Month: July 2019

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Day 2 traveling and learning how to post on a blog

WOW!!

Now, since i just learned how to make the blog active, i have some catching up to do…here is a run down of day 2…Day 3 will be an adventure you’ll want to hear, so that will be the next post after we leave here and get to the next port…

Here we are in Grosse Pointe, Ichigan (no M, as we are Ohio State fans), sitting at a marina after 3 days of anchoring out. BUT, this marina does not have water or power, so its kind of like anchoring out, but not having to worry if an anchor is not holding. We’ve already experienced this, but not on an “oh shit” level…just felt we were too close to another boat, and as we sat there and watched, it seemed like we were getting closer to the other boat. So we just pulled up anchor and moved further away and went through the whole anchoring process over- No Worries, Mon!

Let me digress to the last few days: We left Cleveland and headed for Kelly’s Island. We arrived at Kelly’s around 4:30 in the afternoon. We had looked at anchorages and circled the island to scope out which one looked best. We decided on the north side State Park. There were several boats anchored (mostly sailboats) and we picked a location far away from everyone else. It was a delightful evening, drinking fine Champagne from our 1st mate Laura, settling into an evening feeling accomplishment and marveling at how well the cats had adjusted. They are super chill and just want to hang out, sleep and explore the boat with short walks around the deck. Lauren prepared a shrimp dinner, and all was right with our world! We slept well with calm seas, hardly any wind/waves and a feeling of serenity.

Day 2:

We departed Kelly’s Island, and having discussed our next port, we had decided to head farther north to Pelee Island. Neither of us had been there, and it has always been somewhere we had thought about going to, but never had the opportunity to get there. So we headed north with a somewhat flat lake and following seas (the waves coming from behind pushing you, rather than thumping into them or taking them from the side, which rolls your boat). This was also our first venture into foreign waters, where we will have to check in with customs and do the proper paperwork(?). Turns out there is no paperwork, just a phone call in to their Canadian homeland security, answer some questions, and they give you a confirmation number.

We docked in Pelee at West Dock, which is where the ferry terminal is, and happens to have a border patrol post there too. We found a spot to tie up to a wall for free, and was given the ok to stay there for the night. There was no water or power, but it was nice and tucked in from the open water, so not too much rocking and felt secure and safe. The best thing about the location was the winery just around the corner, and the local restaurants/bars close by. We did explore the winery and got to ride our bikes around the island for a bit, but it was too hot to ride the whole island so we returned to Klondike. There was a border patrol agent wandering around the dock where we were and he did come to visit…he checked our confirmation number to ensure we had cleared customs, then we chatted a bit and he told us about a bay just inside the Detroit River called Crystal Bay, which also has a ‘hidden lake’. Nice guy and good info for us. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching a sunset and having dinner and ‘docktails’. We discussed our next port of call, and decided to head to Crystal Bay where our customs friend had mentioned.

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Getting Ready!

Holy $hit! Are we ready?!

Seeing as this is out first blog, not really sure where to begin, so we will start now (12 hours before departure).

This has been a whirlwind 3 weeks; we have been cleaning, painting, organizing, buying, moving and planning on the trip we about to embark on. the buying part has seemingly been non-stop! I feel we are going to be broke before we start!

So what have we been doing exactly to cover all of this? lets start with cleaning and painting: every part of the boat has been scrubbed down, cleaned out and all of the outside decks have been re-painted. No more rust spots or peeling paint! This turned out to be a huge undertaking, as not only did we have to scrape, wire brush, prime and paint, but it took countless trips to stores (Home Depot/ West Marine) to ensure we had the correct product and tools to do the job. We also spent a bit of time at Samsel Supply and various outboard mechanics to ensure the new dinghy was properly rigged for towing and the engine would be reliable. In hindsight, a new 4 stroke engine would have been nice, but we wanted to try to make do with what we had engine wise. Lauren spent days and days cleaning and organizing every nook and cranny to maximize storage. Then she had to re-do it as we brought more and more stuff from home. She is a genius when it comes to this, as there is no wasted space (and we haven’t filled every storage space) and everything must be stowed while underway so there is no accidental breakage or flying projectiles.

Now on to the moving: this has been all Lauren! Sure, I do the heavy lifting, but she is the brains behind the operation. Who knew we needed soap? (just kidding!) Seriously: she has been all over what we need and what we don’t…although this has sparked some conversations of what we each think is important… Me=alcohol She=food and clothes Not only did we have to move onto the boat, but also from out of the house. The basement had to get waterproofed so we didn’t have to worry about that, the plumber had to be called to fix a water leak, all of the house needed cleaned and cleaned out, including planting new grass to fix where the contractor tore up our yard. The garage needed cleaned and organized, and the animals needed to be acclimated to the new home. Frank (our dog) is no stranger to the boat. He has been aboard almost as much as we have. The cats: well, lets just say they are getting adjusted. They actually haven’t been bad; a little timid and exploring the boat, but have in fact haven’t been as freaked out as we thought they might be. Don’t forget we haven’t left the dock yet, and they have yet to hear the Detroit Diesel roar to life!

The buying: paint and supplies (over and over), new dinghy, new lines and lights for dinghy, registration for both boats, cleaning supplies, food and alcohol, boat decor, security items, dog and cat stuff, subscriptions, internet upgrade, power inverter, cooking supplies… I could go on and on… We will put together a spreadsheet of expenditures so we (and you) can see where we are spending money and keep track of our spending.

So this brings us to the end of our first post; Lauren wants to know how I have so much to say and we haven’t even left yet?! You will be kept well informed as promised; We want to be able to share our experience with everyone who wants to follow along and we are now 12 hours from departure. We will update frequently and look forward to hearing from everyone!

Cheers!