Life is Good in Traverse City!

Enjoyed our first full day in our marina. My brother & sister-in-law, Tony and Lynn, came to our boat from our family cabin that we share on Elk Lake. We ate lunch at the "Tuscan Bistro" just across the road from our marina, and we all had a delicious lunch.

Then to the cabin - a 40 mile drive - and we picked up our car that we had left in early May -- visited with some friends - picked up a gourmet pizza in Elk Rapids, and went on our way back to our boat. The picture at above right was taken as we sat in our cockpit eating our gourmet pizza.

The picture above left is the view looking south from our boat -- Michigan skies can be soo blue and pretty and the water too. The water in the northern great lakes is so clear that you can see the bottom at over 20 feet deep.

We have had a lot of chilly/rainy/windy weather in the past week, but starting tomorrow the temps will rise, so by the week-end we will hit 80 degrees! Just in time for the holiday week-end.

We have come 1420 nautical miles, and everything has gone well during the last 6 weeks. We will be living on Island Time for another 2 weeks, and then we move in to our cabin on Elk Lake. -- Will spend a few days together with Tony & Lynn at the cabin before they leave. We will be attending the Wabigama 4th of July picnic. (Wabigama is where our cabin is).

We anticipate a visit with John's cousin Mary & husband Ed & their son & family, as they have informed us that they have rented cottages on Lake Leelenau in July.

So.... this is the end of our blog, and thank you everyone for following it! We have heard from a few people who have followed the blog and we welcome all comments at: Locke806@atlanticbb.net

Traverse City, MI

We're heeerrre -- Centre Point Marina in Traverse City. So glad to arrive!

We left Charlevoix at 8:30, just behind the ferryboat to Beaver Island (picture left). Picture right is of one of the "mushroom houses" of Charlevoix. As we went out into Lake Michigan we were surrounded by black clouds, but it never rained the whole trip. Winds were out of the NW at 15 to 25 and we sailed the entire way. Waves were 3 to 4 ft. at our quarter, and Island Time handled the waves & wind superbly.

Picture above left is of our marina, taken as we arrived.

We have one last blog to post - tomorrow my brother & sister-inn-law are coming to our boat to welcome us, so I will post pics.

Charlevoix, MI

We left Mackinaw Island at 8:30 this morning on a cool, overcast morning with light winds. We went under the "Might Mac", the Straights of Mackinac Bridge (picture left), and entered Lake Michigan, leaving Lake Huron behind.

We cruised 60 miles with light winds and overcast and occasionally rainy skies. We arrived at the channel in Charlevoix in time for the 3:30 opening of the bridge and proceeded to our marina (Charlevoix Municipal Marina). In years past we have driven to Charlevoix many times and envyied people on their "yachts" at this marina. This time it was us, and a few people stopped by and said that we had a beautiful boat. We were; however, dwarfed by some of the bigger power boats.

After getting settled, we walked over to the main street of Charlevoix, which is Bridge Street, and went to the Great Lakes Whitefish & Chips. We had not been to this restaurant before because it was always so crowded, and now we know why it is such a popular place. We had the most excellent fish & chips - whitefish -- that one can ever have - yow.

After tomorrow, no more fried food, fudge, ice cream cones -- and we will eat healthy (we have been eating healthy except for the past two days). We will get back to exercising again, but must say that we have had a good workout with six weeks of climbing all over the boat with running lines, fenders, sails and all that.

Tomorrow we reach Traverse City, our FINAL DESTINATION!!
Will report in again after we reach TC.

Mackinac Island

We made it to Mackinac Island yesterday afternoon after a long & rainy passage from Presque Isle. We left at 7:30 and motored for 70 miles -- a chilly day in the high 50's, but winds were light.

When we arrived here it wasn't raining, luckily, but about half an hour later heavy rain began and we were holed up below for several hours -- but cooked & ate a chicken cacciatore dinner -- after that the rain stopped and we walked around on the main streets of Mackinac Island.

This historic island has a large fort; the Grand Hotel with the world's longest balcony; and all homes were build in the Victorian era (newer ones are built to blend in with the same style). Motorized vehicles are banned, so the only way around is by horse & buggy, or on bicycle. It is one of the most charming places on earth.

This morning we had breakfast at a restaurant -- and enjoyed it very much - I had banana French toast, John had blueberry pancakes & eggs & we split a side of bacon . In the afternoon we got out our bikes and rode around the island - 8 miles -- a wonderful and scenic ride. By the time we got back to the boat, the sun was coming out and it began to get warm, so we walk to one of the numerous ice cream shops and bought two cherry Mackinac Island fudge ice cream cones -- sat on a bench to enjoy.

We are at the most northern point of our journey -- just south of the 46th parallel -- we started out at the 39th parallel.

Tomorrow we will go to Charlevoix to get ahead of some more bad weather coming this way.

Still in Presque Isle

The winds were too strong to attempt going out on Lake Huron. Boats were coming into the marina seeking refuge. So we had a chill out day -- and what fun it was. --Hooked up with Babs again --in the afternoon we took a sight seeing drive up to Rogers City and bought some fresh smoked white fish and smoked salmon, various cheeses, veggies, fruit, etc. -- Drove back to her house (now it's 5:00) and sat on the ground-level deck with a bottle of Kendell Jackson and all the food we had bought and just had a wonderful, relaxing time for several hours. Birch trees, spruces, firs and other cool trees + lots flowers + fresh northern air provided the backdrop for our really cool northern Michigan evening.

Pictures: View from the deck (right) and John & Babs (right).

Tomorow the prediction is for light winds, so we will go all the way to Mackinac Island.

Presque Isle, MI

Yesterday we motored 64 miles from Lexington to Harrisville with winds from 12 to 15 kn. It was a rough day, and we were glad to get into port. Had dinner on board, and then crew from the marina drove us to an ice cream shop, where we had key lime ice cream cones and walked back. Today was a rainy day with light winds and fog at times. We passed two square riggers in the fog, looking like ghost ships, on our 52 mile journey.

We pulled into the marina at Presque Isle just as a small squall was there to greet us. Needless to say, we got quite wet even in foul weather gear. I will bring my boots next time.

John's cousin, Babs, who lives in Presque Isle, came to our boat - then we went to dinner and had delicious great lakes white fish. After dinner we drove around, and this area of Michigan is just gorgeous -- pine forests everywhere and inland lakes, and sparkling views of Lake Huron. It would be a lovely place to live, except there are no stores - one has to drive miles to go shopping. Tomorrow our destination is Cheboygan, a town near the Straights. The winds are supposed to be 15 to 20 from the NW - the direction we are heading. If it gets too uncomfortable we will pull into Rogers City. We plan to get to Mackinac Island by Friday.

Harbor Beach, MI

We left Port Huron yesterday morning, went under the Blue Water Bridge and out into Lake Erie. There were Sunday sailboat races going on all over the place on the big lake. The wind was out of the East/North East at 10 to 15, and we SAILED for 16 miles on one tack all the way to Lexington Marina. This is our first day of complete sailing with no engine -- was great! I took a picture, but it was on the wrong setting and turned out overexposed, so no pictures this time.
We left Lexington, MI, this morning and motored to Harbor Beach. We had a reservation at the marina but ran hard aground because the entrance was less than 5' and we draw 5'5". It took about half an hour to get free, and we weren't about to try again to enter the marina, so we left and anchored nearby inside the big breakwater. Dinner aboard was --hearty vegetable soup, salmon patties, and fresh baked rolls. We seem to eat well wherever we are, whether on shore or at anchor!
Tomorrow we head north, and our destination is north of Tawas, and on Wednesday we want to be in Presque Isle so that we can visit John's cousin, Babs. --Thursday in Cheboygen.
Our plan is to be in Mackinac Island over the week-end - what a delightful thought! So far, since being in Michigan, we haven't had any bad weather to slow us down, so we are crossing our fingers for the good weather to continue!

Port Huron, MI

What fun we have had visiting with old friends and with family in Port Huron, a pretty little city at the entrance to Lake Huron. Last night we met up with Doug and Mary Kay Baribeau, Johns college roommate and Fraternity brother. We went out to dinner and relived old times. They were so gracious and lent us one of their cars for the week-end so that we could run errands.

This morning my nephew, Bob Hough and Vicki and their daughter (my grandniece) came over to our boat to visit us. After enjoying mimosas in the cockpit, we went out to lunch at the Thomas Edison Inn, where they were married nearly 11 years ago, and we had attended their wedding. We had a lovely lunch in the big restaurant overlooking the St. Clair River and the Blue Water Bridge to Canada. Giant tankers passed by frequently.

After that John & I drove 40 miles to Mt. Clemens & back to get some new oil filters for the engine. We have gone through several filters on this trip and think we may have gotten some fuel at the beginning of the trip that had not been filtered properly. Occasionly the gunk gets stirred up and clogs the filter, which essentially shuts down engine operations.

Then while John did boat maintenance I drove to a laundromat and a grocery store for those necessary chores -- then we had a late dinner on the boat.

Detroit, MI

We're in Michigan!! -- Still have a couple of weeks before we reach our destination. We left Put-In-Bay this morning under cloudy skies and light winds. After several hours, and after we had reached the south end of the Detroit River, the sun broke out into clear skies. It was such a welcome to Michigan. We have spend 6 days on Lake Erie, and we're glad to be out (mostly strong winds and cloudy skies)-- but who knows what the conditions Lake Huron will bring us.

Anyway, we reached Kean's Marina in Detroit around 4:00 -- tied up and had dinner on board. Tomorrow we head for Port Huron. The picture at above right is the entrance to Lake St. Clair, which we will cross tomorrow.

Put-In-Bay, OH

On Tuesday we motored from Cleveland under cloudy skies and very rough seas for 8 hours. We were very glad to get moored in Put-In-Bay. Even though it was protected, the boat still rocked through half of the night.

We stayed put on Wednesday and went ashore to see the island. This is a delightful place that is very popular with the summer crowd. High-speed ferry boats run frequently from several points in Ohio, and a ferry also runs from Ontario to the north. The town and island is filled with Victorian-era homes and buildings.

We had lunch at the restaurant (above left) overlooking the bay, then went for a tour around the island. We went back to the boat via the free water taxi and did some cleaning of the cockpit and other duties. Later we returned to the same restaurant where we ate lunch and had lobster bisque and salad (me), and John had salmon.

We wanted to go to the top of the Perry memorial (picture above) but it is closed for rennovations, so they can get ready for the bicentennial of the War of 1812 - Battle of Lake Erie -- festivities start in 2012.

Another rocky night at the mooring. Will be glad to get in the Detroit River tomorrow.

Cleveland, OH

We arrived in Cleveland mid-afternoon and pulled into the Whiskey Island Marina. The picture above right shows the Cleveland Browns stadium in the left side of the picture. The Rock & Roll Hall of fame is behind the stadium -- we had toured it two years ago.

Our friends from Herrington Harbor Sailing Association, John and Colleen Miller, arrived at 5:00. They live in Akron, keep their 47' Catalina at Herrington Harbor (MD), and take the boat to Florida in the winter. They gave us some much need equipment for the stepping of our mast early in the Spring.

After happy hour on board Island Time, they drove us to West Marine for needed supplies and to a grocery store so we could pick up some cereal that I had forgotten to get in Erie. Then we went to dinner at the "Stone Mad Pub" restaurant in Cleveland. We sat outside on stone slab booths surrounded by flowers and plants, and we all had an excellent meal.

Needless to say, we had a thoroughly wonderful time with the Millers, and we were thankful for all their hospitality.

Geneva State Park, OH

We left Erie this morning with rain and foggy conditions. This picture was taken just outside the marina where we were staying, and the Erie 1995 Bi-centennial tower is in the forefront.

After motoring through the drizzle and with light winds, we reached Geneva State Park Marina. We had left the rain behind, but it was still cloudy and damp. The marina was filled with friendly Ohioans enjoying the summer on their boats. We had dinner aboard. As we head eastward, the sunset is later, and now it is light until after 9:00. ...On to Cleveland tomorrow where we will meet up with friends.

Erie, PA

We reached Erie late Thursday afternoon on a sunny, warm day. We were able to sail for a few hours in the afternoon - winds were from the west/northwest, and we were headed west/southwest.

After we arrived, Gary took a taxi to the Hertz rental place to pick up their rental car. On our last evening together, the weather was delightful, and we ate dinner in the cockpit -- with grilled pork & chicken cooked with fresh herbs, and accompaniments.

The next morning Gary & Kathy left at around 9:30, and were home in Virginia by late afternoon. They have been a big help to us and also great company. The rest of the trip does not require extra help - alas we are on our own now.

On Friday we did various chores, including a grocery shopping trip to Wegmans. We cleaned the boat inside and out and did laundry on both days. Later in the afternoon yesterday, we rode the trolley car for a mini sight-seeing trip around Erie, and we also walked around the harbor front. The ship "Niagara" is home based here -- on Friday & Saturday we watched it going out and coming back in to the harbor with some of its sails raised. We had toured the Niagara when it was visiting Washington DC several years ago. This is a replica of Oliver Hazard Perry's flagship in which he defeated the British in the "Battle of Lake Erie" during the War of 1812. He is a distant relative of mine, which has been traced back to the 1700's by family members, so it has special meaning. In a few days we will be visiting Put-In-Bay where the battle occurred. The websiste is www.flagshipniagara.org .

Later we ate dinner at the "Smugglers Wharf" -- I had fried lake perch and John had walleye. It's great to be back on the great lakes to be able to eat freshwater fish. Can't wait to have some lake trout in Michigan!

Through the Welland Canal and Beyond

We left Youngstown at 6 a.m., arrived at the entrance of the Welland Canal around 8 a.m. and went through Canadian customs. We were told by the canal authorities that we would have to wait until noon to enter the first lock because there had been a breakdown, and they were backed up getting freighters through. Then one of the freighters had some kind of problem, so they told us that we could go next. We entered the first lock with two other "pleasure crafts" sometime before noon. These locks were much more difficult to handle than the ones in the Erie Canal. It took a lot of muscle power to hold on to the ropes as the water level rose 49 feet in each lock. The turbulance from the water pouring into each lock caused the boats to flail around (see picture above right). The great thing was that we went through the locks in 5 1/2 hours, which we are told is incredibly quick, and that norm is 12 hours+.

Also, we were blessed with perfect weather -- sunny & warm.

After going through the 8 locks we headed to our marina in Port Colburne, Ontario, arriving around 6:30 p.m. We were quite exhausted. I had made a chili casserole while underway, and we all gobbled it down after we were settled in our slip.

Pictures: Above left - Island Time on its way to the next lock following the 2 power boats; above right - the 3 boats in a lock. These two pictures were taken by an acquaintance of ours - a fellow Beneteau owner.

The next morning we woke up to stormy, rainy, & windy conditions. Since we only had 20 miles to go to Dunkirk, NY, we set out around 1:30 p.m. and made it to our destination late in the afternoon. It was a choppy & wet ride. Later we went to dinner at a restaurant near by. Tomorrow we head to Erie, PA.

Rochester to Youngstown, NY

We left Rochester at 6:00 this morning and traveled 84 miles on Lake Ontario - destination Youngtown, NY on the Niagara River.The skies were clear, and the air chilly, warming up later in the day. We had a fairly rough passage with waves 2 to 4 ft, and wind 8 to 16 knots from the west (the direction we were headed). Pictures: Top left - the marina where we stayed in Youngstown; top left - Gary & Kathy relaxing after the 10 hour cruise; bottom right - the entrance to the Niagara River with the U.S. on the left side and Canada on the right side; bottom left - Fort Niagara at the entrance to the Niagara River.

We had dinner onboard with grilled marinated tilipia, quinoa with pine nuts & parsley, and hubbard squash. Everyone should learn about quinoa -- look it up on the web and start cooking it! -- better for you than rice, couscous, bulger, etc., and tastes good too.We will hit the sack early tonight as we have another 6:00 a.m. departure tomorrow to get to the Welland Canal.

From Oswego to Rochester, NY

Island Time is a sailboat again. The mast and sails are back on, and yesterday we motor-sailed on Lake Ontario from Oswego to Rochester in light winds and under sunny skies.

Today and tomorrow the winds are too strong to be able to venture back out on Lake Ontario, so we are staying here until Monday. We continue to have scrumptous meals aboard, with dinner out every few nights.

Utica to Oswego, New York

We have arrived in Oswego and are finished traveling on the Erie & Oswego Canals. We will have the mast put up tomorrow by the Oswego Marina, where we are staying. Since last Friday we have gone through 30 locks. There was 1 on the Hudson, 22 on the Erie Canal, and 7 on the Oswego Canal.
We went from sea level to 420 ft and back down to 245 ft here in Oswego. We'll stay here a couple of days working on the mast and then head out into Lake Ontario going west. It has not been as hot and humid as it was last week -- yesterday was nice after rain in the morning -- today is hotter.
Yesterday we crossed Oneida Lake and stopped for the night at a marina on the Oneida river. We have eaten aboard for the last 4 nights, and tonight we're going to dinner at a restaurant a short walk from the boat.

Picture at left is of Kathy holding on to the rope, picture above is going through a lock and under a bridge, and John cooking burgers.

Schenectedy to Utica, NY on the Erie Canal

We arrived in Utica at the public dock around 4:00. We had a Memorial Day cook-out with hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, and corn.

We have been through numerous locks in the past two days. In the picture at the left we are entering lock #17, which is the highest lock on the Erie Canal at 40 feet; the other picture is inside the lock; and in the picture (upper left), we are tied up at the dock in Utica.

Later in the evening we had heavy thundershowers, and it rained all night, with us snug & dry in our beds.

Tomorrow we have fewer locks to go through and rain is expected all day.

From Waterford to Schenectady, NY

We had a nice two day stay in Waterford -- a historical old town with a main street and some good restaurants. Yesterday morning we ate at Don & Paul's and splurged with pancakes, omeletts, bacon, sausage, Fr. toast -- very good and very low cost. During the day Kathy & I did laundry at a laundromat that was 4 blocks away. There were grocery carts at the marina for the use of the boaters, so Gary & John pushed the grocery carts full of laundry up the street -- it was so funny. Later we walked to a grocery store about a mile away and carried our groceries back.
Doug & Timberly arrived around 6:30, and we had happy hour on board. Then all 6 of us went to McGrievy's Restaurant for dinner and each had a delicious meal. Doug & Timberly stayed for the night, and slept on cushions in the cockpit.
Another hot day today. We left about noon, and Doug & Timberly went on their way. We went through 6 locks for a total of 212 feet above sea level. These locks are not for amateurs -- one must hold onto a cable with a line, while two others are holding onto long ropes and fending off while we rise over 30 feet. With a boat our size, it is ideal to have 4 people -- thank you Gary & Kathy for being with us!
We are at the Schenectady Yacht Club, which isn't really very yachty, but we have all the necessities. Gary & Kathy took advantage of the swimming pool.

Catskill to Waterford, NY

Our mast was stepped this morning. The process involves a crane to pick up and lower the mast onto the cradles which were custom made by the marina. A lot of preparation went into getting the mast ready. Several other sailboats were at the marina to get their masts stepped. Many of them are headed back to Canada from wintering in the Exumas.

We left around 11:30, heading north to Waterford, just north of Albany, where we will stay for a couple of days. Doug & Timberly will be driving over from Brattleboro to see us.

Today the heat has abated -- yesterday was another 90+ day. We decided to eat at the marina restaurant for dinner again because there was such a mess on the boat -- unfortunately the air conditioning had conked out at the restaurant, but we had a nice meal and then went back to the air conditioned boat.

There are many logs in the river to watch out for. We will go through our first lock this afternoon, and we have all been given instructions on how we prepare for the locks.