July 23, 2012 Monday
We have been in St. Clair Shores since July 15, it has been a nice connection with friends and family. We planned to go to Put-In Bay, OH today, but had forecasts for Southwest winds at 10-20 kts, gusts higher. These are not good conditions for navigating down the Detroit River, so now we wait. It has been a valuable wait however, as we gather "local knowledge" regarding Lake Erie and the Erie Canal.
Two other cruising couples have taken slips here. Both are heading "south". One couple, Dale and Patty Bensted on S/V "Nautical Dreamer" are from Holland. The other couple, Tom and Laura Eschbaugh on S/V "Cool Hand", are from our home port in Muskegon. We met Tom and Laura at Torresen Marina when we were both having work done on our boats in preparation for our journey.
Jefferson Beach Marina is a bit of a culture shock for sailing cruisers. There are two diner/dance clubs located here, one on each end of the marina. This has been one hoppin' place. Last night the multicolored lasers from one of the clubs were bouncing off the sailboat masts. Music filled the harbor.
We will be here until favorable winds and conditions. It may be a long wait for us because of the long transit to Put-in Bay, and poor protection in the South Bass Island Harbor.
"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." Henry Ford
Monday, July 23, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"Our Story" Part I
July 18, 2012 Wednesday
This is a good time to enter "Our Story" while we are in port visiting family and friends....
Our story....the kids are gone, the dog is dead, the house is sold.
We are not unlike other people. We finished college, went to work, married and raised a family. As we became older things began to change. The kids grew up and moved away. Our family dog died. We were living in a house far too big for two people that was filled with "stuff ". Maintaining it was no longer giving us joy. Our bodies were changing. A few illnesses, aches and pains indicated that we were moving further along life's timeline. We were at an age where we had become "high timers" in our workplaces, less attractive to employers in this economy. One of us was laid off with a merger and the other was offered incentives to retire.
We began to watch too much television in what was once our son's bedroom, now furnished with matching recliners and a 42 inch flat screen HD TV. Not yet 60 years old we turned to each other and asked "what are we doing?"
We would like to be able to say that we became "live aboards" through careful planning and research, but that was not the case. We returned home after a month in Florida. The weather in Michigan was cold, wet, and gloomy. I turned to Terry and said "get me out of here, let's sell the house!" We assumed that this would take awhile with the depressed housing market. During a serendipitous walk on the beach, the very day of my proclamation, Terry returned home with a buyer. The house was sold in 48 hours. From that day forward events leading up to our new lifestyle "snow balled".
We had been sailing as a couple for eighteen years, and the captain (Terry) for most of his life. We had sailed and cruised most of Lake Michigan during those years. Our times on the water had always been among our happiest. Sailors always have dreams. We often talked like others, "chucking it all and sailing away". Like most, that is all they ever are, "dreams". With the house sold we were at a "Fork in the Road". We looked at each other and said "Let's buy a bigger boat and sail away. We can do it!" This was our opportunity to "LIVE THE DREAM".
End Part I
This is a good time to enter "Our Story" while we are in port visiting family and friends....
Our story....the kids are gone, the dog is dead, the house is sold.
We are not unlike other people. We finished college, went to work, married and raised a family. As we became older things began to change. The kids grew up and moved away. Our family dog died. We were living in a house far too big for two people that was filled with "stuff ". Maintaining it was no longer giving us joy. Our bodies were changing. A few illnesses, aches and pains indicated that we were moving further along life's timeline. We were at an age where we had become "high timers" in our workplaces, less attractive to employers in this economy. One of us was laid off with a merger and the other was offered incentives to retire.
We began to watch too much television in what was once our son's bedroom, now furnished with matching recliners and a 42 inch flat screen HD TV. Not yet 60 years old we turned to each other and asked "what are we doing?"
We would like to be able to say that we became "live aboards" through careful planning and research, but that was not the case. We returned home after a month in Florida. The weather in Michigan was cold, wet, and gloomy. I turned to Terry and said "get me out of here, let's sell the house!" We assumed that this would take awhile with the depressed housing market. During a serendipitous walk on the beach, the very day of my proclamation, Terry returned home with a buyer. The house was sold in 48 hours. From that day forward events leading up to our new lifestyle "snow balled".
End Part I
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra
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| Planning the Lake Erie Transit |
Monday, July 16, 2012
Port Huron to St. Clair Shores
July 15, 2012 Sunday
We survived a wall tie up on Port Huron's Black River (crazy boat traffic), without injury to "Chasseur". We are posting a video and photo of our favorite boat entry in the Port Huron parade of lighted boats...and yes it really is a boat.
"Chasseur" set sail for St Clair Shores @ 0845. We stayed in the shipping channel of St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair the whole way to avoid the shallows. We have enjoyed all the ships we have encountered.
True to Lake St. Clair we were hit by two squalls. They come up on you fast and furious and then quickly go away. Our canvas kept us dry and surprisingly it was fun to plow through them. We giggled at the motor boaters who thought they could out run them.
We arrived at Jefferson Beach Marina @ 1515. The St. Clair River current pushed us along (boat speed was 5 kts but the speed over ground was 8.8 kts).
Suzanne lived in St. Clair Shores the first 10 years of her life. This is very familiar territory. The "old" house is only a few blocks from here.
Mom and Dad LaRaia, sister Ann and husband Don picked us up for dinner. Then we were whisked off to Mom and Dad's house in Clinton Township, Michigan to stay and keep us out of the 100 degree heat for the first part of the week. We will be in port for one week to visit friends and family.
This is a boating mecca and everything a boater needs is here, so we are going to take care of some sailboat "business" while we are here.
We also need the time to plan the next part of our trip - Lake Erie and Erie Canal.
Accumulated nautical miles for our journey is now over 540 , underway for 3 weeks.
We survived a wall tie up on Port Huron's Black River (crazy boat traffic), without injury to "Chasseur". We are posting a video and photo of our favorite boat entry in the Port Huron parade of lighted boats...and yes it really is a boat.
"Chasseur" set sail for St Clair Shores @ 0845. We stayed in the shipping channel of St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair the whole way to avoid the shallows. We have enjoyed all the ships we have encountered.
True to Lake St. Clair we were hit by two squalls. They come up on you fast and furious and then quickly go away. Our canvas kept us dry and surprisingly it was fun to plow through them. We giggled at the motor boaters who thought they could out run them.
We arrived at Jefferson Beach Marina @ 1515. The St. Clair River current pushed us along (boat speed was 5 kts but the speed over ground was 8.8 kts).
Suzanne lived in St. Clair Shores the first 10 years of her life. This is very familiar territory. The "old" house is only a few blocks from here.
Mom and Dad LaRaia, sister Ann and husband Don picked us up for dinner. Then we were whisked off to Mom and Dad's house in Clinton Township, Michigan to stay and keep us out of the 100 degree heat for the first part of the week. We will be in port for one week to visit friends and family.
This is a boating mecca and everything a boater needs is here, so we are going to take care of some sailboat "business" while we are here.
We also need the time to plan the next part of our trip - Lake Erie and Erie Canal.
Accumulated nautical miles for our journey is now over 540 , underway for 3 weeks.
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| Lighted boat parade |
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| Ships on St. Clair River |
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| Storms on Lake St. Clair |
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| Mom and Dad LaRaia |
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Lexington, Michigan to Port Huron, Michigan
There really isn't an anchorage in Lexington. We chose to anchor on the north side of the break wall (on the open waters of Lake Huron). Of course anchoring doesn't always go as one plans. After a couple of hours on the hook, the winds come up and gusting 15 -20 kts. The waves continued to increase to 2-3 feet. Our choice was to either "ride it out", sail back to Port Sanilac, or weigh anchor and put "Chasseur" to sea. We decided to ride it out. Surely the wind and waves would come down as the night progressed. The wind and waves settled enough to allow us to dingy into port for dinner with Steve and Pam. On our dingy ride back to "Chasseur" we were plastered with tiny bugs of some kind, in our mouths, in our ears and eyes..yuck! We slept at anchor with 1 foot rollers...not as comfortable as you would think. The Great Lakes can be very violent and the waves, even when they are not high have a shorter distance between them and make for uncomfortable travel.
We pulled up anchor at 0715 and headed to Port Huron. We dropped the hook just west of the shipping channel and waited for the Huron to Mackinaw race to start. Steve and Pam were anchored next to us on "Fran Sea". It was great fun. The racers were everywhere, hundreds it seemed and many sailed right past our anchor.
We thought it would be easy to get a slip in Port Huron after the race got under way but that was not the case. They are continuing with a "Blue Water Fest" for the weekend. At the last minute we decided to call the Port Huron Yacht Club to see if we could reciprocate and as luck would have it the gave us a wall slip for free!! There has been non stop boat traffic going up and down the Black River this evening, if we don't get hit by someone it will be a miracle. There is a lighted parade of boats tonight. If the photos come out we will edit this blog with them later.
Today marks the conclusion of a safe and successful transit of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (a total of 495 nautical miles).
"To be at home with the wind is to be at home in the world." Richard Bode
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| Huron to Mackinaw race underway with friends Steve and Pam's "Fran Sea" at anchor |
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| More Huron Mac Boats waiting to start |
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| Port Huron Lighthouse |
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| Approaching Blue Water Bridge (US to Canada) |
Friday, July 13, 2012
East Tawas to Port Sanilac
July 12 - 13, 2012 Thursday and Friday
We spent one night anchored in East Tawas. Nice town and port stop. They take claim to be the only city in Michigan to be called the "cool city". We pulled up anchor at 0530 Thursday morning for a very long poke to Port Sanilac 75 to 80 nm (we estimated 15 hrs). The trip actually took 14 hrs with motor and sails. It was another great day at sea. We had lots of freighter traffic for entertainment. We skipped Harbor Beach because it was too shallow for us.
Lake Huron has been a pleasant experience (so far) for us. The water color is beautiful, a wonderful shade of blue green. The ports are nice and clean and friendly.
We met fellow sailors, Steve and Pam Walton on S/V "Fran Sea" in Presque Isle and have been boat buddies from there to Port Sanilac. We will be traveling to Lexington together but we will have to anchor outside the breakwall for our 6.5 ft draft. Lexington is a very shallow port. The anchor forecast for tonight is "quiet". We will dinghy up to "Fran Sea" for some Lexington night live and dining. We want to be at sea Saturday morning for the Huron to Mackinaw race boats that are leaving Port Huron. We will either go to Port Huron or maybe go all the way to Mt. Clemons/St. Clair Shores (the weather will help us to decide). Once there we will provision, do some engine maintenance and most important visit Suzanne's family that live on that side of the state for a final farewell.
"A sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favorable wind" Leon Tec M.D.
We spent one night anchored in East Tawas. Nice town and port stop. They take claim to be the only city in Michigan to be called the "cool city". We pulled up anchor at 0530 Thursday morning for a very long poke to Port Sanilac 75 to 80 nm (we estimated 15 hrs). The trip actually took 14 hrs with motor and sails. It was another great day at sea. We had lots of freighter traffic for entertainment. We skipped Harbor Beach because it was too shallow for us.
Lake Huron has been a pleasant experience (so far) for us. The water color is beautiful, a wonderful shade of blue green. The ports are nice and clean and friendly.
We met fellow sailors, Steve and Pam Walton on S/V "Fran Sea" in Presque Isle and have been boat buddies from there to Port Sanilac. We will be traveling to Lexington together but we will have to anchor outside the breakwall for our 6.5 ft draft. Lexington is a very shallow port. The anchor forecast for tonight is "quiet". We will dinghy up to "Fran Sea" for some Lexington night live and dining. We want to be at sea Saturday morning for the Huron to Mackinaw race boats that are leaving Port Huron. We will either go to Port Huron or maybe go all the way to Mt. Clemons/St. Clair Shores (the weather will help us to decide). Once there we will provision, do some engine maintenance and most important visit Suzanne's family that live on that side of the state for a final farewell.
"A sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favorable wind" Leon Tec M.D.
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| East Tawas Lighthouse |
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| Sunrise over East Tawas point |
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Presque Isle, MI. to Harrisville, MI.
July 10, 2012 Tuesday
It was a quiet departure from Presque Isle shortly after sunrise (0645). We were underway for an hour and Terry suggested we should take turns napping. I was just getting comfy down below when I heard Terry shuffling up on deck. I can't sleep when he is not in the cockpit. I yelled up to him, "what are you doing!".. a long pause.. if he doesn't answer I worry about "man over board" ( I often rehearse my actions in case this ever happens). He finally popped his head through the companionway and said "come up quickly!" On our port bow were 2 Tall ships ( full sized replicas of the Nina, Pinta ) traveling north. We were snapping photos like crazy and hope some will come out. Adding to our excitement were 4 F18 military jets flying noisily overhead. It was an entertaining morning.
The seas were calm and the sun was shining. We have been so lucky to have this great weather pattern. Winds were light from the north.
We have talked about the changes in ourselves, physically and mentally as the days have ticked on. The aches and pains and "rubber" muscles are now gone. Some people use stair steppers and physical trainers - living on a sailboat is doing the same for us. Everything we do is physical training. Keeping your balance in 2-4 foot waves works all of our muscles. There is little sitting still living on a boat. Our bodies have finally adjusted and are more fit then when we started.
Our minds are quieter now. There are times for planning, chart-plotting, and weather briefings. These are very focused activities. It challenges our minds and adds to the anticipation and excitement on our adventure. Then we get quiet, relaxed and in the moment. The mindfulness required for this life style has proven to be healthy for us.
Sleeping is best on the water. We fall asleep now when the sun sets, under stars and shining moon, and soft summer breezes flowing over us. We wake just before sunrise most day (occasionally we sleep later). We have slept through a night storm only to learn about it from other sailors the next morning. We never slept this deeply in our bed in what was once our "home".
It was a quiet departure from Presque Isle shortly after sunrise (0645). We were underway for an hour and Terry suggested we should take turns napping. I was just getting comfy down below when I heard Terry shuffling up on deck. I can't sleep when he is not in the cockpit. I yelled up to him, "what are you doing!".. a long pause.. if he doesn't answer I worry about "man over board" ( I often rehearse my actions in case this ever happens). He finally popped his head through the companionway and said "come up quickly!" On our port bow were 2 Tall ships ( full sized replicas of the Nina, Pinta ) traveling north. We were snapping photos like crazy and hope some will come out. Adding to our excitement were 4 F18 military jets flying noisily overhead. It was an entertaining morning.
The seas were calm and the sun was shining. We have been so lucky to have this great weather pattern. Winds were light from the north.
We have talked about the changes in ourselves, physically and mentally as the days have ticked on. The aches and pains and "rubber" muscles are now gone. Some people use stair steppers and physical trainers - living on a sailboat is doing the same for us. Everything we do is physical training. Keeping your balance in 2-4 foot waves works all of our muscles. There is little sitting still living on a boat. Our bodies have finally adjusted and are more fit then when we started.
Our minds are quieter now. There are times for planning, chart-plotting, and weather briefings. These are very focused activities. It challenges our minds and adds to the anticipation and excitement on our adventure. Then we get quiet, relaxed and in the moment. The mindfulness required for this life style has proven to be healthy for us.
Sleeping is best on the water. We fall asleep now when the sun sets, under stars and shining moon, and soft summer breezes flowing over us. We wake just before sunrise most day (occasionally we sleep later). We have slept through a night storm only to learn about it from other sailors the next morning. We never slept this deeply in our bed in what was once our "home".
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| One of the "Big Ships" |
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| We love our lighthouses |
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