top page
"Twenty years from now, the things you will regret most are the things you didn't do. So cast off the lines, set sail, and explore"
Mark Twain

With a nod to Mark Twain, we set forth on a voyage known to boaters as "The Great Loop". This is a boating trip of about 5000 miles which circumnavigates the eastern United States, mostly in protected waters. The trip can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years, but most people do it in one year. Several hundred boats make the trip annually, and an association of "Loopers" provides mutual support by trading information and assistance. The popular vessel of choice for the trip is a trawler style boat, diesel powered for economy and safety, relatively slow but very comfortable. Our trawler "At Ease" is typical of the boats making the trip. We travel at about 9 miles per hour and try not to exceed 60 miles per day. For Great Lakes boaters, the Great Loop usually starts in September and wends its way down the inland river system to the Gulf of Mexico, arriving in early November. After spending several months in the warm waters of the Gulf Coast and Florida, a parade of boats heads north up the intracoastal waterway to Chesapeake Bay and New York, arriving in early June. From there, it's up the Hudson River to Albany and through the Erie Canal. Some people go into Lake Erie and past Detroit to Lake Huron. Others (including us) will choose to enter Lake Ontario and transit the Trent-Severn Canal, an historic waterway which winds through Canada and terminates in Lake Huron. After traveling through the North Channel of Lake Huron, we'll re-enter Lake Michigan and arrive at our home port of Manitowoc, WI in mid-summer.

Because we were still getting our website set up, our narrative for the first segment of the trip is done in retrospect, and is a bit sparse. Most of what we had to say for the inland river trip is included with the photos for that segment.

The first leg of our journey began on 23 Sep 03, when "At Ease" left Manitowoc, WI enroute 200 miles southward to Chicago via Lake Michigan. We spent a weekend in Chicago with John's son Dan and his family before entering the Illinois River, which winds through the Illinois countryside for 300 miles and joins the Mississippi River at Grafton, IL. We were delayed for a few days in Peoria due to a medical emergency, so we had to push onward at a pace which was faster than we would like. 200 miles down the Mississippi, at the southern tip of Illinois, where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers join, we took a hard left and went up the Ohio for about 80 miles, stopping in Paducah. John's son David had joined us in Missouri, which enabled Pat to take a few days off and visit the quilting capital of the country in Paducah. We entered Kentucky Lake via the Cumberland River in mid-October, and left the boat at Kentucky Lake while we returned to Wisconsin for some family things, including John's brother's funeral.

Returning to Kentucky Lake in late October, we pressed on southward to to Pickwick Lake and the beginning of the Tenn-Tom-Bigbee waterway, which terminates in Mobile, AL. This is a series of 12 locks combined with canals and natural rivers, constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers and opened in the 1980s. They moved much more earth for this project than the Panama Canal! Pat's brother Jim and his wife Sharon joined us in Columbus, MS for the last few hundred miles to Mobile. We arrived in Mobile on 4 Nov, having dropped from 600 feet above sea level in Lake Michigan to absolute sea level in Mobile. After about 10 days of rest and refit, we left the boat in a marina at Mobile and returned home for an extended holiday visit.

On January 11th, we returned to Mobile, AL to resume our Great Loop trip. This will take us eastward through the panhandle of Florida, then across the Gulf of Mexico to Clearwater, Florida. The route from Mobile to Apalachicola, FL follows the intracoastal waterway (ICW) in protected bays and rivers. From Apalachicola, we have to go "outside" into the Gulf. That's an overnight trip of about 175 miles, which takes 18 hours at our speed. So, we'll wait for the proper "weather window" for the Gulf Crossing. At Clearwater, we'll rejoin the ICW, which will provide relatively protected waters until we reach New Jersey. Because shoreside internet connections can be unpredictable, we'll probably update our log on weekends, when Pat's cell phone minutes are free.

Notes along the way....

We will be posting information on the picture album pages and occasionally also add a few more narrative notes here. While we would love to send you all the beautiful scenes along the way we may occasionally have more words to add than pictures. We hope you will enjoy following us along the way and will also send us an occasional e-mail to keep in touch! (gadow@mailbag.com). Hopefully someday soon I will have a way for us to communicate on the Web site but right now this is the limit of my knowledge.

The trip from Mobile to Apalachicola, FL via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) took us through the Florida Panhandle, which has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. We were hosted at Sandestin by some family friends who were very gracious in their hospitality. Even though we were adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, it was still January and the nights were frequently below freezing. We met some wonderful folks in Pensacola, fellow Grand Banks owners, who were very helpful with local knowledge and transportation. When traveling by boat, you constantly run into serendipitous situations and helpful people. We try to return the favors when we have an opportunity.
When you get to the "Big Bend" area of northwest Florida, the ICW ends and the prudent mariner will wait in either Apalachicola or Carabelle for a good weather window to cross the Gulf to the Clearwater area. The Gulf can be a nasty and unforgiving piece of water, and impatience is not a virtue. We had to cross about 175 miles of open water and, at our speed, that's an overnight trip. Typically, at trawler speed, you leave in early afternoon and arrive at mid-morning the next day so that you don't enter a strange port at night. We waited for six days, and finally left Apalachicola on 29 Jan for the overnight run to Clearwater. From here on, our narrative comments will be dated for easier reference.

Feb 1 -Super Sunday...Well here we are in Clearwater. We arrived here early on Friday after 18 hours of Gulf travel. The Clearwater marina was a very welcome sight. We have had a couple of days to do the wash and take care of a few other necessary tasks and also get a little rest. We continue to meet very interesting people along the way which is clearly one of the joys of the trip. Tomorrow we will be leaving to travel to the Bradenton area. The current plans are to stay there for a couple of weeks. That should be nice to look around the area and generally relax. We are hoping for nice weather also. We are starting to get some of the Florida warmth. Up until now it has been cool and some days cold (maybe not by Wisconsin standards), but is has been below freezing frequently. The prediction is for the 70's this coming week.

Feb 2 - travelled from Clearwater to Bradenton/Palmetto. about 45 miles. The ICW is the "safe" route, but there are about 8 bridges to deal with in that distance. Since the weather was nice, we went "outside" into the Gulf and had a nice ride. Still amazed at all the crab trap floats - they're everywhere until you get beyond 35 ft depth. Our home for the next couple of weeks will be the Riviera Dunes Resort Marina, located in Palmetto, FL, just across the Manatee River from Bradenton. This is really a first class operation - easily an 8 or 9 on a scale of 10. When we arrived, we thought there must be a Grand Banks rendezvous in progress - there are about a dozen GBs of various sizes here, including several from the Great Lakes. For a closer look at this facility, just go to www.rdmarina.com. If you have a high speed internet connection, you can even access a webcam aimed at the various docks.

Feb 9 - We've had a good week, reconnecting with other "Loopers" and taking advantage of a few beautiful days to tackle outdoor tasks such as touch-up varnishing. Even in winter, the sun and salt down here do a number on exposed surfaces. The last few days have turned cool and very windy - reminiscent of April in Wisconsin. Should be better by Tuesday. We rented a car and drove north today to visit one of Pat's cousins whom she hasn't seen for about 40 years. This week, we'll get together with an old Navy contemporary of John's.

Feb 15 - As Garrison Keilor might say, it's been a quiet week in Palmetto. Weather has been a mixture of calm sunny days and cool windy days. We visited an 18th century sugar plantation mansion, did some routine (and never ending) boat maintenance, and hung out with new and old friends. Even went boat shopping with friends who were looking for a bigger boat. We just tagged along and got to tour some exotic boats without any sales pressure. Guess we didn't look like good prospects! A highlight of the week was our visit to the Mote Aquarium and Research Center near Sarasota. This is a great place to see an incredible variety of of sea life ranging from tiny sea horses to 2000 lb manatees.
Took a half day boat ride with Dave and Anna Zickafoose, who live in Bradenton. Dave is a retired Navy Captain and a contemporary of John's. They later reciprocated with a driving tour of this rapidly growing area. Anyone who bought raw land 20 years ago would be wealthy now! We also learned a lot about local economics and politics.
Riviera Dunes is probably the nicest marina we've ever visited. And, on a long term stay, it's quite reasonable by transient standards. Sadly, it's probably a nicer atmosphere now than it will be in a few years when they finish building six high rise condos.

Feb 20 - Time to move on. Cast off the lines and headed south for Venice, about 45 miles away. Nice day on the Gulf, but we took the "inside" ICW route to see the local scenery. Passed a few billion dollars worth of real estate. It never ceases to amaze, how much money flows into this area via visitors and snowbirds.

Feb 22 - Underway again after 2 nights at the Crow's Nest marina at the Venice inlet. A constant parade of boat traffic through the inlet, but the manatee no-wake zone keeps turbulence to a minimum. We were tied up on the outside dock, immediately adjacent to the channel, and Pat drew some astonished stares as she sat on the upper deck at her sewing machine, working on a gift quilt. Toured the city on marina courtesy bicycles, and visited an embroidery exhibit at the community art center. Quite an Italian flavor to the city. We learned that John Nolen (of Madison, WI fame) designed the Venice city layout in the 1920s. It is apparently a vibrant community, but you don't see many young people. As usual, a large part of the fun was meeting other boaters from diverse locations.
We had intended to make one more stop before Fort Myers, but our chosen marina and the logical anchorages were full, so we kept going to Centennial Harbour in Fort Myers. A long 78 mile day, but interesting in many ways. Read on.
35 miles of our day was on the placid Gulf, with nothing to worry about except dodging crab trap floats. Once we entered the ICW, things changed dramatically. As you go south in Florida, several things happen. On the plus side, the winter climate improves and sea & bird life populations increase. Pat keeps her Audobon book handy to identify some of the unique variations. Often, dolphins playing alongside our boat provide an inspiring interlude. They are among God's most graceful creatures. On the other end of the scale, boating courtesy and radio protocol disappear completely in South Florida. The emergency/hailing radio channel sounds like the old CB channels of the 1970s. As for boating courtesy and safety, we couldn't believe the array of stupid boat tricks going on around us. They ranged from overloaded small boats to 50 ft cigarette boats weaving through heavy traffic at 60 mph. We passed through Pine Island Sound on Sunday afternoon, and were rarely more than 100 yards away from clusters of fast boats. We kept our stabilizers turned on, just to deal with the major wake turbulence. Since we travel at a sedate pace, we were passed by many hundreds of boats carrying many thousands of passengers. We saw less than 15 life jackets. We closely regulate automobile driving licenses, but anyone with a deep bank account can own and operate a 1000 hp boat with no requirement to show competency. What's wrong with this picture? End of sermon.

"At Ease" will be staying in the Fort Myers area for a few weeks, while we return to Wisconsin for some family stuff. Looks like we've missed some good old fashioned winter weather, but that's life. Before we left, we toured the wildlife refuge on nearby Sanibel Island. A remarkable place with an incredible variety of birds and aquatic life.

A technical note. We're aware that the photos in other sections are small. There may be a way to enter them so they can be enlarged for viewing by simply clicking on them, but we haven't found the method yet. So, if you want to enlarge any photo, just save it as a separate folder, and then you can manipulate it any way you wish.

16 Mar. Arrived back in Ft. Myers early today, after two busy weeks in Wisconsin, catching up on family and admin matters. Good to see family again, but Mother Nature reminded us that she is not quite finished with winter in Wisconsin. Today was rainy, a good day for shopping & reprovisioning. We found the boat in good shape except for the usual cleanup. We'll stay here at Centennial Harbour for about a week, then head northeast thru the Okeechobee Waterway to Florida's east coast. The marina staff and fellow boaters are very helpful, and the area promises some interesting exploration.

22 Mar. Almost time to move on. We've had a week of great weather and interesting activities. At Ease hasn't moved, but we've been busy. Toured the Edison/Ford estates, took in a Red Sox baseball game, and attended opening night of a Florida Rep play starring Carol Lawrence. (you have to be over 40 to remember her and husband Robert Goulet). We also reconnected with John's high school classmate and his wife, who live nearby. We've gathered lots of useful info on our remaining itinerary from other boaters who have "been there". One of the most endearing features of boat people is their willingness to help and share info with others. We try to return the favors down the line.

23 Mar. Hey, the boat still runs! It's always an adventurous feeling to cast off the lines and head for someplace you've never been. Today was a short 15-mile trip up the river to a delightful spot in Alva, FL, called Rialto Harbor. It's a small marina which can accomodate only 10 boats, but the atmosphere is unique, a family operation on an "oxbow" channel off the river. Rather than trying to describe it, we'll give you their website address, www.rialtoharbor.com. Suffice to say that the first thing we hear in the morning is a rooster crowing, and the last things we hear at night are crickets and the rustling of leaves. Fortunately, we're not paying the rates listed on their website! We went through one lock today, so we're back in fresh water for the next 120 miles. We expect to leave here over the weekend and arrive in Stuart, FL on the east coast by 30 Mar.

27 Mar. Reluctantly, it was time to move on. Today was a relatively short 45 mile run to Clewiston, on the south shore of Lake Okeechobee, transiting two locks and two opening bridges. Other than being owned by Roland Martin, the TV sport fishing guru, Clewiston has little to recommend it except that it is almost exactly half way across the Okeechobee Waterway. We did, however, enjoy dinner at the old Clewiston Inn, originally built as a company hotel by the U.S. Sugar Company when they developed the area's sugar plantations. Facilities are marginal, and we were glad to leave.

28 Mar. Continuing our trek to the east coast, we arrived in Indiantown today after cruising around the rim of Lake Okeechobee and transiting thru 1 lock and 1 swing bridge. The bright spot was all the bird life, which kept Pat busy consulting her bird manuals. Indiantown is a mom 'n pop operation and a very pleasant surprise. Since they are inland, out of the way of hurricane surges, their main business is hauling, storing and repairing boats, about 500 boats on 28 acres. The marina is simple but friendly and convenient. A good find, but we need to keep moving.

29 Mar. After a frustrating day of negotiating 1 stubborn lock and lots of traffic (it's Sunday, after all!) covering only 30 miles, we tied up at the Pirate Cove Marina in Manatee Pocket, a narrow bay at the south end of Stuart. We're now on the east coast and back in salt water. Our marina has a hotel and caters to charter fishing boats. We're about the only cruising boat in the marina, so we're tied to the fuel dock. We're here for only one night, to meet Bill and Bettye Edwards for lunch tomorrow. Bill is Chairman of Cardinal Aluminum, a company which Industrial Marketing has represented for almost 33 years. They winter in Singer Island, south of here, and drove to meet us. A very pleasant interlude, devoid of any shop talk!

30 Mar. After lunch with the Edwards, we hurried north 25 miles to Fort Pierce. This municipal marina is a grand spot, with a very competent staff and within walking distance of the downtown area now undergoing revitalization. Took on fuel here for the first time since Apalachicola. The price has gone up about 35 cents per gallon since then. That adds up when you purchase a few hundred gallons!

1 Apr. Yesterday, Dick and Kathy Anderson from Madison picked us up in Ft. Pierce and hosted us overnight in Vero Beach, where we attended the final Dodgers spring training baseball game. We spent an enjoyable day with them at the beach and in the pool at the motel before the game. The Dodgertown complex is a magical place, and we had a delightful stay. Dick and Kathy spend each February there, feeding their Dodger baseball addiction. .Today, their friend drove us back to Ft. Pierce, and we shoved off for Melbourne, about 50 miles north. It was a bit windy, but sunny, and we were treated to a magnificent show by several pods of dolphins who played alongside the boat.

2 Apr. Today, another sunny and windy 50 miles northward to Titusville, just north of Cape Canaveral, with the Andersons as crew. Kathy even got to drive the boat thru one of the bascule bridges, a great power trip for her! They rented a car to drive back to Vero Beach to retrieve their own car, and they'll leave for Wisconsin tomorrow. More dolphins today - they're becoming almost routine. We experienced a rare treat at the Titusville marina, where at least six manatees were feeding around our dock. Pat took a zillion pictures, none of which can capture the thrill of being close up to these animals in their natural habitat.

3 Apr. After an early morning goodbye to the Andersons, we cruised northward again, 50 miles to Daytona Beach. Another sunny but windy day. The wind has been on our nose all week long. Even though this is Spring Break time, Daytona Beach is a much tamer place than previously. The city has passed ordinances to discourage the sort of antics which started the reputation. We walked around the downtown area a bit and caught the tail end of an art fair. Another city which is revitalizing its downtown.

4 Apr. Still moving on, another 50 miles north to St. Augustine. This time, the wind was so fierce that the force fractured our plexiglass windshield! Pat ended up holding it place for the last 8 miles to keep it from disintegrating entirely. Not a fun day, but we saw some interesting scenery along the way. We're now at the municipal marina in St. Augustine, just a few steps away from the historic downtown area of the oldest city in North America. We'll spend a few days here to make emergency windshield repairs, clean up our salt-encrusted boat, and do some sightseeing. Nights are getting cool as we go north - guess we've been spoiled. We did arrive in time to catch the end of the later afternoon church service at St. Augustine's Cathedral. That was a special treat since we had missed the earlier Palm Sunday services with our travels.

5 Apr We started our tourist activities today. Pat went to visit a few shops while John did boat repair during the morning and early afternoon. We then took a trolley ride through the historic areas of the city. Thought we would have the driver tell us the story of the area and then go back for visits tomorrow. Nice to have a day without rushing to the next harbor.

7 Apr. St. Augustine, FL to St. Mary's, GA - 75 miles. Reluctantly, we left this old city and threaded our way through twisting channels toward the FL/GA border. We're now entering an area with a 9 foot tidal range, so we need to watch channel depths carefully and we try to stay at marinas with floating docks. St. Mary's is a charming 1800 vintage town at the very southern edge of Georgia. Nearby is the Navy's Trident submarine base. The area is struggling due to closure of a large paper mill, and is trying to promote tourism. We spent only 1 night here, but enjoyed meeting some fascinating people.

8 Apr thru 10 Apr. St. Mary's to Kilkenny Creek to Savannah, GA - 100 miles. Three days of just movin' on. While St. Mary's has historic appeal, Kilkenny Creek is just a fishing base where the good ol' boys play. But, it was in the right location for our needs. Then, it was a relatively short run to the Savannah area.

11 Apr, Time for a few statistics. It has now been 202 days since we left our home port of Manitowoc, WI. With time off for holidays and trips home, we've actually spent 118 days aboard the boat. Of that time, the boat has actually been underway for 48 days, a bit more than 1 out of 3. We've travelled 2836 statute miles, leaving about 2500 miles to go, depending on what route we take through Canada. We've transited through 33 locks and countless movable bridges. We've logged 326 hours on the engines, for an average of just under 9 miles per hour, and burned 1340 gallons of diesel fuel, which works out to about 2.1 miles per gallon. That's actually quite good for a 20-ton boat. The price of diesel fuel has risen $.30 to .40 per gallon in the past 3 months. Even so, we have yet to pay as much per gallon as we paid in the Great Lakes last summer. Hope that had something to do with local taxes. As for marina, food and shopping expenses - that's highly classified information!

12 Apr. Isle of Hope Marina near Savannah, GA. Stayed here 3 nights. Seems like an appropriately named place to spend Easter. We attended Saturday evening services at the beautiful Catholic cathedral, then Sunday AM services at a Methodist church near the marina. So, we were well churched for Easter! Made the tourist rounds in Savannah's historic downtown district - a fascinating place with continuing restoration. John observed Easter Monday with the traditional changing of oil in both engines and transmissions, and we did some necessary shopping. Ready to move on.

13 Apr. Savannah, GA to Beaufort, SC - 55 miles. Early start in fog and rain, clearing and very windy later. Wanted to stop at Hilton Head to see a classmate, but that area is jammed due to the Heritage golf tournament. Pressed on to Beaufort, a real gem of a community. South Carolinians pronounce the city name as "Bew-fort", as opposed to North Carolinians, who pronounce it "Boe-fort". Either way, it's named after a British Duke. The marina is immediately adjacent to the historic area, built from 1717 to 1850 and, since the city was spared from destruction during the Civil War, many original buildings survive. Both Savannah and Beaufort are proud of their involvement in motion pictures such as Forrest Gump, The Big Chill, The Great Santini, etc, whenever "old South" scenery is needed. Passed Parris Island Marine Base on the way in. High winds made docking an exciting manuever, and may require us to stay an extra day. But, there are worse places to be stuck! We took a walking tour of the city - Pat is enthralled with all the beautiful flowers and bushes in bloom. She knows all the names, but John just likes the colors. Spring is delightful in the Southeast.

15 Apr. Beaufort,SC to Charleston, SC. - 65 miles. High winds delayed our departure for a day - time to meet interesting people, do provisioning, and explore the rest of the very compact town. Arrived at Charleston City Marina mid-afternoon and did some quick exploring via the marina's courtesy van. Next day, we took a guided city tour and a plantation tour which left Pat breathless and out of film. Lots of beautiful gardens at their Spring peak.

17 Apr. Charleston, SC to Georgetown, SC - 70 miles. As we left Charleston, thousands of Civil War (or War Between the States, as they say here) re-enactors were lined up on the waterfront to stage a funeral parade for the six Confederate crew members of the submarine Hunley, which was discovered and recovered several years ago. This final tribute has been a week-long event. Wonder if there would have been similar ceremonies if it had been a Union ship? This is still strong Confederate territory. We had an adverse tidal current and very shallow water all the way today, so it was a long day. Georgetown has its history, but struggles economically. Mainstay of the local economy is a paper mill and, of all things, a specialty steel mill. We tied up at a fishing marina, because they had the only floating docks. Tidal range is decreasing, but still at about 5 feet.

Since this is a weekend day, there were lots of small boats on the waterway. Not so many years ago, a visitor to the coastal areas would see almost nothing but Johnson and Evinrude outboard engines, with an occasional Mercury. Today, you still see Johnson engines on commercial craft, but the recreational boats all carry engines with names like Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. Guess the consumer has spoken.

18 Apr. Georgetown, SC to Myrtle Beach, SC - 65 miles. Still sunny but continues windy. We've had a month of warm, sunny, dry and windy weather. Well, three out of four isn't bad. We're trying to be in Norfolk, VA by 1 May, so we're logging consecutive travel days. Deeper water for awhile today, but tannin in the water gives it the color of strong coffee. Hence the brown "moustache" you see on the bow of many boats. We've escaped that thus far - may be due to the heavy wax job on the hull last Spring. The development near Myrtle Beach is hard to believe. We're told there are over 200 golf courses in the area, and they're building many more right on the ICW. We even saw one cable car which carries golfers over the waterway from the clubhouse to the first tee! Can't begin to estimate the number of condos under construction, and they are apparently selling briskly. We stayed at the Myrtle Beach Yacht Club, which is a condo/marina development. We ate at a very nice Italian resturant next to the dock. Also took advantage of the laundry at the marina and now have clean clothes again. Turned out to be a pleasant and protected stop, and they had the least expensive diesel fuel we've seen thus far. When the difference is $.40/gal, it adds up! Needless to say, we left with full tanks - that's 600 gallons. Theoretically, we wouldn't need more fuel until Upstate New York.

19 Apr. Myrtle Beach, SC to Wrightsville Beach (Wilmington), NC - 65 miles. We crossed the state line this morning. We've now been in 11 states on this trip. Today brought us a difficult mix of shoal water, winding channels and an adverse ebb tide current working against a strong onshore wind. Autopilots don't handle that combination well, so it was all hand steering. Much of the way we were in a low tide so the birds were out feeding. We saw many shore birds that we had not previously seen. That was really great! Pat recalls visiting this beach area with her son when she was in grad school at North Carolina, but all the development has made the landscape unrecognizable to her.

20 Apr. Wrightsville Beach, NC to Swansboro, NC (just west of Beaufort) - 56 miles. Still trekking northward, although it's mostly eastward until we clear the N.C. capes and sounds. Late start today - the ICW passes through the edge of Camp LeJuene, and the Marines closed the waterway for a landing exercise from 9AM to 2 PM (yes, they can do that). Also, the NC bridges only open once per hour, and we transited three of those. So, we made it to a small burg near the ocean, and tied up to our first fixed docks in awhile. Fortunately, the tidal range is now down to about 4 feet. We passed through the edge of Camp LeJuene right after the exercise, and were greeted by a convoy of 13 rubber landing boats filled with Marines, returning from the exercise. Couldn't convince Pat that it was done just for us.

Admin note: We're experiencing software problems in uploading photos, so this "notes" section may be the only current section for awhile. Bear with us.

21-24Apr. Swansboro, NC to Oriental, NC to Belhaven, NC to Alligator River, NC to Coinjock, NC - 195 miles. Passed thru Beaufort - wish we could have stopped, but we wanted to position ourselves for an early morning transit of the Neuse River and Pamlico Rivers, which is a long stretch of open water. Oriental prides itself on being stuck in a past century. Made it to Belhaven the next day - another one of those compact and quaint towns along the waterway. Spent a very unstable night in a marina open to the continuing strong south winds. Glad to leave there. Hadn't planned to stop in Alligator River (just south of Albermarle Sound), but..........

22 April. Today our luck ran out. After 3500 miles of dodging all manner of debris without incident, we hit a large submerged log in the Alligator River. Completely invisible until we hit it - hard. Lots of vibration and anxiety about potential damage. No nearby boatyard capable of lifting us out for inspection, so we limped into the nearest marina at Alligator River, about 10 miles, and called a diver to take a look. They don't come cheap! The good news is that major damage appears confined to a portside propellor. We carry a spare set on board, and the diver replaced the portside prop, but couldn't budge the starboard prop. Our spare props are 3-bladed, while the regular props are 4-bladed. So, we are running a bit unbalanced until we can haul out for a closer inspection and a bigger wrench. At least the vibration is gone or diminished, and we are proceeding at reduced speed. We had planned to leave the boat in Annapolis, MD in May when we return to WI for family stuff, so we'll try to make that coincide with haulout and repairs in Annapolis.

Coinjock, NC (an Indian name for the berries which grow nearby) is a pit stop on the "Carolina Cut" ICW ditch just south of Virginia, and a welcome one after crossing Albermarle Sound. We did our usual early start in the light south winds of morning, to get across the last open water before the Chesapeake. We got halfway across and the wind turned 180 degrees and piped up strongly. Nothing serious, just a reminder of why we're glad to be aboard a solidly built boat. We're seeing a more conventional Spring here, with deciduous trees leafing and nesting birdsongs. There is something special about Spring in a four-season climate.

25 April. Coinjock, NC to Portsmouth, VA , across the river from Norfolk, VA - 50 miles. We are now in a marina at "mile zero" (ICW miles are measured southward from Norfolk). An uneventful day, but a pain to go thru about 6 moving bridges and one lock. Since we're here a bit ahead of schedule, we'll stay for a few days and rent a car to see the Outer Banks of NC. Also plan to have dinner with some old Navy friends. We're berthed right across the river from USS Wisconsin, which is tied up at the Nauticus maritime museum. Lots of "haze grey" ships around here - never thought we'd be coming thru on our own vessel. We've now travelled 3350 miles from Manitowoc, with about 2000 more to go.

30 April. Portsmouth to Kilmarnock, VA - 67 miles. After a few days of sightseeing by car (Kitty Hawk, NC and Williamsburg, VA) and reconnecting with old Navy friends Dick and Karen Ewing, we headed north, past NavBase Norfolk and through Chesapeake Bay. Weather gods were with us, and we transited the open bay without incident. Still running with 2 unmatched props, but no apparent problems. To save miles, we chose a sleepy little marina at Kilmarnock, VA instead of the classier marinas up the Rappahannock River. It also gave John an opportunity to visit the nearby home of American Diesel Co., the experts on all things concerning Ford Lehman diesel engines. Almost a pilgrimage! Roger Granum, a Navy contemporary of John's joined us late in the day and we had dinner at the Tides, a swanky resort nearby. His brother and wife also joined us for dinner. Roger will ride with us to his dock near Annapolis, MD.

1 May. Kilmarnock, VA to Solomons, Md - 58 miles. Early start for a pleasant cruise up the west shore of the bay to one of Chesapeake's premier boating destinations. Fortunately, we are here just before the "season" begins, or we'd have trouble getting dockage. Good food and a pleasant spot. Weather continues to be superb.

2 May. Solomons, MD to Oxford, MD - 37 miles. Another pleasant day on the Bay - just enough chop to keep it interesting. Roger Granum took the helm for most of the way - he's enjoying being "back at sea". Oxford is another one of those Bay communities which drips with history - we can understand why people love to cruise this area. Dinner at the historic Morris House was a real treat.

3 May. Oxford, MD to South River, MD - 40 miles. A threatening weather forecast never materialized, so the trip was most pleasant. Roger again handled helm duties. Greatest hazard on our trip up the Bay was thousands of crab trap floats. Can't imagine trying to transit at night! We tied up at Roger's pier in the South River, just south of Annapolis. Roger is the consummate host, and made us feel right at home.

4 May. South River to Kent Narrows, MD - 27 miles. Delivered the boat to a recommended boatyard on the Eastern Shore, to be hauled, inspected for damage from our 22 April incident, and any necessary repairs made. They'll tend to that while we return to Wisconsin tomorrow to catch up on family and admin stuff. We'll return in about 2 weeks.

18 May to 21 May. Annapolis and Kent Narrows, MD. John returned to Annapolis on 18 May to meet daughter Margaret, who had flown in from England to join us until the Hudson River. She was a welcome sight! The next few days proved to be both frustrating and educational. The boatyard had reinstalled our refurbished props and Margaret & John transited back to Annapolis, hearing a loud singing noise all the way. The next day, we returned to the boatyard and they insisted it was caused by worn shaft bearings, ignoring our reminder that the only change was the reworked props. Replacing all the bearings took another day but did not solve the problem. Installing our spare props eliminated the noise. Suddenly the yard boss became a believer and sent the props out to another shop for "re-dressing". Voila - the noise is gone after 3 days of horsing around. Through all of this, Roger Granum was a most gracious host and provided transportation and other hospitality for us. Pat arrived in Annapolis on 20 May, and our final relaunch on 21 May was in time to take Roger and four of his friends on a day cruise to St. Michaels, MD, another one of those historic ports. Margaret, Pat and John stayed on the boat at the boatyard to be ready for an early morning departure.

22 May. Kent Narrows to Baltimore, MD - 45 miles. We hadn't planned to detour off the Bay, but the pull of Baltimore's Inner Harbor was too strong. We stayed at a marina just a stone's throw from the major waterfront features. Baltimore has done a marvelous job of creating not only a major tourist attraction, but also an education and entertainment venue for city residents. Well worth the stop.

23 May. Baltimore to Chesapeake City, MD - 90 miles. Timed our departure to take advantage of the northerly tidal current, which helped shorten our transit time. Another very warm and sticky day, unlike the weather back home. Chesapeake City is on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which connects Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Well protected - a good stop after a long day.

24 May. Chesapeake City, MD to Cape May, NJ - 77 miles. Off early for the long trip down Delaware Bay. Favorable tidal current about half way. As you approach the resort city of Cape May, there is a canal which enables you to enter the "back door" instead of heading around Cape May in the open ocean. The canal was built during World War II to foil German submarines which were attacking Allied merchant ships in a vulnerable spot. So, in a strange way, we have Adolph Hitler to thank for today's shortcut!

25 May. Cape May, NJ to Atlantic City - 45 miles. At this point, we choose to go "outside" into the ocean due to the poor condition of the intracoastal waterway. Lack of dredging and numerous bridges make the ICW in New Jersey an unfriendly place. There are several inlets where you can leave the ocean, and Atlantic City is one of them. Weather on the ocean was decent, and we docked at the most expensive marina we've seen yet. Trump Marina is owned by the state of New Jersey, but run by the Donald Trump empire. They must think everyone who passes through is a high roller! Did a little sightseeing, but resisted the gambling opportunities.

27 May. Atlantic City to Sandy Hook, NJ - 108 miles. Yesterday, we poked our nose out into the ocean but didn't like the wave and wind situation, so we returned for another expensive night at Trump Marina and did the obligatory boardwalk tour in a dense fog. Today, we endured a long day in marginal weather, to put the Jersey coast behind us. Sandy Hook is a modest but well protected spot. Glad to have the "outside passage" behind us.

28 May. Sandy Hook, NJ to Jersey City, NJ - 24 miles. A short trip into New York harbor, to a marina across the Hudson River from Manhattan. We had this vision of gliding past Lady Liberty on a glorious sunny day, but Mother Nature had other ideas. As we approached the harbor, a violent thunderstorm hit us, and we saw little of the area until we docked. Our marina is directly across the Hudson River from the former site of the World Trade Center. With all the boat and ferry traffic, marinas are a "rocking" place. The floating piers at our marina heave up and down about a foot during ferry "rush hours".

31 May (Margaret's birthday!). Jersey City, NJ to Tarrytown, NY - 30 miles. For the past few days, we've played tourist, took in a Broadway show, and toured around Manhattan on our boat to see the views we missed on our arrival. Today, we began our re-entry into fresh water country. Although the tides extend up the Hudson River all the way to Albany, the water becomes less brackish with each passing mile. The palisades along the Hudson give a hint of the magnificent scenery to come. After arrival in Tarrytown, Margaret took a convenient commuter train back to Manhattan and onward to appointments and back to England. Sorry to see her go, but it was a joy to have her with us for almost two weeks.

1 to 3 June. Tarrytown to Garrison, NY - 25 miles. The going can be slow when the tidal current is adverse. We had intended to dock at West Point, for a tour prearranged by Colonel Pat. Upon arrival, however, we were told that docking is no longer allowed (Homeland Security and all that). We were directed to a small marina directly across the river, which turned out to be a lucky break. By sheer chance, one of the people who helped us dock there was an Army LtCol who is Director of Cadet Activities at the Military Academy. He and his wife were most gracious hosts, and we ended up with a VIP inside tour of the Academy, as well as meeting some fascinating people. We stayed an extra day to tour the Roosevelt library at Hyde Park, and took in "Irish Night" at a small shop adjacent to the marina. Once a month, about 15 local musicians gather to play and sing. To hear the 80 year old shop owner singing "Danny Boy" and other standards was a magical experience on a beautiful warm evening. West Point is over 50 miles north of New York, but the tidal range during our visit was a surprising 4 feet. Thought we had left that behind.

4-5 June. Garrison, NY to Waterford, NY - 125 miles. Two days on the spectacular Upper Hudson River, with one night at a Mom & Pop marina south of Albany. Great weather all the way. Too many abandoned industrial buildings, but marvelous scenery. Pat's brother Jim and his wife Sharon met us in Waterford, at the eastern end of the Erie Canal. At last we're out of tidal waters. We'll leave the boat here for a few days and travel by car to Vermont on a genealogy search for Pat & Jim's ancestors.

6-11 June. In Vermont, searching records and graves in Georgia Plains, Milton, Burlington and Montpelier, with a little sightseeing thrown in. We visited Whitehall (which claims to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy by virtue of some early shipbuilding during the Revolutionary War), Fort Ticonderoga, and Saratoga Springs, home of the famous racetrack. Back toWaterford to resume our voyage. We're turning west now, and only 600 miles from Manitowoc as the crow flies. But, At Ease has to take a more circuitous route! Now, we have to lower our mast in order to clear the 20 ft height restriction on the Erie Canal. The mast is hinged at the base, so it's not a big problem, but it does mean that we lose our radar and primary VHF radio. We're not likely to need radar on the canal system, and we'll use a backup radio connected to a different antenna.

12-15 June. Waterford, NY to Utica, NY - 110 miles. The four of us travelled thru 20 locks, rising about 300 feet in elevation. Overnight stops in Amsterdam and St. Johnsville. Cities in the Mohawk River Valley were once the center of carpet manufacturing, but that is all gone. Now, each town is trying to develop itself as a "heritage" destination to attract tourism dollars. At Utica we docked at a lovely park adjacent to the lock - free, including power! We stayed two nights and took a driving trip to Cooperstown, NY to see the baseball Hall Of Fame. Lots of fun.

16-17 June. Utica, NY to Oswego, NY - 75 miles. Jim & Sharon left us to continue their journey by car. We went thru 11 more locks, with an overnight stop in Brewerton, NY. Fortunately, all of these locks were descending. That means much less turbulence and is easier with only two people aboard. Oswego isn't much of a town, but it contained two amazing surprises within walking distance of the marina. Fort Ontario, on the shore of Lake Ontario, was originally built by the British and changed hands about four times, each time being destroyed by the occupiers. Now, it's being restored to its 1868 configuration, and is a very interesting place. The real jewel, however, is a museum on the same site which commemorates the WWII evacuation of 1,000 mostly Jewish refugees from 18 European countries in 1944. They were housed at an unused Army post in Oswego until 1946, and their story of survival is the basis for the book "Haven", written by the State Dept employee who spearheaded the operation. It's an amazing saga of courage, determination and political intrigue. We were very touched by the visit.

18 June. Oswego, NY to Trenton, Ontario, Canada - 100 miles, straight across Lake Ontario. We raised our mast for the trip across, so that we'd have radar if we needed it, but we were blessed with flat calm water for our transit, unlike the 6 foot waves which followed for the next five days! We're now safely tucked into flat water on the Trent-Severn Canal system, which runs from Trenton on the north shore of Lake Ontario to Severn, on eastern Lake Huron. The canal system is run by Parks Canada, and will take us 240 miles through 44 locks. When we emerge from the canal system, we'll be in Georgian Bay on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. Checking in by phone with Canadian Customs was a breeze - let's hope it is that easy going back into the U.S. We spent two nights in Trenton, taking care of mundane tasks such as laundry, fuel, pumpout, provisioning, etc. Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) has a 22 ft height restriction, so the mast comes down again. Trenton (pop. 14,000) is the "Gateway to the Trent-Severn Waterway" and also benefits from the economic impact of a nearby Canadian Forces air base, the largest in Canada. Today was son Dan's birthday, so we talked with him by phone.

20 June. Trenton to Campbellford - 32 miles. We're off on the TSW! 32 miles doesn't sound like a lot, but we went through 13 locks today. The TSW was built in the late 1800s, and most of the lock controls are still original equipment. Lock operators manually operate huge capstans to open & close gates and valves. It's a quaint and charming system, but not the place to be if you're in a hurry! Campbellford is a lovely little town with all the essentials within walking distance of the public dock adjacent to a park. This is the home of the Canadian two-dollar coin designer, and they have a 30 foot high replica of the coin in the park. Lots of Scottish ancestry around here, with surviving accents. After our long day yesterday, we opted to stay in Campbellford for two nights. Weather continues to be lovely, albeit a bit windy. That can make for some interesting manuevering when entering and leaving the small locks. All of the locks will be ascending until #35, when we start descending into Lake Huron.

22 June. Campbellford to Rice Lake - 28 miles. An easier day today, with only 5 locks. Docked at a Mom & Pop resort on Rice Lake, run by a couple with thick British accents. Lots of that around here - the heritage of British, Scottish and Irish immigrants is very much in evidence in speech, architecture, customs, and food. . Some of these smaller marinas can be very pleasant surprises, with rustic facilities but interesting people. Weather continues to be excellent. Looks like we're ahead of the "rush" of boats coming north, which is a good place to be if the weather is decent.

23 June. Rice Lake to Peterborough - 32 miles. Primarily lake and river travel today, with only three locks, one of which was a "flight lock" where you exit one lock and go directly into another, giving you a major lift in a short distance. The scenery is becoming very spectacular as the elevations increase, going from pastoral farmland to rugged rocky areas, with impressive waterfalls. We'll stay two nights in Peterborough, the largest city on the canal system (pop. 70,000). Lots of rich history around here, much of it related to the waterway and its transportation and power development. The marina is located adjacent to the downtown area, next to a lake with one of the tallest fountains in the world, right in the center of the lake. Quite a spectacular welcoming sight.

25 and 26 June. Peterborough to Kirkfield via Buckhorn - 80 miles and 16 locks, all ascending. We started with the world's largest "lift lock" in Peterborough. A lift lock is like two giant bathtub basins connected by a system of huge pipes and valves. You drive your boat into the lower basin, and they close the gate and add a bit of extra water weight to the upper basin. This forces the two basins to change positions, and you find yourself raised 65 ft in less than two minutes. An amazing piece of engineering, especially considering that it was built 100 years ago! The TSW also has the second highest lift lock in the world, at Kirkfield. The other seven lift locks are all in Europe. At Buckhorn, the marina was full, so we tied up at the wall above the lock. Many cruisers do this, and there are restroom facilities, and usually nearby restaurants, at each lock. No power hookups, so you minimize electrical consumption. All part of the experience. Of course, we always have the diesel generator on board if we absolutely need power, but we try not to be an obnoxious and noisy nieghbor.

We hadn't intended to go as far as Kirkfield today, but even the dock walls were full, so we carried on and went thru the Kirkfield lift lock, descending about 55 feet. This was lock #35 - just 9 more to go. Just before Kirkfield, we were at the highest elevation of our entire trip, 900 ft above sea level. That's how far we had risen since we left tidal water in the Hudson River. By comparison, Lake Michigan is about 600 ft above sea level. From here, the remaining 8 locks in the TSW will all be descending, much easier to handle. We stayed "on the wall" again at Kirkfield, since there are no marinas nearby. It was a lovely evening, with new friends and old. Cell phone signal strength varies dramatically with location in this area, but we were able to reach John's son David today to wish him a happy birthday.

27 June - Kirkfield to Orillia - 31 miles and 5 locks. The locals are starting to take their holidays, so there is more traffic on the waterway and going is a bit slower. Today we crossed Lake Simcoe, the largest body of water on the system. A windy day, with waves of several feet, but the boat handled it without a problem. Times like that you're grateful for all the weight in a Grand Banks trawler. Orillia is a surprising town of about 30,000 people, with a magnificient harbor development and some fine shops, restaurants and architecture. We stayed here two nights and enjoyed the break.

29 June. Orillia to Big Chute - 35 miles, only 2 locks. A short day, positioning us for exiting the TSW tomorrow. Big Chute is a unique "lock" which is actually a giant railway carriage that enters the water, picks up your boat, steadies it with slings, conveys it up or down a 600 ft incline to accomodate a 65 ft elevation difference, then relaunches you. It sounds unnerving, but the carriage operators are real pros. We stayed at a small marina just a few hundred yards from the uphill side of the railway, so we could walk over and see the device in operation on someone else's boat!

30 June. Big Chute to Honey Harbour, ONT - 23 miles. Today we exited the TSW, via the Big Chute railway and two more locks. The railway proved to be a wonderfully benign experience which took less time than going thru a conventional lock. After some tricky passages thru narrow gorges, we exited the system at Port Severn, the westernmost point on the TSW. Leaving the TSW is a bittersweet feeling. The scenery, culture and people are truly memorable, but we have to admit that, after transiting 44 locks, that novelty has worn off. We have now gone thru 107 locks since we left Lake Michigan, and we have no more locks before we reach Manitowoc. Our GPS now reads 610 feet above sea level, about the same as Lake Michigan. The lock at Port Severn dumps you out into Georgian Bay, and there is no place to tie up to raise the mast. We transited to Honey Harbour, about 11 miles away, and stumbled into a magnificent marina with excellent facilities and gracious staff. We'd highly recommend South Bay Cove to anyone. Since July 1st is Canada Day, a national holiday, we stayed in port for two nights because the waterways are very busy. Weather on Canada Day started out blustery, but turned into a nice day for raising the mast and other outdoor maintenance stuff. Don't mean to sound like a maintenance nut, but every boat keeps a to-do list which never seems to get any shorter. So, you take the opportunity on nice days in port to take care of a few items. We'll now be working our way northwest, up the eastern shore of Georgian Bay, into the North Channel. After we re-enter the USA at Drummond Island, we plan to leave the boat in St. Ignace, Michigan for about 10 days while we tend to some things back in Madison. We'll return to St. Ignace for the Great Lakes Grand Banks Rendezvous (about 35 GB's) the last few days of July, then on to Manitowoc by about 4 August.

2 July. Honey Harbour to Parry Sound - 48 miles. We took the "small craft" route, which wends its way through countless islands of solid rock. Many have cottages, which are accessible only by boat. Don't even want to know what they do for sanitary systems! They call this the "land of 30,000 islands", and that must be a conservative count. Parry Sound is a former major mining and lumbering port, now the home of several marinas and a cruise ship dock, not to mention the Bobby Orr hockey museum! We did a little provisioning here, but mostly relaxed and met new people. Two couples on another Grand Banks (32) are also doing the "loop", and seem to be on about the same schedule as us. We've been in the same marinas several times, and Parry Sound was another. It's fun to meet and re-meet the same boats and people along the way.

3 and 4 July. Parry Sound to Britt, ONT - 61 miles. We started out on the small craft route, but Georgian Bay was pretty calm so we went "outside" beyond the islands for a major part of the trip. It was good to be able to set the autopilot and relax. Travelling through narrow channels with solid rock 8 feet below you in crystal clear water is spectacular, but not relaxing. Britt is a tiny community on the Byng Inlet, about 2/3 of the way up Georgian Bay. We're staying at a well-run mom 'n pop marina, and ate at a wonderful gourmet restaurant, amazing for a little town like this. The restaurant owner told us that the town is so small that, when they have a parade, there's nobody left to watch it! We had planned to depart for Killarney on 4 July, but mother nature was stirring the Bay into 6 foot waves with thunderstorms. Didn't take long to decide that today was a "lay day". Lots of wind and rain today - a good day for catching up on indoor tasks such as updating this narrative. We're now travelling with another Grand Banks from Florida, with four people aboard, so go-or-no-go decisions tend to be a joint affair.

6 July. Britt to Killarney, ONT - 60 miles. Mother Nature kept us in Britt for a total of 3 days. There are worse places to be stuck, but we were ready to move on. Weather was very cooperative today, so we went "outside" for about half the trip, then rejoined the Small Craft Channel to see the spectacular scenery in Collins Inlet. It's like being in Norway, or so they say. Killarney is at the junction between North Channel and Georgian Bay, so it's a very popular stop for boats going in both directions. Killarney itself is something of a disappointment, with marginal marina facilities and very little of interest in the town. But, we met four other Grand Banks boats coming from the west, and had a delightful dinner with them. Something like a mini-rendezvous in advance of the main event in late July.

8 July. Killarney to Little Current - 44 miles. Weather was wet and windy, so we stayed two nights in Killarney. We've seen more inclement weather in Georgian Bay and North Channel than on the entire trip. But, we've been fortunate and can't complain. Today was a glorious day, travelling to Little Current via Baie Fine, which is claimed to be the only fresh-water fjord in North America. It's about 10 miles long, and surrounded by a provincial park. Certainly a wonderful spot for canoe campers. Little Current is called the "heart of the North Channel", and a pleasant surprise. It's the largest town on the 125-mile-long island of Manitoulin, which forms the south side of the North Channel. It has a real main street, and very nice docking facilities. It's also the center of medical and educational activity for the entire island.

9 July. Little Current to Gore Bay - 32 miles. No, not that Gore. Most of the towns up here have names dating back to the 1800s at latest. Gore Bay is another pleasant surprise, including a compact but versatile downtown and an excellent marina. We attended a local summer theatre production featuring four talented actors, and laughed ourselves silly. Local theatre is always delightful. They had a drawing, and Pat won two tickets to any future production of the summer theater. She gave them to a very surprised waitress as a tip at breakfast the next morning.

10 July. Gore Bay to Thessalon - 59 miles. We had intended to make an intermediate stop at Meldrum Bay on the south shore, but the weather was so mild that we decided to go directly to Thessalon. This will be our last stop in Canada before we re-enter the U.S. at Drummond Island, Michigan. Thessalon has done a marvelous job of upgrading their harbor shoreside facilities, probably the best we've seen since Florida. They even provide free, new bicycles for getting around town. Population is only 1700, and there was a wedding in town, so not much else was going on! One of the Grand Banks friends we saw in Killarney lives in Thessalon and, at their invitation, we went into their garden and picked fresh spinach for a salad. Can't beat that! The dockmaster, who is a Native American, is a treasure trove of local history and great stories. Just a very pleasant stop.

11 July. Thessalon to Drummond Island, Michigan- 22 miles. Very short trip today, after taking care of some laundry and other chores first. Clearing U.S. Customs at Drummond Island was a breeze, and we're staying at the Yacht Haven there. Word gets around among boaters as to which Customs locations are friendly or hostile, and this is definitely a friendly. It may sound trite, but it feels good to be back in U.S. waters. The Canadian people are wonderfully friendly and helpful, but it is comforting to deal with familiar units of measure, temperature, etc. If tomorrow brings good weather, we may try the 50 miles to St. Ignace, where we plan to leave the boat for a short trip by car to Madison. Then we'll return to St. Ignace for the Great Lakes Grand Banks Rendezvous, along with 32 other GBs. Today we parted company with our new Florida friends on the other Grand Banks. They're also doing the Great Loop, and want to visit Sault Ste Marie as a side trip. We may or may not see them in Lake Michigan.

12 July. Drummond Island to St. Ignace, MI - 50 miles. We're now back in familiar waters. As Pat says, if we see anything new and unusual now, it won't be a good sign! St. Ignace is a small city at the northern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Upper and Lower Michigan. The good news today was that the wind was at our backs, so we had a smooth ride. The bad news was that the wind was blowing at almost the same speed we were travelling, so there was no apparent wind over the deck. In a situation like that, the lake flies become a real nuisance. We finally retreated to the screened safety of the main cabin, although we prefer to navigate from the flybridge (which is what it was today). We will spend a few days in St. Ignace, which has a beautiful new municipal marina, then travel back to Madison for some family stuff, returning here for the Grand Banks rendezvous in late July.

Going over a few numbers today:
We've travelled 5183 statute miles since leaving Manitowoc last September.
It has been 284 days since our departure, 194 of which have been spent on the boat.
Of those 194 days, 97 (exactly half) were "underway" days.
On the days underway, we've averaged 53 miles per day.
We've burned 2430 gallons of diesel fuel, for an average of just over 2.1 miles per gallon.
We've gone through 107 locks and countless opening bridges.
And we've met countless interesting people.

We now have about 200 miles to go until we arrive in our home port of Manitowoc. That should occur during the first week in August. In some ways we hate to see it end, and in other ways we can't wait to get back home to stay for awhile.