Another trip complete

We made it to Apalachacola, FL. and completed another adventure. Since our last post the trip included meeting up with a friend of mine from grade school at Sacred Heart. I had not seen Gerry in 46 years. We both looked the same, not! 

We also went to the naval air museum in Pensacola. Our timing was great because the Blue Angels were practicing for a show, so we got to see some great maneuvers. Unfortunately, I can't post videos here, but I will on Facebook.

 We stopped short of what is called the big bend crossing, which is about 120 miles in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe next year's fall trip will include that. It is always a night crossing taking 15 hours non-stop at night. 

Yesterday we rented a car and drove to Mobile to pick up our rigs and head back to Apilachacola. Today we load up the boat and head to Leesburg, FL where we will clean the boat, do some maintenance and get it ready for the 5 week layover while we head north for the holidays. We will stay 3 days at Rich's dad's house while we do this and then trailer the boat to Placida, FL where it will be in storage until we get back. 

Trip Statistics

Fuel consumed - 195.65 gallons

Miles traveled - 877 statute miles

Miles per gallon - 4.53

Average speed - 6.98 mph

Hours - 125.7

A two more pictures since I last posted

Gerry Rusinski and I after 46 years of life. It seemed like yesterday. What is interesting is that everyone I meet from grade school will always bring up Sister Thadius, the Spanish teacher. She was the cruelest person on earth and we all have memories of her tortoure. If there is a hell I am sure she is there.

One thing about cruising is every morning you have a different sunrise and sunset and you always think the one you are looking at is the best one.

Making great time!

We made it to Mobile, AL , which was supposed to be the end of the trip, but we are a week early so we are extending on the Panhandle to Apalachacola. Life is definitely different down here. First the marina let us store the truck and trailer for free. Then when we said we wanted to keep them there a week longer they said, no problem. Then when we filled up our tanks with fuel they said we get a free night dockage. We are now in Orage Beach, AL, just a short distance from the Florida boarder and the Eastern time zone. We shove off tomorrow to Pensacola, FL. We are hoping to get a ride to the Naval Air Museum. Below are some pictures on our experiences since our last post. 

Waiting for a lock to open early in the morning. Fog was prevelant with warm waters and cold morning air. Radar was a great thing to have.

Our fellow cruiser Roam coming out of the fog towards us.

Anchoring out on Bashi Creek. A nice secluded creek off the River. It is narrow, so a stern line tied to a tree on shore prevents you from swinging. 

Going down the River we passed an entire section of chalk cliffs. They say that these cliffs we formed at the same time as the cliffs of Dover. 

This is the outside of Bobby's Fish Camp. When you here fish camp you think of a place you will go and stay while fishing. Down here it is a place to go and get a good home cooked catfish meal. Heart Attack city is what they should really call it.  Look at our meal below. For $14.95 you can get the whole catfish meal, all you can eat!

The Anti-Atkins Diet.

As you can see, we are starting to get to civilization or is that a modern version of Oz's Emerald City.

While passing through Mobile Harbor we saw these stealth type navel ships. No name on them either. Mobile Harbor was the busy. We were dodging tugs with barges, fuel tankers and work boats. We were like little corks floating down the channel. Mission of the morning was "See and Avoid"!

Did a brief self tour of downtown Mobile. This is the church of the Immaculate Conception. Beautiful craftsmanship throughout. 

This is the ceiling. 

When on a boat for a while it won't take much to entertain you. Cheryll and Jess having fun being lobsters.

Lotsa Locks and no bagels

We have been movin on down the river. Many of you have seen my lock video and have seen the aura of locking. There can be a dark side though. The locks on this River system are fairly new as compared to the locks up north. The walls, comparitively speaking, are in great shape and relatively clean, but there are some locks that get an infusion of debris that build up because the doors opening and closing and things getting pushed in by the barges. Using a technical term, it can get quite yucky! Below are some pictures of experiences we have had along the way. 

Having a drink and some beer after a hard day of cruising!

Big tug, little tug. I installed special equipment on the boat that allows me to see these big tows on my chartplotter well before I can see them by eye. I get all their contact information, size of boat, speed, direction and distance. The tow operators are very friendly and appreciative when you call them in advance and ask how they would like you to pass. Usually you ask, " on the one whistle or two whistle side"? When radio communication is not possible the passing vessel is done with your horn, one blow of the horn is passing  with them on your port and two blows of the horn is with them on your starboard, hence the term whistle. Very simple and no confusion. We all understand. As you can see I need to be more concerned then him when passing. 

Lock Yuck!

Our partner boat ROAM anchored for the evening. 

We stopped in Columbus, Mississippi and went to town. Tennessee Williams used to live in this house as a child. This gentleman was visiting and believe it or not he lived in the house before Tennessee Wiliams. We had a nice chat and he told us about his life living here as a 13 year old boy back in 1939.

Whole in Columbus we also visited the Freedom Cemetary. Many unknown rebel soldiers are buried here as well as local people. We happened upon this grave which is the poet Sahra Teasdale's. 

As they say, nothing is free in life. We got to use the marina courtesy van, but as you can see, we were also the advertisement.

We visited the battle grounds of Shiloh where over 23,000 soldiers killed, lost or wounded in a 2 day period. This is a Cemetary on the site. A must see exhibit when in the area.

There is always something different to see on the River. And did I tell you we always seem to have phone service!

This is the Bevill lock visitor's center. Unfortunately it was closed, but it has a complete display on the construction of the locks and the waterway system. I guess we will have to do some research on the web 

This was a spot during our Shiloh tour. We had to take a picture in honor of Jess's maiden name. 

One week on the water

The weather has been great, the waters are calm and the scenery wonderful. Cruising the Tennessee is a great experience. In our opinion this has been the best all around experience. The boaters are courteous, the locals are friendly and accommodating, the fuel is comparitively dirt cheap and the marinas are running $1.00 per foot with electric. We feel like we died and went to cruisers heaven.

We entered our first lock yesterday and having been through several on other trips this was also a good experience. Unlike all the other locks we have gone through, these locks have floating bollards. You just throw your line around the bollard and it goes up a rail as you rise. These locks are faily large because they are used for commercial barge traffic. So we are like little rubber ducks in a tub. We passed a few working barges on our way up the river. Yes, the Tennessee actually flows north, so even though we are heading south we are going up river. Besides the barges being "towed" there were also barges being used as they were mining sand and gravel from the river bed. I used towed in quotes because one would think of towing as being pulled, but the barges are being pushed by tugs. It is amazing to see one tug pushing as many as 6 barges two wide. I installed AIS on the boat before we left. This is equipment that allows me to identify the tugs well in advance of seeing them. I can call them on the radio by name and ask them how they would like me to maneuver around them. They are friendly and courteous and very appreciative that we respect their lack of maneuverability. 

Below are some pictures taken along the way 

Guess where we stayed one night? Yes, the Mermaid Marina! The sign was the highlight of the accommodations. When you cruise some of the experiences you have make the trip most interesting. The grocery store was 15 miles away. They lent us their work van to use. It had 104,000 miles and was previously the town van. You had to jiggle the key for about 5 minutes so you could turn the ignition. If cleanliness is next to Godliness then we were in hell. A variety of things were thrown all over the place, electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, a lifer preserver, oil filters toilet tissue and what van wouldn't be complete without 22 caliber long rifle bullets. 

Our friends Rich and Cheryl early in the morning before pulling anchor. 

They do expect high water along the river. This height is typical of many of the houses along the way. 

Passing a tow on the river. 

Holy lockamoly!

Inside the lock during the lift. 

The floating bollard.

The lock princess and her wand. 

This is my sonar in the lock. Look at all those fish. We could have scooped up dinner. 

Jess and Cheryll with a cruser who failed to bring enough food. 

You can always find a good sunset when cruising. Every time you think you saw the best, another one comes along 

Another Adventure Begins

Our fall repositioning trip is underway. As many of you know, we are doing what is known as the Great American Loop. This is a trip that goes up the East Coast, Hudson River, then any of the many canals that head west, the Great Lakes to Chicago, then the Missisppi to the Tennessee, the Tom-Bigbee River to Mobile, AL , crossing the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs, FL, down to Key West and then back to where you started on the East Coast. Our choice has been to do this in pieces over several years. Some people do it in one trip, which can take anywhere from 8 months to a year or more. 

On this Trip we will be starting on Kentucky Lake, which is on the Tennessee River and will be going to Mobile, AL. The boat trip will be 640 miles and about 5 weeks. We will go through 12 huge locks on the way down. These rivers are used by commercial barge traffic and are very circuitous at times. Some of the barges can be 20 long and two wide, so getting out of their way is important! They stop for no one. 

The last 3 days have been all about getting the boat to Kentucky Lake, launching it and then getting our rig to the destination point in Mobile. We then rented a car in Mobile and drove back to our starting point. A definite brain exercise to get all the moving parts to work in sync. Our friends, Rich and Cheryll are joining us on this trip. Today we start the real trip. 

So sit back in the comfort of your home or office and join us for a ride through the south!

Sunrise on Kentucky Lake

Update since last post

Well it has been a few days since our last post and now that I have Internet service here is what we have been up to . After South Benjamin we headed for Baie Fine ( Pronounced Bay Finn). Baie Fine is the only Fijord in Canada. It is truly a magnificent journey all the way to the end. Both sides are steep cliffs of white granite. At the very end is a spot refered to as the pool. A beautiful anchorage surrounded by the Lacroche Mountain Range. We set out in our dingy to shore and followed a path up the mountain for about 20 minutes. Once at the top there is a huge lake called Lake Topaz. The water is a topaz green and it is a great spot to dive off rocks and refresh yourself after the walk.

After an early morning breakfast we pulled anchor and headed to covered portage cove. Pulling anchor was quite a feat. The pool bottom, although mud, is also full of weeds. Every few feet I had to clear them from the rode and remove one big huge clump at the end of the anchor. 

Portage Cove is a short distance from the town of Killarney, so we anchored in the cove and then took the dingy across for an experience of the town. Herbert  Fisheries is the best I have eaten. The fish is caught fresh every day and cooked to perfection. The French fries are the best I have had. 

We took a slow ride back to Little Current today after going back to Killarney in the boat. We spent the morning taking in the local flavor and sights. 

Our trip ends with a Ranger Tug Rendesvous. Fourteen boats will be in attendance and it is a great time with great people who share stories of their adventures and help one another with ideas and specifics about their boats. I won't bore you with the rendezvous, so until next time, Arrivederci!

Entering Baie Fiene

A vail of weeds pulling anchor in  the pool

Well worth the walk from the pool to Lake Topaz

People line up at Herbert Fisheries for some great food.

It is hard to get a picture of your entire surroundings while in Covered Portage, but imagine this all around you. 

As big as the oceans are the boating community is small. Here I am with Harry and Carolyn House who we originally met in Florida. They are doing the Loop and planned on making it to the Ranger Tug Rendezvous, but here they were in Killarney and we bumped into them on line at Herbert Fisheries.

As you enter Covered Portage you will notice the outline of an Indian chief's head. This is a natural formation and actually several layers of rock behind one another that cause this illusion. 

The water here is so clear that Jess was able to take a picture from shore and you can see her shadow  through the water. 

South Benjamin Islan

It was a short run from Little Current to South Benjamin Island, about 17 nautical miles. Every time you think you found a great place to anchor a better one comes along. Now we have to say that this is one of the best we have experienced. The water is crystal clear and fresh. Making your way to shore is a simple ride on the dingy. Shore is all pink granite. As we made our way up to the top of the hill we picked wild blueberries and took in the 360 degree panoramic view of the area. After getting back to the boat we took a dive in the water and freshened up. The water was 71 degrees. A bit cold to the human body, but excellent with a little soap and a plunge underwater. After a small lunch we gunk holed around in our dingy and came upon a Ranger Tug on the north side, Cathy and Greg of "Santalina". We chatted with them for a bit and then headed back to ILLUSIONS to get ready for appetizers and cocktails with Jim & Lisa Favors who are on Kismet. 

Now you may be wondering about the coincidence of all these Ranger Tugs meeting. Well, we are having a Rendezvous at week end and several boats arrived early to explore the area, so hence a proliferation of tugs. 

We had a great evening of conversation and laughs over dinner on Kismet. It gets dark here a bit later than Rhode Island. Just about 9:15 the sun was all the way down and darkness was upon us. It was time to close up the windows to keep the mosquitos out of the boat and a good time to catch up on reading and get lulled to sleep by the pure quietness around us. 

ILLUSIONS & Kismet tied off in a cove at South Benjamin Island. 

Another Adventure Begins

This will be a short one. We are on a 12 day trip through the North Channel. This is just north of Lake Huron and is actually part of it. The scenery is supposed to be spectacular, as is the cruising. We trailered the boat up and launched in a town called Little Current. Before getting here we stayed overnight in Niagara Falls, NY. It was just a short ride to go see the falls on the New York side. People say the Canadian side is better, but having been to the Canadian side as a kid, I thought it was great to see the Canadian falls in the distance while being up close to the New York falls. Jess was never there so this was a new experience for her. 

We left Niagara at 5:00am to start our leg to Little Current. We wanted to avoid the Toronto traffic and even leaving that early there was a bit we encountered, but we didn't lose any time. Once you get out of the city it is real country traveling up north. Towns are far apart and services can be scarce, so planning fuel stops is definitely in order, especially since we use diesel and are trailering a boat. This gives us a total length of 58 feet. You just can't get into any station and you don't want to be on the wrong side of the pump. Usually Jess will get out before we enter the station and scout out the location of the pump and then guide me in. 

So after launching the boat, provisioning and then repositioning to the town docks, we are relaxing after a great dinner at the local restaurant called the Anchor Inn.

The New York Falls

The Canadian Falls in the distance.

In love again at the falls. 

The final Leg

We have made a complete loop and are now back to Palm Island Marina to take it easy for a week and get things ready to trailer home. Here are some trip statistics.

112.7 hours of engine time

698 miles traveled

179 gallons of fuel used

3.89 miles per gallon

Average speed 6.19 knots per hour or 7.12 miles per hour

100 days on the water

The trip from Vero beach brings you back to old Florida. Once you pass Stuart and enter the Saint Lucie River things get much quieter and more pristine. On your passage to the west coast of Florida you pass through small agricultural towns that grow mostly oranges, sugar cane and raise chickens. You go back in time to Florida of the sixties. Indiantown is a usual stop for many before crossing the lake. The marina there is a working marina and provides hurricane storage for boats. Many of the boats here seem like they have been abandoned and are black with mildew. Our favorite restaurant here is Destefano's. The owner is a Brooklyn transplant who came here once on a business trip and just fell in love with the place. I think he may be in the witness protection program. 

There are four locks you must go through to traverse from the East coast to the West Coast, St. Lucie, Port Mayaca, Moorehaven, Ornota and the W.P. Franklin Lock. These locks are run by the Corp of Engineers. Some of the locks provide campsites and slips for overnight stays and have some pretty good amenities. Also along the way a few towns provide free dockage for overnight stays, Labelle being one of them. 

Once you are up the St. Lucie River a way the water is fresh until you reach the mouth of the Caloosahatchie River in Ft, Meyers.

The scenery and wildlife along the way are pristine and plentiful. It isn't rare to see an alligator resting on a bank or see a manatee coming up for air. Sometimes there may even be a manatee in a lock with you. 

After you exit the Caloosahatchie the hustle and bustle of the waterway starts all over again and you wish you were back on the River, but nothing is forever and you can always go back. 

This trip we "buddy boated" with Rich and Cheryll Odendahl. They are avid boaters and true adventurers. They have traveled around the world and Rich even hiked to the base camp of Mt. Everest. This past summer they took their boat up the inner passage all the way to Juneau, Alaska. Besides the great comraderie buddy boating has great advantages, help immediately if you need it, another opinion on weather and route and best of all someone other than you to go shopping with the wife. 

Rich and Cheryll left a few days ago and their trip back trailering their boat was not a good one. They had 3 flats in two days. We have come to the conclusion that 3 years or 20,000 miles on boat trailers is the limit. 

So that's it for this trip. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventure. We are planning a trip this summer on the North Channel. So stay tuned for some more adventures of Mike & Jess

Exiting the Port Mayaca lock into the Okeechobee.

This is an old tree in front of the justice center in Ft. Meyers. The tree was alive for over 100 years, but after several years of trying to save it, it was apparent that it needed to come down. However they did not want to loose the history so Marlin Miller created a sculpture of and eagle and it still stands in front of the Lee County Courthouse.

While docked in Labelle we saw this distressed boat. We mounted my electric Torqeedo on Rich's dingy and went over to help. Not bad, we were able to tow them to the town launch ramp. I sent the story and picture to Torqeedo and they are sending me a fleece Torqeedo jacket and publishing the story in their newsletter. 

A final picture of the shop till you drop team. Our boats lost valuable  RPM's and added fuel consumption with the added weight of girlie things!