman stopped by my boat and asked if I was really doing the loop. I said yes and he invited me to come join a group of other loopers for "docktails" down at the other end of the marina. Fun group, one couple was from WV, over near Charleston. We talked and shared stories and drank.
I wound up having to stay in Pentwater for 5 days. The weather on the lake was terrible. One of the loopers went out on the third day and quickly turned around and re-docked. The waves, he said, were huge.
It turned out to be a good stop for five days. There is a grocery store in town. There is also a laundry. I took advantage of both There are also a couple of decent restaurants in town and I took advantage of them as well.
So, the 5 days turned out to be pretty productive, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was the waves and wind on the lake that kept us in, but it was the cold and rain that made it unpleasant. And, then this happened -

August Recap

My little boat in the nearly empty Rock & Dock Marina

I started August in Grand River, Ohio and finished the month in Frankfort, Michigan. Visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of fame was definitely one of the high spots of the journey. Those two days on Huron (breaking the mast and crossing Saginaw Bay) were some pretty low spots. "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger." ~ Nietzsche

Fifth month cruising:
Cruised - 566.76 nautical miles
Burned - 79.24 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $251.61 (avg 3.175 per gal)
Marina Nights - 31
Anchor Out - 0
Free Docks - 0
Total Miles Traveled - 3,704.83

Onward to Leland and Frankfort

Leland Harbor Light

August 29-31, 2017
The weather cooperated for a couple of days, so I was able to move on down the west coast of Michigan. I hopped over to Leland. Nice little town. A little touristy, lots of T-shirt shops and adventure outfitter kinds of places. There is an historic area, Fishtown. Back in the olde days, it's where fishermen dried their nets, sold their catches, and generally took care of business.
I walked around a bit, did a little grocery shopping, and generally goofed off for the day.
As I crossed the parking lot headed back to the boat, I spotted a wallet laying open in the parking lot. I brought it back to the marina and the harbor master said that he knew the guy who lost it.
Another quiet night at another great Michigan harbor. I left early en route to Frankfort.
And, another 5 hour straight line kind of day. Not much to report. I got into Frankfort and tied in for the night.
The harbor master told me that there were a couple of good restaurants in town. One of them is a brew pub. That had my attention. I walked up into town, with a couple of other loopers, and found Stormcloud Brewing. I had an interesting hopped stout with a nice salad.
Walking back to the boat, I passed a restaurant named Dinghy's. I thought I'll try that tomorrow night if the weather continues to be bad. And, so it did.
The winds continued to toss the lake so, I stayed for a second night. It gave me the opportunity to get some laundry done. I also took a long walk around town and hit an ATM. It's a beautiful, quiet little town.

Frankfort Light built in 1912

I did go to Dinghy's for dinner. Let me rave about that for awhile. I had an unbelievably good deep-fried walleye served with an equally good coleslaw. I opted for the extra price sweet potato fries. The fries were the crispiest sweet potato fries I've ever had. They were served with an aioli. I can't say enough about how good this dinner was. And to top it off, they had a New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
That was the end of my fifth month on the loop.

Charlevoix

August 28, 2017
The crossing from Beaver Island to Charlevoix was a little bumpier than expected, but not as bad as the day before.
Charlevoix is a beautiful town and the marina there is first class. I got tied in a registered. I got the directions for the showers and men's room. The office staff also mentioned a grocery store within walking distance, so I got a refill of supplies.
I was walking back to the boat when I spotted a platinum AGLCA flag. I think I've said this before, but white flag is on the loop, gold flag is completed loop, platinum flag is two or more completed loops. The couple on the boat flying the flag invited me on-board for a drink. We talked about looping and boats and Charlevoix. They mentioned that they had had dinner at The East Park Tavern. Good steak! I had been craving a steak, so when we parted company, I walked the short way into town and treated myself to a ribeye steak. I also had a couple of All Day IPAs.
For late August, the weather was pretty cold and rainy. I stopped at a little shop and bought a lined, nylon jacket, close-out price twenty bucks.
The same couple invited me back for after dinner drinks on their boat. We spent a pleasant evening drinking whiskey and talking about our lives.

Cross to Beaver Island

August 27, 2017
On the 26th, I visited with my friends Gary and Sally. One of the sights we saw was the Mackinac Bridge. It is nearly 5 miles in length and is often referred to a Big Mac. Here is a picture of Sally and me with the bridge in the background.
On the 27th, with a full load of fuel and water, I headed out for Beaver Island. Not long after casting off, I passed under the giant suspension bridge.
It was to be a 40 mile run under pretty bad conditions. I was, again, being tossed around like a cork at a pool party. I was being thrashed so bad that at one point the dinghy came loose. It had uncoupled the bar that it was tied to and was hanging off of the end of the boat. The only thing to do was to go to idle speed and untie and unwrap the knots that the wave had made to my lines. It took me about 30 minutes (5 under calm conditions) to get the dinghy lashed back down.
I finally made it to Beaver Island. Nice marina, captain's lounge, WiFi, good showers. I was told that there was a really nice Irish Bar in town, The Shamrock.
So, I got all showered and dressed and as soon as I started to walk into town, the skies opened up. It poured all night. So, it was another can of chili night on the boat.
The weather forecast indicated high winds and high waves for the following day, so I figured that I'd get another shot the next day.
The weather, of course, fools me everyday. When I got up in the morning, the skies were cloudy, but there was little wind and not much in the way of waves.
There were two decisions to be made. 1. Go or No go. 2. Michigan or Wisconsin.
The decision was Go for Michigan. I headed southeast for Charlevoix, Michigan.
As I was pulling out of the marina, I heard on my VHF, "Farewell, Traveler". The lady at the marina was really nice and that made me feel good.

August 24 - 26, 2017

My journey up the east coast of Michigan continued with hops to Presque Isle, Hammond Bay, and Straits State Harbor. The water was alternately calm and rough, but nothing so rough as the crossing of Saginaw Bay. There isn't too much that I can say about this part of the cruise. Again, I was 2-3 miles off shore and cruising in a straight line for 4 or 5 or 6 hours.
I continue to be amazed by the marinas in Michigan. Again, all nice, well maintained, nice dockhands, and clean facilities. A concern of mine, early on, was the availability of diesel fuel. Just about all of these marinas had fuel.
My last day cruising Lake Huron was the 26th. I pulled into Straits State Harbor and was greeted by my friends from the RV park in Florida, Gary and Sally. I know that they'll read this, so I won't embarrass them. I'll just say that they are really, really nice people. It was great to see them again. They took me out to lunch. I had a pasty that was absolutely delicious. We rode around town a bit. The town is in the shadow of the Mackinaw Bridge and really touristy. People living above the bridge are Yoopers (from the Upper Peninsula -U-Pers) and people on the lower peninsula are Trolls. Under the bridge (get it?). Gary asked if I liked smoked fish. I said I did, so we stopped at a smoked fish shop. I bought a piece of smoked salmon and a container of "pate". The pate is cream cheese, onions, spices, and smoked whitefish blended together. That was really good, too. We browsed around an arts and crafts fair and all too soon, they had to head home.
I spent my last night on Huron sleeping soundly while tied to the pier in Straits State Harbor. Tomorrow, Lake Michigan.

Poe Reef Light

Hop to Alpena, Michigan

August 21, 2017
Well, I finally got a weather forecast right. The trip to Alpena was fairly nice. These harbors in Michigan are just great. They've all been clean and efficient. Alpena was no exception.
Lots happened in Alpena. I made a run to Walmart and got some shopping done. I went out for dinner one night (not particularly good ribs). I changed the transmission oil and while doing so, I broke the transmission dipstick. The gentleman running the parts/repair shop on site was really helpful, but in the end I had to glue the dipstick back together. I'm hoping that it holds until I can buy a replacement.
I also met a lovely couple on the boat across from mine. We drank wine on their boat (beautiful new boat) two nights in a row. We're now Facebook friends.

Alpena's "Little Red"

After two days of being on hold due to weather, I was finally able to head out for Presque Isle.

Fear!

August 20, 2017
The run from Port Austin to Lewisville was about 40 miles. I set out at about 0930. The forecast was for 5-10 kt winds and waves of 1.to 1.5 feet. That seemed to be within bounds.
I was about 3 hours out when the wind started to kick up. And along with the wind came the waves. I tried to keep a course into the waves, but that course essentially had me going away from my destination. I tried, for a brief time to head into the wave, but the boat was taking a beating. Changing course at all was a really scary thing to do. I wound up surfing the waves.
I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. The waves now were at about 5 feet (and I may be underestimating). As a wave would pass by, the stern was lifted up. The wave would increase my speed, sometimes up to 14 kts. As it pushed the boat forward, the wave would push the stern to starboard, so much so that I feared broaching. I had to steer hard to starboard to keep the boat upright. Then, as the crest of the wave passed I'd have to center the rudder to keep the boat on course. And, when I say on course, I really mean on a course that would keep the boat from capsizing. I was miles off my intended course.
I steered on like this for nearly 5 hours. It's one thing to get scared, it's entirely another thing to fight the weather and the waves for that length of time. I pulled into Lewisville thoroughly shaken. Thoughts of abandoning the trip had crossed my mind.
I can admit, now, that Lake Huron completely intimidated me. It was all I could do to drag myself out of bed the following day.

Jump to Port Austin

August 16-19, 2017
Tony came with the new water pump and had it installed  by 1330. We did a quick run up and I cast off my lines and headed to Port Austin.
The run to Port Austin was only about 26 miles. Fortunately, it was uneventful. I am pleased to report that the mast did just fine and the water pump works as intended. Both of those items had me really worried, so it was a load off my mind.
I wound up having to spend 3 days in Port Austin. The weather turned really bad, lots of wind and rain. I mostly stayed on the boat, but I did get out to do some grocery shopping at the little market in town. There was also a Farmer's Market on Saturday the 19th. Kind of fun.
The weather report for the 20th seemed reasonable so, I charted a course for Lewisville. In Michigan terms that's from the tip of the thumb to the middle knuckle of your index finger.

Recovery

August 16, 2017
So, the nice lady at Beach Harbor Marina gave me a business card from Dirty Hooker Diesel. She said that the owner was a really nice guy and did a lot of work on boats in the marina. She also said that I could call him anytime. So, on a Sunday afternoon, I called the owner, Tony, and he said he'd be over later on in the afternoon. Sure enough, he arrived about 3p.
I probably forgot to mention that the fresh water pump for the engine had developed a serious leak. That, too, was causing me a bit of concern. The first order of business was to remove the pump. He said that he'd try to rebuild it and that he'd send somebody over on Monday to re-rig the mast.
I spent a quiet night in the marina. Michigan has a really great marina system. It's run by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. There is, or is supposed to be, a marina about every 30 miles all the way around the state. I wound up taking advantage of many of them. Anyway, I got a call from the shop and found out that they couldn't rebuild the pump, a new one would have to be ordered. And, the body guy from the shop would be there later to take some measurements.
To make a long story short, measurements were taken, braces were fabbed up, and on Tuesday, a guy from the shop re-erected the mast and fastened it down. The bad news (sorta) was that the pump wouldn't be in until the next day (Wednesday).

The metal bars (port and starboard) now secure the mast.

One of the women working at the marina offered to take me into town to do some grocery shopping. I got a few things I needed and we returned to the boat. The interesting part of shopping was that the town's grocery store was a gas station. And, as the woman said, "Pretty good grocery store for a gas station, eh?"
When I got back from shopping, the guy in the boat next to mine asked me over for a beer. I'm not normally an IPA guy, but Tom offered me an All Day IPA from Founders Brewing. Delicious! Tom is a diver. Dry suit, mixed gas, deep diver. So, we spent part of the afternoon talking about diving and  the great number of pristine wrecks that dot the bottom of Lake Huron.
Wednesday afternoon, Tony showed up at about noon with the new pump under his arm. The pump itself is easy on/easy off, but it was an expensive pump and the shipping was fairly expensive. Not that I'm complaining. Tony did great work and for him to have come out on a Sunday and then do the job himself was amazing.
As soon as the pump was installed, we gave it a quick run up and leak check. Everything was good, so with my newly affixed mast and new water pump, I shoved off for Port Austin.

Disaster!

As I sit and write this, I am tied up safe and sound about 100 miles from Chicago. The trip continues. The boat continues. I continue.
I'm picking up my story from August 12, 2017.
After a pleasant stay in St. Clair, I left there en route to Beach Harbor, MI. I don't know if I read the weather forecasts wrong  or the weather just changed over the first 3 hours of cruising. Suffice it to say that the weather wasn't what I thought it would be. The winds rose as did the waves. I was being hammered by waves that I estimated to be 4 to 5 feet. And, they didn't seem to come in a predictable pattern. I was being slammed so hard that I put on my life vest and secured my portable radio to the chest strap.
I tried navigating into the waves so that I could quarter them and get a bit more comfortable ride. Unfortunately, that heading was taking so far off course that I'd never reach my destination. I tried going with the waves. That was better, but I was still getting hammered.
The pounding continued to get worse when suddenly there was a tearing sound and a giant thud. That was followed by bashing sounds on the roof of the cabin. I slowed the boat and moved into the cockpit so that I could see the roof. The mast had been torn free from the roof and was smashing itself onto the roof.
I grabbed some lines and climbed out onto the starboard side of the boat. I lashed the mast as best as I could to the handrail on the roof. Then, I climbed out onto the port side and repeated the procedure. Needless to say, I was pretty frightened.
I had to reduce my speed to minimize the bashing on the roof. I contacted the marina and told them I would be late. My contact there said that she would wait for my arrival.
The voyage continued. But, I did have to slow twice more in an effort to secure the mast to the roof.
After what seemed like endless hours, I finally arrived at Beach Harbor and tied in for the night.
Adding insult to injury, it started to rain. So, I had to secure a tarp over the roof in an attempt to keep the area as dry as possible.
The folks at the marina gave me the number for a local shop where I might be able to get help.

Canadians/Canadiens

I needed to change the oil on the boat. It needs to be changed every 150 hours and it was slightly overdue. I had the cover to the engine up and was beginning to work on removing the oil. I wound up talking to the guy in the boat next to me. I asked if he was a diesel guy and he replied that he had just retired from a 35 year career with Caterpillar Canada. So, I related the story of what had happened to me on the way up the river. He explained that the engine would only run to fuel flow. Then, he asked when was the last time the fuel filters were changed. I had never changed the secondary filter and the primary was changed about 500 hours ago. He said that that was likely my problem. Change the filters now. And, change the primary every time the oil is changed and the secondary every other time.
I spent the next several hours changing the oil/oil filter and the primary and secondary fuel filters. Runs like a charm. I am ever grateful to him for his advice.
Later that same day, I met a group of Canadians from Windsor. We talked about boats, traveling by boat, the great loop, Canada, and the USA. And... oh, by the way - they fed me beer. They came over to my boat and we talked about it and more about the loop. Later that evening, they invited me to join them, but, unfortunately, I was tired and just getting into bed, so I declined. I felt bad about that.
Next day, I was up and ready to go. The draw bridge only opened on the hour and half-hour so I made to out at the 9am opening. I had several more miles of current fighting on the St. Clair River. But, I finally made it onto Lake Huron. A couple of hours cruising got me to Lexington, MI.
I pulled into and got tied up at Lexington State Harbor. I started to walk over to the office to get registered and I hear, "Jack!" It was the Canadian crew from St. Clair Marina. After registering, I got invited to drink more beer (they forced me, what can I say?). The crew had heard that there was a concert in the park adjacent to the marina. A group called Taylor Tucky was playing.
Several of us walked over to the park, some stayed at the boats (you could hear just fine from the boats). There were also a couple of food trucks there.
One of the trucks was from Wimpy's Place a local restaurant, just a brief walk up from the marina. I had a couple of cheeseburgers. I thought they were pretty good. The band was pretty good, too. Country, not my favorite, but they were really into it and put on a good performance.
We walked back to the boats and drank more beer, imagine that.
Nice folks and more proof that Canadians are the nicest people in the world.

PS The wife of the gentleman who helped be diagnose the engine is French Canadian. We chatted for a bit after I had done my engine work. She was surprised that I was doing the loop by myself. She called me, "loup de mer". She asked if there was a similar phrase in English. I was a little stumped. Literally, it means sea wolf, but I think she meant something more like old salt or sea dog.

Lake St. Clair and The St. Clair River

Lighthouse on the Detroit River

From Kean's Marina, I made a nearly 40nm run to St. Clair Boat Harbor. The first couple of miles I was still fighting the current in the Detroit River. After the river loosed its grip, I had a smooth cruise across Lake St. Clair. Well, mostly smooth.
Let me back up a bit. When I started the cruise, I was towing the dinghy. After some problems, I decided to carry it on the swim platform. That has been working just fine for the last thousand or so miles. The only problem with it back there is that my rear vision is blocked. As a result, every once in awhile I'll steer to the port side and clear my stern.
So, I'm cruising across Lake St. Clair and I decide to clear my stern. And, I got the crap scared out of me. Right up close behind me is this huge Great Lakes freighter and it making about 12 knots. At least twice my speed. I did a hard starboard turn and went past him in the opposite direction. I got beat up a little by the wake, but I tucked in behind the ship and everything smoothed out.
In the early afternoon of August 9, I entered the St. Clair river. And, again I was fighting a strong current. So much current that I throttled up to full power. When I've still got about two hours to go to my destination, suddenly the power on the engine goes to about 1/4 throttle. I wasn't sure what to do, so I throttled back to zero. The engine, at idle speed, was shaking like mad, so I shut it down. Now, I'm drifting back down the river. My first thought was that I had run out of fuel. Illogical as I had fueled up the night before. But, I checked anyway and found a nearly full tank. I was getting ready to declare an emergency, as two more freighters were headed toward me, when I thought - let me try to start the engine. It started right up and I continued, at full power, to St. Clair Boat Harbor.
Safe and sound, I filled up on fuel and tied in for the night.
In the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara, I'll just think about this tomorrow! 

The Detroit River

Detroit River Light

The Detroit River connects Lake Erie to Lake St. Clair. I had heard that the river has a pretty swift current. So, I got up and out of Brest Bay fairly early in the morning. As you can see in the picture, the water in the lake was perfect. The light is right where the river flows out into Lake Erie.
Just as I passed the light in the picture, I was passed by a Canadian Coast Guard cutter. The crew on the foredeck waved at me as they went past.
I was forced, by the current, to run at a fairly high throttle setting. I was concerned with running out of fuel. I was especially aware because Brest Bay Marina didn't have diesel. So, I already had a day's worth of cruising sucked out of the tank. And, it seemed that the longer I cruised, the later my arrival time became on my GPS.
But, the cruise up the river was really pretty, challenging, but pretty. I passed Grosse Isle, Fighting Island, and Belle Isle, as well as a few other islands in the river.
In the end, I made it to my destination, Kean's Marina. I had fuel left in the tank when I arrived and all was right with the world. 

The Last Days of Erie

I'm reluctant to call any part of this adventure boring. Every day, I'm sailing into the relative unknown. I'm seeing new places and doing new things. That said, heading out into the lake and steering for the next marina means driving in a straight line for 5 or 6 hours. I've been 2 to 3 miles offshore, so there really isn't much to see. And, there is nothing to do except steer. So, the days are long. I'm really glad that I invested in the Sirius/XM radio. What a difference that makes!

up

After the Hall of Fame I hopped to Huron Municipal Marina. Nice place, but I got weathered in for a couple of days. Fortunately, there was a nice restaurant near-by and a Walmart that I could Uber to.
From Huron to Foxhaven Marina. Foxhaven was a quick and dirty. I hardly even left the boat. Headed out early for Brest Bay Marina.
Brest Bay was the last call for Lake Erie.
On 8 Aug I headed out of Brest Bay and up the Detroit River.

Lake Erie: The First Days

There is a fairly strong current flowing in the Niagara River, as one might imagine. I made it to Beaver Island Marina after a fairly long day of negotiating the last locks, the last few miles of the Erie Canal and the current of the Niagara. A nice enough place, I spent a quiet night.
I planned a short day to get to First Buffalo Marina. I was hoping to find a mechanic to help me with changing the coolant in the engine. I made it to the marina, but there was no mechanic available. I did score a jug of coolant and some distilled water.
I headed out the next day for Holiday Harbor. I did manage to get some shopping done, but no luck on a mechanic. Next up was Erie, PA. Nice marina, inexpensive, and nice staff. I wound up getting weathered in there for 3 days. There was no mechanic available, again, but I did manage to get a Sirius/SM radio installed. Excited! I also got some shopping done and got a haircut and a beard trim. I hate losing cruising days, but at least I got a few things done.
Next up was Ashtabula, OH. No marina available, so I anchored out for the night. I was behind a breakwater, so it was a fairly comfortable night. BTW, if you've ever ridden a single speed bike with coaster brakes, you've used an Ashtabula crank. Go ahead, look it up.
From Ashtabula on to Grand River and finally a mechanic. A very expensive mechanic, but a mechanic (and a helper) nonetheless. I was getting really worried about the cooling system. Now, that the coolant has been changed, I'm a little less worried.
And then... there was Cleveland. And... the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I pulled into the Rock and Dock Marina (apparently not related) and tied up for two nights. It had been a push to get here, so I just relaxed for the night. I did buy my Senior Discount ticket for the next day.

It's here to stay!

I slept late, got up, and had a shower. It's just a short walk to the front door. I figured I'd be good for 2 or 3 hours. So, from 10a to about 1p, I toured the exhibits. I went to the gift shop and bought myself a T-shirt and a stack of postcards. Then I had lunch and walked around for another hour. I went back to the boat and wrote out the postcards and stamped them.
Back to the Hall, I found a theater that plays the 25th anniversary concerts. I sat there and watched, enthralled, for about 2 hours. Then I decided to have dinner at the hall and re-visit the first floor, the early days.
It was amazing. I'm really glad that I decided to stop.

The Last of the Erie Canal

On my second attempt I actually made it to Spencerport without running into anything. It turned out to be a really nice little town with everything I was in need of, free dock, free showers, nice museum, good food at a near-by restaurant, and a grocery store that I could walk to. The people in the museum, volunteers, were really pleasant to chat with.

Inside a Lock

Next morning, I cast off and headed to Albion. Not quite as nice, but very pleasant nevertheless. It, too, had a free dock and free showers. I met a couple in a sailboat. They were from not too far away from Albion and out for a long cruise with their son. We chatted about boats and the wife of the couple ran into a former student of hers. He told us that there was an antique car show in town and that we should walk over. He is in the local fire department and was cooking hamburgers for a fund raiser. So, guess what we all did for dinner. The car show was fun. The couple and I continued to talk about boats and cruising. And, the hamburger from the FD was really good.
Next up was Lockport. I tied to the entry wall for Lock 34. It was not a particularly pleasant place. The wall was really rough, so I put out extra fenders. I was on the opposite side of the canal from the town, so I didn't get to see much and it rained. When I first got there, a Canadian couple helped me get tied in. We, too, talked at length about boats and cruising. Turns out that they lived not too far away and were just about to finish up the Great Loop on a boat that they had built. It was beautiful, about 35', twin engines, steel hull. A really tough looking seaworthy boat. As part of their loop they had also gone to the Bahamas.
Locks 34 and 35 are the last two locks on the Erie Canal and they are adjacent to one another. They are sometimes referred to as the "Siamese Twins". When you leave 34 you are entering 35. They have a combined lift of about 55 feet.
There were still several mile of the Erie Canal after the last locks. I continued on to the Niagara River. Everybody told me to make sure that I made a left turn onto the river.
The weather turned a little sour, but I made it to Beaver Island State Park Marina for the night. And... so endeth the Erie Canal. I enjoyed (except for that bridge) all 383 miles and 560 feet of lift. From Waterford to Tonawanda a fun trip.

Whoopsies

I've been cruising pretty hard. I feel like I still have to make up for the late start. But, I think I'm gaining. Anyway, an overnight stop at Lyons, NY and on the road (so to speak) again early. I was headed for Spencerport. But, I encountered a bridge that I thought I could clear. I couldn't. The radar mast hit the bridge and tore a section of fiberglass away from the roof. Not the roof itself, but a fiberglass plate that holds the mast, horn, and spotlight. The really nice bridge tender asked me to fill out an incident report. He told me that I wasn't the first, nor will I be the last. He gave me the number of a near-by repair facility.

Along the Erie Canal

The folks at Mid-Lakes Navigation couldn't have been nicer. The owner met me at the dock. He introduced me to a free-lance repair guy, Steve, and then took me on a tour of his facility. The repair guy said that to remove the section of fiberglass would require dismounting all the hardware. Then the glass would have to be laid out and cured, etc., etc. Be about 2 weeks and $1200. Or... or... "I could just screw it back together and put some caulk on it. That'd be about $50." I opted for the latter and he was done in an hour. The owner let me stay on the dock gratis due to emergency nature of my visit.
And, as if all that wasn't nice enough, Steve let me borrow his Mercedes so I could run to Walmart for supplies.
So, if you find yourself in western New York or in need of an idea for a vacation, stop in and visit Mid-Lakes. They have several custom built steel bottom canal boats that are for rent. The boats are beautiful and everything is included.
Next day, I cruised out and managed to make it to Spencerport without further incident.

Finishing the Erie Canal

The last eleven days have been both eventful and uneventful. It's kind of hard to describe. On the one hand cruising along on the Erie Canal is really fun. But, while the scenery is constantly changing, it really doesn't change. Parts of the canal are long straight stretches that are tree lined and pretty. Other parts are zig-zaggy, tree lined and pretty. So, lots of trees, lots of scenery, and lots of sameness. But, I enjoyed every mile.
The locks were hard work. And, I wish I could have gotten some pictures and sounds from inside the locks. Some of the locks are really huge and it's tough (the first couple of times) to look at the huge doors that are holding back tons upon tons of water and think, yeah, it'll be fine. The noise that the doors make on closing is something straight out of a horror movie.
After Lock 20, I cruised across Lake Onieda. I had no idea that that lake was so big. But, I had a smooth crossing and made it to Ess-Kay Yards. Nice place. The night I tied up there, the forecast was for thunderstorms. So, I decided to stay and get some work done on the boat. the center windshield wiper tore loose from its moorings. I had used the wipers a lot coming up the intra-coastal and didn't want to continue on without it.
Parts had to be ordered, fortunately from a near-by supplier, and the old wiper motor had to be removed. The mechanic beat on the wiper arm for about an hour before it finally let loose. Needless to say that at $95 an hour, it was an expensive removal. When the new motor arrived the following day, he got it installed and I was on my way.
I cruised to Baldwinsville, NY and tied up to a lock wall for the night. Gotta love the free walls. But, I didn't get there until late, so all I did was tie up and retire for the night.
Next morning, I looked online for a place to fuel up. The only place close only accepted cash and I didn't have any. I looked at my credit union's ATM finder and saw that there was a free ATM near where I was tied up. And... wait for it... it was located in a Duncan Donut's shop. Score! Cash and a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel before 9am. I love my life.
Next stop Lyons, NY. 

Lock 20

I got a late start out of Saint Johnsville. I fueled up and watered up. The fuel dock didn't open until 9:00a. Again, it was a little rainy and a little gloomy, but I remain grateful for the calm waters of the Erie Canal.

Traveler tied to the wall at Lock 20

It was a 31 mile cruise to Lock 20. The lock had been recommended as a nice place to tie up. I got there, tied up, and settled in for the night with a glass of wine. After a bit, a gentleman walked up and we started chatting. He said that he had a friend that was interested in this (my Ranger Tug) kind of boat and would I mind if he took some pictures. Of course I didn't mind and we continued to talk. I invited him to have a glass of wine and he said that he'd be right back, that he had a couple of things to do before it got too late.
It turns out that my new friend, Al Freihofer, is taking his Adirondack Guide boat (read really big canoe that is rowed instead of paddled) on a 680 mile adventure to raise money for the school he works for.
Seems that we are kindred spirits, boats, adventure, airplanes, travel. He used to own a Pitts Special. And, I'm not jealous... no really... I'm not... OK... really jealous.
You should check out his blog at - arowtoofar.blogspot.com.

We drank wine, talked about boats, airplanes, adventures, politics and all in all had a very nice (if too short) evening.

Cruising the Erie Canal

Yeah... I know... I've been remiss in updating my blog. In my defense, there is a lot of work to cruising. There's the 6 to 8 hours behind the wheel. Then, there's the laundry, shopping, boat maintenance, refueling, taking on water, setting up the next day's navigation, etc. I am having fun. I am seeing a lot of sights. And, it continues to be the adventure of a lifetime. I've met so many nice people, it's extraordinary.
So, out of Waterford the first 5 locks are called the Waterford flight. It is a group of locks that are really close together. When I locked through, it was really hot. Five in a row, by myself, wasn't easy. I was exhausted. But, moving on, I did several more locks and wound up in a marina/RV park. Easy in and easy out. I had a quiet night and slept well.
I got an early start the next morning and headed to Fultonville. There is a free dock there and I wanted to hit it early to make sure I had a space. It was an uneventful day. I'll say that it was gloomy and rainy all day as well. I found my free dock, tied up and spent a pleasant evening there. I called a near-by Walmart and renewed my prescriptions.
When I got up, I walked across the street to the McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin. I do like the occasional McMuffin. I walked back to the boat and got Uber to take me to Walmart. I did some shopping, got my prescriptions, and headed back to the boat.
I had decided on a short cruise, so as soon as I got back to the boat, I started the engine and headed out to Saint Johnsville.

Miniature lighthouse designed and built by the former harbor master for St. Johnsville

St. Johnsville Marina is a municipal marina with fuel, water, and showers. I'm learning that there are precious few marinas on the Erie Canal that provide diesel fuel. I top off every chance I get. The marina was nice and while I was there, they were hosting an Erie Canal bike ride. Several riders walked over to the boat and started asking questions. Of course, as much as I like bike riding, I shot a few questions back. I had a fun evening.

June Recap

I started June in South Carolina and finished in New Jersey. I had my spotlight fixed at Dowry Creek. I saw a retina doctor in Norfolk, VA (ongoing treatment for an existing problem). I got to spend the night on the dock at St. Mary's College. That was really cool. I had a visit from my kids and grandkids in Annapolis. They took me out to dinner and helped me get some shopping done. I got my inflatable boat fixed in Annapolis as well. I visited with friends I had made in Pensacola, they live in Delaware. And... I ran aground in New Jersey. Fortunately, I have BoatUS towing insurance.
All in all, not a bad month! Wish I had made a few more miles, but, we're getting there.

Third month cruising:
Cruised - 741.3 nautical miles
Burned - 90.48 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $202.35 (avg 2.24per gal)
Marina Nights - 20
Anchor Out - 9
Free Docks - 1

Erie Canal Lock #2

Actually, lock 2 is the first lock on the canal. And, I am here, tied to the municipal dock in Waterford, NY, looking at the lock doors.
From Shadows Marina in Poughkeepsie, I jumped to Riverview Marina in Catskill, NY. I almost consider that a second home. My Aunt Janis and Uncle George lived in Catskill and my grandparents (Aunt Janis' parents) lived about an hour north of Catskill. I spent a lot of summers, holidays, and long weekends visiting there. Riverview is a pretty nice marina and it's only about a mile into the center of Catskill. After a shower, I walked into town and had a nice dinner at La Conca D'oro. I had eaten there lots of times before. I must say that the chicken piccata was wonderful. The walk back to the marina was pleasant, filled with memories of being there when I was much younger.
After a cool, I had to put on a blanket, night of pleasant sleep, I got started fairly early and headed to Albany, NY. It is another place that I spent some time when I was younger. I overnighted in the Albany Yacht Club. I decided on a late start. I had a big breakfast at a near-by diner and did a load of laundry before heading out.
I was going to try to make it to Schenectady, but decided to take advantage of the free dock in Waterford. I got some grocery shopping done and am now enjoying a cool quiet evening looking at lock #2.

What a Week!

After the grounding and the days spent in Beach Haven avoiding the wind, I had a pretty good cruise up to an anchorage in Silver Bay (NJ). The anchorage turned out to be really popular with the local boating crowd. There were scores of boats on anchor. Most were just there for the day. Many were on anchor overnight. What I couldn't get over was the discourteousness of the boaters not on anchor. Many, with rather large boats, cruised through the anchorage at high speed, throwing a huge wake behind them. I was rocking and rolling until well after dark. And then got woken in the morning by even more high speed boaters. When I went to bed, I wasn't real sure on where I was going to go, but I knew that I had to get out of there.
I looked at my charts and found that there was a marina in Belmar, New Jersey. I called and found that they had a slip available. I was grateful for that, but I was a little scared about the fact that I would have to go out into the Atlantic. That would be Traveler's first taste of real ocean.
It was a relatively short trip to Belmar and the Atlantic decided to be real cooperative, smooth, calm, and virtually no wind.
When I got to Belmar, I got fueled up, pumped out, and tied up in no time at all. Really nice dockhands. I realized that the next day was the Fourth of July and if I left Belmar, I'd be traveling through New York harbor on the Fourth. That was a not-starter, so I checked with the marina office and arranged to stay until the 5th.

Behind the Statue of Liberty 7/5/17

The big boat across the dock from me had his hailing port listed as New York, New York. I figured he would be familiar with the waters so I asked his advice. Jim said that I should cruise straight into the harbor and anchor out behind the Statue of Liberty.
Again, I was pretty scared at the prospect of cruising the Atlantic. I was also pretty intimidated at the prospect of taking my little boat through New York Harbor. But, I got up early and got underway. The Atlantic was not as calm as I had hoped for, but it wasn't bad, either. I got beat up by a couple of really big ships, but I tucked in behind the Statue of Liberty. There was only one other boat on anchor. I had a pretty quiet night.
I was going to head to Tarrytown, NY, but the belts (water pump/alternator) starting making a lot of noise. I decided to divert to Ossining, NY. I headed to Westerly Marina. Among other things, they are a Yanmar (my engine) certified shop. Good call on my part. They were able to get the belts and replace them in short order. I had to spend an extra night, but that was OK, too.
I called my high school buddy, Lou. He and his wife, Toni, came down and got me. We went out and had pizzas and drinks. I had a great time visiting and catching up.
And that brings me to Poughkeepsie. I got up fairly early this morning and set out for Shadows Marina. I had a gorgeous cruise up the Hudson. I passed Peekskill, the Bear Mountain Bridge, and West Point. It was a beautiful day and I made great time. I got here and got settled in for the night. It all went so well that I decided to change the oil in the engine. It had just come due. So, it was a productive day, too.

And then the journey took a turn...

I was heading for an anchorage near Beach Haven, NJ. It was a little breezier than I like, but we were moving along nicely. I had been warned about the Intra-Coastal Waterway in New Jersey. It is really shallow and many of the larger boats choose to take the Atlantic route. But, I've got a 2 foot draft, n worries. My shallow water alarm went off on several occasions. I've got it set to warn me when I have less than 2 feet of water under the keel. Usually, I just probe around for deeper water and all is well.
About 3p on June 30, as I was cruising toward Beach Haven, the alarm went off and I couldn't find deeper water. I tried to back off. Nothing worked and finally, with the tide going out. I was hard aground.
I called the USCG for assistance and they contacted BoatTowUS for me. About an hour later rescue came... sorta. The guy on the rescue boat assessed the situation and said that there was nothing he could do. We'd have to wait for the tide to come back in. It hadn't completely gone out, so I was 7 or 8 hours away from being pulled off of the sandbar. So, there I sat watching the tide continue to go out. I wound up in inches of water and heeled over at about a 30 degree angle.
The guy came back around 9p to reassess the situation and decided that it would be a couple more hours. The tide had begun to come back in and I was mostly afloat, but still unable to move. He finally came back around 11p. He approached my boat and tossed me a harness to tie to my bow cleat. By now, the wind was howling and it had begun to rain. He told me to hurry, like a needed prodding. As he started to back away from my boat, he fouled the tow line in his starboard engine. He raised the engines out of the water. I could see that it was a mess. He asked me it I had a knife. I had bought a knife at West Marine. Supposedly the best at line cutting, it is the third time it has come to the rescue.
He got the lines cleared and restarted his engines. It was a hard pull, but suddenly I was off the sandbar. He told me to make for Beach Haven (not the anchorage) Yacht Club. I would be able to tie up at the fuel dock for the night. I had never navigated in the dark before. Suffice it to say that it was a harrowing final 5 miles to Beach Haven. The wind continued and the tide was ripping, but I managed to get tied up at the fuel dock for the night. I went to bed and slept the sleep of the exhausted.

Out of Maryland, Through Delaware, and Into New Jersey

So much has happened in the last several days, I don't know where to start. I guess I'll just go chronologically.

Under the Bay Bridge

After the nice visit with my family in Annapolis, I cruised under the Bay Bridge and got to an anchorage across the Chesapeake Bay. It was about a 25 mile cruise in smooth water, which was a pleasant surprise. I anchored out in a big cove that protected me from the south. And, I was in a good position to get to the C&D Canal.
Of course the winds shifted and I was again exposed to some of the worst that the Chesapeake has to offer. Small craft warnings and a gale warning kept me on anchor for an extra day and awake all night.
The winds subsided on Wednesday (6/26/2017) and I was treated to a  beautiful run up to, through, and out of the C&D. I got into the Delaware City Marina for the night. The marina it on a narrow channel that connects the C&D to the Delaware River. The single dock must stretch for 1/4 of a mile. The tidal current runs through the channel at an amazing speed. The guy who runs the place gives an extraordinary briefing on the expected conditions for traveling the Delaware River out into the Delaware Bay and on to either Cape May, NJ or Lewes, DE. He then gives you a departure briefing the following morning. He laid out my journey down the river and told me that I could expect to arrive in Lewes at 1530. He broke it down into segments that involved tide, current, and wind. He said the with a 6 knot boat and the tide, I'll be doing 8 knots for 2 hours. Then at slack tide, I'll be doing 6 knots. After that, I'll be doing 4 knots. And then, the tide shifts again and I'll be back to 8. He was amazing and I arrived in Lewes at 1530.
I had contacted a couple that I had met in Pensacola, in the RV park. Rich and Linda had been following my journey and told me to contact them when I reached Delaware. So, I did. They were nice enough to come and get me from the marina. We went out to dinner with another couple that I had met in P'cola. Linda did a load of laundry for me and I stayed overnight at their home. That was the most comfortable night I've had since visiting Connie and Stan!

Sunset on Delaware Bay

After staying the night, Rich took me grocery shopping and dropped me off back at the boat. I headed out for a short cruise to Cape May Point, NJ. Another beautiful crossing. The bay was like a mill pond and I arrived mid-afternoon and anchored about 100 yards off of the beach. Again, I was well positioned for the following day's cruise, which would be through the Cape May Canal.
As you can see in the sunset picture, the water of the bay is already getting choppy. There must have been a big storm to the south because I was pounded by 4-5 foot waves all night long. I didn't get much sleep at all. The pleasant surprise is my anchor. Through all of this bad, overnight weather, the anchor hasn't budged an inch.
June 28, sees me through the Cape May Canal and well into New Jersey. It was a windy day cruising, but I got to a marina in Marmora, NJ. I got checked into the marina and I asked the young woman at the desk if there was any shopping or restaurants near-by. She said, "Yes, there is a restaurant about a mile or a mile and a half away. Depends on how fast you walk." I responded, "No, it doesn't." She said, "Yeah, I know. Nobody ever gets that!"
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the inflatable fixed in Annapolis. But, they didn't have the seat for it. I had the seat on the tug. So, I took the opportunity to pull the dink out of the water, partially deflate the tubes, and insert the seat. I had sort of forgotten how light the boat is, so instead of towing it behind, I've mounted it on the swim platform. Although, there is a bit more wind resistance, I think there is less of a performance impact than when I'm towing it. We'll see how it works.
So, with the dinghy on the swim platform and a full tank of fuel, I set out for an anchorage in Beach Haven, New Jersey...

Bad Idea #381

So now that my inflatable dinghy is fixed, I have to tow it behind me and tend to it when docking and leaving dock. What I've been doing is pulling it up tight to the stern and lashing it to the swim platform cleats using the towing bridles. So far, so good.
Turns out, it's a little difficult to lean out over the swim platform, grab the bridles and tie them securely to the platform. So, genius that I am, I tie a bow line to the dinghy and tie the line to the stern cleat on the boat. Works like a champ. When I want to pull the dinghy in, I just grab the line, haul away and tie the line to stern rail. Easy.
Yesterday, I was pulling into a dock in Lewes, Delaware. Of course, I hadn't secured the dinghy because this was going to be an easy dock. Pulling in bow first, I get the bow line secured. But, the wind and the tide are working against me and pretty soon, I'm sideways in the dock. I put it in reverse to correct the position. But, the line on the bow of the dinghy sunk under the boat and got caught in the prop. The engine comes to an abrupt halt.
We get the boat secured to the dock and the suggestions and comments start to pour in.
Get it towed over to the haul-out facility across the canal. That's about $250 to $300.
Hire a diver. Probably more than the haul-out.
"Yeah, when that happened to me, I broke a motor mount."
"Yeah, I bent the prop shaft like that."
I was getting a little panic stricken.
The Asst. Dockmaster says, "Hey, I get off a 4. I'll look at it"
It took him about half an hour of holding his breath and using my dive mask and it was done. He would only accept a $20.00 tip.
Can't say thank you enough!

Annapolis

From St. Mary's City, I jumped to Solomons, MD. That was one of the roughest days I've had on the water. It was pretty choppy cruising down the St. Mary's river. I was getting hit head on by some fair sized waves, water breaking over the bow. I put on my life vest and clipped my radio to my belt.
About halfway to Solomons, the USCG broadcast a small craft warning (wind 25 to 33 knots and/or waves 5 to 7 feet). I was too far out to turn back.
I had to make a port turn to stay on course. That meant that the waves were bashing me on the starboard beam. Fortunately, that only lasted about an hour. Another starboard turn put the wave to my stern. Keeping a steady course with those waves was a real challenge.
So, it was a scary day, but I made it to Solomons and tied up for the night. The bad weather was forecast to continue, so I stayed at the marina for another night. Glad to say that it was a relatively inexpensive marina.
We got rocked by some huge thunderstorms that night and wind and rain the next day. I was able to get out and go shopping.
From Solomons, I cruised out to an anchorage just about 20 miles shy of Annapolis. One reason I wanted to get to Annapolis was to get my inflatable boat repaired. While I was at St. Mary's, I noticed that all their inflatables came from Annapolis Inflatables (sailing and crew are big at SMCM). Anyway, I spent a quiet night on anchor. I watched Master and Commander, again. I love that movie.
And a 4 hour cruise got me to Annapolis Landing Marina. I arranged to have the inflatable picked up (I hope that they are working on it right now). My daughters brought the grandchildren out for a visit and a quick tour of the boat. We all went out to dinner.
Tomorrow may be my last day in Maryland. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is only a day's cruise away.
Waiting on the inflatable.

St. Mary's College of Maryland

I called the director of alumni relations, Dave Sushinsky, and asked him about tying up on the docks at the river front. Dave checked, called me back, and told me that I would be fine tying up for the night.
It was really cool cruising up the St. Mary's River. I went past the replica of the Dove that is part of Historic St. Mary's City. The Ark and the Dove were the two ships carrying English settlers to the new world. They landed near what is now Point Lookout and established the first city.
I cruised around Church Point and right up to the docks. A couple of students were lounging on the docks and I asked for a little help getting tied in. They were very nice. I introduced myself as a member of the class of '04. They said welcome back.
It was really nice to be back. I sat and talked with one student for an hour or so. She made me feel really connected to the school. There is 50 years difference between us, but we have SMCM in common.
I walked around the campus. Yes, it did bring back a lot of fond memories. I walked over to the bookstore. I was hoping to score a new SMCM T-shirt, but they were closed. As was the Daily Grind, the little coffee shop next to the bookstore. I had been hoping for a cup of Starbucks on Sunday morning, but that was out, too.

Dave told me that the bathrooms and shower room would be open all night, so I availed myself of a nice shower. I went back to the boat and grabbed some wine and a glass. I spent a beautiful evening on the upper deck of the River Center watching the sunset.
Even though it was a bit out of the way, I'm glad that I visited the campus. I'll have to make it a point to get to campus for next year's reunion.
Right now, I'm in Solomons, MD. This, too, is bringing back memories. It appears that I'll be in Annapolis with in the next 2 to 3 days.

Big, Scary Place

I approached the crossing of the Norfolk Naval Shipyards and Hampton Roads with a great deal of trepidation. Norfolk is the fifth busiest port in the USA. And, of course there is all the naval ship movement going on.
As it turns out, my fears were all for naught. The hardest time I had was getting through the railroad bridges. Some of them sit down as close as 5 feet above the water. They swing out of the way, rise straight up on enormous structures, or rise to an angle using counterweights (Bascule Bridges). I wound up navigating through 2 bascule bridges, 1 vertical lift bridge, and one lock. That all cost me more than 2 hours of travel time.
I passed a lot of big commercial ships as well. I got a kick out of two of them, they were registered in Majuro. I've been there. I'm pretty sure that the ships are nearly as big as the atoll and probably more heavily populated.
Surprisingly, there was virtually no Navy traffic. I passed one destroyer that looked like it was coming back from sea trials. I did pass by a lot big navy ships, several aircraft carriers. It was an interesting day. Best of all, the water was relatively calm.
I had a nice cruise and got to Salt Ponds Marina. I got fuel and tied up for the night. Nothing too exciting. The restaurant that was advertised had closed about 2 years ago. Fortunately, I had supplies in the fridge from the trip to Walmart. They did give me a free beer cozy, however.
I got up after a good night's sleep and headed out. I am now officially in the Chesapeake Bay. I'm anchored out for the night in a lovely little inlet. I've already been approached by two local boats. The folks were admiring my boat and asked about where I came from and where I'm heading. Everybody likes my "cute", "little" boat.
It looks like tomorrow will be my last day in Virginia. I'm going to try to get to St. Mary's College on Saturday. I was hoping to anchor in the St. Mary's River, but as my dinghy is still non-functioning, I'll try for a marina... again.

Chesapeake, Virginia

I've been wanting to get north of Norfolk, VA as hurricane season started June 1. For all intents and purposes, I've made it.
So much has happened, I'm not sure where to start or where to end. My excuse for the long silence is, it's hard work doing all this cruising. It's not just the cruising, which takes up 6 to 8 hours a day, but all of the work before and after the cruise takes time and effort. Not whining, just explaining.
I stayed at a really nice marina the other night, Dowry Creek by name. They had free laundry and a free courtesy car. They also had the cheapest diesel fuel around. There was a great captain's lounge and beautiful clean showers. We (several fellow loopers and I) had happy hour in the lounge two nights in a row. While I hated loosing a cruising day due to bad weather, we had a good time partying and shopping in the nearby town. While I was there, I hired a marine electrician and got my spotlight fixed. I was really glad to get that done. Now, in the event of an emergency, I'll be able to move at night.
I cruised into Atlantic Yacht Basin the other night. I needed to get some prescriptions filled and I needed some groceries as well. So, an Uber over to Walmart fit the bill. That was Sunday afternoon. I got up Monday and did a search for a retinal specialist. I've had trouble with my eyes and I was told to check in with a specialist on the cruise. I found one that could take me today (Tuesday 6/13). I was glad to get that done. He seems to think that the cause of my eye problem is my blood pressure medicine. So, I called my regular doctor and I'll stop the meds for now and see how it plays out.
While I was tied up here, I got the name of the boat applied to the port and starboard sides of the pilothouse (pictures to follow). I also removed a seat cushion and replaced it with a piece of plywood. Now, I'll be able to mount a cup holder and a few other things for my galley on my new wall.
Tomorrow, I hope to start fairly early and get into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. I may be in the St. Mary's river in the next couple of day. Looking forward to that.

Recap

Over a month ago, I said that I was going to recap month one. I never did. So, here is some of the data from my first month cruising:
Cruised - 505.4 nautical miles (according to my GPS)
Burned - 82.5 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $206.40 (avg 2.50 per gal)
Marina Nights - 21
Anchor Out - 7
Free Docks - 2
Too many nights in marinas and not enough on anchor. But, I was forced to stay in marinas longer than anticipated because of foul weather.

Second month cruising:
Cruised - 730.5 nautical miles
Burned - 85.95 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $223.32 (avg 2.60 per gal)
Marina Nights - 18
Anchor Out - 10
Free Docks - 3
An improvement in the anchor out vs. marina ratio. This month's excuse is that I had to wait for engine parts for some overdue routine maintenance.

All in all, not too bad. I wanted to make Norfolk, VA by June 1. I didn't make that, but I'm not going to miss by too much. It's about 220 miles from here to Norfolk.
I met a couple from Annapolis here in Morehead City. They are on their way home and plan on being in Annapolis in about 2 weeks. They cruise at about the same speed that I do. It'll be exciting to get to Maryland. I hope to stop by St. Mary's College of Maryland. I haven't even looked at the Chesapeake, yet. I guess I'll have to get some planning done.

Kilkenny Marina

My last stop in Georgia was at Kilkenny Marina. I had read about the marina on ActiveCaptain (web site for cruisers). They said that is was a little run down, but the people were really nice and it did provide basic services. ActiveCaptain was correct. I pulled in, got tied up, and fueled up. Real easy.
When I checked in, the dock master mentioned that there was a restaurant just down the road, easily walkable.
To be honest, I didn't expect too much. But, I was very pleasantly surprised by Marker 107. The restaurant is really popular with the local crowd, and with good reason, the food is amazing.
Now, I base this on one visit and on one dish, but the restaurant is great. The seafood jambalaya was one of the specials of the day. I had that and a side of coleslaw. It was absolutely delicious. Lots of fish and shellfish and really good sausage. It was all served over rice.
I also have to say that the wait staff were really nice and I saw the owner making his rounds to the tables.
After dinner, I had a glass of Drambuie. Life is good.

USCG Rule 34

Harken back to the days of steamboats and steam engines . In those days there were few methods of ship-to-ship communication. One method was to use of their steam whistles, and so whistle signals became common.
Although, today, we use horns (electric, electronic, and compressed air), the term whistle signal is still used. If you intend to pass another vessel on your starboard side (their port side), you should give two blasts of your horn. If you intend to pass them on your port side, one blast is sounded. If the vessel being passed agrees they return the same signal.
I had read about whistle signals a long time ago. Just salted away in my memory. I've been cruising for over two months now and I've been passed by, perhaps, thousands of boats. Remember that I cruise at about 5 knots. Some boats have contacted me on the radio. Most just speed by and leave me in their wake.
So, it was with great surprise the other day that I heard one blast. I turned around and saw a 40' cruiser right behind me. I returned the blast and they proceeded to pass me on my starboard side.
As they passed, they waved and gave me a thumbs up. I suspect that they were as surprised to get the correct signal back as I was to get their signal in the first place.
USCG Rule 34 specifies the whistle signals and how to use them.
So endeth today's lesson in nautical knowledge.

Month 3 Begins

I've been trying to stack up lots of miles so that I can be north of Norfolk. I was aiming to be there by June 1, but clearly, I didn't make it. The weather worked against me, some technical needs worked against me, and only making about 5 knots is working against me.
But, I've been having a good time. After visiting Stan and Connie, I anchored out and then made a long run to Fort George Marina in Jacksonville, FL. I stayed over a second night because, 1.) it was pretty windy and 2.) I was having a really hard time finding a route north with my limited resources. So, I took a ferry over to the mainland and an Uber to West Marine. I had them hold a MapTech book of charts for me. It was a big investment, but it made clear the way I needed to go.

First day in Georgia

I anchored out again on the 21st. Not much has been happening during the cruises. They've been pretty, most of them pretty smooth. I did cross some big water and got knocked around a bit (nothing like crossing the Gulf). I got to Morningstar Marina on St. Simon's Island, GA. After more than a month and a half, I'm finally beyond Florida. Uneventful there. I Ubered over to Publix for some much needed supplies. It was a bouncy night tied up to the dock, but I had fresh water, food, and a full fuel tank. Life is good!
I headed out for an anchorage a little more than 25 miles north. I was a narrow, but protected creek. I anchored about half a mile north of a ferry landing and thought I was safe. Then the thunderstorms rolled in. I was listening to the weather radio, watching online radar, and looking at WeatherUnderground. Tornadoes had been reported, water spouts and been reported, and the thunderstorms were crashing over my head. I was pretty scared. Scared enough to put on my life vest and hook my portable VHF to my belt. I had a pretty miserable night's sleep and got up the next morning to more storms, rain, and wind. The tide had gone out, which effectively made my anchor line longer. I watched as my boat swung ever closer to shore. Finally, I heard the skeg crunch onto the bottom. I started the engine and jumped to the bow of the boat. I hauled in the anchor and moved another 2 miles upstream. It was a little wider there, so I rode out the rest of the storm and collapsed into bed around 9p. Worst 2 days, so far. Hoping to not have to repeat any of that. But, I survived and I guess it just goes with the territory.