Journal from Sarasota to Chicago
This journal was originally sent as emails to friends with whom we were keeping in touch. The date of the entry is the date of the email. We heard later that as things became more “complicated” friends and family were waiting with baited breath to see how the saga ended!
The journal starts with our intended itinerary. Little did we know that the itinerary would be shredded into many little pieces and blown away!
The journal starts with our intended itinerary. Little did we know that the itinerary would be shredded into many little pieces and blown away!
Anam Cara Itinerary
Sarasota (Bradenton/Cortez) to Chicago
All dates and mileage is approximate!
Cortez to Mobile Bay “Rim Route”
May shorten trip with an overnight sail if weather permits.
June 11 Arrive in Florida
June 12 Boat put in water
June 13-14 Leave Cortez Cove Marina
June 14 Clearwater or Tarpon Springs
June 15 Crystal River (40 mi.) or Suwannee River (75 mi.)
June 16 Steinhatchee (30 mi) or Steinhatchee (70 mi.)
June 17 Carrabelle (70 mi.)
June 19 Panama City
June 20 Pensacola
June 21 Mobile bay Mast down
Mobile Bay to Chicago
Actual river miles are greater than indicated below. It is a safe bet to add in an additional 5 days to the travel schedule below depending on stops, weather, current, and actual miles traveled.
Tombigbee River/Tenn-Tom Waterway
June 23 Leave Mobile Bay
June 26 Demopolis, AL 117 mi.
June 29 Columbus, MS 118 mi.
July 2 Pickwick Lake, MS 123 mi.
Tennessee River
July 7 Paducah, KY 207 mi.
Cumberland & Ohio Rivers
July 8-9 Cairo, IL 47-69 mi.
Mississippi River
July 12 Kimmswick, MO 159 mi.
July 14 St. Louis, MO 22 mi.
July 16 St. Charles, MO 41 mi.
Illinois River
July 19 Havana, IL 120mi.
July 20 Peoria, IL 46 mi.
July 22 Starved Rock, IL 72 mi.
Sanitary & Ship Canal and Cal-Sag Junction
July 23 Joliet, IL 54 mi.
July 24 Chicago, IL 39 mi.
Sarasota (Bradenton/Cortez) to Chicago
All dates and mileage is approximate!
Cortez to Mobile Bay “Rim Route”
May shorten trip with an overnight sail if weather permits.
June 11 Arrive in Florida
June 12 Boat put in water
June 13-14 Leave Cortez Cove Marina
June 14 Clearwater or Tarpon Springs
June 15 Crystal River (40 mi.) or Suwannee River (75 mi.)
June 16 Steinhatchee (30 mi) or Steinhatchee (70 mi.)
June 17 Carrabelle (70 mi.)
June 19 Panama City
June 20 Pensacola
June 21 Mobile bay Mast down
Mobile Bay to Chicago
Actual river miles are greater than indicated below. It is a safe bet to add in an additional 5 days to the travel schedule below depending on stops, weather, current, and actual miles traveled.
Tombigbee River/Tenn-Tom Waterway
June 23 Leave Mobile Bay
June 26 Demopolis, AL 117 mi.
June 29 Columbus, MS 118 mi.
July 2 Pickwick Lake, MS 123 mi.
Tennessee River
July 7 Paducah, KY 207 mi.
Cumberland & Ohio Rivers
July 8-9 Cairo, IL 47-69 mi.
Mississippi River
July 12 Kimmswick, MO 159 mi.
July 14 St. Louis, MO 22 mi.
July 16 St. Charles, MO 41 mi.
Illinois River
July 19 Havana, IL 120mi.
July 20 Peoria, IL 46 mi.
July 22 Starved Rock, IL 72 mi.
Sanitary & Ship Canal and Cal-Sag Junction
July 23 Joliet, IL 54 mi.
July 24 Chicago, IL 39 mi.
June 11, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
Many people have asked me where I was going this summer on the motorcycle. I have traded it in on a sailboat. Francie and I bought it last fall. We have been on it twice for a trip at Christmas and during our Spring break. So my trip this year is with Francie bringing our boat, Anam Cara, home to Chicago.
We arrived today in Sarasota and headed straight to the boat. The weather is in the high 80’s and I broke into an instant sweat the minute I stepped outside. The boat looks good. It was in the sling after just being taken out of dry dock. Most of the work is done. It feels good to see the boat again. We have lots to organize and clean since it has been locked up for two months. We spent time talking to the guy that did the work on the rudder and autopilot. Tomorrow we meet with the sailmaker to look at the sails and the rigging that he did.
We spent the rest of the day going to the grocery store, Home Depot and West Marine. We should be ready to leave on Thursday morning. We have lots of minor preparations to make.
We are staying at Francie’s brother’s home on Longboat Key. It is my last chance to such up air conditioning.
Hope all is well.
Mike and Francie
Dear Friends and Family,
Many people have asked me where I was going this summer on the motorcycle. I have traded it in on a sailboat. Francie and I bought it last fall. We have been on it twice for a trip at Christmas and during our Spring break. So my trip this year is with Francie bringing our boat, Anam Cara, home to Chicago.
We arrived today in Sarasota and headed straight to the boat. The weather is in the high 80’s and I broke into an instant sweat the minute I stepped outside. The boat looks good. It was in the sling after just being taken out of dry dock. Most of the work is done. It feels good to see the boat again. We have lots to organize and clean since it has been locked up for two months. We spent time talking to the guy that did the work on the rudder and autopilot. Tomorrow we meet with the sailmaker to look at the sails and the rigging that he did.
We spent the rest of the day going to the grocery store, Home Depot and West Marine. We should be ready to leave on Thursday morning. We have lots of minor preparations to make.
We are staying at Francie’s brother’s home on Longboat Key. It is my last chance to such up air conditioning.
Hope all is well.
Mike and Francie
June 12, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
We were at the boat bright and early. The weather feels like Chicago in late July or August. I love the heat (not)! I am actually missing the cold of last year’s motorcycle Alaska trip. We met with the sailmaker. Our new sails are beautiful. He also developed a reefing system – a way to make the sails smaller when in a storm. We spent the day cleaning and organizing. At one point we realized that the dinghy had several holes in the side. In the late afternoon, we decided to dispose of the holey dinghy; we asked the guy next to us on the dock to help us get it out of the water. Of course we waited until low tide to muscle it out of the water. High tide – the water is at least two feet closer to the dock. At some points as our faces were turning red with muscular strain, I asked our neighbor if he wanted it. He was thrilled and said he would fix it. We still had to get it out of the water, but at least we didn’t have to struggle getting down the dock.
It is Thursday morning, we are still in Florida. We had thought to
leave today, but when we tested the autohelm yesterday (it had been
"repaired") we found that it still did not work. We are probably going to order a replacement autohelm today. It will arrive tomorrow, but the yard doesn't work on the weekend . . . hopefully we will leave on Tuesday.
All of the dates on our tentative itinerary need to be adjusted by 5 days or so. Our new and revised mantras are "This is typical when you buy a used boat" and "We are cruising, so relax!” (Hard to have those mantras since both of tend to be task oriented and want to do something now!)
We are thinking of having a new e-mail for the boat, so that Mike can
continue his tradition of a trip journal and it can be from the both of
us. If you get a message from Anam Cara, which is the name of the boat, it is from us.
Both Francie and I have spent hours on the phone looking for the replacement autohelm. There are none available until the 25th. We are not willing to wait. We called the few people we knew down here to see if they could help. Francie found someone to look at the autohelm. Just what we thought; it is broken! We know from calling all over the country that there are no replacement parts for the autohelm drive.
We told our story to our neighbor Ron who was the recipient of our holey dinghy. It turns out that he is a technician and installs electronic on super yachts. He also had a business working on boats our size. He suggested a different type drive. He said he would help me install it for the cost of some beer. When we got to Tony’s house Francie was on the computer getting information. We both have become quite knowledgeable about autohelms.
When we returned in the morning, we were armed with availability and prices. Ron made a few phone calls and was able to come up with the part. He normally orders millions of dollars with the equipment. He is on call now and could be leaving anytime. We have lucked out.
We spent the weekend organizing and cleaning the boat. I don’t know how we can spend so much time but it is all good. We went downtown Sarasota where they had a band playing and had blocked off a couple of streets. We were so tired that we only stayed for a short time. It was good to get out.
Sunday Francie’s brother Tony came over from Orlando. He was going to move his boat from a marina to his home where we are staying. His boat didn’t work properly so he left it there. He rode his motorcycle over to our boat. We had put it back in working order!
Mike & Francie
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Mike is picking up Tim Teclaw from the airport. Tim will be joining us on the leg to Mobile Bay (should we ever leave Sarasota!)
The parts for the autohelm were supposed to arrive on Monday, some of them did and some arrived today. Mike has been rewiring for two days and he and Tim will hook everything up today with a little guidance from the neighbor. This neighbor inherited our dinghy which was headed for the trash. The name of our dinghy was “Accordion”, named because of the accordion like action that took place when we backed into something and the dinghy began to bend and fold! He was able to re-fiberglass the several holes and it is happily floating next to their boat. He was grateful for the dinghy and we are grateful for the help with the autohelm, so all is well!
We found a replacement dinghy; it was advertised in the Sarasota paper. It is a 9 year old Boat US 9ft. inflatable. The price was right and it should last us the next three or four years. It will be named Accordian2 and hopefully because of its rubbery nature it will withstand our docking learning curve a little better than its predecessor!
We have spent everyday at the boat and retired to Francie’s brother/parents place in Sarasota at night. They have a beautiful pool, but we mostly soaked up the air-conditioning, had dinner and went to bed.
Mike is picking up Tim Teclaw from the airport. Tim will be joining us on the leg to Mobile Bay (should we ever leave Sarasota!)
The parts for the autohelm were supposed to arrive on Monday, some of them did and some arrived today. Mike has been rewiring for two days and he and Tim will hook everything up today with a little guidance from the neighbor. This neighbor inherited our dinghy which was headed for the trash. The name of our dinghy was “Accordion”, named because of the accordion like action that took place when we backed into something and the dinghy began to bend and fold! He was able to re-fiberglass the several holes and it is happily floating next to their boat. He was grateful for the dinghy and we are grateful for the help with the autohelm, so all is well!
We found a replacement dinghy; it was advertised in the Sarasota paper. It is a 9 year old Boat US 9ft. inflatable. The price was right and it should last us the next three or four years. It will be named Accordian2 and hopefully because of its rubbery nature it will withstand our docking learning curve a little better than its predecessor!
We have spent everyday at the boat and retired to Francie’s brother/parents place in Sarasota at night. They have a beautiful pool, but we mostly soaked up the air-conditioning, had dinner and went to bed.
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We are over our anxiety, and altered our - "we must stay on schedule" mindset. Feedback from our friends and family helped . . . “I want to empathize with you and the difficulties you are having although I am unable get past the fact that you are on a boat in Florida.” And,…” OK, so the problem is you're in Florida on your boat, having a few extra days to organize, stock, familiarize with all the ends and outs. The problem is ?????”
We do hope to leave here Wednesday or Thursday, for those joining us along the way that adds a week to all the dates we had previously estimated. Our thought is to start off with a day trip to Clearwater and then cross the Gulf to East Pass or to Pensacola, depending on the weather.
We do hope to leave here Wednesday or Thursday, for those joining us along the way that adds a week to all the dates we had previously estimated. Our thought is to start off with a day trip to Clearwater and then cross the Gulf to East Pass or to Pensacola, depending on the weather.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Internet access has been limited, so there is a bit of a lag in our updates!
Dear Friends and Family,
We are in Apalachicola, Florida, a very quaint small town in Apalachicola Bay. We left our familiar dock space on Thursday early afternoon (after installing a new manual bilge pump) and spent the night on the hook (at anchor) at Egmont Key, a bird sanctuary near Tampa Bay.
Internet access has been limited, so there is a bit of a lag in our updates!
Dear Friends and Family,
We are in Apalachicola, Florida, a very quaint small town in Apalachicola Bay. We left our familiar dock space on Thursday early afternoon (after installing a new manual bilge pump) and spent the night on the hook (at anchor) at Egmont Key, a bird sanctuary near Tampa Bay.
Finally Underway!
There is nothing quite like sitting at anchor with a gentle breeze and enjoying the sounds of the gulf and the beauty of the sunrise and sunset over the keys. We took off the next morning for the Gulf crossing and motor-sailed most of the way. The 30 hour trip across the Gulf was uneventful with the exception of a leak in one of the engine cooling hoses, which was able to be repaired underway. A southwest wind was predicted; in fact it was a light north wind, on the nose for most of the trip. Overnight we saw lightning in the distance in every direction, but never had rain or a storm. We did get a few good hours of sailing on Saturday morning. The autohelm worked great and we are very glad that we waited to install a new one. Tim’s electrical and mechanical knowledge has been wonderful.
Last night we anchored off St. George Island, near the Government Cut inlet, where we had came in off the Gulf. We spent the evening watching pelicans dive bomb the bay looking for fish. Our intention was to take the intercoastal for next leg of the trip, make it a short day, in preparation for another overnight possibly all the way to Mobile Bay. As we came into the gas dock the engine overheated again, and we have a mechanic lined up to look at it in the morning.
Our new expectation is that by the time we get to Chicago, we will have replaced all the boat systems and done all the upgrades that we planned on doing over the next four years!
Apalachicola is a major oyster exporter; we just ate at Boss Oyster Bar, rated one of the 10 best oyster bars in the US by Coastal Living magazine. We may stay another few days just to taste all the ways that they serve oyster; it was really good! Our own meals aboard have been very good also, although we have fed the fish some very interesting delicacies. We have yet to get the thermostat on the refrigerator/freezer to the optimum temperature and as a result the sea creatures had a meal of frozen mango, frozen hard boiled eggs, and frozen lettuce.
Once the engine is fixed, we may go directly to Fairhope (on Mobile Bay) where we will take the mast down and begin the river trip. It is about 196 miles to Fairhope from Apalachicola.
Once the engine is fixed, we may go directly to Fairhope (on Mobile Bay) where we will take the mast down and begin the river trip. It is about 196 miles to Fairhope from Apalachicola.
Lots of interesting history around this harbor!
June 28, 2007
The people we met in Apalachicola were wonderful. The first night we were there Harry, the mechanic, came down to talk to us with a beer in hand. We liked him immediately. He had stopped at the bar next to the marina. We went up to the bar and chatted with him. He introduced Tim, Francie and I to some of the locals. He lives in a houseboat along the bay. While Francie and I were taking a dingy ride, he called out to us and had us come over to the boat where he was working. He introduced us to a friend of his, Charlie, a former sailor who just bought a Grand Banks 46. Charlie used to sail with Ted Turner, owned a marina and has retired to a beautiful home on the Gulf Coast. Charlie loaned us his car so we could go the grocery store. Upon returning the car, he insisted that Mike take a number of books off his hands that he had already read.
Parts came in for the engine on Wednesday; Mike and Harry installed the new water pump and replaced a belt and we were off the dock in record time. We motored down the intercoastal, which at this point is a series of rivers. Harry had told us about a dock that belonged to a friend of his where we could moor about 6 miles downstream. We had planned to anchor in a small creek at about the same place, so this worked out well.
Today we got up about 6AM to get an early start. Part of the trip was the intercoastal and part was in the Gulf. There was no wind, and we motor sailed most of the day.
We are anchored in the West Bay near Panama City. The rest of the Gulf portion of the trip will be on the intercoastal, although much of it is near the Gulf and the barrier islands. We were the only boat anchored here until a motor boat came in just before dinner. The dolphins were following him and three of them were swimming around near the other boat.
The people we met in Apalachicola were wonderful. The first night we were there Harry, the mechanic, came down to talk to us with a beer in hand. We liked him immediately. He had stopped at the bar next to the marina. We went up to the bar and chatted with him. He introduced Tim, Francie and I to some of the locals. He lives in a houseboat along the bay. While Francie and I were taking a dingy ride, he called out to us and had us come over to the boat where he was working. He introduced us to a friend of his, Charlie, a former sailor who just bought a Grand Banks 46. Charlie used to sail with Ted Turner, owned a marina and has retired to a beautiful home on the Gulf Coast. Charlie loaned us his car so we could go the grocery store. Upon returning the car, he insisted that Mike take a number of books off his hands that he had already read.
Parts came in for the engine on Wednesday; Mike and Harry installed the new water pump and replaced a belt and we were off the dock in record time. We motored down the intercoastal, which at this point is a series of rivers. Harry had told us about a dock that belonged to a friend of his where we could moor about 6 miles downstream. We had planned to anchor in a small creek at about the same place, so this worked out well.
Today we got up about 6AM to get an early start. Part of the trip was the intercoastal and part was in the Gulf. There was no wind, and we motor sailed most of the day.
We are anchored in the West Bay near Panama City. The rest of the Gulf portion of the trip will be on the intercoastal, although much of it is near the Gulf and the barrier islands. We were the only boat anchored here until a motor boat came in just before dinner. The dolphins were following him and three of them were swimming around near the other boat.
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June 30, 2007
We motor-sailed to Destin and back yesterday. Having sailed through the area before and had no trouble with bridge heights, we neglected to check the height on a couple of bridges (they were 50 ft., we are 57 feet), and had to turn around and motor back to West Bay near Panama City. We finally dropped anchor at about 9 PM. We set the alarm for 4:30 AM to get an early start on the outside route to Pensacola. We were moving by 5:15 and Mike checked the engine and found a fuel leak at the fuel injectors. It ended up being a broken pipe, and so we sailed around the bay a bit until we could be towed to Panama City Marina. Harry from Apalachicola gave us the name of a mechanic in Panama City, and he is looking for the part for us. We will most likely be here through this weekend since today is Saturday and the part can’t be ordered until Monday.
At this rate we will get to Chicago by Christmas! We are learning a great deal about the boat and its different systems. Yesterday Francie went to take a shower while we were traveling up the river. She had no water pressure and heard water running in the bulge. We thought back to Christmas with Scott and Elke. It was the same problem. Like I said we are getting to know our boat.
We have met lots of really nice people. A guy that works in the marina was having lunch with his wife and she offered to take Francie to the store. The man that towed us into the marina took Francie and me to the West marine store. He said he was going to come back with his wife to see the boat. At times we get frustrated, but it is all part of the adventure and for the most part we are having a good time. It just isn’t how we originally planned it! I sure never expected to see the first of July only a few hundred miles from where we started.
I must admit that we have used the auto pilot a great deal and are very pleased that we installed a new one. As to the water pump and the diesel line, I guess we are replacing the engine one part at a time!
We motor-sailed to Destin and back yesterday. Having sailed through the area before and had no trouble with bridge heights, we neglected to check the height on a couple of bridges (they were 50 ft., we are 57 feet), and had to turn around and motor back to West Bay near Panama City. We finally dropped anchor at about 9 PM. We set the alarm for 4:30 AM to get an early start on the outside route to Pensacola. We were moving by 5:15 and Mike checked the engine and found a fuel leak at the fuel injectors. It ended up being a broken pipe, and so we sailed around the bay a bit until we could be towed to Panama City Marina. Harry from Apalachicola gave us the name of a mechanic in Panama City, and he is looking for the part for us. We will most likely be here through this weekend since today is Saturday and the part can’t be ordered until Monday.
At this rate we will get to Chicago by Christmas! We are learning a great deal about the boat and its different systems. Yesterday Francie went to take a shower while we were traveling up the river. She had no water pressure and heard water running in the bulge. We thought back to Christmas with Scott and Elke. It was the same problem. Like I said we are getting to know our boat.
We have met lots of really nice people. A guy that works in the marina was having lunch with his wife and she offered to take Francie to the store. The man that towed us into the marina took Francie and me to the West marine store. He said he was going to come back with his wife to see the boat. At times we get frustrated, but it is all part of the adventure and for the most part we are having a good time. It just isn’t how we originally planned it! I sure never expected to see the first of July only a few hundred miles from where we started.
I must admit that we have used the auto pilot a great deal and are very pleased that we installed a new one. As to the water pump and the diesel line, I guess we are replacing the engine one part at a time!
July 2, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
We went to bed last night with great hope that we would be leaving soon. Mark the mechanic was here yesterday on Sunday and put in the broken injector line, unfortunately we also need a new freshwater pump. We replaced the raw water pump a week ago. Mark thought he had a water pump for us but it turns out to be the wrong one. He is trying to get it shipped overnight if they can find one. He can’t look at the oil leak until the pump is back on.
We are going to spend the day at the library and find air conditioning! Hopefully once we get this problem solved, we will have smooth motoring the rest of the trip.
We have made lots of friends and have additions to our email. Mark and his girlfriend Therese took us to the store yesterday for groceries. They are our latest additions to our email list. They sat with us a little last night before they had to go home for work this morning. They invited us to a barbeque on the 4th if we are still here. We would love to see them again but still would prefer to be on our way to Fairhope and taking the mast down so we can start home.
A guy stopped by the boat who has a Gulfstar 50 and took us to show us his boat. It has a huge engine room. It is the size of Francie’s walk in closet. I have engine room envy. We came up with some ideas to do on our boat when we get it home. Despite our frustrations, we still really like the boat in comparison to some of the others we have seen. People keep telling us to be patient and remember it is a boat and this is part of owning one.
Dear Friends and Family,
We went to bed last night with great hope that we would be leaving soon. Mark the mechanic was here yesterday on Sunday and put in the broken injector line, unfortunately we also need a new freshwater pump. We replaced the raw water pump a week ago. Mark thought he had a water pump for us but it turns out to be the wrong one. He is trying to get it shipped overnight if they can find one. He can’t look at the oil leak until the pump is back on.
We are going to spend the day at the library and find air conditioning! Hopefully once we get this problem solved, we will have smooth motoring the rest of the trip.
We have made lots of friends and have additions to our email. Mark and his girlfriend Therese took us to the store yesterday for groceries. They are our latest additions to our email list. They sat with us a little last night before they had to go home for work this morning. They invited us to a barbeque on the 4th if we are still here. We would love to see them again but still would prefer to be on our way to Fairhope and taking the mast down so we can start home.
A guy stopped by the boat who has a Gulfstar 50 and took us to show us his boat. It has a huge engine room. It is the size of Francie’s walk in closet. I have engine room envy. We came up with some ideas to do on our boat when we get it home. Despite our frustrations, we still really like the boat in comparison to some of the others we have seen. People keep telling us to be patient and remember it is a boat and this is part of owning one.
Later in the afternoon
We got a call from Jimmy one of the mechanics and he said the water pump was coming from Michigan and will be here at 10:30 tomorrow morning. We have had a wonderfully relaxing day once we were able to accept our lack of control of what is happening to us. We walked to the library with our books and found nice comfortable chairs in the air conditioning. Then we walked downtown and Francie had ice cream and I had two hotdogs. I love hotdogs. We came back and read and visited some of the people in the marina. It is hard when you define your existence by how much you get done, but we are learning to just roll with the situation. It has been a good experience.
I am always amazed at the generosity of people. This was a theme through my motorcycle journals and it is the same with the boat. It is all worth the time and effort. We are getting to know our boat and the situations we will find ourselves in.
We got a call from Jimmy one of the mechanics and he said the water pump was coming from Michigan and will be here at 10:30 tomorrow morning. We have had a wonderfully relaxing day once we were able to accept our lack of control of what is happening to us. We walked to the library with our books and found nice comfortable chairs in the air conditioning. Then we walked downtown and Francie had ice cream and I had two hotdogs. I love hotdogs. We came back and read and visited some of the people in the marina. It is hard when you define your existence by how much you get done, but we are learning to just roll with the situation. It has been a good experience.
I am always amazed at the generosity of people. This was a theme through my motorcycle journals and it is the same with the boat. It is all worth the time and effort. We are getting to know our boat and the situations we will find ourselves in.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Mark was here today and installed the water pump. It turns out the oil leak is really a diesel leak, but it is something that can be taken care of when we get to Chicago. Kern (the fellow from the towboat) also stopped by today and took Francie to get more oil and antifreeze.
We met a couple today who just bought a trawler and also own a Gulfstar 50! She is a teacher and he is a jack-of-all trades. Another couple at the dock lives aboard their catamaran and are on the way to Key West. They both are teachers and are taking jobs in Key West. All the people we have met have been very generous with their time and resources. This is a life-lesson in how the world should work. We will leave in the morning for Pensacola. The weather is very stormy now and depending on when it clears up, we will be on our way.
Mark was here today and installed the water pump. It turns out the oil leak is really a diesel leak, but it is something that can be taken care of when we get to Chicago. Kern (the fellow from the towboat) also stopped by today and took Francie to get more oil and antifreeze.
We met a couple today who just bought a trawler and also own a Gulfstar 50! She is a teacher and he is a jack-of-all trades. Another couple at the dock lives aboard their catamaran and are on the way to Key West. They both are teachers and are taking jobs in Key West. All the people we have met have been very generous with their time and resources. This is a life-lesson in how the world should work. We will leave in the morning for Pensacola. The weather is very stormy now and depending on when it clears up, we will be on our way.
July 5, 2007
Dear Friends and Family
Greetings from Panama City. Yes, that is correct; we are back in Panama City. We made it through the opening into the Gulf when we realized the oil pressure had dropped dangerously low. We had the sails up so we sailed around and checked out the problem. Since we got up at 4:30 AM it was difficult not to call Mark the mechanic until 8. Even then we woke him up. It was July 4th. We sailed the boat back into the bay which was a trick since the wind was on our nose and we had to tack through the channel to get in. The entrance to the harbor was somewhat narrow and lots of boats were coming in and out making the water choppy. We were very proud of ourselves - another new experience. The boat handled well.
We sailed to the mouth of the marina and had to be towed in. Francie wanted to sail the boat in, but I was somewhat reluctant. We have towing and it is free. The only free thing we have experienced.
We were greeted like long lost friends from the people working in the marina and the people we had met on the dock. Bill, the marina manager, invited us to a private party he hosted for the marina employees and some of the local politicians. We had wonderful food and a great up close view of the fireworks. He has been so kind to us. The road in front of the marina was closed and the city hosted a 4th of July festival. There were lots of food stands and bands that played all afternoon. We felt like we were in the middle of it.
After the fireworks Francie went to bed and I talked to Meghan and Rob on the boat in front of us. They are teachers and on their way to Key West where they will live on their boat and start there new teaching jobs. They were reading consultants for a while and flew all over the country training teachers and giving workshops. They moved on to their boat while they were teaching in Texas. Rob is from Key West. We talked for several hours about education and its joys and difficulties.
Dear Friends and Family
Greetings from Panama City. Yes, that is correct; we are back in Panama City. We made it through the opening into the Gulf when we realized the oil pressure had dropped dangerously low. We had the sails up so we sailed around and checked out the problem. Since we got up at 4:30 AM it was difficult not to call Mark the mechanic until 8. Even then we woke him up. It was July 4th. We sailed the boat back into the bay which was a trick since the wind was on our nose and we had to tack through the channel to get in. The entrance to the harbor was somewhat narrow and lots of boats were coming in and out making the water choppy. We were very proud of ourselves - another new experience. The boat handled well.
We sailed to the mouth of the marina and had to be towed in. Francie wanted to sail the boat in, but I was somewhat reluctant. We have towing and it is free. The only free thing we have experienced.
We were greeted like long lost friends from the people working in the marina and the people we had met on the dock. Bill, the marina manager, invited us to a private party he hosted for the marina employees and some of the local politicians. We had wonderful food and a great up close view of the fireworks. He has been so kind to us. The road in front of the marina was closed and the city hosted a 4th of July festival. There were lots of food stands and bands that played all afternoon. We felt like we were in the middle of it.
After the fireworks Francie went to bed and I talked to Meghan and Rob on the boat in front of us. They are teachers and on their way to Key West where they will live on their boat and start there new teaching jobs. They were reading consultants for a while and flew all over the country training teachers and giving workshops. They moved on to their boat while they were teaching in Texas. Rob is from Key West. We talked for several hours about education and its joys and difficulties.
July 5, Later in the day . . . . .
This was quite a day. There is diesel in the engine, which caused the oil pressure problem. The diesel leak that was identified before we left Panama City may be leaking into the engine as well as around the engine. Fixing both problems that could cause this will be costly in time and money, at least 1 ½ weeks. Fixing just one of the problems and hoping everything will be fine just doesn’t seem to be that great of an idea at this point! That doesn’t solve the burning a quart of oil every 10 hours problem. It appears that all the sitting that this boat did without being used took a toll on the engine as well as all the other moving parts. After intense consideration, we decided to replace the engine. We will replace this Perkins 4108 with a Yanmar 54 horse which is smaller, quieter and with a little more power. This will take a little less than two weeks we are told, but we cannot be on the boat. We thought of driving back to Sarasota and staying at Francie’s brother/parent’s home. In our conversation with the marina manager, Bill, he offered us an apartment that he has in Panama City. He lives on his boat and his daughter stays at the apartment when she is in town. The generosity and graciousness of the people we have met is just amazing. We are going to rent a car and explore a bit around the area. In addition we will have the mast taken down at the marina where they are doing the work, which will save us a few days in Mobile Bay.
So, now we will have replaced the sails, some rigging and the engine in our first year of owning the boat!
Tomorrow night is Friday Fest in downtown Panama City, so we will continue to enjoy the summer celebrations here.
This was quite a day. There is diesel in the engine, which caused the oil pressure problem. The diesel leak that was identified before we left Panama City may be leaking into the engine as well as around the engine. Fixing both problems that could cause this will be costly in time and money, at least 1 ½ weeks. Fixing just one of the problems and hoping everything will be fine just doesn’t seem to be that great of an idea at this point! That doesn’t solve the burning a quart of oil every 10 hours problem. It appears that all the sitting that this boat did without being used took a toll on the engine as well as all the other moving parts. After intense consideration, we decided to replace the engine. We will replace this Perkins 4108 with a Yanmar 54 horse which is smaller, quieter and with a little more power. This will take a little less than two weeks we are told, but we cannot be on the boat. We thought of driving back to Sarasota and staying at Francie’s brother/parent’s home. In our conversation with the marina manager, Bill, he offered us an apartment that he has in Panama City. He lives on his boat and his daughter stays at the apartment when she is in town. The generosity and graciousness of the people we have met is just amazing. We are going to rent a car and explore a bit around the area. In addition we will have the mast taken down at the marina where they are doing the work, which will save us a few days in Mobile Bay.
So, now we will have replaced the sails, some rigging and the engine in our first year of owning the boat!
Tomorrow night is Friday Fest in downtown Panama City, so we will continue to enjoy the summer celebrations here.
July 7, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
When we went to bed last night, we both commented how strange it was to not be on our boat. It has become so much a part of us.
We are enjoying Panama City. Last night the city closed off 4 blocks downtown and had old cars, tricked out cars and motorcycles lining the road. Mike misses his bike! There were 4 different musical performers on different blocks. They had a couple that were doing Caribbean music, an oldies band, a Latin band, an alternative type band and a couple of folk singers. The oldies band members were oldies themselves. Guess we are also so we felt right at home. We spent the largest portion of time listening to the folk singers. We wandered up and down the street several times listening to the music and admiring the cars.
Yesterday we moved the boat to a new marina. It is more of a commercial boat yard. We went this morning to begin taking down sails to prepare for removing the mast.
The Vietnamese shrimpers were taking their catch to their truck. We asked if we could buy some. We paid $3.00 a pound. It was very interesting to see them working sorting the shrimp and cleaning the fish that were also caught in their nets. It was definitely a family affair.
We are a bit of an oddity being a sailboat in a commercial boat yard. The people in the marina have been very friendly and willing to tell us about the fishing industry which is not doing well. We keep hearing how the price of fuel is crippling the industry while the price of fish stays the same. These independent fishermen are being put out of business. It reminds me of what has happened to the family farm in the Midwest. There is no way to compete when the price of food remains low and the fuels and machinery costs continue to rise. It certainly has given us insight into the lives of the people surrounding our boat.
We are looking for things to keep us busy. Francie went on Priceline and bid $15 a day for a car. Neither of us expected it to be accepted but it was. We are driving around in a Saturn Ion. Since we now have wheels, we plan to take some of the supplies that we bought for the other engine back and buy spares for our new engine.
We are going to take lots of pictures of the old engine showing the difference between it and our new one. It is a little smaller and more efficient. All of the old hoses are going to be replaced and we are hoping we will get a chance to get in and clean the bilge. It has been cleaned several times, but with the leaks it is hard to keep it clean.
The more we think about the decision to buy the new engine, the more we are sure we did the right thing, and are getting very excited about the new change. We will have new sails and a new engine. What more could one want?
We are in the library now and are getting our banking and boat spreadsheet up to date (ugh!). We are going to see if there is anything going on in town tonight. We also plan to find a mall to get a few items.
We will write more when something exciting happens!
Mike and Francie
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July 8, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
It is Sunday and we went to the boat this morning to work on removing some more of the parts for removal of the mast. We saw the Vietnamese shrimper and complimented him on the shrimp. He told us to come back in the morning because they are going out this evening if we want more. We are known on the dock because of the engine problem and because we are taking the boat to Chicago.
Yesterday we found Sam’s Club -they have no Costco - and stocked up on booze. It is the first time we have ever spent more money on alcohol than we did on food. Is that a bad sign? We will go back to Sam’s to provision for the next leg of our trip.
We talked to Bill from Panama Marine and ask about things that we could do for him. He has a dining room set that is in Tallahassee and we may go get it on Thursday. The woman he is dating has an organization that works with people in need. We may be helping her later in the week. This will at least keep us occupied. We have been looking around at other cities to maybe do the tourist thing. We are thinking of going to Pensacola for the day to look around. We also told Harry back in Apalachicola that we would stop by and see him.
Well that is all of the news, as boring as it is. We will keep in touch. The marina has given us computer access for another week.
Dear Friends and Family,
It is Sunday and we went to the boat this morning to work on removing some more of the parts for removal of the mast. We saw the Vietnamese shrimper and complimented him on the shrimp. He told us to come back in the morning because they are going out this evening if we want more. We are known on the dock because of the engine problem and because we are taking the boat to Chicago.
Yesterday we found Sam’s Club -they have no Costco - and stocked up on booze. It is the first time we have ever spent more money on alcohol than we did on food. Is that a bad sign? We will go back to Sam’s to provision for the next leg of our trip.
We talked to Bill from Panama Marine and ask about things that we could do for him. He has a dining room set that is in Tallahassee and we may go get it on Thursday. The woman he is dating has an organization that works with people in need. We may be helping her later in the week. This will at least keep us occupied. We have been looking around at other cities to maybe do the tourist thing. We are thinking of going to Pensacola for the day to look around. We also told Harry back in Apalachicola that we would stop by and see him.
Well that is all of the news, as boring as it is. We will keep in touch. The marina has given us computer access for another week.
July 11, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
We were told to stay away from the boat on Monday. They planned to take out the engine and didn’t want us around. We decided to go to Pensacola to the Naval Aviation Museum. Pensacola is only about 100 miles, but it is one town after another. We even stopped to look for a henna tattoo for Francie. Since she gets one on our vacations, it has become a tradition. She couldn’t find one that had a Celtic design so she didn’t get one.
We wandered around Pensacola and then went to the museum. It was really interesting, and we went on one of the guided tour. Lots of information from the tour guide who was a pilot in the Navy.
Dear Friends and Family,
We were told to stay away from the boat on Monday. They planned to take out the engine and didn’t want us around. We decided to go to Pensacola to the Naval Aviation Museum. Pensacola is only about 100 miles, but it is one town after another. We even stopped to look for a henna tattoo for Francie. Since she gets one on our vacations, it has become a tradition. She couldn’t find one that had a Celtic design so she didn’t get one.
We wandered around Pensacola and then went to the museum. It was really interesting, and we went on one of the guided tour. Lots of information from the tour guide who was a pilot in the Navy.
The next morning we were greeted by a phone call from Mark saying the engine was out, and we could come and clean the bilge. It was full of coolant and oil. Mike spent the morning cleaning the grease out of the compartment while Francie drove around to find material and supplies that we needed to get it clean. Once it was cleaned out, we painted it. It looks so good. It is our first step to the end. Our next excitement was seeing our new engine. It arrived in the afternoon. What a thrill!! We are replacing all of the hoses and the bilge pump. We also decided to replace the hot water heater since it is 20 years old and it is easy to get to it now.
Last night we were invited by Bill to go to a meeting of a cruisers group at the local yacht club. It was interesting and fun to meet people. One couple is going up the river just like we are. They are going to go to Kentucky Lake. They are going to see fall colors. Hopefully we won’t be looking at fall colors with them.
Last night we were invited by Bill to go to a meeting of a cruisers group at the local yacht club. It was interesting and fun to meet people. One couple is going up the river just like we are. They are going to go to Kentucky Lake. They are going to see fall colors. Hopefully we won’t be looking at fall colors with them.
July 12, 2007
The new engine is on the boat, now we just need to insert B into Slot A!
The new engine is on the boat, now we just need to insert B into Slot A!
Slot A
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Insert B
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July 14, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
Hope all is well with all of you. We are celebrating our 2nd week in Panama City. We talked to Mark yesterday and he says that he expects everything to be done by Friday of next week. Yesterday the engine was in and aligned. He was also putting on all the hoses. He told me that the vent for the fuel tank was wrapped in duct tape and covered with another piece of hose. I am so glad we asked him to redo all of the hoses. Most of them were 20 some years old. It is so exciting seeing it all come together. Mark is working both Saturday and Sunday to get us out of here as quickly as possible. Our original itinerary had us arriving July 24th. We will be luck if we are on the river by then.
Each morning we go to the marina to use their WiFi. Even though we don’t have a boat in the marina, they have continued to let us use it. Francie made them a couple of key lime pies as a thank you.
We are trying to enjoy the local events in the area. We went to hear a rhythm and blues band in the park on Thursday and last night went to a lecture at the library on shipwrecks in the state of Florida. Both were very entertaining.
We got up early and went for a walk. We were laughing at the idea that we bought a boat and have sailed less than we have in years. There is a farmers market in town today and will explore around town a bit more.
Dear Friends and Family,
Hope all is well with all of you. We are celebrating our 2nd week in Panama City. We talked to Mark yesterday and he says that he expects everything to be done by Friday of next week. Yesterday the engine was in and aligned. He was also putting on all the hoses. He told me that the vent for the fuel tank was wrapped in duct tape and covered with another piece of hose. I am so glad we asked him to redo all of the hoses. Most of them were 20 some years old. It is so exciting seeing it all come together. Mark is working both Saturday and Sunday to get us out of here as quickly as possible. Our original itinerary had us arriving July 24th. We will be luck if we are on the river by then.
Each morning we go to the marina to use their WiFi. Even though we don’t have a boat in the marina, they have continued to let us use it. Francie made them a couple of key lime pies as a thank you.
We are trying to enjoy the local events in the area. We went to hear a rhythm and blues band in the park on Thursday and last night went to a lecture at the library on shipwrecks in the state of Florida. Both were very entertaining.
We got up early and went for a walk. We were laughing at the idea that we bought a boat and have sailed less than we have in years. There is a farmers market in town today and will explore around town a bit more.
July 16, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Panama City – but not for long.
The engine is in and the new wiring for it is done and the custom mount and bracket for the compressor for the refrigeration is complete. Now they are fabricating an elbow for the exhaust. The old exhaust had a 2 in hose and this new one must be 3”. It looks so good.
We are over budget, but we asked Mark to replace all of the hoses and install a new hot water heater. We are really impressed with the quality of work and knowledge. Mike went to clean up the engine room yesterday afternoon and he said that he just sat and stared at the new engine. There is more room and everything is neater and more organized. He is really excited.
The mast is coming down on Thursday and we hope to be out by Friday or Saturday. We are going out on a test drive on Wednesday. At that time, the warranty and all of the things we need to know will be explained.
Last night we went to dinner with a couple from a town near Waveland, Mississippi where Francie had volunteered after the hurricane. It is always moving to listen to people talk about their experience. We really enjoyed their company. We have a project for the morning – get the wood to make the cradle to hold the mast. Our rental is a PT type cruiser and we should be able to carry the lumber.
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Panama City – but not for long.
The engine is in and the new wiring for it is done and the custom mount and bracket for the compressor for the refrigeration is complete. Now they are fabricating an elbow for the exhaust. The old exhaust had a 2 in hose and this new one must be 3”. It looks so good.
We are over budget, but we asked Mark to replace all of the hoses and install a new hot water heater. We are really impressed with the quality of work and knowledge. Mike went to clean up the engine room yesterday afternoon and he said that he just sat and stared at the new engine. There is more room and everything is neater and more organized. He is really excited.
The mast is coming down on Thursday and we hope to be out by Friday or Saturday. We are going out on a test drive on Wednesday. At that time, the warranty and all of the things we need to know will be explained.
Last night we went to dinner with a couple from a town near Waveland, Mississippi where Francie had volunteered after the hurricane. It is always moving to listen to people talk about their experience. We really enjoyed their company. We have a project for the morning – get the wood to make the cradle to hold the mast. Our rental is a PT type cruiser and we should be able to carry the lumber.
July 21, 2007
Dear friends and family,
We have been hesitant to write for fear that we would jinks our luck getting back on the water and out of Panama City!
Wednesday night we were invited to dinner by Greg and Carl; they are the couple that we met at the cruisers’ meeting who are taking their power boat up the river. Their friends Pasty and Tom were also there. Patsy and Tom have cruised the rivers and spent quite a bit of time on their Catalina 28. Tom and Patsy shared their wealth of knowledge with us. Greg made a spectacular rice, shrimp and sausage dish that she called “just a casserole,” all the tuna-noodle casseroles are hanging their heads in shame!
Jimmy, Mark and Patrick (who put the motor in, in record time) and Bill, (from the marina) and Greg and Carl have been our lifelines while we were here. Saying goodbye to Panama City is like leaving home again!
Dear friends and family,
We have been hesitant to write for fear that we would jinks our luck getting back on the water and out of Panama City!
Wednesday night we were invited to dinner by Greg and Carl; they are the couple that we met at the cruisers’ meeting who are taking their power boat up the river. Their friends Pasty and Tom were also there. Patsy and Tom have cruised the rivers and spent quite a bit of time on their Catalina 28. Tom and Patsy shared their wealth of knowledge with us. Greg made a spectacular rice, shrimp and sausage dish that she called “just a casserole,” all the tuna-noodle casseroles are hanging their heads in shame!
Jimmy, Mark and Patrick (who put the motor in, in record time) and Bill, (from the marina) and Greg and Carl have been our lifelines while we were here. Saying goodbye to Panama City is like leaving home again!
Thursday the motor install was finally finished and Friday the mast came down. We have had some things to do on the boat, helping with the prep work for the mast and cleaning up! We worked late Thursday and were at the boat early on Friday.
Mike’s experience taking down the mast while Francie returned the rental car:
I just wanted to tell you about the mast removal. First the boat yard is a little old and the owner bought it last year and is trying to make a go of it. We moved the boat in the opening where they lift out boats. The crane is ancient and frequently stops running. As the crane approached the boat its engine stalled and the crane continued rolling toward the boat, with no ability to stop. My eyes just about popped out of my head. It stopped about 10 feet from the edge. It took them about 30 minutes to position the crane and then it ran out of hydraulic fluid. We waited 30 minutes while they went to get 50 gallons. The mast popped up quite easily, at the same time, I remembered that the table was attached to it. Mark went running down to get it before the table hit the ceiling. I held my breathe and prayed the crane would keep running as they lifted it up and out of the boat. They laid the mast down on blocks of wood and we wrapped all of the stays and lines with duct tape. The next problem was swinging it around so the top was over the bow. We were trapped between two boats and there were literally inches to spare. I kept trying to keep our masthead lights from smashing against a boat while Mark (55 feet away) was trying to keep from gouging a boat. We worked against each other but managed to turn it around. The crane driver said “I don’t believe it”, as I gently pushed it one more time because it was about to hit the windshield on Mark’s car which was being used as to dock line post!
We fashioned the bimini above the mast and have added a tarp. We look a bit like the Clampetts on water.
I just wanted to tell you about the mast removal. First the boat yard is a little old and the owner bought it last year and is trying to make a go of it. We moved the boat in the opening where they lift out boats. The crane is ancient and frequently stops running. As the crane approached the boat its engine stalled and the crane continued rolling toward the boat, with no ability to stop. My eyes just about popped out of my head. It stopped about 10 feet from the edge. It took them about 30 minutes to position the crane and then it ran out of hydraulic fluid. We waited 30 minutes while they went to get 50 gallons. The mast popped up quite easily, at the same time, I remembered that the table was attached to it. Mark went running down to get it before the table hit the ceiling. I held my breathe and prayed the crane would keep running as they lifted it up and out of the boat. They laid the mast down on blocks of wood and we wrapped all of the stays and lines with duct tape. The next problem was swinging it around so the top was over the bow. We were trapped between two boats and there were literally inches to spare. I kept trying to keep our masthead lights from smashing against a boat while Mark (55 feet away) was trying to keep from gouging a boat. We worked against each other but managed to turn it around. The crane driver said “I don’t believe it”, as I gently pushed it one more time because it was about to hit the windshield on Mark’s car which was being used as to dock line post!
We fashioned the bimini above the mast and have added a tarp. We look a bit like the Clampetts on water.
We left Panama City on Friday in a bit of a rush because the yard had a boat waiting to be put in the water and we were in the way. We are now a power boat. The mast sets on three wood braces about two feet above our head.
Things were pretty hectic when we got going, and it took us the duration of the two hour motor to an anchorage in West Bay to get a little organized. Mike had been going full steam since early AM and had not eaten nor had enough fluids so he began to suffer the effects of dehydration, with severe muscle cramps. He was pumping fluids and staying at the helm and in the shade as much as possible.
At some point we realized that the aft brace for the mast was sitting on the lazarette which holds the propane tank. Five hundred pounds of metal between us and a hot or cooked meal! Mark had called us to check on how the motor was running and he suggested we motor back to the marina where he keeps his boat, and he would cut the leg and brace it back up. So . . . . two hours later we were back at a dock in Panama City. Mark and a well hydrated Mike altered the brace so we could get to the propane (anything is possible with the proper tools!)
In the morning Mark came to check on us (really to check on the engine!) and it wouldn’t start! Turns out our starter battery needed replacing, so Mike and Mark went to Jimmy’s and bought a battery and a spare bilge pump (just because) and we were shortly on our way. After a rocky start, we spent a beautiful day motoring through the intracoastal and Choctawhatchee Bay. We are now anchored near Fort Walton Beach.
The wine bottle is open and the sun is setting, Prairie Home Companion is on public radio. All’s well!
Mike & Francie
July 22,
We spent the day in transit to Ingram Bayou, a small cove past Pensacola. We had been here before and anchored in this secluded, beautiful bayou, watching the egrets and dolphins. Because it was a beautiful weekend day, the motor boats were out in force in the intracoastal, and we spent much of the day bouncing from wake to wake as they sped by us. There was a slight bit of cursing and silent name calling on our part as they passed us. We arrived at about 3:30 and were looking forward to a restful evening. Unfortunately we may be spending part of the evening trying to locate a possible water leak somewhere in the system; we had gone through a 50 gallon tank of water in a short time. We could not get as far back in the bayou as in previous trips because we draw 5 ½ feet and are 45 feet long. We settled for a wider, deeper location but exposed to south winds and with a view of the intracoastal. As we were dropping anchor the engine died and would not restart. We had specific instructions from Jimmy and Mark not to crank it repeatedly if there was a problem, so after Mike performed the usual checking this and that, we called Jimmy to get advice on what to do. In the meantime we found water under the lazarettes in the aft cabin as well as at the bottom of the rear lazarette on deck. So here we are in beautiful, peaceful Ingram bayou with tools everywhere, diesel smell, storage units emptied, the aft cabin torn apart to get at the water with no idea where the water is coming from and an engine that won’t start. It was not the romantic evening we had planned!
Mike spent the better part of two hours on the phone with Jimmy, while Francie cleaned up water; none of the water was in a location where it would drain to a bilge. By the end of the night, we had figured out that the Racor filter and separator needed replacing, the fitting for the muffler was leaking at the throughull in the rear lazarette, and there was a fresh water leak at a junction to the hot water heater. We were able to tighten some things to “fix” the fresh water leak.
We spent the day in transit to Ingram Bayou, a small cove past Pensacola. We had been here before and anchored in this secluded, beautiful bayou, watching the egrets and dolphins. Because it was a beautiful weekend day, the motor boats were out in force in the intracoastal, and we spent much of the day bouncing from wake to wake as they sped by us. There was a slight bit of cursing and silent name calling on our part as they passed us. We arrived at about 3:30 and were looking forward to a restful evening. Unfortunately we may be spending part of the evening trying to locate a possible water leak somewhere in the system; we had gone through a 50 gallon tank of water in a short time. We could not get as far back in the bayou as in previous trips because we draw 5 ½ feet and are 45 feet long. We settled for a wider, deeper location but exposed to south winds and with a view of the intracoastal. As we were dropping anchor the engine died and would not restart. We had specific instructions from Jimmy and Mark not to crank it repeatedly if there was a problem, so after Mike performed the usual checking this and that, we called Jimmy to get advice on what to do. In the meantime we found water under the lazarettes in the aft cabin as well as at the bottom of the rear lazarette on deck. So here we are in beautiful, peaceful Ingram bayou with tools everywhere, diesel smell, storage units emptied, the aft cabin torn apart to get at the water with no idea where the water is coming from and an engine that won’t start. It was not the romantic evening we had planned!
Mike spent the better part of two hours on the phone with Jimmy, while Francie cleaned up water; none of the water was in a location where it would drain to a bilge. By the end of the night, we had figured out that the Racor filter and separator needed replacing, the fitting for the muffler was leaking at the throughull in the rear lazarette, and there was a fresh water leak at a junction to the hot water heater. We were able to tighten some things to “fix” the fresh water leak.
July 23 & 24
In the morning we tightened the fitting for the muffler and call for a TOW! Boat US did ask several questions wondering why we are being towed again! Ian, a nice Scot-Irish fellow towed us to Bear Point Marina. He entertained us with stories from his days working on barges on the Mississippi while we made our way to the marina. Tom and Patsy (remember them from our Panama City dinner) called us because they had heard we were stranded again. Jimmy had ordered the part for us and Tom and Patsy drove us to pick it up; Tom and Mike spend the better part of the day putting in the part and turning the boat around so we could get out the next morning. Francie and Patsy did a load of laundry and monitored progress from the bar! Once all the work was done, Francie made a quick dinner on the boat and we enjoyed a wonderful evening with Tom and Patsy. We finished off a large bottle of wine and ended the evening with Patsy singing an original “True North” composition. What could have been another very lengthy and stressful encounter with repairs was turned into an opportunity to make new friendships and deepen our gratitude for all of the help we have received and for all that we are learning.
In the morning we tightened the fitting for the muffler and call for a TOW! Boat US did ask several questions wondering why we are being towed again! Ian, a nice Scot-Irish fellow towed us to Bear Point Marina. He entertained us with stories from his days working on barges on the Mississippi while we made our way to the marina. Tom and Patsy (remember them from our Panama City dinner) called us because they had heard we were stranded again. Jimmy had ordered the part for us and Tom and Patsy drove us to pick it up; Tom and Mike spend the better part of the day putting in the part and turning the boat around so we could get out the next morning. Francie and Patsy did a load of laundry and monitored progress from the bar! Once all the work was done, Francie made a quick dinner on the boat and we enjoyed a wonderful evening with Tom and Patsy. We finished off a large bottle of wine and ended the evening with Patsy singing an original “True North” composition. What could have been another very lengthy and stressful encounter with repairs was turned into an opportunity to make new friendships and deepen our gratitude for all of the help we have received and for all that we are learning.
Monday night was filled with lightening, wind and storms. Our tarp is holding up well! We left the Marina about 9:00 after most of the weather had past.
The seas were surprisingly calm after last night’s storm, and we made goodtime to Mobile Bay, heading for Grand Mariner Marina. Several times today there were dolphins that played along side the boat. Mike saw one jump out of the water and perform a little show! The engine ran great.
The seas were surprisingly calm after last night’s storm, and we made goodtime to Mobile Bay, heading for Grand Mariner Marina. Several times today there were dolphins that played along side the boat. Mike saw one jump out of the water and perform a little show! The engine ran great.
As we were coming in to Dog River channel toward the marina, we saw what we thought were kayakers in the bay. As we got closer we realized it was actually several people holding onto the hull of a small overturned boat hailing us for assistance. All three were wearing life jackets. We brought Anam Cara as close as we could and threw them a line. They were reluctant to let go of their boat and swim toward us. Two of the men could not swim. We learned that they had been there for more than two hours and had seen no passing vessels. We had a folding ladder, which was difficult to use, but did assist with getting them aboard. We had contacted the Coast Guard, and they took the report, but there was little for them to do. None of the individuals was injured, but they were tired and a little shell shocked. There were three men, two brothers and a brother-in-law. We learned that their mother had died several days ago. When we pulled up to the marina, they wanted to pay for our gas. We respectfully declined. We were thrilled to be able to do something for someone else for a change. We told them they had done us a favor because we could finally do something for someone else!
We had dinner at The Mariner, a restaurant at the marina. They are known for their crab claws. The waitress had to teach us Yankees how to eat them, and they were delicious.
Mike called Harry, mechanic from Apalachicola, today to tell him our saga. He couldn’t stop laughing as Mike relayed the tale. We still have not gone two days without breaking down. We hope that we will be starting a new streak of luck. Maybe the rescue of the boaters will somehow be the sign of a new path. One can only hope. We will keep you posted on our progress. We are not superstitious but keep your fingers crosses and pray to whatever saint gives you good luck. If you know of a nautical good luck ceremony let us know. We enter day two and are not violating any boat lore we know of . . . . there are no bananas on board, and we are not leaving on a Friday.
Friday July 27, 2007
Good Morning, it is 6:30 AM and we have been underway for an hour. We thought we would get you caught up on our misadventures. Years ago, Bill Bartz, a friend of ours, gave Mike a book entitled Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: An Odyssey of Misadventure. Mike talked about all of the bad things that happened to this guy and his wife. We can now identify.
Good Morning, it is 6:30 AM and we have been underway for an hour. We thought we would get you caught up on our misadventures. Years ago, Bill Bartz, a friend of ours, gave Mike a book entitled Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: An Odyssey of Misadventure. Mike talked about all of the bad things that happened to this guy and his wife. We can now identify.
We left early on Wednesday morning excited and concerned about entering the river system. We had heard about all of the traffic as you enter Mobile, AL. The first time we passed a barge or went around a bend in the river and saw the front of the barge heading toward us, we were really nervous. We have to always know exactly where we are so we can call the barge and find out where on the river he wants us to be. We are beginning to get the hang of it.
The scenery up the river is beautiful, but we really have to watch for floating debris and the channel markers that guide you through the shallow areas. After half a day, Mike became concerned because it looks liked we have used no fuel. The needle was still on full. We were making great time traveling at over 8 miles an hour at 2200 RPM. We decided to push to an anchorage up the river from where we originally were planning to anchor. This turned out to be a bad idea since we had traveled almost 100 miles and were getting tired. We misread the directions to the anchorage and went aground. To make matters worse, we hit a sandbar and got ourselves really dug in. We were tired and made a couple of decisions that didn’t help us. One was to try to use our spare anchor to try to pull us to deeper water, Mike took the dinghy to deeper water and dropped the spare anchor, and we began to kedge (use a winch to pull the boat) toward it, unfortunately this was kedging us deeper into the sandbar. Good idea, bad direction! Cell phone service was very limited, and we had not seen any other pleasure craft and only a few barges all day. Francie called Tom and Patsy and he called the Coffeeville Dam to let them know where we were and to alert the barges coming down river. We contacted the first barge to let the others know we were there. Tom was on the phone that night and most of the next day communication with people to arrange help for us. He and Patsy were able to get a few text messages through to us so we did not feel like we were alone in the world!
During the night one of the barges tried to help by running his back wash at us hoping to lift up the boat. He did it 3 times, but we were too dug in.
We were discouraged but safe from the barges so we went to bed. Obviously we didn’t sleep well. There is so little traffic that it would be hard to get help. Images of being dragged off the sandbar and what damage could happen to the boat filled our minds.
In the morning we both awoke with the same ideas as to what we should do to get ourselves off the bar. We were able to make some communication with Tom again, and he had facilitated permission for a barge to tow us out that would be passing at 4:00 PM. We had been able to make contact with our friend Scotty in Chicago. Scotty serves in the military and had worked in the north coast gulf area. We hoped he might have a contact with someone who had a power boat that could come up the river to tow us. What Francie really wanted was a Navy tugboat to be commissioned to our location! We went in the dinghy to find a path to deeper water. It was to our aft so we tied a line to a fallen tree on shore and to the genoa winch. We hoped it would pull us off the bar to deeper water. We worked for about an hour taking breaks every few minutes. Instead of us moving, this huge tree was pulled into the water. Mike went back and tied the line to another tree next to the original one. He complained that the red ants on the tree kept biting him so after retying us to the tree he headed to a little island to clean himself and the dinghy from all of the clay on shore. Back at the boat, we spent another hour using the winch to get us off the bar. The water level had risen a bit, but we were still dug in pretty well. Mike would grind a bit and then take a break. We put the gears gently in reverse when Mike turned in the wench. The tree held and suddenly we were off. We switched positions. Mike drove and Francie kept the line from going into the prop. We were shocked that we were really off the sand bar but elated and practically jumping for joy.
Mike went back in the dinghy to retrieve the line from the tree while Francie kept the boat in the middle of the river. We tried to retrieve our anchor that we set when we first went on the sandbar. We could not get it to release and could not motor up to it because it would take us into the sandbar again. It is now at the bottom as a reminder of our misadventure.
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We traveled about 50 miles and at the end of the day went through our first lock. Both of us entered the lock with a bit of trepidation but it was a pleasant ride up. Several miles later we docked along the river at Bobby’s Fish Camp. It is really a camp, but there is a long dock. We strung 3 electrical cords together to run the air conditioner we had bought earlier. It sits near the rear hatch with the lid of the hatch working as a vent to force the cold air down and towels placed over it to keep the cold air in. It looks tacky but it works.
We were exhausted by our earlier adventures and asleep by 9 PM.
Well that brings us to today. We were up at 5 AM and on the river by 5:30. We had to contend with a little cat that followed Mike all over the top of the boat and around the dock. We were afraid that it would be on the boat when we left. It was cute, but we don’t need more crew.
It was still dark as we shoved off the dock and the air was cool and mist was rising off the water. It is really quite beautiful. We are moving along quite nicely; we hope to be in Demopolis, AL by night. It will mean having to travel almost 100 miles, but there are no good anchorages that don’t require a stern anchor as well as a bow anchor. Our stern anchor is lying near a sand bar at mile 78.8.
Later in the day: we are in Demopolis, doing laundry and cooking dinner. All normal everyday things and best of all uneventful!
July 28, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
We are safe and all is well. I figured I better start with that phrase. Yesterday we covered close to a hundred miles and went through our second lock. We had to wait for about 20 minutes while they turned it around. We have seen very few boats - neither fisherman nor barges. It is really desolate. Francie kept checking for cell phone service. Even in Demopolis, we had trouble making calls. If you don’t hear from us, it is not our lack of trying. We didn’t get done with our chores until 10:00 so today we decided to take it easy; we turned off the alarm.
We slept until 6 AM. We were off the dock by 6:45. We planned to do only 80 miles. We had a very nice ride, but once again were struck by the isolated beauty of the river. Mike compared it to riding last summer in the Yukon. It is hard to believe that such wilderness exists along the river. We have seen a few homes but very few.
Dear Friends and Family,
We are safe and all is well. I figured I better start with that phrase. Yesterday we covered close to a hundred miles and went through our second lock. We had to wait for about 20 minutes while they turned it around. We have seen very few boats - neither fisherman nor barges. It is really desolate. Francie kept checking for cell phone service. Even in Demopolis, we had trouble making calls. If you don’t hear from us, it is not our lack of trying. We didn’t get done with our chores until 10:00 so today we decided to take it easy; we turned off the alarm.
We slept until 6 AM. We were off the dock by 6:45. We planned to do only 80 miles. We had a very nice ride, but once again were struck by the isolated beauty of the river. Mike compared it to riding last summer in the Yukon. It is hard to believe that such wilderness exists along the river. We have seen a few homes but very few.
Francie was telling me how she had told Heidi her friend that she felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. All she wants to do is to go home, which is going to take a while at 8 miles an hour. We continued with the analogy thinking of the Tin Man who wanted to have a heart. We have meet so many people whose hearts were so huge that they reached out to us when we were in need. Many of our friends at home have followed our misadventures. They are worried and tried to help us. Following the analogy with the Cowardly Lion, he wanted courage. We have at times struggled with our decision to bring the boat home. Sometimes we doubt our abilities, but we have learned so much and are gaining confidence in ourselves. At this point the Scare Crow is the only character left out, which I think means we are still wishing we had a brain!
Did I tell you that we bought a little air conditioner in Mobile, Alabama? Mike was dying, and Bill at the marina had lent us his but we gave it back. We put our new air conditioner up against the back hatch and pull the lid down on it and put towels around it to keep the air in. It sure helps sleeping.
Tonight we are anchored out and can’t use it. Mike can’t even go below because it is too hot. He is suffering. Because he changes outfits several times a day, must be like a fashionable person. In his case it is because his clothes are soaked. He does all of the chores in the morning while it is still cool. Around 11:00 it is so hot that he starts to sweat just thinking about doing some work.
Tonight frogs, cows and an occasional fish jumping are serenading us. We have some army surplus mosquito netting strung up around the cockpit so we can sit without donating too much blood to the local critters. In fact it is time to end this note since the bugs are beginning to attack.
I wish you could see this beautiful white heron. It is on the shore across from us. It stands perfectly still for a very long time and then suddenly goes after its prey.
The shore line today kept changing from large tree lined limestone bluffs to a clay shore. We have really enjoyed the lush beauty. The banks keep eroding. Homes that we have seen are all on stilts.
Well it is getting dark and getting near our bed time. We have another 80 miles to get to Columbus, Mississippi. We will have traveled about 352 miles on the river when we get there. At mile 450, we will be on the Tennessee River which will take us into Kentucky Lake.
We have no way of predicting our ETA for arrival home. Every time we do something happens.
Have a good night. Our new bed time is around 9 PM.
July 30, 2007
We are in Fulton, MS and all is well. Journal entry will be delayed till tomorrow in favor of a margarita and sleep!
We are in Fulton, MS and all is well. Journal entry will be delayed till tomorrow in favor of a margarita and sleep!
July 31, 2007
It is 6:45AM, clear and a bit on the cool side (75-80 degrees) as we start off this morning. We just went through Rankin Lock & Dam at mile marker 398.4 on the Tenn-Tom. Mile 450 is the junction with the Tennessee River. At that point we will be 805 miles from Chicago! We hold out the hope that we and the boat will be back before school starts.
On Sunday we passed Columbus, MS, and headed for a marina just past Aberdeen Lock.
We had talked several times to the marina about depth in their channel and were assured it was deep enough for us. We are a bit paranoid about depth issues, so we go very, very slow. At our first attempt to enter the channel, we gently hit bottom and backed out, we called them again and they said to “hug the green marker” and we should be fine. They seemed very surprised that we found a shallow spot. We hugged the green and very gently approached the channel only to hit bottom again. The depth went from 3 feet under the keel to 0, in about 2 seconds. We were a bit more stuck than the previous bump and while Mike is lowering the idle and going into reverse the engine died.
If they make a movie like Groundhog Day with a marine theme, I think we have the lead roles locked up! The lockmaster could see us and hailed us on the radio to see if we needed assistance. A boat with the name “Silver Fox” responded that he would also stand by. We could not get the engine started again without revving it up.
It is 6:45AM, clear and a bit on the cool side (75-80 degrees) as we start off this morning. We just went through Rankin Lock & Dam at mile marker 398.4 on the Tenn-Tom. Mile 450 is the junction with the Tennessee River. At that point we will be 805 miles from Chicago! We hold out the hope that we and the boat will be back before school starts.
On Sunday we passed Columbus, MS, and headed for a marina just past Aberdeen Lock.
We had talked several times to the marina about depth in their channel and were assured it was deep enough for us. We are a bit paranoid about depth issues, so we go very, very slow. At our first attempt to enter the channel, we gently hit bottom and backed out, we called them again and they said to “hug the green marker” and we should be fine. They seemed very surprised that we found a shallow spot. We hugged the green and very gently approached the channel only to hit bottom again. The depth went from 3 feet under the keel to 0, in about 2 seconds. We were a bit more stuck than the previous bump and while Mike is lowering the idle and going into reverse the engine died.
If they make a movie like Groundhog Day with a marine theme, I think we have the lead roles locked up! The lockmaster could see us and hailed us on the radio to see if we needed assistance. A boat with the name “Silver Fox” responded that he would also stand by. We could not get the engine started again without revving it up.
So we hailed Silver Fox and he came out to assist. Silver Fox turns out to be Bill and Marilyn who live on their 70 foot houseboat across from the marina. They had just come in to their dock after having a slight engine problem of their own, but they brought one of their pontoon boats out to help us. A small tug from them got us off the sandbar and Mike got the engine started. They led us to Blue Bluff recreation area across the channel from the marina. Bill has been around boats all his life and has good knowledge about diesels, so he and Mike, consulting with Jimmy and Mark on the phone. They diagnosed either air in the fuel line from the fuel tank or a bad fuel pump was the source of the problem. Bill has been a sailor and he recalled his days of short showers, hot cabins, and the threat of warm beer. He and Marilyn took the small boat back to their dock and brought their houseboat over to Blue Bluff. They often spend their weekends on the houseboat at Blue Bluff fishing and relaxing. We pot-lucked our dinner together, Marilyn is a great cook, and we spent the night in air conditioned luxury aboard their houseboat. Bill had an older spare lightweight anchor which will now be traveling to Chicago, and we were able to give them the wired remote for the old autohelm. (A lesson in -do not throw anything away, someone will be able to use it!)
Marilyn & Bill's dog taking a break on Anam Cara!
In the morning Bill ordered a new fuel pump to be delivered to our dock from the local auto parts store and he and Mike had it installed in no time. Marilyn cooked a breakfast of eggs, biscuits and bacon and we were off the dock by 11:00. We were in the channel exiting the recreation area when the engine overheated. Mike could hardly believe his good fortune. He was going to be able to return to the Silver Fox for more biscuits and air conditioning! Turns out we needed to change the impellor in the water pump (due to operator error, our learning curve is still steep at times).
We dropped the lightweight anchor, Bill came aboard and he and Mike changed the impellor. The engine is running very well, the new fuel pump has solved the problem of running at low idle, which had been occurring intermittently since we left Panama City. The Wizard of Oz analogy continues: the generous heart of the people we have met, the courage we find, and the brains we are still looking for in order to battle the wicked witch of the west. We can hear her now . . . “I’ll get you my little pretty Anam Cara . . . . oh no, they got away again!”
Monday night we docked at Midway Marina in Fulton, MS. This was a very nice place to stay and if we were not on a mission to get home, we would have stayed here a few days. We used the courtesy car to get provisions for the boat at the Super Walmart in town, and ate a Mexican meal, which we had purchased in town, in the air conditioned boater lounge. After dinner we went into the whirlpool tub and relaxed for a moment. Then back to the boat to use the WIFI to pay bills and get caught up on correspondence. We visited with several people in the marina. One guy on a sailboat was headed south and the other was headed north like we are. We went to bed early with the air conditioner going since we planned to get an early start the next day. All is well.
Currently: it is now 9 AM and we have gone through 3 locks and have no more to go through today. We have at least 6 hours of motoring before we call it a day. By then we will be in Tennessee and on our way to Kentucky Lake. The scenery continues to change and is anything but boring. It has been an experience not to be forgotten.
Currently: it is now 9 AM and we have gone through 3 locks and have no more to go through today. We have at least 6 hours of motoring before we call it a day. By then we will be in Tennessee and on our way to Kentucky Lake. The scenery continues to change and is anything but boring. It has been an experience not to be forgotten.
At 1:00 today we left the Tenn-Tom and joined the Tennessee River!
August 1, 2007
Yesterday we covered 76 miles and 4 locks (we pushed on after the 3 mentioned yesterday and went through the Pickwick Lock & Dam) and were underway for 13 hours. We are now in Tennessee. The first lock in Tennessee is the Pickwick Lock, and it was the first time we had to wait because of a barge heading south. We talked to a guy that was taking his boat to St. Louis. He said he had been waiting for over two hours. Ten miles after getting out of the lock, we arrived at an anchorage behind Diamond Island. We were a bit nervous given some of our recent experiences. All went well getting anchored in this beautiful, peaceful place. We had a steak dinner on the grill and settled back and listened to the nature that surrounded us. We could do that because for some unknown reason there were no mosquitoes. It was a perfect end to a long day.
Yesterday we covered 76 miles and 4 locks (we pushed on after the 3 mentioned yesterday and went through the Pickwick Lock & Dam) and were underway for 13 hours. We are now in Tennessee. The first lock in Tennessee is the Pickwick Lock, and it was the first time we had to wait because of a barge heading south. We talked to a guy that was taking his boat to St. Louis. He said he had been waiting for over two hours. Ten miles after getting out of the lock, we arrived at an anchorage behind Diamond Island. We were a bit nervous given some of our recent experiences. All went well getting anchored in this beautiful, peaceful place. We had a steak dinner on the grill and settled back and listened to the nature that surrounded us. We could do that because for some unknown reason there were no mosquitoes. It was a perfect end to a long day.
The scenery during the day yesterday continued to change. We had gotten used to the desolate narrow river with it mud shores or limestone banks. This stretch of river is more of a canal that is lined with large rocks. When we reached mile 450 which is the end of the Tenn-Tom Waterway, we had a minor celebration marking the first major step of our trip home. Just before we merged onto the Tennessee River the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee touch each other, and we passed through all three states within the distance of a mile.
The Tennessee River was a bit of a surprise. It is huge. We couldn’t see the floating markers. They have been our guide for 450 miles, and we were a bit nervous trying to find them. Also when you go upriver the red markers are on the right and the green are on the left. Now we are going down river (yes, we are still headed north) and the green markers are on the right. Get them confused and you go aground. We don’t want that to happen again. The river is lined with big beautiful homes on the bluffs. There were lots of little bays. What shocked us the most was the current. We were doing 11 miles an hour. Normally we can go about 8 or less at 2200 RPMs. That was another reason we were worried about anchoring but it was not a problem at all.
We didn’t leave until 6 AM because we wanted to make sure we could see the channel markers. When we got up this morning, we noticed the shore didn’t have as much water as the night before. We soon discovered that we don’t have the same current either. When the locks are busy there is a lot of water released. Also the dam released water to make power. We read that the water level can change up to 4 feet. Consequently we are only doing 8.3 miles an hour.
We watched a spectacular sunrise and have several pictures looking over the trees and reflecting on the water. We continue to see mansions along the shores and huge limestone bluffs. The river is quite populated and we are seeing many more fisherman.
Our goal is to get to a marina 80 miles away. The weather is cool this morning and our spirits are high.
Francie has been studying the charts and books about anchorages everyday. We have talked to Tom who has made the trip. It is much more complex than following a map. Because we need so much depth to anchor and to be safe we are very cautious about where we go.
The river has its own rules and terminology. When we see a barge, we hail it by saying that we are the north or south bound sailboat at mile marker ???. We have been up river against the current so we have been north bound. The Tennessee is flowing north rather than south. Today Francie hailed a barge and identified herself as the north bound sailboat because we are going north. The tow boat captain very politely explained that we are the south bound sailboat. He acknowledged that we were going north, but that didn’t have anything to do with how we identify ourselves. The direction of the flow determines how you identify yourself.
Therefore: this is the southbound sailboat at mile marker 174 (even though we are headed north) wishing you a good afternoon.
The river has its own rules and terminology. When we see a barge, we hail it by saying that we are the north or south bound sailboat at mile marker ???. We have been up river against the current so we have been north bound. The Tennessee is flowing north rather than south. Today Francie hailed a barge and identified herself as the north bound sailboat because we are going north. The tow boat captain very politely explained that we are the south bound sailboat. He acknowledged that we were going north, but that didn’t have anything to do with how we identify ourselves. The direction of the flow determines how you identify yourself.
Therefore: this is the southbound sailboat at mile marker 174 (even though we are headed north) wishing you a good afternoon.
Francie’s dreamland on Anam Cara…Today the Anam Cara Spa was open in the early afternoon hours. Amenities include premium bath salts foot soak, pedicure, white terry cloth towels, bottled water and fruit for the patrons. Appointments are not necessary. Uh-oh, pedicure interrupted by on-coming barge traffic . . . . . FORENSIC REPORT- BARGE/SAILBOAT COLLISION. It appears that the driver was attempting to give herself a pedicure. Red bucket filled with liquid soap and water, white cotton shop cloths, smashed fruit and plastic Gatorade bottles filled with water were found at the scene. However, the nails are dry and un-smeared. All is well. …Time to wake up and take my turn at the hel
We are close to our destination for the night, Cuba Landing Marina in Waverly, TN.
August 2, 2007
Good morning! This is the forth day since we had the motor repaired in Aberdeen. We are planning a 90 mile day. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Once again we were up at 5 AM and out by 5:45 when we could see the markers leading out of the channel.
Last night was very relaxing. We cooked a pork roast on the grill, had salad and sweet corn along with some wine. We read and best of all relaxed in the air conditioning. The marina was a bit dumpy; Mike refused to go back into the men’s restroom and shower. We have not found any marina that was as nice and comfortable as Midway. The marinas we have been to are all in or near small towns and they are not big fancy complexes like you find in metropolitan areas. The owner of Midway told us that he and his wife were headed down the river on their boat from Iowa. They had some problems and stopped in the marina and stayed. That was over 10 years ago. No, we are still coming home. That was not a preamble to some sort of life altering news.
Good morning! This is the forth day since we had the motor repaired in Aberdeen. We are planning a 90 mile day. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Once again we were up at 5 AM and out by 5:45 when we could see the markers leading out of the channel.
Last night was very relaxing. We cooked a pork roast on the grill, had salad and sweet corn along with some wine. We read and best of all relaxed in the air conditioning. The marina was a bit dumpy; Mike refused to go back into the men’s restroom and shower. We have not found any marina that was as nice and comfortable as Midway. The marinas we have been to are all in or near small towns and they are not big fancy complexes like you find in metropolitan areas. The owner of Midway told us that he and his wife were headed down the river on their boat from Iowa. They had some problems and stopped in the marina and stayed. That was over 10 years ago. No, we are still coming home. That was not a preamble to some sort of life altering news.
We are headed for Green Turtle Marina and then that will be the end of the air conditioning for several days. We have a fan that helps cool things off.
I wish you could see the mountains that surround the river. At times they are breath-taking. It is not as desolate as the Tenn Tom, but it is not very populated. Many years ago when Mike took his first cross county motorcycle trip to Seattle, Washington, we went to see Mike’s friend in Vancouver. Fred, Mike’s friend, and his wife Rosie and their children went out on a 30 foot sailboat with us. Being flatlanders we were so impressed by water with mountains. This is not as spectacular but it is close. Again we are flatlanders.
We will be in Kentucky this evening. It is hard to believe that we are making progress. We are still worried about the Mississippi and the current. Time will tell. We have had very little current with the Tennessee River except for the short time we came out of the locks and were flying over 11 miles an hour.
We finished our chores in the early morning before the heat set in. Francie cleaned the heads and the floor and Mike cleaned the bilge. I guess that is all there is for the time being. Life can be very simple when your world is 45 feet long.
August 3
We are at Green Turtle Marina, a very nice place to stop and prepare for the next part of our trip. We have traveled half way up the river system. We have the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers to go. We connect with the Mississippi via the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers with short stretches on each one. The short sections on these rivers and the 218 miles on the Mississippi are the toughest of the trip. The current on the Mississippi is 4.0-4.5 knots (against us). There are long stretches without an anchorage or a marina. Many times at this time of the year the current is running at 2 knots. Our usual 8 miles per hour gets cut down to 4 or less with the “current” situation. If we had more time left, we could wait for the river to slow down again. We are going to stay over for a day and evaluate our options. A large truck for the boat and a U-Haul for us are not out of the picture.
We are at Green Turtle Marina, a very nice place to stop and prepare for the next part of our trip. We have traveled half way up the river system. We have the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers to go. We connect with the Mississippi via the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers with short stretches on each one. The short sections on these rivers and the 218 miles on the Mississippi are the toughest of the trip. The current on the Mississippi is 4.0-4.5 knots (against us). There are long stretches without an anchorage or a marina. Many times at this time of the year the current is running at 2 knots. Our usual 8 miles per hour gets cut down to 4 or less with the “current” situation. If we had more time left, we could wait for the river to slow down again. We are going to stay over for a day and evaluate our options. A large truck for the boat and a U-Haul for us are not out of the picture.
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August 4
It is very hard to write this, but we contacted a trucking company to haul the boat to Chicago and have rented a U-Haul for all of our stuff. We are off-loading as if we were at the dock in Chicago because we don’t want to have to carry things down a 12 foot ladder when the boat is in dry dock in Chicago!
Common sense and some good seamanship have prevailed. The Mississippi River is to be respected and we don’t have the speed on the boat to counter the current coming at us. At best we could make 4 mph against the current. The longest point between safe anchorages and harbors is 70 miles, which makes for a 17 hour day. There is not enough daylight to make a safe journey.
It is very hard to write this, but we contacted a trucking company to haul the boat to Chicago and have rented a U-Haul for all of our stuff. We are off-loading as if we were at the dock in Chicago because we don’t want to have to carry things down a 12 foot ladder when the boat is in dry dock in Chicago!
Common sense and some good seamanship have prevailed. The Mississippi River is to be respected and we don’t have the speed on the boat to counter the current coming at us. At best we could make 4 mph against the current. The longest point between safe anchorages and harbors is 70 miles, which makes for a 17 hour day. There is not enough daylight to make a safe journey.
The Captain’s we have talked to who travel these rivers say that it is only safe to travel at night on the Mississippi if you have good radar and are familiar with the river. Everyone urges caution because the river is very unforgiving. Frequently the river fogs in, even during the day, which can complicate even a shorter day. Oh how we long for the wide open and deep Lake Michigan!
We have no regrets. We have learned a great deal about the boat and learned more about handling it together through the adventures we have had. The scarecrow might even be getting a brain! There is no place like home and we will hopefully arrive there by Monday. Our second home, Anam Cara will arrive the following Friday.
The pictures I am sending are of us entering the lock then the lock doors closing; we are tied up to the wall as the lock fills with water. Then we emerge on the other side 85 feet higher with a sunrise on the river. We were usually up and out by 5:30 to see it come over the horizon.
The pictures I am sending are of us entering the lock then the lock doors closing; we are tied up to the wall as the lock fills with water. Then we emerge on the other side 85 feet higher with a sunrise on the river. We were usually up and out by 5:30 to see it come over the horizon.
August 11, 2007
Dear Friends and Family,
We arrived home last Saturday night. We spent the day packing and taking off parts of the boat that would make it to high to get under the bridges. Then we drove off in our 10 foot U-Haul which had over 103,000 miles and drove like it. It shimmied and shook all of the way to Chicago. We had mixed feelings as we started to head north. We missed being on the boat that had been home for 2 months, and we were excited about the possibility of being home at last. It wasn’t quite like clicking your ruby red slippers and arriving at the front door, but we were definitely going home.
We spent a lot of time discussing the summer and agreed it was a good experience. We learned more about our boat by living on it, than we would have learned if we just used it for a week or two at a time. Yes, we still want to live on it full time in the future. It may have been a tough summer in some ways, but the people we met and the experiences we had, made it all worth it.
Dear Friends and Family,
We arrived home last Saturday night. We spent the day packing and taking off parts of the boat that would make it to high to get under the bridges. Then we drove off in our 10 foot U-Haul which had over 103,000 miles and drove like it. It shimmied and shook all of the way to Chicago. We had mixed feelings as we started to head north. We missed being on the boat that had been home for 2 months, and we were excited about the possibility of being home at last. It wasn’t quite like clicking your ruby red slippers and arriving at the front door, but we were definitely going home.
We spent a lot of time discussing the summer and agreed it was a good experience. We learned more about our boat by living on it, than we would have learned if we just used it for a week or two at a time. Yes, we still want to live on it full time in the future. It may have been a tough summer in some ways, but the people we met and the experiences we had, made it all worth it.
Mike left early Tuesday morning for Kentucky to do the last minute things that needed to be finished in order to have the boat shipped home. He worked on the boat for several hours getting the spreaders off, getting the mast ready to be wrapped, emptying water tanks and securing the spinnaker pole and boom. Late in the afternoon a catamaran was docking in the slip next to him. He went to help with the lines and realized that it was Metamorphosis whom we had seen on the river several weeks ago. At the time they passed us, the captain had told Mike on the radio that he was taking the boat to Green Turtle Marina. His boat had been in charter and things on the delivery had not gone well.
Pete the owner invited Mike over for a beer. He introduced the two guys helping him George, his brother, and Rob a long time friend. They were from Peoria. The beer turned into several beers and Mike had made new friends. Pete told Mike about his experiences with two different charter companies who basically robbed him blind and did all sorts of damage to his boat. They discussed the river trip. They both agreed it was beautiful, and also shared the problems each encountered. Pete was in Columbus, Mississippi for several days getting parts for various problems.
The next morning the truck arrived. It was a day early. Mike had expected to have the day to wrap the mast and get it ready to go on the truck. It was like being in the army again, “Hurry up and wait.” Before lunch time the boat was out of the water, and Mike was able to get off personal gear, tools and the air conditioner using a ladder, since the deck was now 12 feet in the air. When the boat was on the truck, the driver told Mike that the front pulpit had to come off and so did the davits in the back. It was 105 degrees, Mike climbed back onto the boat and into the small chain locker in the bow of the boat to take off the bow pulpit. A guy from the boat yard helped him and two others wrapped the mast. The boat was finally loaded and the mast put on the side of the truck and Anam Cara pulled out of the marina on her way home.
Mike had a long cold shower and said goodbye to the guys from Peoria and headed home. He spent the first part of the trip drinking lots of Gatorade and pedialite trying to hydrate his body. After several hours on the road, he saw Anam Cara on the truck. He wanted to take a picture but didn’t have a camera and couldn’t figure out how to use his phone to take one.
The next morning we went to the boat yard to see her arrive. The State of Illinois has to route the truck since it is a wide load. The truck was routed under a bridge that was too low. It was sent down some really busy streets. We are not sure who did the routing, but it was a mess. Finally the boat arrived about 2:00 in the afternoon. The driver told us he would be there before noon. She was taken off the truck and placed in her new cradle. The saga had ended. Anam Cara is in Chicago and resting for the winter in her new home.
Our story begins again as we prepare her for fresh new bottom paint and other projects for the winter, but we will keep that part to ourselves!
Family and friends stated that they couldn’t wait for each edition of our journal to discover what would happen to us next. Our entries became a source of entertainment, drama, as well as communication. Writing the journal became instrumental in helping us cope and put in perspective all of the challenges, as well as sharing the joys. Thank you for your support and for sharing in our adventure this summer.
Family and friends stated that they couldn’t wait for each edition of our journal to discover what would happen to us next. Our entries became a source of entertainment, drama, as well as communication. Writing the journal became instrumental in helping us cope and put in perspective all of the challenges, as well as sharing the joys. Thank you for your support and for sharing in our adventure this summer.