Log 13; Day 69; July 29, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Log 13
Day 69
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

6:30 AM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 72* with 71% humidity...going up to about 90 today.

Beautiful morning here in Ottawa. Warm temperatures; no wind; and a clear blue sky. Sun has been up for a few minutes and it is a bright red/orange that makes you believe it’s going to be one of those hot steamy summer days.

It’s been quite a while since my last update (20 days) so I thought I’d get caught up a little.

As of today, we are planning to leave Ottawa in 22 days (August 20th to be exact). We have already been here 57 days...hard to imagine. When we planned to stop for an extended period, I had in my mind all the projects I would be doing on the boat. While I have washed and cleaned almost every day, I have not done the big projects I thought I would. I have done a fair amount of waxing, and plan to get the entire boat waxed (again) before we leave.

Two “Loopers” (people who are traveling in their boats as we are) arrived in the marina yesterday. One couple is from Daytona, FL. and the other from Fairhope, AL. This is fairly early for those traveling south...as the migration through Ottawa normally begins after Labor Day, through mid October. Neither boat had ever been on the Illinois River and were not aware of what the next few hundred miles were like, so I spent time with both of them letting them know what lies ahead and their cruising options. It got me excited about getting back on the water and cruising every day. Just before I started to write this log one of the boats (SiComoNo...the one from Fairport, AL) left it’s slip on their way south. I wish Deb and I were leaving with them.

Our time with the Grandkids and our houseboat vacation was just perfect. It’s really fun to spend time with them, and they could not be more appreciative of our time together. Being able to be closer to them while we were in Ottawa was very special...and we’ll miss that. The kid’s idea of our next vacation together is to spend it at our home in Chillicothe so they can play in the water all day (Illinois River) and drive Grandpa’s toys he tells them he will be buying. We’ll see.

I’m sure our remaining days in Ottawa will go fast. We have a few things to do...people we want to go visit... and people will be coming to visit us. We also need to get the boat ready for about a 2-week trip where we won’t have access to a grocery store as the trip between here and Kentucky Lake is very rural. It is actually one of the prettiest parts of the trip, and the most difficult from a boating perspective. Almost no good marinas and we will have to anchor a few nights on the rivers...not our favorite thing to do.

Well it’s time to get started with this beautiful day by wiping down the boat. Isn’t boat retirement just great!

BK.

Log 12; Day 49; July 09, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

5:30 AM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 68* with a beautiful sunrise coming up...predicted to be 83 and sunny with no rain today

Woke up about 4:30 this morning and could not go back to sleep, so I decided to get up and get the day started. I’m on my second cup of coffee and have checked all world headlines on the web...nice to see the market “try” to make a little comeback. Sun is just peaking over the trees here on the river...predicted to be a great weather day...great day to be alive.

Weather...has been almost perfect since my last update. Most days have been in the 80’s and very little rain. What rain has come has happened during the night or early morning. The 4th of July weekend weather was just perfect. The mornings a little cool and the days warm and sunny. I have also been tracking the river stages along the southern Illinois River and Mississippi to see when it will be ok for travel. The lower 24 miles of the Illinois River has been closed to recreational boats due to flooding for several days. The good news is the Mississippi has crested in all areas and has dropped over 7 feet at Grafton (where the Illinois River meets the Mississippi), but still 5 feet over flood stage. I’m sure it will be fine by the time we get there.

Daily routine...is starting to come together. Although there is no “normal” day, most days consist of me washing the boat in some fashion (or at least wiping down certain areas) and Debbie cleaning the inside or doing laundry. I also am continuing to work on my “to do” list for the boat which is never ending. Nothing really major, but a lot of preventive maintainance work and general upkeep items that will get away from you if you don’t keep up with them. But each day leaves us plenty of time for enjoying the marina life and also for Deb to spend time with her family in Ottawa. For me this is a way of life I have dreamed about, and planned for, so I could not be any happier.

Our future plans...are starting to take some shape. Although we are trying hard not to have schedule that is any way restricting I have roughed out some travel itineraries that make some sense. At this point we plan to leave Ottawa the week of August 18th, and take our time as we head down the Illinois; Mississippi; Ohio and eventually get to the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, KY. From there we plan to spend a couple of weeks exploring the Cumberland River up to Nashville, TN. Next we want to spend a few weeks exploring the Tennessee River all the way up to Chattanooga (and maybe beyond), which is about 600 miles from where it starts in Paducah, KY. We have some friends who will join us for a few days along the way...but most of the time it will be just Deb and I on the boat. The only real reservations we have at this point are to be at Joe Wheeler State Park on the Tennessee River in late October...to be in the Ft. Myers, FL area in late December so we can fly home for Christmas...and be in Key West by January 15 to spend a month there. Quite a difference from my minute-to-minute schedule I had at work...and I love it.

Not much more to report at this time. Getting ready for our granddaughter Samantha to visit the boat this weekend, and then next weekend leaving for a weeklong houseboat vacation in Kentucky Lake with our daughters family. So a fair amount to do to get the Whaler ready because we will be trailering it down there to pull behind the houseboat.

While I have been jotting down these notes I have been doing several other things, so by now it’s almost 8am and time to get busy with boat chores. It’s going to be a great day.

I wish everyone could be as happy as we are.


BK.

Log 11; Day 37; June 27, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Log 11 Day 37

Friday, June 27, 2008

1:00 PM CDT

Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.

Weather: 82* hot and muggy...storms predicted

Here are a few words from Debbie...

Hey all you Landlubbers! Debbie here...just putting in my 2 cents. It’s raining right now and Bob has spent the morning watching the weather channel (with the sound down), tracking the storm cells on his computer, checking Looper blogs, and listening to channel 128 on Sirius (the NASCAR station)...……I’ve been reading. About 15 minutes ago, he decided since it was raining, it would be a good time to drive to Seneca to pick up some bilge cleaner and other misc. boating stuff and then maybe swing by to pick up the boat trailer that he had dropped off last week for repairs................I think I’ll read.

In Bob’s latest log (doesn’t he do a great job on those?) he covered a lot of events in his short note. We are indeed happy in retirement. There certainly is a lot of cleaning and organizing to do and there have been a few repairs that Bob is great about taking care of right away. But there's always cleaning and organizing at a house too...for some reason, on a boat is WAY more fun! And it's been great to spend this time in Ottawa (my home town) and visit with my family and our friends without having to watch the clock anticipating the long drive home. The Whaler has been a great bonus to our time here and Bob really did go fishing! He got a license and everything! And taking Zack out was a lot of fun for both of them. Watching them putt-putt out of the harbor I could just imagine the conversations they must be having. “Grandpa…do you think we’ll catch any fish?” “Well Zack…the thing about fishing is…” (Just like Barney Fife!)

Here are Bob and Zac heading off fishing

We had a great time at our nephew’s wedding…those guys sure know how to throw a party! It was good to get to the house in Chillicothe and make sure everything was in order (the roof didn't leak and the plumbing didn't burst). And as BK said, we were able to do a little work around the house. Oh yeah...about that outside yard work Bob mentioned...here's how it actually went.

When we got to the house, we found a lot of wasps inside and determined that they were coming in around the window air conditioner in the dining room. Bob decided to remove the unit, found an annoyingly large bush at the window, decided it needed to be cut back and “while I’m at it” he also figured he’d pull out some other annoying bushes (to make it easier to mow around), trim some shrubs, hit all the borders with the weed whacker and then spray the heck out of anything green that may have escaped the whacking (to make it easier to mow). He walked down to bro-in-law Terry’s house to borrow some clippers, spotted a Kubota tractor with a scoop, his eyes lit up and he asked Terry, "So how long are you going to have that tractor?”
Bottom line: He borrowed the tractor and pulled out those bushes, hauled out a bunch of limestone rocks and dumped them at the back of the house, then leveled out the place where the stones were. With the help of 2 bros-in-law, Terry & Les, (and with the tractor) he pulled down an old redbud tree and hauled it to the beach for burning later. This took multiple trips and the only path to the beach for the tractor was the road. So picture this…two guys stopping holding traffic back and one guy on a tractor dragging a tree down the middle of the road! Ah-h…life in a small town! Well – the lawn will definitely be easier to mow now!

Bob thinks he needs one of these!

Only in a small town can you get away with this.

Okay – the skies are clearing…I’d better get going. There might be a Whaler ride in my future and I need to get my gear ready.............I think I’ll bring my book.
I’ll chime in again soon. Hope all’s well with you and yours!-----

DK

Log 10; Day 36; June 26, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Zac fishing with me and a friend (John Mobely) on a small lake on the Illinois River Another fishing shot...
Log 10
Day 36
Thursday, June 26, 2008

12:00 PM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 87* hot and sunny...storms predicted for this evening

I hope this note finds everyone as happy as we are. Hard to believe it’s been 36 days since we got on the boat. On one hand it seems much longer...and another seems like yesterday (does that make any sense to anyone but me?)

What we’ve been doing...Fishing with grandson Zac was great. We didn’t catch many fish (only 3) but enjoyed our time together. After he left last week (on Thursday), we packed up and headed to our home in Chillicothe, IL. Debbie’s sister’s son (Andy Ruhland) got married and we wanted to be there for that. We also took the time to do a lot of work around the house. Mostly outside yard work so the neighbors didn’t turn us in to the authorities. We came back to the boat on Tuesday (June 24) and have been doing chores since then. There is always something to clean or fix. It’s not as if we do this 8 hours a day, but it does seem to be a constant effort...but we are not complaining, we love it. I also finally went to the doctor (local medical clinic) to have them look at my thumb. Before we got on the boat I had a cut on my thumb that somehow got infected, and it has not healed yet...so the doctor said I need a dose of penicillin. It’s been a couple of days now...and it seems to be getting better.

The boat...everything is working perfectly (although I have not started it since we got to Ottawa 25 days ago). As I said, I clean everyday to keep up with things and it has never looked better. I even waxed a couple of places to stay ahead of that chore. The Whaler is working great as well, and is a joy to jump in and head out on the river. It is parked right behind Headquarters, so it could not be better.

The cruising life...we have absolutely no complaints, and are actually kind of “giddy” about our life at this point. Not sure, we are in any type of routine yet, and maybe will not be for some time. I have a long list of things I am doing to the boat while we’re here and enjoy doing each of them (someone asked me...is this a written list?...absolutely...updated daily). I miss moving the boat often...but that will come soon enough. The thing we have not really done yet is get into a relaxing mode. I thought we’d read more and lay around more. Has not happened yet.

The weather...it’s been pretty good. You learn very quickly that when you live on a boat weather is much more important. In a home it can be a distraction...on a boat it can be a big issue. Many storms (the ones that have caused such a mess with the Mississippi River), but they have seemed to go around us most of the time. Last night we had another one about 3:30 am. I got up and got on the computer to check the radar, and it was a nasty storm but went south of us. We only got a little wind and some rain. As I write this there is a line of storms coming across Iowa, heading our way. Could be an interesting evening.

What’s coming up...tonight we are going out to dinner with the owner of Heritage Harbor (the marina we are staying in) and another couple from the Ottawa area we know well. I’m looking forward to hearing the stories of what the plans are for this place. The potential is unbelievable...but the timing (economy) is tough. Next week I’m going to see my Mom (about 1 hour from here) and start to get the Whaler ready for our trip to Kentucky Lake where we will meet our daughter and her family for a week on a houseboat. We’ll trailer the Whaler down and pull it behind the houseboat so we can have it to run around in. Some folks would say we were crazy. We live on a boat and when we take a vacation, we go and rent a houseboat. Boating...we have it bad.

When are we leaving here...I don’t want to leave too early because the southern heat can be tough, and also we have to monitor the Mississippi River to see when that gets back to normal. Most places (along the Mississippi) have crested now or in the next few days. 1993 was the worst flood in history in that area and most of the area did not get water that high...but within 6 to 8 feet of a record. I just hope they don’t get too much more rain for a while.

I'll keep you posted.

BK.

Log 9; Day 26; June 16, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Above is our boat (in Ottawa) just before sunset.

Log 9
Day 26
Monday, June 16, 2008

8:15 AM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 68* heading for mid 70’s with no chance of rain

It’s been a week since my last update so I thought I’d do a little catch up.

Our last week has been fairly quite with our time spent working on boat projects and enjoying our time in Ottawa. It is interesting to me how fast the time goes during the week...there is always something to do and I am not bored at all (yet!) But I will say I am really looking forward to heading down river and all the navigation and planning that takes.

The weather has been very “ify” almost every day the past week or so (actually since we got to Ottawa). Every day there is a chance of storms...and many times very severe storms. The good news is that in most cases these storms have gone north or south of us. Yesterday we woke (6:30 am) in the morning to very strong winds and heavy rain that lasted about 30 minutes or so. NOAA weather said there were reported winds of 60 mph and pea sized hail in the storms, but we did not see anything that extreme. The weather for the next few days is forecasted to be a little cooler (75 to 80) and very slight chance of rain.

Today we are planning the arrival of our 11 year old grandson, Zac. He will stay with us for a couple of days and he and I plan to spend a fair amount of time fishing. Not sure if we will do any “catching”...but we’ll give it a try.

Right now I’m heading out to wipe down HQ and our Whaler and make sure everything looks good...important stuff when you live on a boat. Probably the most “important” thing I’ll do today. Been doing this for years now...and somehow I never get tired of the process. If I’m on the water...all is good.

Summer officially begins on Friday!

BK.

Log 8; Day 19; June 9, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Log 8
Day 19
Monday, June 09, 2008

First a few pictures to catch up...first time doing this...I'll get better.

This is a picture of HQ with the Chicago skyline in the backround.
Here is a pictue of a boat that sunk in the Des Planes River...very interesting to come up on this.

When I talk about our "Whaler" this is the boat I am speaking about.
Here's Deb on the Whaler...looks like a "Water Queen" doesn't she?
Kind of hard to see here, but this is the first look at Heritage Harbor we saw as we were coming in...as you can (hopefully) see not much here yet.

This was my view of Lake Michigan for about 7 hours while we crossed to Chicago...you can see it is flat...great crossing.

8:10 AM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 74* and mostly cloudy...70% chance of rain all day

It’s been a week now since we got to Ottawa, and I thought I’d give a quick update.

What going on...Things have been going great and we are really enjoying our time. During the week the days are a little slow and relaxing as Deb and I both work on “lists” of things we need to keep up with on the boat. I also have been washing the boats (HQ and our Whaler) most every day so they always look good. As I had mentioned before I left our 21 ft. Boston Whaler with my brother in law, and the first morning we got here I got it and put it in the water. I arranged a slip for it right behind HQ and it is literally 10 feet from our swim platform. Every day...and most days several times a day...we jump in the Whaler to go for a ride. We have already put over 50 miles on it just running around the river. I love having the boat so close.

The marina...Heritage Harbor will someday be a showplace, but not yet. We’re not Ginny pigs, but not far from it. Our power comes from a large diesel generator that sits up on the hill...hopefully the permanent power will be connected this week and they can shut the generator off. Our water comes from a large tank they fill every day. Both power and water are available on the dock, so there is no inconvenience to us, but it is a little rustic. The activity around here is hectic as they try to get everything up to speed, and I’m sure by the time we leave here it will be a much different facility then when we got here.

Visits...we’ve seen most of Deb’s family by now, and our daughter and granddaughter have also visited for an overnighter, but it does not seem like we have been busy with guests. We still have a lot of our own time, and plenty of time to do what we want.

What’s next...I expect more of the same. I have a long list (and getting longer) of things I want to do on the boat, and I’m working on that as we go. I have not done any fishing yet...but looking forward to starting to do that. At this point we have not got into any type of routine...not sure we will.

I’ll give another update in a week or two.

BK.

Log 7; Day 13; June 3, 2008; Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL

Log 7
Day 13
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

5:25 AM CDT
Location: Heritage Harbor, Ottawa, IL.
Weather: 68* and mostly cloudy...strong storms in the forecast

Well we made it to Ottawa, Illinois...the place where we will spend a good part of the summer...so I doubt there will be many new updates for a while (I don’t believe most folks really care about all the stories about us spending time with our daughter and grand kids) but I will let everyone know our cruising plans as we go.

Here are our cruising notes from the last few days of travel.

Chicago...as usual, we really enjoyed our time in Chicago. We got there on Thursday the 29th and left on Sunday the 1st. As I mentioned we went to see Jersey Boys and out to dinner our first night there. On Friday I spent a lot of time in the morning really scrubbing the boat and thoroughly enjoyed myself (I have really looked forward to a time where taking care of the boat was my “job” and I’m starting to feel that way). Deb spent the time organizing the inside of the boat and we worked on boat chores a good part of the day. After the storms moved through we took a long dinghy ride and enjoyed looking all the boat in DuSable and Monroe Harbor. On Saturday (which was a beautiful day), we had a lazy morning and then Bec; Jeff; Samantha; and Zac (daughter; son in law; grand kids) came down to the boat (they live in South Elgin, IL) and we took a boat ride around the harbors and checked out the Chicago sky line from the lake. The highlight for the day was Deb and I taking the kids in our dinghy and going down the Chicago River, which goes right through the heart of downtown Chicago. Because our boat is too tall to make the bridges (without raising them), we could not do this in Headquarters...so the 4 of us did it in the dinghy. It was priceless to see the looks on the kid’s faces as we went through the lock with all the other boats, then cruised down through the center of the city, and looked up at all the huge buildings.

Sunday...was another travel day. We were again treated to a wonderful Lake Michigan calm and sunny day. We untied the lines at about 6am and headed out in the Lake (Lake temp. was 60.4 degrees). I had to go from downtown Chicago to Calumet Harbor, which is about 12 miles SSE to join the Calumet River (because we’re too tall to go down the Chicago River). At this point you are at Mile 333.5 on the Illinois River system (the key word here is “system” because you are really on the Calumet River). After a lock at Mile 327 (Obrien Lock) the river takes us through some of the most industrial water we will be on the entire time we are on a boat (water temp. 74.5). It is full of ships; tow boats; and every industry you can imagine. This take us through areas like Blue Island; and Cicero and this is the channel you see as you cross I-94; I-57; and I-294 in the Chicago area. At mile 304 you join the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. It is 100% commercial and (if you could avoid it) should not be traveled by pleasure boats. It is narrow; ugly; and can be dangerous because of the barge traffic. What is really happening here is you are paralleling the Des Plains River (which is not navigable at this point) and in a manmade concrete trough that will connect with the Des Plains River at mile 290 just down river from the Lockport Lock (water temp. 87.1). This is the first lock since Chicago...and drops you 40 feet down and now the water way is starting to look like a real river. The Des Plains River takes you right through the middle of Joliet and under I-80 where you go through another lock at Mile 286 (Brandon Road Lock drops you another 30 feet). At mile 278 you go under I-55 and the heavy commercial part of the river comes to an end. We spent the night at Harborside Marina (we’ve been there many times and bought 3 boats from them) at mile 274.

Monday...Our plan was to spend 2 nights at Harborside Marina (Wilmington, IL) and head out again on Tuesday but when I got up and checked the weather they were predicting strong storms (today) and I did not want to be on the waterway and in the locks so we decided to head out. At mile 273 the Des Plains River joins the Kankakee River and this is the beginning of the Illinois River and this is 1 mile from the next lock, which is Dresden Island Lock. This lock drops you down 20 feet. It had rained hard over the weekend and the Kankakee River was really flowing and brings with it a lot of debris, so heading down the river meant dodging many logs, but the further south we got the less debris...so it was much better. The River at this point is very scenic and winds along many small towns. At mile 247 you take a cut to the left, which takes you 2 miles down a narrow waterway to Marseilles Lock which drops you another 24 feet and put us in the Ottawa Pool of the Illinois River and Heritage Harbor Marina...our home marina for the next several weeks.

Today...begins an interesting time for us. Not really sure what kind of a routine we’ll get in. In planning our move, I left our truck here so we will have ground transportation. I also left our 21’ Boston Whaler here, so we will have a small boat to run up and down the river...which I love to do. My plan is to do a lot of boating in the Whaler; spend a lot more time fishing; and learn to relax more. Most of Deb’s family lives in this area so I’m sure we will also spend more time with them. We both loved living in Michigan...but it’s great to be back in Illinois (and on the central time zone) and particularly back on the Illinois River, which we have always loved.

As I said, I don’t plan to bore anyone with updates on our “lazy summer days”...but will keep you updated on any cruising plans.


BK.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Log 2; Day 2; May 23, 2008; Grand Haven, MI.

Log 2
Day 2
May 23, 2008
6:50 am

We are still in Grand Haven...although planning to leave tomorrow. I just checked the weather (about 7 different ways) and looks like tomorrow will be about 67 degrees with light winds out of the NE and 1 to 2 foot waves on Lake Michigan. Good day to travel. Plans at this point call for a 10 am departure and heading to South Haven, MI...about a 45 mile trip. The winds are predicted to pick up on Sunday...so we may be there a day or two waiting for it to settle down a bit.

Yesterday... turned out to be a good, but very windy and cool day. I think the high might have reached 53 degrees. Deb left fairly early yesterday to get here hair cut and meet some friends in Holland for lunch. I spent the day organizing the boat...trying to find space for all this stuff we seem to think we need aboard. I also washed the boat...but did a bad job, because it was so cold my heart was not in it. Oh well...I got the big chunks off...and there will be lots of time to clean as we go south and get to warmer weather.

Today...Deb and I switch roles and I will use the car (last day we have land transportation for a while) to head to Holland for a final dentist visit and lunch with a TLC friend. I want to get back in time to take a final sea trial with the boat to be sure all is well before heading out tomorrow. Deb will use the time to organize her stuff and get the boat ready to live on. The weather is planned to be 62 and sunny...so it’s working its way toward summer.

Tonight...we plan to have dinner with Pete Westermann, the person I hired a couple of years ago to take my place at TLC. He and his wife Becky will come to Grand Haven to pick up the company car I am still using...so effective this evening we have no car (just my pick-up truck in Ottawa, IL) and we will need to be much more aware of where we stay and how we get our supplies. Who knows...maybe we’ll even get those fancy folding bikes I bought out of the engine room and use them.

I’ll keep you posted...

BK.

Log 1; Day 1; May 22, 2008; Grand Haven, MI.

Log 1
Day 1
May 22, 2008
Getting ready to leave Grand Haven

Well...after all the planning; and saving; and work...we are finally living on the boat full time. Today is our first full/official day on the boat without a Michigan home.

The last couple of weeks have been very hectic and tiresome...but I’m sure will be well worth it. We sold the house; moved out of Michigan; moved into our home in Chillicothe, IL, and our now back on the boat full time. Lots of work...but that’s behind us and now we’re on to cruising for a living.

This morning I am having my coffee and trying to plan my day. As I filled the water tanks this morning I noticed that the charge on the main battery bank seem a little low, so I’ll check the water and top that off to be sure we’re in good shape there. I also need to do a lot of organizing. When we loaded the boat over the last couple of weeks I just sort of shoved things in empty spaces...now it needs to be organized so we can really “live” on the boat. I also need to wash the boat...it is filthy (56 degrees today...that should be fun)

The plan (at this point) is to leave the dock on Sunday. Weather looks ok for the moment...but the main thing is the waves on the lake. Not exactly sure where we will stop Sunday evening...but thinking about South Haven, MI. Great little town with all the amenities for a cruiser. Probably spend a couple of days there.

So that’s all for now...it will take me a while to get back into this Captains log...but I’ll do my best to update our progress and our location.

BK

Getting ready for the next "Great Adventure"

As we have shared this web page with a few folks I thought I'd post a note to say Deb and I are in the planning stage for our "Great Adventure" trip which should start sometime in late May or early June.

We look forward to keeping this web page up to date with our travel plans and adventures.

More to come...

Chapter 78: The Final Chapter from 2000

Log 78
“The Final Chapter”
August, 2000


I’ve written a whole lot as I have sat down and tried to write this final chapter. I have written about each week, I have written about each leg, and I have written about a lot of neat moments along the way. In total I have probably written 10 pages of stuff that as I re-read it, was pretty boring, and it was also just a rehash of most of the things I had said in other chapters, so I deleted all that.
I said there would be a final chapter, and so there will be. But I’ve decided to just put a few words of conclusion to this story. In doing that I’ll just answer some of the questions people ask me.

Am I sad that the trip is over? Sure. Partly because I want to be out there making the trip, but I’ll also really miss all of the hours I spent thinking about, and planning the trip. They say the journey is the best part of reaching any goal, and that is definitely the case with this trip. The journey was fantastic, and Deb and I have memories that will last a lifetime. (Or until the next time)

Will you do it again? We’d like to someday…if we can. If we are still able to, someday we would like to do it with a little smaller boat (32 to 36 feet), so just the two of us can handle it easily, and also it costs less for fuel, and to dock. We would also like to stay on the boat for the entire year (or longer). Strange as it may seem, this is Debs idea, and like any good husband I’m not one to stand in her way.

What was your favorite part? There were so many great days that it would be impossible (and unfair) to pick one, but I guess my favorite parts were the mornings. Getting up early, and writing these logs were some of my favorite times of the whole trip. I would sit and write about the day before, and then think about what was to come that day. It was usually dark when I wrote them, and very peaceful. As I sit here writing this, I can recall many neat places I wrote a morning log, and the great feelings it brought me. Another great part of the morning was getting the boat ready to leave, and starting the engines. I know it seems weird, but when those big Detroit’s fired up each morning, I knew we were heading out to somewhere new, and each morning the feeling was the same. I’ll miss that part of the adventure. Then finally… the morning was when we untied the lines, and saw some of the best times of the cruising day.


What was the toughest part? Worrying about the things I couldn’t control. Like crossing the Gulf (by far the thing I worried about the most) and needing to be out in the Atlantic, even if the weather was bad, because we needed to make some time. The other thing was trying to keep all of the logistics straight. Where to keep the boat, maintenance, flights, and everyone’s schedules. On one hand, all part of the fun, but on the other, the toughest part of the trip. Trying to balance this, and not miss anything at work, was certainly a full time job for the last year.


Did you learn anything about yourself? I learned that most of the things you worry about never happen. I spent a lot of time worried about the weather, and how that would affect us, and it never happened. I learned to try to only worry about the things I could control, and to deal with the other ones as they happen. It’s much easier to say that, than to do it, but I did learn to do it better. I also learned (actually I probably confirmed) that I could cruise for a long time. A long, long time.

Any regrets? Nope!

What’s next? Not a clue. (You know I almost ended this sentence there, but as I sit here and think about what could be next, I get excited. I don’t know what it will be, but I guess it’s not too early to start planning)


Any conclusions? Yea. Several.

1. The boat has not been as clean as when Darrell and Steve Larry were aboard.
2. We’ll probably never have anyone aboard that will ever take as many pictures as Carl.
3. It’s not as much fun navigating without Terry.
4. Vacuuming will not be the same since Claudia sucked up her panties that morning.
5. I have a new found appreciation for a good waitress since we had that memorable meal in the Salomon Islands with Rome and Theresa.
6. I wish I could send all of the lockmasters on the Illinois Waterway to Canada for lessons.
7. I’ll probably never have a better New York strip steak than I did with Steve and Chris in Myrtle Beach.
8. The picture of Donna waving her arms at 4 in the morning to an oncoming barge and yelling, “Do you think he sees us?” will forever be etched in my brain.
9. I’m glad that Chris finally got to take her walk on the ocean beach, even though the dingy depth finder hasn’t worked since.
10. Boating won’t be the same………..it will be better!
11. I’ll miss writing these logs…….maybe I should write a book……Yea,,,,,,right!


Deb and I are very fortunate to have been able to make this trip. Now, or at any time in our lives, and we don’t take that for granted. We are also very fortunate to have been able to share it with some great people who were with us along the way, (and a lot of great people who we shared it with us through these logs) and I’d like to say thanks for all of their help, because with out them, the trip would have been a lot more work, and not half as much fun.

BK

PS.
I have attached an article that was written in the local Ottawa paper about our trip. It is not too far off, but there are a couple of corrections;
1. Our boat is a Cruisers Yacht; not a Gibson.
2. We didn’t go around Florida; we went across it, via Lake Okeechobee.
3. I didn’t say that Ottawa was as good as any place we visited, but I did say that it is as nice as many that were “touted” to be better. And it is.

Chapter 77: Back Home Again.

Log 77
Back Home Again

6:10 AM
Sunday, August 06, 2000
Starved Rock Marina
Ottawa, IL.

As you notice, there is no day number on this log. I stop counting now, because we are home. Done. We made it!

Yesterday…

When I got up real early I started to monitor 3 channels on the VHF radio. I monitor 14 because that is the channel the locks are on (and we were close enough to the Dresden Lock to be able to hear them), and I monitor 13 & 16 because that's the channels the barges are on. If you do this, you fairly quickly get an idea of what is happening, and how long of a wait you may have at any given lock. Well, as I listened yesterday, I didn’t like what I was hearing. First of all at about 5:30 a northbound barge went by (Winchester) and I called him to ask him how things were going down (we were headed southbound) at the Dresden Lock. He said there were 3 waiting to get through. A single, and a double. If they were to take all of them through before us, it could take 6 to 8 hours, or longer. Things didn’t look good.
At about 6:30 I called the lockmaster on the VHF, and ask him the status of us coming through. He told me about all of the southbound traffic, and “It could be a while”. “How long is a while”, I asked, and he told me a minimum of 2 hours, but he would have to wait and see.
Normally in the morning we have a piece of toast or something for breakfast, but this morning we had plenty of time, and so the girls fixed sausage, potatoes, and eggs. It was great food, but I was getting antsy, so as soon as we were done (8:30) we fired up the generator, untied the lines, and left Harborside Marina and made the 1-mile run to Dresden Lock. I knew we couldn’t get through right away, but I wanted to be down there and let them know we were ready to go. As it turned out there was a southbound double just getting ready to enter the locks, and so I ask the lockmaster if we could lock down with his second cut. After he talked to the barge captain he said we could, so at least we knew what the plan was. It would take a while, but we had a plan.
It was about 11:30 before we got out of the Dresden Lock. Not only that, but the weather was getting darker by the minute, (so much for the rain coming late that night) and so we had to plan on getting ready to drive from the lower station. By the time we got to Morris, the rain had started, and we all went below. The bad news was it was raining, so we had to be inside. The good news was, that this is where the TV is, and there was a NASCAR race on, so we fired up the satellite, and watched the race as we drove in the rain.
We drove 24 miles, and got to the Marseilles Lock at about 1:30. They were just letting down the first half of a southbound double, so we had to wait again. They estimated the time before we got in the lock to be 1 hour and 15 minutes. We watched some of the race, but there were to many trees around, and it was blocking the signal, so we just sat and waited. While we were doing so, we figured out that in the last 2 weeks since we left Oneida Lake, near Syracuse NY, till now, we have gone through 54 locks, (We will have gone through 97 in the entire trip) The waiting time to get through the 4 locks in Illinois was longer than the total combined waiting time it took us to get through the other 50.

On the other side of the lock was Ottawa, and our homeport. We also knew that Deb’s sister Annie, and her husband Les (along with several other people) were waiting on their boat (Rainman). At our dock at Starved Rock Marina, Deb’s Mom, Uncle Bill, Aunt Marylynne, and Aunt Betty were waiting for us, and we had a bottle of champagne to pop open, celebrate our successful journey. The trip was nearly over, and we wanted to get through this last lock……which we finally did, at about 4PM.

I’ll not soon forget the feeling I had when they opened the lock doors. (I probably shouldn’t tell anyone this, but as I write this, tears are running down my cheek…..hey I shared everything else along the way…why stop now…..ok, I’m back to normal now) As I said, we had been through 97 locks on this journey, but when the doors opened on this one… it was different. (I could write a bunch of stuff here, but you can fill in the blanks)

Just like we had planned long ago, when we came out of the lock, Rainman was there to greet us. They had a full boat, with Donnie and Mooie (Deb’s sister and brother in law), Rome and Theresa, (our friends from Bourbonnais), and Jenny, (Les &Annie’s daughter) along with Jake, her son. They were tooting the horn, and waving signs to welcome us home. We were also tooting our horn, and popping campaign on the bow of the boat. We had at least made it back to our “home pool”, as they call it on the waterway. All we had to do now was go 14 miles, and tie up the boat at our slip, and we would be done.

The last mile before reaching Starved Rock Marina I slowed down to an idle. The wind was really whipping (but the rain had stopped, and the sky was trying to brighten) and the spray was coming over the back of the boat. I also wanted to just enjoy the final mile. (You understand) As we got close, I could see someone standing at the point where you enter the channel to the marina, and it turned out to be Barb, Bill, Marylynne, and Betty. They were waving balloons, and holding a sign that said “Welcome Back HQ”.

Side Note: Barb (Deb’s Mom) has been keeping a journal of the entire trip. She has been taking my logs, and then matching them up with maps of the travels. I haven’t seen it, but she says it’s a couple of inches thick. Anyway…Barb decides that she would tell the local newspaper about the fact that we were coming home, and maybe they could put a note in the paper. Well I don’t know who said what to whom, all I know is I got a call from two people. The first one was from a journalist, who called me on my cell phone to ask if they could come and interview Deb and I, so we could tell them about our travels. The second one was several calls from Art (a photographer from the newspaper) who wanted to coordinate our arrival, and meet us at the dock, to get our picture for the paper. Barb’s answer to what happened was “Bobby, I just never imagined this editor would take to this thing the way he did. Why he just took my journal, and got all excited. I think I may have even given him your cell phone number”. Ya gotta love her!

When we got to our dock, it was quite a spectacle. The first thing that happen was as we were coming in the harbor, three swans got in front of us, and led us along the channel. The people waiting couldn’t see us yet, and as we came around a boat at the end of the dock, and getting ready to turn into our slip, they could first see the swans, and then us, following these swans to our slip. Our dock was full of people. Our friends and relatives, as well as others from the marina, and Art (the photographer) Signs were up, and balloons flying (they said “Happy Birthday” on them…it seems Annie couldn’t find any others at the last minute…I don’t know?) Somehow during all of this, I managed (with a lot of help) to get Headquarters docked, and safely tied to our slip. The one we had left 11 months ago.
The rest of the afternoon was spent laughing and recounting some of the details of our journey. (Which is something I’m sure we will do for some time) Everyone left around 8:30, and Deb and I looked at one another and said, “I’m tired…Let’s go to bed”
End of the day…end of the trip.

Today…
Not much to report here. It’s 75 degrees and sticky out. I’m getting ready to take a cup of coffee and walk the docks to get the feeling of being home again. Deb and I plan on cleaning up the boat a little, and then heading home about 11. Our daughter, and granddaughter are coming over tonight for Pizza, and we’re looking forward to that.
It looks like things are back to normal already.

PS…After I have had time to gather my thoughts, I will be putting together a “Final Chapter”. It’s something I want to do for me. I’m not sure it will be worth reading for anyone else, but I’ll send it, and you can decide.

BK

Chapter 76: Waiting at Harborside

Log 76
Waiting at Harborside

4:55 AM
Saturday, August 05, 2000
Harborside Marina
Wilmington, IL.

Day 97

When we’re cruising, I normally set my alarm for 5 AM, that way I am up an hour or two before everyone. It’s my favorite time of the day, and I get time for myself. Many of the mornings I am up before the alarm, but I set it just in case. Today the alarm went off and I realized that it was still set on Eastern Time, so I woke up at 4, instead of 5. So I get some extra time this morning.
Speaking of this morning, it looks like it will be a dandy. It’s still dark out, but as I look to the east the sky is just starting to get a little brighter, and it's crystal clear out. The weather channel says that it could rain, but it probably won’t be until later tonight. Otherwise it will be mid 80’s and sunny. It seems like a great day to wind up this trip.
It’s great to be back at Harborside. Everyone here is so friendly, and they can’t do enough for you. I’ve bought 2 boats here, and I’m sure that helps, but you can’t fake this stuff. They are always ready to help if they can.

Yesterday…
The day was bright and beautiful. It started out about 60 degrees, and then warmed up to about 80. It was a great day to get some things done on the boat, and just relax before our final day, as we head to Starved Rock.
In the morning Terry and I washed the boat from top to bottom. It’s the cleanest this boat has been in some time. In fact the last time we really cleaned the boat was when it was in Syracuse. We washed it on a regular basis, but never really cleaned it.
The Detroit guy showed up at about 11 to work on the boat. I thought that the problem was the starter, and it turned out to be just that. He had a problem getting the bolts off the top of the starter, because of where they were located, but in about 3 hours he had the old one off, and a new one installed. The good news is when he was done, the starboard engine fired up without a problem, and we were back in business again. Detroit again did a good job of responding, and it was all covered under warranty.
After the mechanic left we borrowed a boat from Ron, one of the owners of Harborside, and went for a couple hour boat ride up the Kankakee River. The river is not navigable for very long, but it’s a pretty river in this area, with lily pads, and a couple of neat places to anchor. (Where we are is where the Des Plains River meets the Kankakee River to form the Illinois River)
After our boat ride, we came back to the boat to relax and make some dinner plans. Ron at the marina suggested a place called Cookies, in a nearby small town, so after a shower, we borrowed his van and headed to Cookies.
Cookies is the kind of place my Dad and Mom would always look for when they were traveling, and many small towns in the Midwest have one of these. It is nothing special, but has a bar attached where all of the locals go, and a dinning room that serves pretty good food, and at reasonable prices. We had steak, ribs, chops, and frog legs, and all of them were very good. I don’t think it will be the last time we go to Cookies.

Today…

The trip from Harborside to Starved Rock is only about 40 miles, but you also have two locks to go through, so you never know how long it can take.
When I first got up this morning there was a barge going by the marina, heading north, (The Winchester) so I called him and asked him how much traffic there was down at the lock. (It’s only about 1-½ miles down river from here) He told me that there were 3 barges waiting to get through, and that’s not a good thing for us. Depending on what type of barges they are (if they have red flags, meaning they are carrying some type of combustible material, we can’t go in with them) we could be waiting for up to a few hours to get through. You never know how long the wait will be, and the best thing to do is just go down there and wait, and be ready when they are.

I certainly have mixed emotions today. It’s a great feeling to know we will have come 5000 miles, and it will be a lot less stressful to know the boat is safe in Starved Rock, but for over 18 months I have been looking forward to each new chapter in this trip as it has unfolded, and I will miss that.

Well the sun is just about to find its way over the tree line across the river to the east, so it will soon be bight and sunny. While I have been writing this log I have been monitoring the locks activity on the VHF radio, and they are very busy. In fact they just reported that they broke a cable as they were pulling out the first half of a double barge, so that could mean it will take even longer to get through. Oh well, it will be what it will be, and I can’t change that, we’ll just be ready when they are.

BK

Chapter 75: Lundington to Harborside

Log 75
Ludington, MI to Harborside

5:15 AM
Friday, August 04, 2000
Harborside Marina
Wilmington, IL.

Day 96

Well we are less than 40 miles away from completing the Great Circle Trip.
We decided to stop at Harborside (where we originally bought the boat) and take a day to regroup, before heading into Starved Rock Marina on Saturday. Actually, for several years I had planned to leave a marina on September 4th, and head to Florida. We accomplished that. 18 months ago when I was planning this trip my goal was to return on Saturday August 5th. That is exactly what we are going to do.

Let me bring you up to speed on the last couple of days.
Wednesday…
After 2 days in dense fog I was eager to get up in the morning and see what the conditions were. To my joy, I could see stars in the sky, and it looked like the day would be clear. In fact the only problem was the boat was covered with bugs. I guess they had been attracted by the lights from the marina, but whatever the case there were thousands of them, so I washed the boat down before heading out. (Which is one of the reasons I didn’t get to write a daily log)
It was a little cool as we left our slip and headed out to the lake. The sun hadn’t come up yet, but it looked like it would be a great day. A cold front had come through over night, and there were strong storms in the central part of Michigan, but they were south of us, and would be gone by the time we got there. There was only a slight ripple on the lake, and I set the RPM’s at about 1100, (10.5 mph) and the autopilot for a spot off the tip of Little Sable Point which was a point we would need to get around before we could head almost due south. Our plan was to make it to Benton Harbor, and that would leave us only 50 miles to go across the lake on Thursday.
About mid morning the lake started to kick up a bit, and by noon it was rolling pretty good (about 1 to 2 footers) with winds out of the southwest. The good news was our heading put these waves on our starboard bow, and we could get over the top of them without too much trouble. It was a little bumpy, but nothing that was all that uncomfortable. It was too rough though to make lunch, so I decided to stop in Holland to get some fuel, and have a chance to make a sandwich while we did so.
After fuel, and lunch, we headed back out to the lake, and it hadn’t changed much. NOA weather predicted the winds to change from the southwest to the west, and then later from the north. That was good news for us for our trip to Benton Harbor but could be bad news for our trip across the lake. In fact what they predicted did happen, but while the winds were shifting they became almost calm, and the lake went from choppy to almost smooth by the time we got to Benton Harbor.
We were about 10 miles out of the harbor when I asked everyone if they wanted to cross the lake now. The lake was almost dead calm, the weather was perfect, and it was only 63 miles to Hammond Marina. The chart plotter said it would take about 3 hours at the rate we were going, and it was only 4 PM so we could be there easily before dark. I explained the prediction of 15 to 20 mph north winds and said it could be very bumpy if that happened. We talked about it for a while, and then decided to stop in Benton Harbor, and head across in the morning.
We tied up at our slip at Pier 33 Marina about 5, and after getting settled Terry and I went in to the show room to look at the new boats they had on display. We ended up talking to one of the sales guys, and he offered to take us into town and drop us off at a restaurant he recommended, so we headed back to the boat to let the girls know, and we left about 6:30.
Dinner was fine, but nothing special, and we walked about a mile back to the boat rather than get a taxi. The cold front had definitely come through. The winds had changed, and were blowing from the north, and the temprature had dropped several degrees.
I think we all fell asleep thinking about the winds, hopping they would diminish, and wondering how they would effect us the next day. I know I did.

Thursday…

It was windy and cold when I got up. The winds were a little lighter than the night before, but not much. The sky was clear; so there would be no rain, but I had a feeling the lake would not be our friend this morning. I decided we would drive from inside this morning because it would be too cold with the winds and a temperature of 58 degrees. Our plan was to leave early so we could at least take advantage of lighter winds in the early morning.
We untied the lines a little before 6 AM. It was still dark out, but the sky was starting to get a little lighter. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a railroad bridge to open so we didn’t get to the lake until about 6:30.
The minute we hit the lake we all knew we should have crossed the day before. We were no more than out of the breakwater and a wave hit our starboard bow and lifted us in the air, and threw us sideways. I hit the throttles hard and made a hard left to get the boat straight and tried to get us in sync with the waves. I fought it for a while and then finally settled in on about 1750 RPM’s, which is about 18 to 20 mph. This may seem fast is heavy seas, but it took this kind of speed to keep up with the waves.
The next 3 hours seemed like an entire day. The waves were averaging 3 to 5 feet, and at times they were averaging 4 to 6, and occasionally someone threw in a rouge wave that was much greater than that. One time Deb was sitting behind me and we went over a wave, and fell into the trough after it, and we looked out the port side of the boat to see the crest of the wave over the top of the boat. (As I write this I am getting help from Terry to make sure I don’t exaggerate) I never felt we were in any real danger because the boat handled things fine, but I sure wanted to be in a lot of other places besides where we were.
After getting pounded for 3 hours, and over 50 miles we reached the Hammond Marina. We were about to go in when Terry said, “Hey, it’s only 8:30 Chicago time, why don’t we head for Harborside?” We talked about it for a minute or so, and decided to go for it. I felt great about the decision because I was very concerned about getting into the Hammond Harbor. It has a narrow entrance, and with the waves I was trying to figure out I would get this done. Going to Harborside meant heading into the Calumet Harbor, which is large, and has a great breakwater to protect the entrance.
It was great to get inside the Calumet and feel the calm waters. We made our way through the channel, and although this is a very industrial area, and it has bad smells everywhere we were glad to be here.
Everything was going great and we were making good time, but when we got to the Lockport Lock we had a couple of problems. The first thing that happened was they were working on the lock, and we had to wait about an hour or so. We finally got in, and ended up tying up to a barge inside the lock. I shut down the engines to wait for them to drop us down, and when the lock opened and I went to start the engines, the starboard engine wouldn’t start. It seemed like the starter wouldn’t engage. So after trying a couple of things, we limped out of the lock with one engine.
With only one engine, we went the 5 miles or so through Joliet, and into the Brandon Road Lock. It was a little tricky getting into the lock, and tied against the wall, but we made it. While I was in the lock I called Detroit, and set up for them to come to Harborside today, and we left the lock with still only one engine, and made the final 7 miles to Harborside, and got here a little after 5.
Today…as we sit here this morning Terry and I need to clean the boat, and I am waiting for the mechanic to get here to look at the engine. If everything goes well, we’ll be out of here early tomorrow morning, and we should be back in Ottawa by noon.
5000 miles behind us.

BK

Chapter 74: Lake Michigan Fog

Log 74
Lake Michigan Fog

5:15 AM
Wednesday, August 02, 2000
Ludington Municipal Marina
Ludington, MI.

Day 94

Picture the worst fog you have ever been in, and then double it. That’s what were in all, (yes all) day yesterday. Well that’s pretty dramatic, but it sure seemed like that.
I was up early yesterday to get going because they had predicted fog, and we had a lot of miles we needed to travel. When I got up, the weather seemed fine, it was a little foggy, but nothing we hadn’t seen before. As it got a little lighter you could see the fog start to roll in. We were in a marina on Lake Charlevoix, and we needed to get off of this lake and through another very small lake and then a bridge to Lake Michigan. The bridge lifted only on the hour and half hour, so I wanted to make the 7 AM opening.
We untied our lines at about 6:30 and we were off. It was only about ¾ of a mile from our slip to the opening we needed to get through, but the fog was so thick we had to feel our way to find the channel. (The radar was on, but it was such narrow opening that it was not easy to see on radar) We found the opening, and felt our way through the small lake and to the drawbridge that led us to Lake Michigan.
While we were waiting for the bridge to lift I looked out at the lake, and it looked ok, but you could see the fog starting to set in. I knew if we got out there we would be fine, because the radar, and the chart plotter would get us through. Once on the lake it wasn’t too bad. It was dead calm, and we probably had about 1 mile of visibility. I set the autopilot to about 245 degrees, and that would take us west, around Traverse Bay, and then through the Manitou Passage. (I used to think that the Michigan shoreline was pretty much north and south. I didn’t realize, until we had to go down its entire length, that to get from the top to the bottom you have to go west quite a bit, in order to get around the top)
By the time we had been on the lake an hour or so the fog started to set in. And when it did, it came in hard. I’m sure everyone has been in fog, but this was something. It kept getting thicker, and thicker, until the visibility was so bad we couldn’t see anything but our boat. We saw several boats on radar, but never actually got to see any of them, even though the radar showed them right next to us. We didn’t have a choice on what to do, so we just kept going. We were in no danger, because we could see everything on radar, and the chart plotter kept us on course, but it was very tiring to keep that type of attention.
About noon we decided to stop and get some fuel, and also get some lunch. We picked out Frankfort as a good stop, but it was another thing getting into the harbor. The marker at the entrance was very clear on radar. The chart plotter was very clear where we were, and were the entrance was, you just couldn’t see it. Even when you got so close you could hear the foghorn you couldn’t see it. You could hear the horn right next to the boat, and knew it was there somewhere, but you couldn’t see it.
After fuel and food, we headed back out into the soup. We kept thinking the fog would lift, because you could see the sun high in the sky, but I guess it didn’t have the power to burn off this dense fog. Our plan was to get to Ludington, and we were determined to make it. Which we did, about 4 PM. We had traveled about 130 miles for the day, and considering the conditions, we felt that we had earned out dinner.
We ended up in the Ludington Municipal Marina, which is located right next to downtown. While Deb walked into town to get some supplies, Jeanie started dinner (spaghetti, and it was awesome), and Terry and I cleaned the boat a little. (It needs a total cleaning….bad) The fog was still very thick, and I was wondering what it would be like the next day when we had another 130 miles to go.
We’ll have to wait and see.

BK

Chapter 73: The North Channel & Upper Michigan

Log 73
The North Channel and Upper Michigan

5:10 AM
Tuesday, August 01, 2000
Northwest Marine Yacht Club
Charlevoix, MI.

Day 93

I woke up at 4:15 this morning, had a lot on my mind so I decided to just get up, and get to it. Getting up at this time reminds me of when we first left on our trip last September, and getting up at this time was a normal day. I can still remember those mornings, and I’m sure I will for a long time.
I was outside earlier making a couple of phone calls (well actually leaving voice mails) and it looks like it will be a pretty good day, weather wise. I was concerned it might be very foggy this morning, but it looks like it will be ok.

Let’s get up to date on our progress…
We left Killarney about 7 AM on Sunday morning and had a beautiful day as we entered, and then crossed the North Channel. The North Channel is somewhat like the Georgian Bay, except it is not as big, and does not have all of the small islands dotting the northern shore. The route we took had us winding around several of the large islands, and it was neat to navigate these islands, as well see all of the beauty. We weren’t sure how far we would go when we headed out, but it was so pretty and such a beautiful day we just kept going.
We ended up crossing almost the entire North Channel in one day. We picked out a neat cove to stop for the night, and anchor in, but when we got close we decided to go on to the next cove, and get some fuel (89 cents a liter) and stay at a marina. Our final choice was Meldrum Bay, a small bay just off the North Channel itself, and just before a pass that would take us to Lake Huron.
After getting some fuel, and tying up the boat it was time for a dinghy ride, and some exploring the cove we were in.
Side note: Here is a key difference in the way we travel, and the way sail boaters travel. We tie up to the dock. Get the power all set. Make sure the sattalite TV will tune in so we can watch it later. Make a drink, and take a dinghy cruise. Sail boaters head to the back of the cove, drop a hook, let the wind blow them where it will, sit back and read a book. That is why God invented all of these coves.
Anyway…..the four of us ran around the cove for a little bit, but it was pretty boring, so we dropped off the girls, and Terry and I went fishing. As usual, we didn’t catch anything, so in an hour or so we were back at the boat. We did have some bad news though, as we were coming back to the boat we noticed that the position of the boat, in relation to the trees would not allow us to get a satellite signal for the TV. Tough duty, we may have to watch a tape later. Which, after a great dinner of kielbasa that Deb prepared, is exact ally what we did.

Monday…

It rained overnight, and it had not totally left the area when we got up. When we were getting ready to leave it started to mist a little, but we decided to go anyway, and drive from the upper station, rather than from inside. By the time we were out of the cove, it went from misting to raining, and we had to put on our rain gear, and make provisions to keep the charts dry. The further we went, the darker it got, and we found ourselves driving by radar, and charts, because we couldn’t see very far at all.
We needed to get from Meldrum Bay to Lake Huron and then to Lake Michigan. To do this there are three passes that take you from the North Channel to Lake Huron. Two of them are well used by ship traffic, and one is not. We chose the one less traveled, and the one closest to our bay. The good news was it was a little closer; the bad news is you have to travel much more on Lake Huron, and they say it can be a terrible lake. As it turned out the decision was a good one. Lake Huron was definitely different than the North Channel, but not that bad at all.
The further we went on Monday, the worse the weather (or I should say fog) got. We were traveling along on Lake Huron with probably 2 foot seas, but they were almost at our stern, so they were fine, but the fog kept getting thicker and thicker. We were navigating by chart plotter, GPS, and radar, and I so glad we had them because if we didn’t I have no clue what we would have done. If you think about it, without the navigation equipment you would be out in the middle of the lake traveling blind. (By the way there are several people who do this, and this is how they get into trouble)
Speaking of getting into trouble, I’ll give you an example of what can happen. We were cruising along when we noticed a blip on the radar. (About 10 miles away) We both commented it looked like a boat rather than a buoy. (Terry does an excellent job of keeping track of our position so he could tell exactly where we were) The further west we went the bigger the blip got, and we started to really pay attention, because it looked like it could be crossing our path. Well for the next 30 minutes we tracked our progress, and the blips, until it became obvious that we were on a direct collision course if one of us didn’t change our direction. That was an easy decision for us, and so we just slowed down, and as we did, out of the fog appeared this HUGE tanker ship, heading southeast down Lake Huron. We were never in any danger because we were aware of his position at all times, but if we hadn’t been…well you know the rest.
When Lake Huron and Lake Michigan meets are called the Straights of Mackinac. This is where Mackinaw Island is and we had planned to stop there as we went by. Well you may not believe this, but we never saw Mackinaw Island. By the time we got there, the fog was so thick that all we say was the buoy off the tip of the island. This may not seem like such a big deal to read this, but you need to know is that this is a big shipping lane and the channel goes right next to the island, and if we did not have the island of radar, it would have not existed. The other thing we had to contend with was all of the ferry traffic. The ship to shore radio was very busy with all of the ferry traffic reporting there positions, and we were very busy looking at the charts trying to figure out where they said they were at the time they reported their positions.
Well I could go on for a long time about the fog, but let me just say it was the worst I have ever been in. We sort of felt our way along for most of the day, and it really didn’t lift until late in the afternoon, when we made it to Charlevoix. We tied up there about 5 PM after traveling over 130 miles in the rain and fog. It was a very interesting day. It is also a day I will look back on with fond memories.

BK