Friday, May 30, 2008

Log 6; Day 9; May 30, 2008; DuSable Harbor Chicago, IL

Log 6
Day 9
Friday, May 30, 2008

6:30 AM CDT
Location: DuSable Marina, Chicago, IL.
Weather: 64* and mostly cloudy...storms in the forecast

Made the crossing from Michigan to Chicago yesterday. Awesome day.

The wait for good crossing weather was worth it. Got up at about 5 am yesterday and got on the computer to check all the weather reporting stations to make sure the weather window would cooperate. Not only did they cooperate...it was like I planned it. It was a little cool (42*) but NO wind and predicted to remain very light. I made all my checks and got things ready, and it was 6 am by the time I fired up the generator and woke up Debbie...and 6:26 when we left the slip. The lake was almost flat when we came out of the South Haven channel and I set the auto pilot to track to the center of the Monroe Harbor entrance in Chicago. (a distance of 77.6 miles at a heading of 242*). For the next 7 hours and 8 minutes I never touched the steering wheel. It was sunny; flat; and a beautiful crossing.

When we reached DuSable Harbor (if you drive on Randolf St. in Chicago and go East until you run into the lake...that’s us) we stopped at the pump out dock (self service and free) and then on to our slip. Just as we got to the slip it started to rain a little. Not much...but enough for us to go get our rain gear on. And shortly after that the sun came out again...and it was nice for the rest of the day.

Deb and I decided it would be a shame to pay these high Chicago docking prices ($129 per night) and not enjoy this beautiful city so I went on line and found some cheap tickets to Jersey Boys and to the Italian Village for dinner. Great night. (I had seen Jersey Boys before...but it was even better the second time). We were back at the boat at about 10:30. A long day...but great.

Today...not really sure what we’ll do. We want to take a long dinghy ride to see all the boats, and even go through the Chicago lock and down the Chicago river (which goes right through the middle of downtown Chicago). Also might go to Wrigley Field and see if we can get a couple of cheap tickets for the game. But not sure if any of that is going to happen because the radar shows big time storms west of here...and heading this way. Definitely going to get rain...just not sure when and how much. We’ll make the best of it...whatever it is. Who knows...maybe I’ll get out one of those books I brought along? Right.

Side note...Deb and I are really excited because we get to spend the next several months on rivers...something we really love. The next time we have to make a big crossing will be sometime in November or December when we cross the Gulf of Mexico.

I’ll keep you posted...

BK.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Log 5; Day 7; May 28, 2008; Getting ready to head to Chicago

Log 5
Day 7
May 28, 2008

5:50 EST
Location: In the slip at South Haven, MI municipal marina

Great first week on the boat. Still here in South Haven. In a non retirement mode spending this many days in one area would be unheard of...but now it’s just kind of relaxing.

Monday night/morning about 3:30 am, Deb and I both jumped out of bed as the boat hit (hard) against the dock. Those north winds they predicted finally got here and the lines I had set up on the boat were not enough, so I went out and added extra lines. It was not really the winds that were the problem...it was the swells on Lake Michigan that the winds were really kicking up (10 feet as reported by NOAA) which were causing swells in the South Haven channel and really rocking the boat. After adding a few more lines I thought I had it...until we hit hard again about 30 minutes later. So the rest of the night and early morning and most of the day was spent adjusting and re-adjusting lines (because they would stretch). The harbor was really a mess as all the boats were tossed in the growing swells. It’s now over 24 hours later and the boat is still rocking...but only about 20% of what it was. I just checked the waves on the lake (on the internet) and they are 3 feet...as opposed to the 10 feet they were yesterday at this time.

Tuesday morning Deb did laundry at the marina and I fixed the last couple of maintenance items on the boat. I got the transmission gauge working again (loose wire behind the panel) and fixed the chart plotter by working through the menu and trouble shooting and then fixing the video feed problem we had. I think everything on the boat works again.

On Tuesday afternoon we were joined by Rome and Teresa, some friends from when we lived in Bourbonnais, IL. (We lived there from 1988 to 1995). We had a great time laughing (could have been the margaritas or cosmos?) and catching up on old times and planning new ones. Also walked up town to Clementine’s restaurant for a very good dinner, and they spent the night on the boat. Good day.

At this point is still early so no one is up yet. I’ve checked the weather about 10 different ways and it looks like it is going to be a cool but very nice day. It’s only 42* now...but predicted to get to about 65 and bright sun. The weather also looks great for crossing Lake Michigan tomorrow (predicted very light winds out of the east and 1 foot or less waves). I’ve got a slip for 3 nights in DuSable harbor...right downtown. Looking forward to getting back to Chicago...it’s been a few years since we have been there by boat...and it is a wonderful place to be on the water.

The sun is just starting to peak over the buildings and on the boat, so it’s time to get going and make some breakfast (or maybe I’ll walk up town and let them make it for me)...man these are tough decisions I have to make.

I’ll keep you posted...

BK.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Log 4; Day 5; May 25, 2008; South Haven, MI

Log 4
Day 5
May 26, 2008

8:35 EST
Location: In the slip at South Haven, MI municipal marina

Pretty good sized storm passed through overnight...starting at about 1:30 this morning. Deb and I both got up to check the lines and make sure all was ship shape. Must have rained most of the night and when I got up at about 6 this morning the rain was just quitting. At 7, radar showed the storm just past us and now the sun is out. Since then I made breakfast and wiped down all windows and deck to let the sun do its job. Boat is getting cleaner each day...love it.

Yesterday...pretty day...got warmer than expected (about 77). I washed the entire boat while Deb organized and cleaned the inside. I also fixed the dinghy lift that was not working. It took a while to trace the wires and find the circuit breaker (which was tripped) but after resetting that it still would not work. I got out my meter and traced power all the way...but still nothing. After a few swear words and figuring I would have to call the dealer I decided to try to jump a solenoid that was on the motor (like in the old days when you jumped a starter) and I got it to move...and just like that we were in business...and we used it to raise and lower the dinghy about 3 times...so looks like it is ok. After that Deb and I took a long dingy ride back up the river. This is a cool place to dinghy...the river goes all the way from Lake Michigan to the I-196 and beyond. Boats everywhere.

The afternoon and evening were spent walking (Deb) and relaxing (BK). I tried to find the Indy 500 on TV, but our satellite system will not get ABC so I ended up listening to it on my computer. For dinner I fired up the grill and we had chicken filletts.

Today...looks like we’ll be here for 2 to 3 more days because I want to cross to Chicago from here (75miles) but a front is coming through today and the waves are predicted to go to 5 to 8 feet. Predictions are for the lake to lay down on Wednesday or Thursday...so we’ll cross then. So I think we’ll check out the town; do some laundry; and probably take a couple more dinghy rides.

I’ll keep you posted...BK.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Log 3; Day 3; May 24, 2008; South Haven, MI

Log 3
Day 3
May 24, 2008

12:45 EST
Location: Cruising out on Lake Michigan...1/2 way between Grand Haven and South Haven

Today is the first official day of moving the boat. As I write this I have the auto pilot on...on a heading of 181 degrees...heading for South Haven. My instruments say I have 2 hours and 10 minutes to go at this point...so I thought I’d get a quick update down in writing.

Slept in till about 6:30 this morning. I was so excited I woke up at 1:30 in the morning (ready to go) and could not go back to sleep until almost 4...then did not want to get up at 6 when I had planned. The 1st cruising day is always exciting and a little scary. Will everything work? Will the Lake cooperate? Will we have any issues? Today was a little of both. We left the dock at 10 am EST. For the most part...easy cruising. The lake has a slight chop to it...supposedly building late today. On the mechical side...I’ve had a couple of issues. For some reason our Freedom Lift (the lift that lift the dinghy in and out of the water) did not want to work this morning. Not exactly sure what the problem is...but the good news it is in the “up” position, so it did not keep us from leaving. The other minor issue is the transmission pressure gauge on the port engine is not working at all. I am assuming it is a wire come loose because a technician was behind that panel a couple of days ago...so I’ll bet he left off something. I’ll check into that later.

Our plan for today is to go to South Haven, MI (about a 5 hour trip at 9 mph) and we will probably end up spending a couple of days there because the Lake is predicted to build to 8 feet so we’ll stay put until it calms down a bit. No real plan beyond that...except to continue heading south. We will probably stop in New Buffalo, MI...and then cross to Chicago for a few days...we’ll see.

Right now it is just relaxing and cruising. The good thing about cruising in the lake is you can operate almost 100% with the auto pilot...which I love. I set a destination of South Haven...hit “track” and the autopilot does the rest. I keep a keen eye out for boats (and use the radar for those I might miss) and sit back and relax.

Not much else to report. Winds still out of the NW at about 8 mph and the Lake temp. is 55.8*. 15 miles to go to South Haven.

I’ll keep you posted...

BK.