Could it be a conspiracy that our friends have called or talked to us about just one more going away dinner or party? I suppose they might be thinking that if they plan enough stuff we will be too busy and won't be able to leave before the snow flies. In reality we have had many tears shed while saying goodbye to our immediate family and close friends over the last few weeks.All we can say is... nice try guys.
Every year at 1:00 on Labor Day the residents of Charlevoix congregate on the bridge which spans Pine River Channel. They come together to celebrate the end of the summer season and to say goodbye to all the "Fudgies" who are leaving town across the bridge in droves.A short sing song poem is read with the crowd chanting in unison while thanking the tourists but expressing delight in reclaiming their small town. It is all done in good fun.
We squeezed in a sunset, dinghy cruise, the last of the season. For us it will have to last us until we venture home again in the summer of 2008.
Our sons Bart and Skyler graced us with some valuable face time this month. We tried to show them a good time while visiting us at differnt times recently. My (Lisa's) brother Jem and his wife Patti came up to visit us before we left. They brought Barby with them. Our friends Wade and Susie drove north all the way from North Carolina to spend a few days with us on the new Kismet.
This week I had the pleasure (I say I because Jim is out of town doing a boat show in Indiana this week) to meet many of the Loopers that are just now transiting through our homeport of Charlevoix, MI. As you can see from the photos below these are friendly people with warm hearts. I already know that we will be in good company as we head south just after Labor Day.
The last two weeks we took a few breaks from preparing for our trip to partake in two of northern Michigan's summer festivals. Charlevoix, our homeport, is a small town just south of Petoskey. The downtown overlooks a small inland lake called Round Lake. It is a popular destination spot for boaters as the harbor is well protected from the weather off Lake Michigan and the town is just a short walk up from the marina. It has an annual,…
Tradition dictates that a christening ceremony be performed for new boats. For thousands of years, we have gone to sea. We have crafted vessels to carry us and we have called them by name. These ships will nurture and care for us through perilous seas, and so we affectionately call them "she." To them we toast, and ask to celebrate KISMET. Then everybody raises their plastic glass filled with champagne or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage and shouts, To the Sailors…
We have been back to our homeport of Charlevoix, Michigan for three weeks already, to us it seems like time is flying, too fast. That's how our entire five-month experience in Seattle felt, before we knew it we were heading home. While traveling east we reflected and savored our time spent in a very cosmopolitan city with diverse people, landscape and history. The icing on the cake being that we were able to watch our new boat be built.This all…
We are so excited to be coming home to our homeport, Charlevoix, Michigan, and all of our friends and family. We got quite a reception from our boating buddies at the bridge as we approached. It was fun to see them run from there to our slip to help us dock. Our friendly harbor master, Hal radioed us to bring her in. Our slip (#5) was decorated with balloons and a welcoming sign at the end of the dock along…
We left in somewhat rough waters but not too bad. We were surprised by how many empty slips in Mackinaw Island. They are usually full this time of year. We arrived late afternoon as one of our engines was acting up, we think from some bad gas we got a while back. Mackinaw Island is one of our most favorite places in the world.For us this was two days of winding down, reflection and some private celebrating before we set…
We left Wednesday morning to cross Lake Huron. We got up about 5:00 and left our anchorage with a beautiful sunrise and mostly clear skies, calm waters for the most part but heavy fog a few miles out that lasted until we were almost on top of Presque Isle, MI. A beautiful marina here. State of the art gas dock. Hardly any boats here though. We are excited now to be able to spend a few days on Mackinaw Island…
We spent one night at Beacon Bay Marina. Had a great dinner, at Scully's, in Midland with Rick and Mary, on the other Kismet, and left the next morning for Lion's Head Marina in Lion's Head, Ontario. Didn't do much as the weather was rather gloomy. Tuesday morning we left for Tobermory where we anchored in the larger bay. A beautiful, quiet anchorage.Lions Head (above)Tobermory Anchorage (above)
Today we left our peaceful anchorage and headed for the Big Chute Marine Railway just a few miles up river from where we anchored. We approached the carriage contraption that they load the boats on and they loaded a sailboat on the front and loaded us behind them. The carriage begins moving up the hill, over a street, toward the hill that descends down to the water, even as we are still getting settled on the sling. 20% of our…
Our mission today was to go off the channel a few miles south of the Big Chute Marine Railway to find a remote anchorage for a couple of days. We were successful in finding the perfect spot tucked away in The Lost Channel.It's quiet here except for the occasional fishing boat whizzing past. Last night we watched some otters working and sunning themselves. Watche a hord of mosquitoes decend on our boat and every once in awhile heard loons not too far…
We went through three more locks and tied up for the night along with our friends, Rick and Mary, on the otherKismet (Arcadia). So, in Gamebridge it was "game" night on our boat and that seemed appropriate.The area after Fenelon Falls brought us through some very shallow and weedy water. Also along this patch we were in about 5 miles of canal that was similar to a small gorge with walls of rock on both sides and no room for any…
We left Peterborough for a long half-hour. per lock and that's if it's not busy. We haven't had to wait long to get into the locks since many of the days we've been traveling have been during the week and we think the gas crisis has affected boating somewhat. Also, it is not their busy season until closer to the end of June. During one of our lock throughs today we met a boater who was from the area we were…
Peterborough, Ontario is the largest city we've stayed at since New York City. We've been on the move almost everyday for awhile and decided to stay a couple of days at the City Marina to get caught up on chores. We are still traveling with Rick and Mary on the other Kismet (Arcadia).So, besides doing 7 loads of laundry and visiting the Peterborough Canoe Co., we visited the Peterborough Lift Lock. Construction on this lock started in 1896 and was…
We arrived in Cambellford and docked at a municipal wall right down down right next to a beautiful park.We enjoyed a restful night and went into town on Saturday morning to have breakfast at a local Irish restaurant. We learned what a shalaylie was. Do you know? We ventured on to the local bakery, farmers market and the Chocolate Factory. What a way to spend a Saturday morning.479 miles of adventure to go.
The Trent Severn Waterway is a short cut through Canada that goes from Lake Ontario about 80 miles east of Toronto to Severn on the Georgian Bay. It has 44 unique locking experiences and is 240 miles long.We left Trenton for a 9-hour, 31-mile, 12-lock day with our friends, Rick and Mary on the other Kismet. It was a mostly uneventful day except for the cable, that we were attached to in the lock, broke and we had to scramble…
Our next destination was to head to Trenton, a 38-mile run through beautiful waters with small cottages, large farms on hills off the water's edge. At times cautious navigation was required because of shallow waters and narrow channels. Overall a very pleasant day was had to reach this active town. Trenton is the beginning of the Trent Severn Waterway. We stayed at the very small, however very well managed, Trenton Marina.So, now that we are in Canada we have to…
We left Oswego with a flotilla of vessels at 7 a.m. Wednesday early morning and to our delight we had no wind and glass like water conditions for our 65-mile trek (40 of it across the open waters of Lake Ontario. It was a wonderful crossing and we are so happy to be back in water that is clear and clean.We spent our first dockage in Picton, Canada. Picton is a small town with a tiny marina at an end…
Oswego, New York was our last stop in the United States until we get back to Michigan. An old port town that again has a rich military history between the French, English, Native Americans, and ultimately what would become America. Oswego sits at the mouth of the Oswego river and Lake Ontario.We stayed an extra day because Lake Ontario had high west winds, therefore high rough seas and boating can be dangerous under these conditions. We took advantage of the…
We left Sylvan Beach today, Sunday the eleventh. We cruised across lake Oneida (40 miles with 2 locks). Oneida Lake is a 24-mile long, shallow lake that can be as rough as Lake Michigan. It is considered the 5th most dangerous lake in the United States. Although it was quite rough, as the winds had picked up the last few days... we survived.In Phoenix we docked at yet another free dock. No other boaters here. Not much rain today. Still…
Sylvan Beach is an old resort town. Two locks and 28 miles and more rain. We met up with Todd Smith, on Egress, whom we first met at Hoppie's on the Mississippi. We had not seen him since Fort Myers. Todd is from Minnesota and is doing the Loop single handed. We went out for a fantastic dinner at the Crazy Clam and had fun catching up on both our adventures.Sylvan Beach was our first marina stop in the last…
Rome, New York was another 2 locks and 28 miles up stream. Rome has a great deal of historical significance. In 1758 a Fort Stanwick was built and played important roles for what would become USA. Also in 1817 the Erie Canal was started nearby and would play a great role in the development of commerce throughout the Great Lakes and northeast United States. At this juncture on the Erie Canal we traversed 20 locks and have risen 420 feet.
Five more locks and another 26 miles brought us to Herkimer. Herkimer was our last mail drop until we arrive in Charlevoix. We took a cab to the Herkimer Diamond Mines to hunt for gems in the two mines they have. We came back with 2 large rocks that look promising - more later. A few miles up river is the home of Remington Arms. although we did not tour the plant or museum we received a report back from…
Canajoharie was a 23-mile, 2 lock move in the rain. The Erie Canal has free docks, or walls, all along the river. Most don't have power or any services, but when it is free one really cannot complain. Canajoharie is the home of Beech-Nut Gum and a rather nice small town. We spent the night rafted together with some other "Loopers" we've had the pleasure of getting to know along the way. One couple from Arcadia, Michigan, another from Tennessee…
Up until Memorial Day weekend we had only had about 5 days of rainy weather the whole trip. Since we arrived in Waterford and the start of the Erie Canal it has rained about 9 days straight, with only one afternoon of sunshine today, making it seem more like a typical northern Michigan June.After leaving Waterford we headed west on the canal with 10 locks the first day we ended up in Amsterdam, NY. Most of the towns on the…
This day was somewhat exciting for us in that once we arrived at our destination, Waterford, NY, we would not have any more tidal waters to deal with and we'd be into fresh water again. The dockage here is free for the next 150 miles.We walked a long way to find a grocery store today. We heard from other boaters on the wall that it was okay to use one of the grocery store carts to bring our stash back…
Tonight really felt like a home away from home. Today the boaters and Loopers docked at the wall organized a potluck for just to celebrate us all being together on this beautiful day in this incredibly friendly town – Waterford on the Erie Canal.The volunteer harbormaster, Rob (the one who loves to kiss the women boaters hands) stayed late to make sure our evening was warm and welcome. He took the group photos and passed out bookmarks with the words…
We left Friday morning at 7a.m. for our last leg up the Hudson River for a journey of 65 miles against a 2 MPH current and slight north wind. We cruised by the base of the Catskill Mountains, old estate ruins, and the state capital area of Albany. Mostly the trip was through a beautiful valley.
Our day included a visit to the Vanderbilt Estate which overlooks the Hudson River which at one time sat on one mile of river frontage. The estate was donated to the Federal Government in, about, 1946 with all of its contents. A lot of the homes we visit do not have the original furniture or contents, only similar period pieces, so this was a real treat for us.We then proceeded to the American Culinary Institute (CIA) for a wonderful lunch.…
Today we passed many old estates on the river and West Point whichwas very impressive.Kingston was our next destination. It is an old town that at one time was the state capital of New York before it was moved up river to albany. We met up with some boating friends from Arcadia, Michigan and Minnetonka, Minnesota. We decided to stay two nights and rent a car on Wednesday for an excursion to Hyde Park.
We left the New York City area on our journey 150 miles up the Hudson River, considered by many as the America's Rhine. Once out of the city the landscape changed dramatically into beautiful wooded hillsides and rocky cliffs with only small towns or villages on the water occasionally. The Hudson River keeps getting more beautifulthe further north one travels.We made our way about 40 miles to an anchorage in Haverstraw Bay – one of only a handful of safe…
Today our friend Chris and her son, Drake joined us for a night on the boat. Before Denise, Mark and Gavin left we took everyone for cruise on the boat on the Hudson River past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the tip of Manhattan and back to the marina. It was a little rough on the water because of all the weekend boaters but it was excellent weather and we all had a great time. Drake even got…
We spent the four-day Memorial weekend docked at Newport Marina on the west side of the Hudson River in Jersey City, NJ. We have the entire view of Manhattan just outside of our boat.
Today we had a host of new experiences. We took a subway under the Hudson River to Ground Zero. We actually pulled right onto where the station was under the Twin Towers. Obviously a very sobering experience.We worked our way over to Wall Street to view the buildings and area that is considered the financial capital of the world. Another subway ride to Broadway and Times Square area for more touring. Lots to see, however, too many people, too much traffic, pollution and…
Got up early again for a long day out on the ocean again. This time we head to NYC. Again calm water for our 45 mile run to the Hudson River and the state of New York.What an experience to approach the harbor and view the skyline as we neared the city. Of course it is a busy port area and we have not seen this much water traffic in a long time. Freighters, tug boats, ferries of all sizes…
We got lucky today with with westerly winds making the 90 mile run up to Manasquan by way of the ocean a calm cruise. We were relieved.At Manasquan we docked at a marina where we ran into Paul Jacobs, from Traverse City, again. What a small world. It was also interesting that just on the edge of the marina, about two docks away, the commuter train rushed by about every 20 minutes.
Early the next morning we departed for the long cruise down the Delaware Bay to Cape May and the state of New Jersey. It was late when we arrived in Cape May and we were too tired to explore so we never left the marina but we ran into other Loopers on Running Free and Rhumb Line and had a little get-together on the back deck of Kismet.
We spent most of the day touring the United States Naval Academy. It is graduation week and much is going on here. Formal "Ring" dances, fireworks, graduation ceremony. Lots of people in town for the festivities.We learned about the pecking order within the Academy. Some of the traditions and ceremonies. We visited a fantastic model ship museum. One of the best in the country. It was amazing. We took a long dingy ride around some of the many marinas in…
We've been busy moving from one body of water to another. We left Annapolis, MD on the last stretch on the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake is an area that deserves a couple of months to explore its natural beauty. We hope to come back soon to do just that.We entered the C&D Canal and stayed at a free dock in Chesapeake City. Chesapeake City is an interesting, charming, city that has been well kept up.
We arrived in Annapolis this afternoon after a windy, wavy ride on the Chesapeake. Lisa was seasick and after taking the cure, Dramamine, slept most of the way to Annapolis. Captain Jim maintained a steady course and delivered Kismet safe and sound to the Annapolis Landing Marina on Back Creek a short Water Taxi ride to downtown Annapolis.We got settled and hopped on a Water Taxi to downtown for a walk around and dinner at Pusser's.On Saturday while on a…
