Little Current

Saturday, June 27

We awoke this morning to another beautiful morning. I finished writing yesterday’s blog entry and walked up the hill (why is that when we leave the boat it is always uphill?) to the Meldrum Bay Inn. I sat on their porch to use their Wi-Fi. I checked the weather and e-mails and did a blog entry. The nice owner of the inn came out and brought the banana bread I had order last night.

As I was headed up the hill a large 55’ cruiser came in and I helped them dock, they were just coming in to clear customs and then continue their journey. They had run all night from Detroit.

The plan for the day was to go to Little Current at the east end of the North Channel, about 60 miles. The very helpful manager of the marina came out to see use off. She indicated that now that they have a new breakwater in, they hope to rebuild the entire marina. They have lots of smaller floating docks but the facilities for larger boats could use an update.

We pulled out of Meldrum and headed east, our course for 30 miles was due east right on the 46 parallel. The North Channel is a beautiful body of water approximately 100 miles long by 20 at its widest. There are many islands and island groups with lots of good anchorages. Many boaters spent weeks moving from anchorage to anchorage with the occasional trip to town for supplies. Our plan is to spend our time in old canals so we motored on.

We had some of the banana bread for lunch, it was excellent. I just wish the calorie police had not vetoed buying one of the homemade pies the Meldrum Bay Inn offered. All of their baked goods must be ordered the day before; they are custom baked to order.

We continued to enjoy the scenery of the nearby islands and the mountains on the mainland in the background. For most of the day we had the water to ourselves, there was the occasional other boat but generally a mile or two off. As we got close to Little Current the traffic got a little busier as it is the heart of the North Channel, which narrows to 800 feet wide. We were unable to raise anybody at the town dock on the radio but there were many empty slips so we just pulled in. It seems that it is the still the start of the season and the whole staff was in an all day first aid course. They were around later in the evening.

For years the town has offered transient dockage simply along (a third of a mile) sea wall. In the last couple of years they have added five or six docks with slips at either end. The main street of town is right along the water front. We stopped at a bank ATM to get some Canadian cash then headed up the hill four blocks to the grocery store for a few perishables. It was a long walk and when we got the groceries put away, the fish and chips stand just 50 yards from the boat look too inviting so we went over there for ice cream before dinner.

Little Current has more than a little current that flows through here. It is a funnel that connects the North Channel to Georgian Bay, both of which are part of Lake Huron. As the wind and weather move water around the lake the water flows through Little Current like an unpredictable tidal current. When we came in it was flowing east at two mph by evening it was going west at about the same. They have a buoy across from the town dock shaped like a boat that swings to show the direction of flow.

The bridge at Little Current is the only one to the mainland for all of Manitoulin Island. It was originally build as a railroad bridge in 1915. When the auto became popular, they were allowed to cross when there was no train, train traffic ended. It is only one lane wide so there are traffic lights and traffic goes one way for a couple of minutes then the other. It opens for boat traffic once an hour.

It was another perfect day.

Meldrum Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada

Friday, June 26

This morning was another beautiful morning, mostly clear, temperature of 56, but a strong northwest wind of 15 to 20. Although it was possible to go to Meldrum Bay it would not be comfortable so we choose to stay put. We did some things around the boat, Diana got some pictures for art reference and I finished writing yesterday’s blog entry.

The only internet access was at the Mainsail Restaurant a couple blocks from the harbor, so about 11:00 we walked up there. On the way there was an interesting wood carving, the inscription on the bottom says “passage keeper”. I got the blog entry uploaded, checked the market and weather, read all the e-mails and we had a lovely lunch of BBQed pork sandwiches.

Altough most of us use a stool to rest our feet on, deckhand Pikka thinks it is a great place to hunker down when the boat is moving.

All the weather forecasts called for less wind than we had been seeing and as we walked back to the boat it was definitely down. So hurried up and by 1:00 we were underway for a 48 mile trip to Meldrum Bay. As we headed out the there were some left over swells from the earlier wind but it was comfortable. By the time we were making our way thru the small islands between the larger St. Joseph Island and Drummond Island they were almost gone. It was now a gorgeous afternoon with a temperature in the low 70s on the water and variable winds less than five.

About 6:30 we were rounding the point into Meldrum Bay, we are now in the North Channel of Lake Huron. By 7:00 we pulled into the marina. Meldrum Bay is at the west end of Manitoulin Island. Manitoulin is a large island that separates the North Channel from the rest of Lake Huron. I believe that it is the largest Island in the world in a fresh water body of water.

We got the boat secured and I went in to a little office and called Canadian Customs. Actually all you have to do is lift the phone it is a direct line. They asked all the standard questions and I apparently had the right answers, she gave me a report number and we were officially in Canada. I understand some people are instructed to stay on their boats until a customs agent comes down to check them.

We then took a short walk up the hill to the lovely little Meldrum Bay Inn. They run an attractive restaurant and have rooms to rent. They also do baked goods to for takeout. We ordered a loaf of Banana nut bread for tomorrow morning. I promised to but a picture on the blog (I am hoping it gets me a discount on the bread) and Diana also got a picture looking down at the marina and Memories.

We went back to the boat for a bowl of popcorn and the end of another perfect day.

De Tour Village via Les Cheneaux Islands

Thursday, June 25

Last evening a charter ferry run came into the marina, a group from Mackinaw City had come to St. Ignace for a couple of hours. I got to chatting with the captain; he is a school principal and captains a Mackinac Island ferry in the summer. When he heard we were headed east he asked if we were going through the Les Cheneaux Islands. I said we would probably just go straight to De Tour Village. He indicated we would be missing some beautiful scenery and offered to come to the boat and go over the charts with me. As the sun set Diana got several photos.

This morning dawned as another beautiful day, yesterdays haze was gone, the temperature was in the mid 60s, and the winds were light. Since it was a short day we did not rush getting underway but were still out of the harbor by 8:00. From over five miles away Diana got a clear photo of the bridge behind us.

We head for Mackinac Island, went between the Island Light Tower and the Round Island Lighthouse across the channel. Diana shot lots of pictures of Mackinac Island; including the cottages, Grand Hotel the Old Fort, and the harbor. It would have been fun to spend a day on the island but there is too much to do this trip and we have been to Mackinac by ferry.

We continued on to the west entrance to the Les Cheneaux Island and head for Cedarville. The island are an extension of land on the south side of the Upper Peninsula, they are mostly summer homes for people from Lower Michigan and elsewhere. Many of them are accessible only by boat. I want to publicly thank the nice ferry captain for the recommendation, without him we would have missed a great couple of hours. If you use Google or MapQuest, (or an old fashion atlas) look for Cedarville, Mi. the islands are just to the south.

Finally after two hours of fabulous scenery we headed back out into Lake Huron and headed for De Tour Passage. The De Tour Light is a famous light. This is where the St Mary’s River enters Lake Huron, all shipping to and from Lake Superior passes thru this passage. There are large freighters going by constantly.

By 3:00 we were into our slip at another of Michigan’s public marinas. Diana did a load of laundry while the captain tried to get a couple of layers of dead bugs of the boat. Soon it was evening and we were both ready to turn in early. It had been a long but wonderful day.

Fuel report number 2

Today’s fueling in St Ignace took 175.6 gallons at $2.79; we have covered 510 miles since our last fueling. Allowing 3 gallons for generator usage (5 hours) it works out to 3.0 mpg. A little less than we had hoped for, but part of it was still against river current and one day we rain hard into rough weather and all the way up Lake Michigan I ran 50 to 100 rpm high trying to make just a little better time. If we can due 3 mpg for the entire trip I will not be unhappy.

St Ignace – Lake Huron.

Wednesday, June 24

We got up this morning and took our time getting started; it was after 7:30 before we pulled out. It had only dropped to 68 and there was heavy dew. It was hazy but the VHF weather channel was not reporting any fog. Diana got this picture of the old C.G. station which shows the haze.

About an hour and a half out we approached the Gray’s Reef passage. This is a famous (infamous) stretch of water in northern Lake Michigan. We were coming from outside the ship channel and made a hard turn to go thru the passage to the north. The tower, as big as it is, had not been visible until we were about three miles from it. Beyond the north end of Grey’s Reef passage is the White Shoal Light. It was not on our course as we were turning back to the east, but we cared on an extra ¾ of a mile north so Diana could get this picture though we were still far enough away that it was hazy.

The insect, about the size of a mosquito, but they don’t bit are back worse than ever.

From there it was twenty miles east to the Mackinaw Bridge. On a clear day we should have been able to see the tops of the support towers from that distance, we couldn’t see a thing. We continued on with many cruising boats going by in both directions and a lake freighter on the radio coming thru Gray’s Reef behind us.

For the last three days we have been seeing large quantities of “pollution” in the lake, it first looked like a yellowish alga of some type. As with anything floating on the surface of a large body of water the wind and waves tend to concentrate it into large windrows. Talking to a gentleman on the dock last night he said that it is pine pollen blown in from the forests of the U.P.

Finally about three miles from the bridge there were the towers high in the sky. The bridge is five miles long and from the center we could barely see the ends. If you look closely at the second bridge picture, that is an eighteen wheeler just right of center. It was slightly disappointing to not get a better view of such an impressive sight.

Mackinaw City is on the south end of the bridge and St Ignace is on the north, the gateway to the Upper Peninsula. We had been to Mackinaw City so we choose St Ignace. It was a little over an hour from the bridge to the harbor entrance. We were about ten minutes clear of the main channel when the freighter came under the bridge, too hazy for a picture.

We pulled into the harbor and headed for the fuel dock. We filled and pumped out (I will do a separate fuel report). Then we headed over to our assigned slip. St Ignace has a lovely large municipal marina. Because it has been a cold spring and it is mid week they are not real busy tonight, come weekends in July and August they get very busy.

Once we cleared the bridge we left Lake Michigan and entered Lake Huron. At least to me this is a small milestone in the voyage. We were a little concerned about getting the length of the lake in a less than ideal boat for the open water. We knew we had to pick good weather and we were fortunate to have lots of it. Tomorrow we go to De Tour Village at the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula and the entrance to the North Channel. The following day we will be into Canada.

I suspect that internet access will be less available in the next ten days. I will continue to write, but it maybe sometime between postings.

Beaver Island - two

Tuesday, June 23

We went for a walk last evening; Saint James Harbor on Beaver Island is an interesting little community, although it was a little warm walking. There were many small shops along the way, interspersed with nice homes and a couple of log cabins. Diana got a picture of a small totem pole in front of one shop. The King Strang hotel is now a private club. James Strang was the leader of the Mormons here back in the 1850s, he appointed himself king of the island, only to have his followers assassinate him a short time later.

Farther on we found the community center; I got internet access, checked e-mail, post the previous blogs and checked the weather for the next couple of days (it continues to look very variable). Diana got a tour of the nice center from a volunteer on duty. As we came out of the center to go to dinner the ferry from Charlevoix was just coming in. Everything on the island has to come in by boat, (or plane, there is a small airport).

The Shamrock Restaurant and Pub was across from the ferry dock, we went in and had a couple of very good sandwiches. The walk back to the boat was even more enjoyable than the walk into town because the temperature had started to go down.

It was another very good day. For the past two days we have been bothered by large swarms of some type of small insect. They get all over everything on the boat; it is almost hard to go out on deck. Without them the last couple days would have been perfect. Tonight they seem to be gone, except for the thousands lying in piles in all corners of the boat; I think the heat got them.

Beaver Island

Tuesday, June 23

We had a peaceful night at anchor, there was no wind all night, the boat did swing around a bit, we both slept well. We were up at sunrise and postponed breakfast until after we got underway Diana got a picture of the sun peaking over a cloud bank to the east as we headed out; she mostly wanted to show the calm water. It remained that way almost all day. The wind did come up to 8 to 10 from behind us for awhile after lunch, but by the time we were coming into the harbor it had died again.

About an hour into the morning we went past North Manitou Shoal Light, again note the calm water. We then turned northeast for a long straight run to Beaver Island, although we were not out of site of land at anytime we were a long way from any shore most of the way, therefore no pictures.

We had talked of anchoring again tonight, but getting in early to a town that sounded interesting and both wanting showers we decided to take a slip for the night. Diana got pictures of the C.G. station as we came in plus the ferry to the mainland.
As we sit here getting ready to walk to town the sky is clear, there is a light breeze and it is about 80 degrees.

The internet access is at the community center so I will post this while we walk and the rest of the description of Beaver Bay will have to wait until tomorrow’s entry.

South Manitou Island

Monday, June 22

We knew we had a shorter day today and were going into an anchor so there was no rush to get up and underway. Unfortunately I woke up just before six and knew I would get back to sleep. So I got up, made my coffee, strolled the dock and went on line for as much news and weather as I could find since it maybe three days before I have internet access again. The admiral finally rolled out and made use of shore power to cook a hot breakfast of eggs and toast. The toaster runs off the inverter but not the stove.

We finally got underway about 8:30, the weather was beautiful, temperature of 61, mostly sunny and light SE winds of about 5-8 mph. We cleared the harbor and set course for Point Betsie, it took us parallel to shore but about 4 or 5 miles out. The wind was behind us on our stern quarter and the small swells add about an extra .5 mph to our speed.

It was 56 miles to our planned anchorage at South Manitou Island; Point Betsie was a little over half way. Just in shore from Point Betsie is Crystal Lake, it is less than a mile from Lake Michigan but does not have an entrance channel. Diana and I were there about ten years ago to do race officer work for the NCESA national championship.

By late morning the winds had gone almost calm and the temperature even on the water was up to 75. We went topside to pass Point Betsie. First is Frankford with a large light on their breakwater. Next there is another large sand dune. Finally we approached Point Betsie. When we were here for the “E” regatta one of the evenings was a beach party right here about a quarter mile south of the light. At that time Diana got pictures of the light and did a nice oil painting of it that now hangs at home.

We rounded Point B. and headed a little farther east, South Manitou was in sight on the horizon about 20 miles ahead. As we proceeded north northeast Sleeping Bear Dunes past on the right, the picture was taken from about six miles away and does not convey the height of the dunes which I believe is close to 400 feet. The close up shows a section in which some people see a sleeping bear, thus the name, Sleeping Bear Dunes. We also passed this tug pushing a large barge, filled with either very light colored sand or possibly salt.

Soon we past the south end of the island with this large sand dune. The anchorage is in an almost circular cove closed on about 240 degrees and open to the east. Just at the south edge of the anchorage is the beautiful old South Manitou Lighthouse. Like so many of the old lights it is no longer in use. The entire island is part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake Shore. There is a daily ferry from Leland that allows people to visit the light and walk the beaches. It was at the dock near the light when we came by the time we were anchored it was just pulling out for Leland. I thought about swimming in to the beach for a hike but one foot in the water changed that thought, the water is probably about 65.

We thought we might have the area all to our selves tonight, but as we grilled dinner three nice sailboats came in and anchored then a 50 foot trawler. The area is large enough that we are not crowded. We had grilled mixed vegetables and shrimp. As I write this Diana is serving sherbet and putting a movie in the DVD player. For those that have an interest you might find our position on Google Earth with N 45 01.570 W 086 05.898

A near perfect day, we will hope for many more.

Manistee

Sunday, June 21

After posting last night’s entry we walked up and had our ice cream, (I think I may go into withdrawal now that we are gone) then Don and Kim came down to the boat to say goodbye, Diana got a last picture of the sun-setting over some of the boats. We ended up staying longer than we wanted, but White Lake was a great place to be delayed. Thanks again to Don and Kim.

I was up at 6:00 and checked the weather; it looked like it was going to be a perfect day, we postponed breakfast and were untying lines by 6:30. By 7:00 we had crossed White Lake, gone out thru the channel and were headed north toward Manistee, 65 miles away. The course was along the shore to Little Sable Point, turn slightly east and head further off shore to Big Sable Point then turn farther east to Manistee.

The temperature started in the low 60’s and was in the upper 60’s all day on the water, once in to Manistee it was in the mid to upper 70’s. It was mostly sunny all day, when we first went out the water was glassy smooth. Around Big Sable the wind had build to 10 – 12 and we had some one foot waves but they soon settled down and we had light breezy with small waves the rest of the day. Just the way we like it.

Diana got pictures of both Little and Big Sable Lighthouses, at Little it was a little hazy yet so I am posting only the Big Sable Light. We also saw a tug towing a barge and little later a lake freighter went by on the other side (too far away for a picture). The shore continues to be all sand in great hill sides.

By shortly before 3:00 we had arrived at the entrance to the Manistee River. We proceeded in the channel past a couple marinas on each side to the municipal marina, just before the bridge in the picture. On the way in a Coast Guard 47 foot cutter was headed out (more on him later).

There were two marina staff on the dock to help us into our slip, we got tied up and power connected, then we went for a short walk to stretch our legs. We came back to the boat, did some small projects then had a simple dinner.

After dinner we walked up main street (actually River Ave.). Diana liked the style of the old buildings and got several pictures, we walked across the bridge to the other side of the river to the grocery store. We picked up a few items and headed back to the boat.

From the entrance of the harbor into town they have a 1.5 mile “board” walk right along the river. Farther out it is a board walk, the section past the marina in the picture is a concrete walk. We went back to the boat, put the groceries away, did the dishes then headed for the showers.

Just as we got back from the showers, the Coast Guard cutter we had seen headed out when we came in was back and pulling into a slip right next to the first slip of the municipal marina. Having spent eight years in the C.G. reserve (40 years ago now) I quickly walked down to see how things have changed. I was greeted by four very courteous young C.G. enlisted men. They not only took time to talk with me but invited me aboard for a tour of the boat. It was impressive to see how some of our tax dollars are spent. The boat is all aluminum, with big Detroit diesel engines. She is designed to do search and rescue work in twenty foot breaking surface, thirty foot waves and fifty knot winds. I didn’t ask if they get Dramamine intravenously.
It was a wonderful day, the weather forecast looks good for the next three days and we are getting closer to Canada

Another Day at White Lake

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Last night’s thunderstorms rumbled through the area until after midnight. We had some gusty winds, heavy rain and a lot of electrical activity, mostly cloud to cloud and no close ground strikes. Nothing that was sever, but forty miles south on a line from Milwaukie to Grand Rapids things were a lot worse. Grand Rapids reported wind gust to 60 mph with a lot of tree damage, and Holland, MI reported over 6 inches of rain with a lot of flash flooding in the area.

We got to bed a little late and there was nothing but rain after that. The plan for today was to run to Manistee, 65 miles. I was up at 6:00 and the forecast looked like we could probably go. We had breakfast and were going to leave by 7:00, but shortly after 6:30 the wind picked up from 8-10 to 15 gusting 20 and fog moved in with visibility down to about half a mile, scratch leaving early.

About 9:00 when Don Nelson walked down the fog had lifted and the wind was down some, Don offered to get his motorboat out. We rode out the channel to the big lake, It looked like it might be OK to go shortly but the waves were still rolling pretty good from last night’s storm. It was too late to make Manistee leaving now so the best we could due would be Ludington and although safe it wouldn’t be a pleasant ride. We decided that with a good weather forecast for the next three days we would wait and try for Manistee tomorrow.

White Lake was hosting an “MC” regatta this weekend so there was lots of activity around the club. I spent the day talking boats with lots of new friends and a few old ones. Diana spent a quite day doing some painting.

It turned into a beautiful afternoon with bright sunshine temperatures near 80 and a pleasant breeze. Diana got out some pork tenderloin; we grilled it and had a baked sweet potato, salad and fresh strawberries. When I get this posted we will walk up and have one of the WLYC’s dollar ice cream cones.

All in all a wonderful day considering we made no progress on our journey north.

O’Toole shows up

Friday, June 19, 2009

I have always been a believer in O’Toole’s law. O’Toole’ law says "Murphy was an optimist".

After our ice cream last night I came back to the boat to cover seats on the fly bridge, when I then went into the cabin the front bilge pump was running. I went down to find a steady stream of water running from the middle of the boat. I went looking to see which thru hull fitting was letting in water. When I got back to the area of the fresh water supply pump it was running and it should only run when water is being used. The water tank was almost empty instead of the 75 gallons I thought were in it.

Well at least it is only a leak in the water system nothing that might sink the boat. I decided that to find the leak I needed to add water to the tank and it was just too late it could wait until morning. I had turned the power off to the pump and the bilge pump quickly caught up and stopped. We would rough it for the night with no water, the dinner dishes were still unwashed.

During the night we had a thunderstorm and at 3:30 I was out retying some lines and putting out larger vendors. Not a lot of sleep.

This morning I got the hose out, ran water into the tank and turned the supply pump on. Very quickly I found that there was water gushing out of the bottom of the water heater. It was not too hard to get the old one out, then I went up the hill to Don’s and off we went to town to try and find a replacement. We stopped at a Lowe’s; they did not have anything that close to small enough. We guessed that Menards and Home Depot would be the same. We then tried a large RV dealer. Lots of supplies, no water heaters, he said he could order one should be in late next week. We then tried a Plumbing Supply Wholesaler Don knew of. They didn’t have one but recommended another wholesaler. They had a 12 gallon, same size as the one we lost, but it was smaller in diameter and taller, it would not fit under the dinette bench. He did have a 4 gallon fast recovery unit that looked like it would work, so I bought it.

The old one was hard wired, the new one was a plug in, we stopped at a hardware store to get an outlet to put on the end of the old wire, so we would be on the same circuit. Back on the boat we got the electrical work done and set the new unit in place. Even though the new one was not as tall as the old, the old had water supply connection on the side, the new ones were on top, by the time the plumping was all connected the bench seat was not going to fit. The unit sits on a platform that we decided could be lowered so we tore it out took it up to Don’s table saw and modified it to be two inches lower.

Back to the boat to reinstall the platform and we were finally able to install the water heater and turn the water back on, it all worked fine. Don headed up to his home office to finish up a little business for the week while Diana and I got the boat put back together. By 4:00 Diana had hot water and was able to wash last night’s dishes. I got the shop-vac out and tried out all the bilge access points.

I am so lucky to have friends like Don. I can’t thank him enough for all his help today.

Don and Kim had plans for the evening so Diana and I went up and had dinner with Don’s Parents and Diana did a load of wash while we ate. Back to the boat to write this and listen to tonight’s thunderstorm start to roll in. I am ready for a good night’s sleep.

A day Visiting Friends.

Thursday, June 18

We spent the day doing projects around the boat. I got the dinghy out and attempted to repair the cover, it was torn. It is showing a lot of weathering, I am not sure how long it will last. I got the new flagstaff holder so we are ready to display a Canadian courtesy flag.

Diana got pictures of Memories docked at the yacht club and the White Lake Yacht Club.

Don’s parents came in today to visit for a few days. In 1991 when I went to the “E” Blue Chip regatta they lived just three blocks from the yacht club and they were nice enough to let me (and my crew) stay with them. I have not seen them since.

We had some special hot dogs, and Kim brought salad, we did a BBQ and at picnic style on the mid-deck of the boat, there were seven of us, Don’s parents, Kim, Don and son Erik. It was a beautiful evening to sit out on deck. After we ate we cleaned up quickly and then took the boat out for an hour tour of White Lake.

When we got back and secured we walked up to the Yacht Club and all had ice cream cone (for a buck). It was a great day and so nice to see old friends.

White Lake

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We took our time getting up this morning; we had listened to a gentle rain fall all night, we had a hot breakfast, and went to the marina showers. I worked on yesterday’s blog and pictures, and then we went to the store for groceries, a couple of other items, and some greeting cards.

The store was near the Enterprise office so we stop and returned the car and they drove us back to the marina. Diana put the groceries away and addressed the greeting cards (she has a folder full that she thought covered what we need but she missed a couple). Happy 40th anniversary to Mary and Dave (my sister). I got picture ready to post and proof read the blog for the last two days.

Then we went to the Grand Haven Historical Society museum which is in the old train station. They have a nice local museum with several different displays. One is train memorabilia, another is about two dozen model ships, old sailing vessels to great lakes freighters, ferries and Coast Guard vessels plus other maritime items. They have a large collection of bicycles; everything from a wooden 1860 to some of the unusual 1960 bikes. Finally they have a model railroad setup depicting The Grand Haven railroads at their hay day. It is still a work in progress, but looks like it will be very nice when it is done.

The post office was about five blocks away so I walked up there to mail the cards while Diana took pictures of the area. The first shows the second floor patio where we ate last night, second is the bleachers I mentioned yesterday with the museum behind them, then a close up of the old depot and finally a picture of the boat in her slip, the fountain display last night was on a plateau on the hill about directly behind the fly bridge.

I got detained on the way back from the post office at a nice little independent marine supply store. They had a Canadian flag that I had been looking for and not found elsewhere. I bought the flag, a flag staff, mounting bracket and hardware.

When I got back to the boat Diana had proof read the blog entries I had worked on and I quickly got two days posted. Then it was time to get underway, we planned to go to White Lake this afternoon. I did a last check of the weather and although it didn’t look great, there was nothing that appeared threatening.

A little before 2:00 we were headed out the Grand Haven channel, Diana got a parting shot of their break water. We were headed directly into 1 to 2 foot waves with visibility of about three miles, a little bouncy but not too bad.

It was only a three hour run to White Lake and by 5:00 we were headed in the White River channel, the old light house is now a museum. Once thru the channel White Lake opened up in front of us and the Yacht Club is less than a mile to starboard.

Don and Kim Nelson who lived in White Bear for fifteen years and raced “E” boats with us now live just up the hill from the White Lake Yacht Club. I had phoned and Don was down on the dock to greet us. The WLYC does not have general transient docking but does have room for a few friends.

Kim was gone for evening but Don and son Erik got the grand tour of the boat and then we walked up the hill to their house. It is to the left of the house at the left of the photo of the yacht club. Kim will be back tomorrow and the plan is we will all have dinner tomorrow night.

We had a light dinner, meet a couple of the live-a-boards that keep boats at the club and it was suddenly past bedtime. Another long but pleasant day.

Grand Haven

Tuesday, June16

We had plans for a busy day so we were up and away quickly this morning. The weather was not the beautiful day of yesterday but very acceptable. There was a light overcast with mild temperatures, winds forecast to be East at 10 to 15. We were a little concerned about the wind, but when we got underway they were only 8-10, offshore and slight behind abeam so we had a very comfortable ride. Later the winds built to 15 but the ride was fine except a couple of times when the waves seemed to go directly abeam and we rolled a bit.

The Route from South Haven to Grand Haven was 48 miles and we made good time. With the water and wind conditions the way they were we picked up an extra .25 mph on our normal cruise speed with the same power, 8.2 instead of 7.8-7.9. Diana got a picture of the approach to Grand Haven. By 1:00 we were into the Grand haven breakwater and quickly pulled into a nice, big slip at the Municipal Marina, they have free Wi-Fi so this will get posted.

I had reserved a car with Enterprise and when the boat was settled in I called and they promptly picked me up. We made the 40 minute drive to The Michigan Wheel Company in Grand Rapids. They had the right hand spare prop I need ready for me. Now hopefully since I have spares I won’t need them. We then drove to Grand Rapids West Marine, I had called them and they had a replacement radio microphone to replace the one that went swimming last week.

We detoured thru Holland on the way back to the boat and enjoyed a very scenic town but as we knew, it is way past tulip season. We then went back to the boat, put things away and headed back out for dinner. We walked the two blocks to where the main street intersects the river and found several establishments with side walk seating. We finally settled on one that had a second floor patio overlooking the river. We both had pasta dishes that were very good.

We walked back to the boat feeling it had been a very good day. There are some big boats in this river; Diana got this picture just as we got back to the boat. Just down river from the last slip (about 150 feet from ours) is a section of bleachers. The city has built a lighted water show across the river on a hillside. Every night all summer they have a half hour musical presentation with dancing fountains and colored lights (I believe each night is different). We sat on the fly bridge; it was a pleasant way to finish a long day.

I just received pictures from Satoko from last weekend I have included some of them here.



Thanks Satoko.

Starting the West Michigan Shore

Monday, June 15,

Even though we had lots of time yesterday evening I never got the last two days of blog done, so this morning I finished writing and posting those entries. This meant that even though we could have been off early it was after 7:30 before we got underway. To make it even worse in less than ten miles we crossed from Indiana to Michigan and we lost another hour. The plan for the day was a 59 mile trip from Michigan City to South Haven, MI.

The weather looked beautiful to start out in, temperatures in the mid 50’s but with bright sunshine it promised to warm nicely. The winds were calm and the water glassy, just an occasional small swell left from somewhere. By early afternoon it was in the low 70’s even out on the water and although the wind tried to fill in it would build to 4 to 8 and then die off again. The weather just couldn’t be any better.

Diana got the first picture looking back at the Michigan City Marina from outside the break water as we were leaving. We phoned the South Haven Municipal Marina and they confirmed that there would be no problem getting dockage but they closed at 4:00, if we were later, tie up and they would see us in the morning. I want to start early tomorrow and so we pushed 90% power for about an hour and a half total to get in by 4:00.

With the installation of the thrusters there was concern about effecting performance because of more weight and more drag from the hole in the bow. So far I cannot notice a problem, at just under 2000 rpm we are cruising between 7.8 and 8.0 mph and wide open (about 90% actual (3000 rpm)) we are getting about 11.4-11.5 mph. These numbers match very closely with my recollection of last year. The turbo charger maybe working harder at the slower speeds and this would cause a small effect on mileage, but I won’t have any idea until I have a couple of fills with no current involved.

After a comfortable, quiet day of cruising we approached the South Haven Harbor Lights at 3:30. I say quiet because every time we run the engines hard and then go back to cruise we are reminded of how very quiet the boat is at that speed. As we went in between the break waters Diana got a picture of the sand beach outside the harbor. I mentioned yesterday the start of sand Dunes; the west Michigan shore (western side of the state, eastern side of the lake) is all sand from great beaches to sand dunes several hundred feet high for its entire length.

The picture also nicely shows the old walkway to the light house. When the break water was build the light needed to be tended daily (maybe multiple times a day), in a storm the waves could be washing several feet over the top of the breakwater so the frame work in the picture supported an elevated walkway to safely get to the light. Since modern technology has highly automated the lights it is only necessary to service the light occasionally. There are no longer any boards in the walkway, only the frame.

After some confusion about a low bridge that would not open until 4:00, we discovered that our destination was before the bridge and we motored right in to an end slip. South Haven Municipal Marina is a nice little (40 slip) harbor that appears to be all transient slips. But it highlights how nice Michigan City was, there are fewer facilities here, Wi-Fi is a service at $8.00 a day vs. free and the charge is $.30 a foot higher. This blog will get posted up the line somewhere.

After we got the boat secure, the shore power hooked and settled up with the office we went for a walk. We walked from the boat to the red lighthouse on the end of the breakwater; it was about two thirds of a mile each way. Diana got a picture of the view shortly after we started out that shows the light in the distance and the captain’s backside in the foreground. As with most large beaches there was a concessions stand and we decide that it was warm enough for an ice cream cone (above freezing is warm enough).

I thought on the way in to the harbor that it seemed a very busy channel on a Monday afternoon and on the walk we confirmed there was lots of activity, large cruisers, sailboats, charter fisherman and the kayaks and jet ski in this picture.

We had a light dinner and a quiet evening of reading, plotting tomorrows route, writing this entry and boat chores. I think we will both be in bed early tonight.

Another day - Better results.

Sunday, June 14

We go up and our guests packed while Diana fixed pineapple pancakes for breakfast. We said our goodbyes and our guests headed to church, picked up the car at Winthrop Harbor and then Rick and Satoko had to drive back to White Bear.

As soon as they were gone Diana and I got underway and were out of our slip by 8:00. The sky was clear and the winds lighter. We redid the 13 miles plus the lock to Calumet Harbor. It was very busy, with a Sunday and nice weather there was a lot more pleasure boat traffic plus once we got above the lock we had to pull to the side and wait for commercial traffic. First there was a tug pulling a large lake barge (much larger than the river ones) with a tow boat through a bridge, I assume the tow had some sort of problem. Then a half mile later there was a lake freighter coming in off the lake.

Once we got thru the traffic it we got out into Calumet Harbor (full of fisherman) and it looked better than the day before. We headed for the southeast exit from the harbor and set an easterly heading for Michigan City, IN. The waves were about one foot from the side. The boat rolled a bit but not uncomfortably. Today even from the Calumet Harbor we could clearly see the Chicago skyline.

Last fall I ordered a new GPS receiver for my laptop mapping program, it was a different brand, and it never worked well. Over the winter I downloaded updates to the drivers and hoped it would cure the problems. It just created different problems. I then ordered a new one from Maptech the software vendor; I got it a couple of days ago and had no luck getting it to run. I had e-mailed support and last night at McD’s I had a reply, I was able finally to get it working after deleting the drivers and reinstalling slightly differently. It worked fine today and I am very relieved to again have a working chart plotter.

As we approached the IN. shore we could see the first of the Lake Michigan sand dunes, we will see many more as we go north.

After four hours (32 miles) of pleasant motoring we were entering the Washington Park Marina in MI City. It is a lovely municipal marina with about 600 slips (and free WiFi on the boat). We got settled in and relaxed a bit. Diana got two pictures one looking back out the main channel and the other looking across part of the marina at Memories.

After a pleasant day and a working GPS life is again good.

Good company, a Bad Day

Saturday, June 13

Rick, Satoko and Enoch arrived last night about 7:30; none of them had seen the new boat so a tour was in order. Then since they had not eaten some BBQed hot dogs were in order. We then had lots of conversation with everybody catching up with what was going on. Then since we wanted to get started early we all headed for bed by 10:00.

This morning we were all up early, had a quick breakfast and got ready to get underway for the last 13 miles of the Calumet Canal to Calumet harbor and the planned run of another 54 miles up to Winthrop Harbor. The weather forecast was not great, high probability of rain and some (there are many forecasts; Chicago, marine for open Lake Michigan and near shore for every 15 or 20 miles of coast) saying winds 5 to 10 with waves 1 foot while others said 10 to 15 waves 1 to 3 feet. Remember that government forecasts measure wave heights as height above the lake surface, so add a trough of equal size.

As we were getting ready, I bent over to work on a line; the remote radio microphone for the flybridge fell out of my jacket pocket into the river, not a great way to start the day. It didn’t sound great but we decided we would take a look. An hour up the canal is the Thomas O’Brien Lock. It marks the end of the Illinois Waterway which flows to the Mississippi and the Gulf, above the locks the waters are part of the great lakes. The lock lifts you only about two feet so we were told we could just float in the middle of the lock.

Satoko had never locked thru before, she was very excited. Both she and Diana were on the front deck with cameras ready, the lock attendant yelled at them that this was a secure D.O.D. facility and security prohibited photos (photo and working details of the lock are available online from the government), the girls got there photos anyway. We floated thru the quick lockage without a problem which made Diana happy since we had such a bad experience last year in our first lock of the year floating.

Another hour and we were out of the canal into Calumet Harbor, by now it was raining; at least I have a windshield wiper that works well. We headed north thru a break in the sea wall and set a course for where we thought Chicago should be. We were about 14 miles from downtown Chicago but in the rain and low overcast we could not see anything. The wind was probably 12 to 15 knots and my estimated was the wavers were mostly 2 feet with the occasional 3 footer; we were headed directly into them. This is not what the Gibson was designed for; the bow does not lift with the wave it just plows into them with a heavy impact and troughs spray high. It was not a comfortable ride and it put a lot of water onto the front deck, after about five miles (of the planned 54) I decided it was not a good idea to continue and turned to go back the way we came. Running with the waves was much more comfortable.

We retraced our route thru the canal and the lock (again we floated thru without a problem) and returned to the slip that we had left almost seven hours earlier. The one bright spot, on the way back we came upon a pair of swans and their young. As you know Diana loves birds, this made her day. Our guests, especially Satoko, where enjoying the ride regardless of the conditions.

We got the boat put away and decided that maybe an ice cream cone would help, Enoch wanted to stop at a drug store, so we all climbed in the car went to McD’s where we had ice cream and I got an hour of internet time to get caught up. Rick had brought our mail and there were a couple bills I need to set up to have paid and I did the previous two blog posts. The others played cards while they waited for me.

We went back to the boat and enjoyed more family time and a delicious vegetable and shrimp dinner done on the BBQ. Despite the good company I was feeling pretty low after a long hard day on the water which showed the upper limit the boat would handle was less then I had hoped and the loss of the radio. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Tourist Day

Friday, June 12, 2009

This picture got missed in yesterdays post.

While Diana did a load of laundry at the marina I went (they picked me up) to Enterprise and got a rental car. When the laundry was done we headed into Chicago to play tourist. It was a beautiful day after yesterday, bright sun, temp near 70 except near the lake were an east breezy kept it closer to 60.

Diana had never been to the Shed Aquarium, I knew she would love it, so we drove to the new Soldier Field which is a very impressive structure and parked in the ramp under the stadium. Then we walked past the Field museum to the aquarium. We walked around looking at many of the exhibits, when we got down by the beluga whale and dolphin area they indicated there would be a show at 1:00.

We went to their very efficient restaurant had a couple of good sandwiches and looked out over both the inner and outer Chicago harbors. On a beautiful Friday afternoon there was too much boat traffic to describe.

About 12:45 went back to the arena area took seats, cast concrete with moderate agate, not something I could site on for a long presentation. At one the trainers brought in three dolphins and put them thru their paces. The dolphins were followed by a sea lion and then four beluga whales. It was an interesting performance.

We then went back to looking a displays, the section on sea horses also had some of their lesser known cousins the sea dragons. Diana was fascinated by these. As we got to the Caribbean Reef display they were just starting a presentation with a diver in the tank feeding the fish and rays, complete with microphone and a narrator outside. The underwater microphone allowed the diver to participate in the presentation as she feed the fish, again very interesting.

We finally decided we had had enough and headed back to the car, on the way Diana decided an ice cream cone would make her sore knee feel better. We drove back to the boat stopping just before we got here to grocery shop, just a few perishables.

End of the Illinois Waterway

Thursday, June 11

Diana got a couple of pictures of the pretty Harborside Marina yesterday that did not get included with yesterday entry so here they are.

We were awakened very early (4:30?) this morning by a thunderstorm. Heavy rain, some thunder, but no significant wind. As the thunder ended but the rain continued we tried to sleep a couple more hours. We finally got up to a temperature of 54; low overcast and continued light rain. The weather forecast said 60% chance of showers with a high near 70, winds NE 10.

We had our breakfast and decided there was nothing to keep us from heading out we would just run from inside. In fact we had moderate to light rain 90% of the day, we saw our thermometer say 60 once but it quickly dropped back to 59 where it stayed all day (thanks Minnesota). Late morning we ran the generator for 20 minutes and turned the heat on to take the chill out of the cabin, the rest of the day it was comfortable in the cabin.

The morning weather issued flash flood warnings for an area just to the north of us as an estimated 3 to 5 inches of rain had fallen in that area. This region may not dry out all summer.

We had just 11 miles to go this morning before the two locks for the day only 5 miles apart. A tow had gone by us as we had breakfast, but he was a full 15 barge tow and we caught him just up river backing down to get around a tight corner in the channel. We made go time getting to the Brandon Road lock only to find a tow backing up after splitting his tow. We dropped anchor and waited while they locked through his first half, empty the chamber, locked thru the second half, and he made up his tow, than they empty lock for us. It was over two hours total, so much for an early start. Fortunately he stopped and was not right in front of us at the second lock. We approached Lockport Lock and I radioed for a lift, they replied that they were bringing a tow down and if I would pulled to side so he could get out we could enter as soon as he cleared. We just went slowly for a few minutes and out he came.

Both locks to day went very smoothly, with not a lot of wind we motored right up to the floating bollard and Diana quickly got a line on it, the thrusters got a rest.

Once we exited the Lockport lock we had another 29 miles to our marina for the night, Riverdale Marina. Between the locks is the official end of the Illinois River and it is now the Des Plaines River and at Lockport the channel is into a manmade channel, The Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal. This is at Joliet, IL and as you leave the lock you are thirty feet above the surrounding area. It is very interesting looking down at roofs from the boat. The photographer said it was too rainy to get a picture, maybe on the return in September.

A few miles up the C.S.S. splits with the C.S.S going north into downtown Chicago and out into Lake Michigan and the south arm being the Calumet Sag Channel. We took the Calumet. There are no marinas on the downtown route until you go through the last lock and take a marina on the Lake MI waterfront; this was longer than we could travel today (they are also very expensive, about $2.75/ft/night)..

The CSS is very interesting, it is only about six to eight barges wide and for the first few miles there are barges parked almost nonstop two deep all along one side. There are large facilities for loading and unloading, coal, salt, sand and gravel and large chemical plants with docks to load liquids onto tank barges. When you get a tow pushing a barge next to two parked in a six wide channel there isn’t much left. After that the canal goes through a wilderness area where there is heavy forest growth on both banks with limited signs of man.

This was interesting but because of the heavy morning rain all the little side streams (and storm sewers) were still sending a great deal of water down stream and with it had came a lot of debris, so the captain had to spend more time dodging obstacles and less time enjoying the sights than he would have liked.

Riverdale Marina is on the Calumet Sag Channel about 13 miles before Lake MI, with a lock between. We will spend two nights here. My nephew, Enoch, works in the greater Chicago area and my brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Satoko, are driving down Friday. They will meet Enoch, spot a car at Winthrop Harbor (near WI – IL border) and then come to Riverdale. Saturday we will (weather permitting) all cruise up to Winthrop Harbor along the Chicago shore and skyline; the photographer will not get the day off again.

First Fueling of the year

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

After five long days coming up river today was a rest and work day. We spent the day giving the boat a complete cleaning inside and out. Then after lunch we pulled in the electrical connection and motored over to the fuel dock.

As many of you now I am very concerned with fuel mileage, we bought this boat in hopes of good fuel economy. We have put 281 miles on this tank, all up river against a strong current, probably 2 mph average. We took 132.3 gallons, allowing a couple of gallons for 5 hours on the generator that is just less than 2.2 mpg. That is not near what we would like but with but with the strong current and several hours of run much higher rpms then best fuel economy it is very acceptable.

We took it easy the rest of the afternoon, went for a walk around the rest of the marina (there is a back harbor we can’t see from the boat), then after showers we walked up to a very nice restaurant on the marina grounds. They had a special promotion going with a radio station; it was more successful than they anticipated. The service was a little slow but the food was good and the atmosphere was nice and we had no place to go but back to the boat to crash.

Starved Rock to Harborside

Tuesday, June 9

It was a cool morning with overcast skies and temperatures in the mid 50’s. Diana fixed hot oatmeal, it tasted good. We were underway by 7:30 with a plan for only 40 miles plus two locks.

When I was walking around the marina early a tow went by headed our direction. I was worried that starting an hour behind him we would catch him just as he got to the lock and we would be held up for a couple of hours, out we went anyhow. As it turned out we caught him and squeezed by him about five miles before the lock. It was a straight but narrow stretch of river. As close as we are to him I was closer to a buoy on the other side.

I radioed the lock when we were ten minutes out and he said he would open the gates and to keep coming. The gates were open when we got there and we went straight in. The winds were light and we had a very easy lockage, the Admiral/deckhand’s favorite kind.

The river scenery is changing; we are out of the lowland of the lower river and starting to see some bluffs. The weather remained overcast and it was slow to warm up so we ran from the lower helm most of the day, except for into and out of locks and docking. The river continues to be very busy in stretches with barges being loaded and unloaded.

As we came around a corner just before the second lock of the day there was a tow working under a railroad bridge, this time we had to wait. I checked with the lock master to let him know we were waiting and found out at least the tow was a single lockage not a double. We followed him under the bridge and pulled to the side of the channel and dropped the hook. After about an hour he cleared the lock and we went right in and had another easy lockage.

Just two miles beyond the lock was our marina for the night, Harborside Marina, Wilmington, IL. By 3:30 we were tying up to the slip we were assigned and getting ready to relax. After five straight days of running hard we are going to take tomorrow off and do boat chores; Fuel, water, pump-out, clean inside and out etc.

The last two evenings we have had some member of the sparrow family flying close around the boat, they will land on the dock and even hop on to the deck of the boat. Both cats are becoming avid bird watchers. They will dash to the door to look out intently then dash to the back of the chair to look out the window, up on the front console, then to the back of the couch. It makes them tired but, I think they are forgetting how bad three 500 mile car rides were and settling nicely into the boating life.

First real Lock

Monday, June 8

We had a reasonable quite night but were both awake fairly early. We had breakfast and were underway by 7:30. The plan was to run 53 miles to Starved Rock Marina. The Starved Rock Lock is just 2 miles before the marina.

The weather was overcast but did not look threatening. The forecast was for 60% chance of showers in the morning but just a slight chance of anything severe. The temperature was in the high 60s and it was a pleasant morning with the river all to our selves. We were no sooner off the dock and a light drizzle started. It continued off and on for a couple of hours, and then it began to break up with patches of blue sky.

The river continues to be very remote with many large backwaters and good size lakes of either side. There is the occasional town, often with many commercial barge operations. Many of the towns also have small marinas, mostly for local boaters and not able to handle larger boats that are travelling.

By lunch time it was partly cloudy and after lunch we went to the fly bridge to drive. The winds were kicking up and Diana decided she didn’t want that much wind and went below. Even though the wind was behind us it was still strong.

I knew from radio traffic that there was a tow in front of us and I was worried that we would be right behind him at the lock and have a long delay. Fortunately when we were still two hours out he was asking to be locked thru and I figured he wouldn’t be a problem. We got close and I radioed a request to lock thru and the lock master said they were locking a tow down and when he exited they would take us up.

We waited maybe 15 minutes for the lock to empty and the tow to exit and in we went. Remember those winds I talked about, it was a real challenge to get near the floating bollard and keep it stationary and under control while Diana got the line on. It wasn’t pretty but it was acceptable thanks to the thrusters.

We exited the lock and headed upriver; a mile later I radioed the marina and got instruction for docking. I had phoned in the morning and told them we were coming. They told me to just tie off to the outer end of “D” dock. The wind was blowing straight down the dock making every effort to keep us away. With some good line work Diana got two lines secured on the dock and we were in safely. Before we finished I lost the front thruster, the inverter batteries were dead. I now have an idea of how long I can run that thruster without turning on the generator.

After we got boat chores done I went on the internet for the local weather, it said last hour winds 22 mph gusting 30. That is installment payments two and three on the thruster with a safe locking and a satisfactory docking.

By 3:30 we were planning the rest of the day. There always seems to be lots to do. Starved Rock appears to be a nice marina, but here the second week in June they are just getting started for the season, probably only half the boats in the water, too much bad weather and high water this year.

It is now 9:00 and we have both been up to use the showers and by the time this is posted it will be the end of another good day.

Tall Timbers to Chillicothe

Sunday, June 7

After the strong winds finally died about sundown, we watched a nearly full moon rise and had a peaceful night. We both slept well. I got up and checked the internet, weather new etc. The radar showed a mass of rain to our north plus a couple of strong cells to our west that appeared to be headed our way. We made no great effort to get under way; we had a brief thunder shower with a fair amount of rain but no wind. When it cleared the radar showed a line of showers building about half an hour behind the first, I went over to the marina office and socialized with the owner and several local boaters.

It seems most of the locals are farmers, a couple hundred acres part time if not full time. The talk is about the fields that are still too wet to work, even into June.

Finally the rain quite, I went back to the boat checked the radar, and VHF weather. It looked OK, so we got organized and pulled out of Tall Timbers about 9:30. Our plan was to run 60 miles to the Chillicothe Town Dock, if that proved to be too far or the weather turned against us, there were several marinas in the Peoria two to three hours shorter.

The weather was not great but the temperature was mild and just an occasional light rain shower, we drove from inside all morning. After lunch it was looking better and I went up top to drive I was there maybe 15 minutes when there was just enough sprinkles to make spots on my charts, so I returned inside.

By early afternoon we came to the Peoria Lock, this is the second with the wickets that where down and we motored right on thru. The chief line handler says all locks should be like that. Unfortunately that is probably the last one for the trip unless the Illinois is in flood when we come back in September.

We were soon into the city of Peoria. The outskirts of town have a lot of commercial activity on the river banks, then, when you get to downtown the river is very people friendly. They even have some boat slips for temporary dockage to enjoy the waterfront establishments and park. There is a three hour max so no overnight.

As you leave Peoria you enter Peoria Lake, then Upper Peoria Lake. These are two and three miles wide and in total run about 16 miles up the river. For my Minnesota friends think Lake Pepin. The nice wide body of water reduces the current and or speed jumped from the upper 6 mph to the high 7s. We decide to try driving from up above again and were up there for the last two hours. Just about 6:00 the Chillicothe town dock came into view and we got the lines and fenders ready. The dock is just 150 feet of floating dock along shore, next to a boat launch.

Just ashore from the dock is a parking lot both for boat trailers and Banana’s Beach Club. Things were a little busy. There were four jet skis in the area. As I write this, things are quieting down and I think they will be fine for the night.

It is nice of these smaller towns to provide free dockage to the boating public; I am reminded of the nice facility at Clarksville, TN last summer.

Day two

Saturday, June 6

We have a peaceful night at anchor, after the local owl choir ended their concert, we were up and ready to go early this morning. A tow went by and rocked us gentle about the same time that deckhand Oreo can up to announce that his cat food dish needed filling (he doesn’t like it more than half empty) or that he was ready for lots of morning affection. We are never sure which until Diana checks the food dish and by then it doesn’t matter he has had his affection and we are up, it was just before 6:00.

By 7:00 we had the large branch off our anchor trip line and the anchor up and stowed. The windlass works just as well this year as last.

Since the first two locks are down, (the wickets in the dam are out and the water flows straight thru) the river is in free flow for the first 230 miles. In checking water levels, I also checked actual elevations and determined that the elevation change was greater in the first part of the river and becomes less, further up, this implies less current.

Sure enough after getting only 5.5, 5.6 much of yesterday and only an occasional 6 with power at our cruise setting, we started this morning at 6.3 and much of the day got in the upper 6 range. Since we did the long day yesterday and had only 47 miles to go today we did not have to run high power at all today and still we had a short day.

Today was much like yesterday, low wooded shore line with many back waters behind the trees. Still very limited civilization, the occasional small town and lots of commercial barge facilities. At mile 80 we came to our first lock, LaGrange lock and Dam, This is one of the two that they open the dam and you by pass the lock during high water. We motored right by and Diana was happy, that is her favorite way to “lock”.

The weather was mild and overcast, pleasant, but we decided to run from the lower helm. I finally decided to go to the fly bridge and no sooner then I got there, it started to rain lightly. I quickly moved back down stairs. Shortly the rain ended, the clouds broke up and we had sunshine. We moved back topside and ran the last hour and a half from there. About an hour from the marina the wind began to pick up, what had been light became 15 to 18 with gust to 25.

By 2:30 I was on the phone with the marina manager to let him know we were close, I made a reservation with him yesterday, he told me how to enter the marina, since the entire shore is flooded and where to go after I go in, he said he would be on the dock to help with lines. The marina is a long “U” with slips when you first come in then with tie alongside docking for transients at the base of the “U”. I was to come in do a 180 then back in to a corner behind the finger pier of the last slip. Remember the wind, well he was there to direct me and several other people came to help (enjoy someone elses excitement). We came in and with the thrusters rotated the boat quickly in a very tight space, lined it up and slid it sideways up to the dock. Two people almost fell in prepared to push hard to stop the boat from hitting and I stopped it six inches from the dock.

The thrusters were a large investment we questioned making, A few more days like today and the investment will be justified.

The marina is Tall Timbers, Havana, IL. It is small but very friendly people, a floating patio and the Blue Heron serves drinks and bar type food. Oh yes free WiFi that works on the boat and no trouble getting on.

We cleaned up the boat, did a few chores, checked all the e-mails and then went over and had a drink and a pizza. Did I say life is good yesterday? Same today.

We used their showers and I think it will be early to bed tonight, as soon as I get this posted.

Day One

Thursday afternoon

We finished all the chores for the day; laundry, dinghy engine out of winter storage, dinghy test run to make sure all was ok, Dinghy covered and back on davits, trip to town for internet access, other miscellaneous little things. We also went out for a short boat ride to practice with the thrusters, John Bloch, the owner of the service that installed them was along.

Friday, June 05

We were both awake early, so it was up for a quick breakfast, then Diana tided up the cabin while I got dock lines off, the power off and cords disconnected and put away. By 6:45 we were out of the slip and headed out of the harbor.

It was a gorgeous a morning, a little chilly but a crystal clear sky and no wind. The low 50’s was pleasant knowing it was headed for near 80 in the afternoon. We quickly covered the distance to the Mississippi main channel (down current), crossed it to duck behind Mason Island and Island 525 which put us in the Illinois main channel. This saved us running down the Mississippi two miles then back up the Illinois another two. We immediately slowed done even with more power. The power setting for our normal cruise of 8 mph was getting us only 5.5 to 5.7 mph. It looks like it’s going to be a long couple of days.

It was hard to believe but the long planned and awaited journey was finally underway and the morning was perfect weather wise. Life is again good.

We enjoyed watching a beautiful rural (wilderness) setting passing us by. In many areas there is no shore line, the still flood level waters just extend back into the trees. In the areas where there is human presence it was mostly small homes, cabins, on stilts. The current water level extends in under many of them.

In the first 30 miles or so we crossed paths with two ferries plying the waters from one shore to the other and back again. As quick as the nose of the ferry touches shore 4 or 6 vehicles (whatever the load) drive off and those waiting on shore drive on, within a couple of minutes they back away from the shore and are off. The tow is alongside the barge and it swings around to face the other way while the barge does not change direction. They motor quickly across the river and repeat the process.
At Hardin, about mile 21, we come to the Hardin Highway Bridge; it is a lift bridge the chart says 25.9 feet clearance a flat pool. I radio the bridge master for what the current clearance is with the high water. He responds that it is about 19 feet. We need just over 13 feet with the bimini completely down and 17 with it up. Diana had gotten the screw driver to lower it while I was waiting for the reply, I tell her it was a wasted trip we are fine, we approach the bridge slowly (what else into the current) and I carefully watch the leading edge, it looks fine. Clunk, clunk, oops, the radio antenna is three feet above the bimini. Fortunately it is flexible and bends back and makes it thru without breaking. Reminder to self, “Lower the antenna in low clearance situations”.

Later in the afternoon as we approach the Florence Highway Bridge I am waiting to get a little closer to radio for his clearance when a down bound tow calls for an opening. I radio that I will pull out of the channel and wait just below the bridge and that I would like to then sneak thru before he closes.

There is basically no good way for a boat of our speed to do this stretch of the river, there is a good marina at mile 120 but that mean two long days with a night at anchor halfway. Since I would like to get to the marina before evening we decided to do more than half today. This meant that for about three hours total (in a several sections) we ran about 90% of power instead of normal cruise. This gets us an extra 2.5 to 3 mph but destroys fuel mileage. The guide books are no help on anchorages, the charts show islands that it might be possible to tuck up into, however none of them looked usable as we get to them. Finally at the head of Wilson Island, mile 73 there is a nice wide spot outside the channel just above the entrance to the backside of the island.

At 6:30 we slow checked the area carefully and dropped the anchor in about 18 feet of water. With light winds and a current of 1.5 mph even in close to shore we are hanging nice and steady on the anchor. The engine meters show 11.9 hours for the day, a much longer day then I would like but now tomorrow will be a much easier day. This will be one of, if not the longest days of the trip. The picture is of the bouy attached to our anchor.

We are about ready

Tuesday, June 2

We got what little we had taken home with us packed and loaded up the cats. We were on the road shortly after eight. The cats still don’t like their carriers or the car, they talk all day. When we stop for an early lunch in northern Iowa the temperature was 58 degrees. We later learned the high in St Louis Tues. was at noon and 88 degrees. Obviously this was two different air masses. As we drove south we found rain about Iowa City and by the MO. border it was bands of very heavy rain. By Hannibal we were out of it and into warm humid air, but the black clouds
looked like they were chasing us.

We got all our “stuff” carried from the car down to the boat. Then we took our lemonade to the fly bridge, enjoyed a light breeze and watch as the black clouds rolled in with lots of lighting. We finally had heavy rain and decided to adjourn to the cabin for a light dinner and then collapse. Boy is heavy rain loud when you are under a metal roof.

For those of you that are aware that my ICD battery is running low, I had it checked on Monday and although the doctor would like to check it every two months, we agreed that it was still strong enough that there was very little risk in my being gone for four months.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Why is it that every time we drive down to St Charles to get on the boat we have monsoons? This is three trips in a row over the last two years. It rained most of the night, St Louis report .92 inches for the day yesterday. If there is any good news, it is that most of this rain was in the Mississippi watershed not the Illinois. The Miss is forecast to go back up a couple of feet, but it was well below flood. The Illinois which is in flood is still forecast to continue to go down, just not as fast.

We went to town to shop today and got enough grocery to last well into the trip (if the boat doesn’t sink). Then we came home to put it all away. After a late lunch Diana continued stowing things and I went out for a wash down of the boat. It is unbelievable how dirty it gets in three weeks.

After work Scott B, from Wahoo stopped by and we fired up the engines and went out for a short test drive. It was the first of the year for me and neither of us had tried the thrusters. The Yanmar diesels ran just as fine as last year and the new thrusters lived up to all my expectations and then some. The controls for both thrusters are in a single controller (basically a boat shaped joy stick) that is very intuitive to use. I drove going out and Scott drove coming back in. The total control provide is difficult to describe, we are in the slip closest to shore with a crosswind blowing toward that shore, we were able to rotate the boat quickly and move it sideways into the wind almost effortlessly. We were both impressed.

The one item that remains to be seen is what effect the added weight and turbulence from the hole thru the bow have on performance. I will be checking that and reporting in the coming weeks.

Thursday, June 4

It is Thursday morning as I post this. The plan for today is to finish up a laundry list of small details and then if the weather forecast holds and there is no major change in the Illinois River level forecast we will finally be off for the first day of our summer long adventure early Friday morning.

We will try again

It is Monday the first of June, the Twin Cities just had the driest May since 1934 our lake is low and receding fast, while the Ilinnios River is still in flood.

We have had a productive two weeks at home. Although the IL is still in flood, it is lower then it was when we came home and continues to go down daily. We are ready to try again. We will leave Minnesota tomorrow and drive to St Charles.. Then we will spent Wed and Thurs provisioning the boat and checking that everything is working properly including the new bow and stern thrusters.

If there are no problems (and central Illinois has not had another monsoon) we will head for Chicago first thing Friday morning.

We will try and update the blog as often as we have WiFi access.