After transiting the Welland Canal, we found a small marina just beyond the last lock and turned in for the night. Water, power – no one around so we docked and slept like babies. Next morning we awoke and found that the marina was actually a delivery site for the Neptunus power boat company. We talked to a new boat owner who explained the situation, so we pottied the dog, hopped aboard and took off before the employees arrived. We saw the Nina and the Pinta tied up just outside the first lock! How cool, they must have come in during the night. We headed out into the lake about 6 miles in heavy seas – 6-8 foot rolling waves, then set the sails and aimed for Kingston.

We had a great sail for about 4 hours, then off course like clockwork the wind died. After bouncing around for a while, we decided to motor. We took off and made slow progress Eastward. The wind had died but the waves had not; there was this ugly chop that really hampered progress. We stopped after a few hours to re position the dinghy in the davits because it was not balanced properly. While balancing off the back, the dinghy support system snapped! The boat slid backwards and dropped engine first upside down into the water. We were able to recover it quickly and get the boat back up and secured in the davits, but not before the motor had spent some time under water. I was furious – the davit harness had failed. We had to jury rig a solution to let us safely lift the boat, and then we headed on our way. The wind remained very light through the night and so we were both able to get some good sleep while off watch.

Morning saw us rounding West Point and heading down into the St Lawrence river towards Kingston. The wind picked up a little; enough to allow us to switch off the engine and sail a little. We were headed deep downwind so we put up the spinnaker for a little while and ran wing on wing with it for an hour or so until the wind reached 12-15 – then we dropped the chute and broad reached down the channel and into Kingston.

We arrived mid afternoon, tied off and went ashore. The marina we were in was right in the center of downtown, so we took a long walk around before taking a shower, doing the laundry (which was free in the marina) and then going out to dinner in a neat bistro with a view of the water and the park. This is a very quaint town, it reminded us of Old Westerville, lots of tourists and very clean.

Next morning after work we went to the grocery store for a few necessities and then tackled changing the oil in the engine. I took the oil out of the engine and then walked a good 2 miles to a disposal location before walking another mile to pick up the oil filter and then returned back to the boat to install and add the new oil. After we finished that and got cleaned up, we left in a 15 to 20 knot breeze from the South and headed down the river on a beam reach. It was a beautiful sunny day, blue skies with puffy clouds and great wind. We saw speeds of 8.5 knots, so there must be a current here already. We sailed for about 4 hours and enjoyed some tasty sangria and a quinoa salad along the way. We weaved our way through the islands and into the American Channel, past Clayton and under the bridge to Wellesley Island and found a small Cove near Fishers Landing called Swan Cove. There we anchored for the night; it was so calm it felt like we were at the dock.

We left early in the morning and headed upriver. Naturally the wind was blowing towards us, so we had to motor sail. Around noon the wind backed more to the west and we were actually able to turn off the engine and sail. We had to tack in a few places but with the current we were over 9 knots a lot of the time! It was exhilarating. We went through our first lock on the river – Iroquios and then decided to find a spot to spend the night. We found a free marina run by the Lions club near Morrisburg, so we pulled in and decided to tackle the next few locks in the morning. While dinner was being made, I spent the time trying to get the obviously flooded (water) engine to start. A gentleman named Guy from Quebec struck up a conversation with me and with his help I was able to get it going – he is a true genius when it comes to engines! He also had suggestions for me to try to fix the engine racing issue I have when the motor is in idle. I did try one of his ideas and it helped a great deal; the motor still idles high, but now its manageable and not out of control. Thank you Guy for you insights and your help – hopefully our paths will cross again.

Woke up rather late the next day and after breakfast we left with a nice breeze from the nose, so we had to motor and we put out the staysail. We motor sailed to the Eisenhower lock, and along the way started having issues with the engine. The engine alarm was going off but not loudly. So after we passed through the Snell lock we pulled over to one side, anchored and we checked the water system over. I checked and cleaned the water intake, the raw water impeller and the engine impeller. Then we got going again and the alarm came on again so we are thinking it might be the thermostat. We found a nice place just north of Cornwall and anchored in a residential area in a Cove for the night. We saw a beautiful sunset, it was very calm with about a one knot current that held us into the wind perfectly. Around sunset someone came out and played the bagpipes on his back porch. We enjoyed a good salad for dinner along with a glass of sangria and then went to bed.

Next morning we woke to a beautiful sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing. After eating breakfast and taking the dog for a walk, the wife went up the mast to replace the courtesy flag halyard and then we set sail. Winds were very light but gradually increased during the day and with the current we saw speeds of 6 to 7 sometimes. We averaged about 5 knots; there was not a lot of commercial traffic but being Sunday, there were a ton of power boats and sailboats. We ended up finding a free anchorage on a wall that was part of the old Canal system before the current locks were built. It was in Les Coteaux near an RV campground. We were able to refill some of our water bottles, then enjoyed a nice light dinner took a nice long walk. Talked to some young girls that were going to college in Montreal and convinced them to jump off of the bridge (15-20ft high) that we were walking over. We walked around the campground and then came back for dinner, took a shower and then turned in for the night.

We woke up early the next morning, filled our water tanks and then departed for the next lock at Beauharnois. We transited through the locks into Lake St Louis, set sail and sailed to our next lock which is outside of Montreal at St Catherines. The winds were light and it was a beautiful day; we moved along at about five knots comfortably with the wind on our stern. When we arrived at the canal entrance, we lowered our sails and drove down the channel to the canal that takes you to the last two locks on the river. While in transit we heard a Mayday call, a small aircraft crashed into the st. Lawrence river behind us; apparently it was a false Mayday.

While waiting for the first lift bridge we got caught in our first bad squall. It rained cats and dogs for about 45 minutes and we were soaked. Just when we thought it was over, the next wave of blinding rain and wind would blow through reducing visibility at times to less then a few hundred yards. It was very frustrating because the lift bridge operator would not respond to our calls for a time when the bridge would open. That was after I confirmed with the Coast Guard what channel they respond to. I thought that was very rude. Once the bridge came up, after about an hour and 15 minutes, we motored through and down the channel to the second-to-last lock where we were made to wait for no reason for almost an hour. We locked through there and then motored down to the last lock where they took us in almost immediately.

Free! Finally free of the locks, we motored out of the canal and North of the city to an anchorage I found on Active Captain. When we arrived we realized it was too exposed so I started to look for another place to anchor. I found one that said “Good for sailboats”. We headed over to it and dropped anchor in about 30 ft of water in a channel between 2 islands. It was 12:30 am – a looooong day. It turned out to be a great spot; we were facing West into a 2 knot current which held the boat steady and calm all night long – we slept like babies.

We decided to stay in this spot for two nights. We explored the island and did laundry among other things and just lazed around all day. The weather was nice and sunny with just enough of a breeze to cool things down. It was nice to relax after such a long tiring day.

In the morning after a great night’s sleep we went to explore the other side of the island we were anchored by. The whole island was a paintball haven – almost looked like a military training ground – pretty amazing. We headed back to the boat and prepped to leave.

Then we hauled anchor and headed North towards Quebec City. We motored pretty much all day, there was very little wind. We were able to sail for a short while and then Anchored In Lake St Louis. We found a group of islands to nestle down in between and prepped for an impending storm. We had three waves of rain, winds of 30 knot and plenty of lightning and thunder but it was very sheltered so the anchor held well.

Next morning we got up early and headed off down river. Our destination was Portneuf. There was very little boat traffic, and of course no wind, so we motored all day, which is getting sort of boring. The sides of the river are getting higher and steeper and the river is getting wider. The good thing is that with the current we are able to make 7-10 knots while only running the engine at half throttle, so we are getting pretty good gas mileage!

We anchored off a point in in the river at Portneuf for the night, arriving around 5pm. There were gentle winds, and a small current that held the boat nicely pointing towards the West. We went ashore and explored the area; it was a private park, very heavily wooded and beautiful. We turned in early in anticipation of the 30 mile trip to Quebec the next day. During the night the winds came up from the north and the boat turned around, the anchor held but I was rather nervous because if it did come loose, we would have had very little time to get away from the shore.

We got up very early in the morning and after we walked the dog we hauled anchor and took off. The winds that were blowing through the night became stronger, and soon we were looking at 25 to 30 with a very long fetch, so we had four to five foot waves on the nose which made things VERY slow going. We had to motor; very slow going at first, but when the tide turned in our favor – yes Portneuf is 30 miles from the ocean and has 10 ft tides – that helped our speed and after starting at about three knots we ended up doing 8 to 9.

We pulled into Quebec around 1:30, took a nice long walk, explored and went grocery shopping. Then we left the dog on the boat and went for a walk in Old Town, stopped at a cafe and had some coffee and gelato and did some window shopping. It is a very quaint and European looking city. Came back to the boat showered and went to bed.

The whole idea of canal systems is pretty ingenious and the Welland Canal is no exception. I have never seen a bridge with a roadway get lifted up at least 120 feet into the air but that is exactly what we sailed under upon entering the canal. Immediately, we entered an equalizing lock and dropped only about 3 feet or so, and it wasn’t until after motor-sailing 17 miles of remote grass lined banks of the canal that we entered into the lock system.

Husband stood at the bow and while I was at the helm looking like I knew what I was doing as we approached critical signal signs and red/green lights with steel erector set type gates dropping in front of my face, he was taking pictures?  Up to this point, the sun was shining and warm westerly winds were blowing across port side.  We entered the big lock, positioned the boat steady against the lock wall, lock tenders threw what felt like 50 pounds of line at each of us, and as we descended down about 45 feet of cracked concrete lock wall, the skies changed to a torrential downpour and remained so for the entire traverse of the canal which took no less than 7 hours.

After 7 locks total, heavy rains, strained muscles, no food or drinks, and the unnerving experience of passing alongside 68,000 ton freighters so close that I could spit and hit their hulls, I was beyond beat. As a final note, I believe that the ability to move 21 million gallons of water in 10 minutes is nothing less that pure human mechanical genius and pretty amazing to witness.

We went to Put-In-Bay with the friend that drove my wife home and anchored in front of Perry’s Monument for the evening. We ended up motoring the whole way due to lack of wind. We anchored and after ensuring we weren’t dragging, took the dinghy in to shore and walked around a little before heading over to dinner at the Keys. We sampled Conch Fritters, a Bahamian delicacy – YUM! After dinner we headed back to the boat and sat out for a little while enjoying the clear, starry skies and then plopped into bed for the night.

We woke on Sunday to a cool SW breeze. We went in to shore for a good cup of coffee over at Wharfside and ended up eating breakfast there. Then we headed back to the boat and had a wonderful sail home. Winds were 12-20 knots – perfect breeze and a lovely sail. We finished off the day with dinner at Orchards, our favorite restaurant. Monday we ended up there again for happy hour and enjoyed coconut shrimp and mussels along with a martini – $5 each! Gotta love Mondays. I got the apparent wind steering for the autopilot installed, we decided our test will be at departure.

Wednesday we ironed up last bit odds and ends; last minute boat and grocery shopping, laundry and final preparation for getting underway. A friend of ours graciously offered to drive us around since our car is now gone. We went to the chiropractor for a much needed adjustment, then off to Krogers for grocery shopping. It was so hot that we decided to by a pint of Graeters double chocolate chip icecream which we proceeded to demolish while sitting outside in the shade. It was good! Then we went over to West Marine for a few last minute things and headed back to the boat to pack it all away. It was so hot – all we could do was lay around and rest until the sun went down, then we took a walk and showered before watching an episode of Midsomer Murders on Netflix before hitting the hay. This was definitely the hottest day we have had so far, the heat index was over 100!

Thursday we awoke early and went for a walk before the heat of the day kicked in. By 10 am it was 90 and very sticky. We put on the mainsail anticipating our new sail cover which comes tomorrow. Then to protect it from the sun we covered it with sheets and towels. The whole process took until noon and by then we were both drenched in sweat. Another day of 90 plus with very high humidity. I spent the afternoon below working – hiding from the sun with a wet towel around my neck to keep me cool.

Later in the day our dock neighbor came by and gave me a ride over to the store so I could pick up cooking fuel and safety flares, the last 2 things we needed before departure. We also took the time to stop at Tofts for the last time and we enjoyed a serving of Caveman Chocolate – our favorite flavor. Then we needed to fix something with our Yankee (front sail). We ended up having to take it down and lay it out on the street to get it fixed. By the time his was all done we were both dripping in sweat so we took the dinghy for a ride to the beach where we waded around in waist deep water and tried to wash the boat to cool off. We put Windsor in for a swim too as he looked pretty hot as well. He was NOT amused. He’s a great swimmer but water isn’t his favorite place to be. Of course we had to give him a bath once we got back to the boat so he wouldn’t stink once the lake water dried. That impressed him even less.

Today we filled the water tanks for the last time and now we are just waiting for my stepson to visit and say goodbye – he’s taking clients Walleye fishing this weekend – AND pick up our new sail cover and then we are off! You will be able to track our position using this link here. We appreciate all your prayers for us for a safe trip. We are on our way! Friday – July 21.

So the inverter came in and after drilling a few holes for the monitoring gauge, we had it installed and running. Hope it holds up. Our test of the inverter did not go well, it turned on just fine and worked as it should but the fridge was on and within 30 seconds our battery alarm went off indicating that the batteries were not holding a good charge. Once more we will have to fork out some moola and get ourselves two new batteries. We researched and decided we will get AGM batteries which behave a lot like the new cellphone batteries; they charge quickly and hold a charge well. So that means we need to finish the wind generator install, solar panels, charging system and the new batteries and then we will be ready to leave.

Our tentative departure date is as soon after the weekend of 7/15 as possible. Our first stop will be Erie, PA and to get into our travel schedule, we will start by taking a number of 2 day sails, leaving in the morning, traveling through the ensuing night and hopefully ending up somewhere the following evening where we can get a good night’s sleep before taking off and doing the same thing again. By doing this we hope to catch up a little to our schedule so we can spend the time we want in the places we earmarked as must visit. So, our initial stops will be Erie, Port Colburne in Canada (entrance to the Welland Canal), Port Dalhousie (exit of canal), Toronto and then Kingston.

My biggest fear is that when we leave, the wind will leave too! The last 3 days we have had great winds, but they were out of the North East which is unfavorable for us. Prior to that we had a week of strong South Westers which would have been great for travel, so we are hoping that when we leave the winds will be favorable to our journey. Summer winds tend to be light but in the end, God is in control, so we will follow His lead as we travel.

July 4th weekend came and went. It poured – 2 inches or more – on Thursday and Friday, and were were starting to go stir crazy being all cooped up in the cabin. But Friday evening the skies cleared and we had a beautiful, cool weekend with plenty of sun and a pleasant cool breeze. I worked at my job to make up for some time I missed, and we visited with friends at a marina in Sandusky.

We had quite a scare at our marina that weekend – I was sitting in the cockpit on Saturday afternoon enjoying a glass of cold white wine when I heard a whump! Hmm – there is a guy at the marina next door that always crashes into his dock EVERY time he comes in. Not that though, sounded more like an explosion. So I stood up and looked in the direction of the sound and there was a huge pall of jet black smoke. There was a powerboat on fire at the gas dock, slowly drifting away towards the homes on the other side of the channel. As it drifted towards the houses, a fireman jumped into a zodiac dinghy in his full gear, and was taken over to the boat where they got a line attached and were able to haul it out away from the shore until the fire department arrived on the East shore.

Then they let it drift towards the firefighters on shore where they were able to put the fire out. All that was left was a melted pile of fiberglass, and the engine block, – the boat burned down to the waterline and sank. All this happened in about 15 minutes, a sobering reminder of how quickly things can turn ugly. Thankfully no-one was on the boat, but the pump attendant did get flash burns. My thought was static discharge. Although it hardly ever happens in summer, Saturday was unusually dry and crisp, and that made the possibility of static discharges quite a reality. We found out later that the boat had 2 fuel tanks, and that the one on the far side of the boat was too far away for the hose to reach, so instead of turning the boat around, they opened up the windows in the cabin and passed the hose through the windows to reach the farther tank. This allowed gas fumes to accumulate inside the cabin where the bilge blower and sniffer couldn’t handle them. Careless and stupid.

We were invited to go out on a friend’s boat on July 4 for an evening of fireworks. We went out and drifted around for a few hours and watched fireworks which seemed to be literally everywhere around us. We were lucky to have a beautiful evening with a spectacular sunset courtesy of our Lord. God manages to amaze me every day with the beauty of His creation, the sunsets we have seen since moving onto the boat have been truly spectacular.

With a tentative departure date set, we started to plan for our needs – what foods we wanted to take with and what other miscellaneous items we needed to have with us. Up till now, all the food we have been eating on the boat except for veggies, fruit and salads were things we bought from our pantry on land. We have been making a concerted effort to eat the things we don’t want to take so we have room for the needed supplies we do want to take along with us. That planning includes food for the dog, so we have a 6 month supply of Windsor’s favorite dog food neatly stowed under our bed. He seems to be adjusting well to living aboard and the three of us have been exercising diligently, walking at least 3 times a day in between me working and us doing our boat chores.

We made a final trip home to pick up a few things and drop off stuff we thought we needed but didn’t. Its amazing how there are things you attach value to and just can’t do without, then you move on to a boat and realize after a month or so that its really worthless and merely taking up space. We stocked up on food we wanted to take for the journey – stuff from Costco and vitamins from our local health food store. Its amazing how quickly you can blast through money when you are buying food! 10 minutes in the store and you are out a few hundred quid! I do not know how large families deal with grocery prices; wages are not going up but food costs sure are.

We headed back to the boat and after unloading all our goodies, we went out for a sail. Our friends who live up here in a condo on the island sailed their Hunter over and we anchored out on the North side of Kelleys Island and spent a wonderful evening hanging out with them. We woke early on Sunday and had breakfast before enjoying a makeshift worship service. We had a contemplative reading , and then sang some worship songs to the sound of an acoustic guitar. Then we headed back – beating into a dying South West wind. After 3 hours and having only made it half way due to the chop from all the boat traffic, we relented and turned on the engine to motor the last few miles back.

We said goodbye to our dock neighbors as they won’t be here again until after we leave, and then headed over for some Tofts ice cream to finish off the day. The next day started out with storms; a big complex of thunderstorms passed through in the morning which made it difficult to work outside. The delays and inclement weather are making us anxious to depart. We pretty much spent the day inside and then went out for a free dinner to Bistro163. The restaurant is a ministry geared to helping improve food security for people in the Port Clinton Area. When you eat there, you can pay more for your meal if you want and then that excess goes to pay for food for patrons that can’t afford the cost. It is staffed by volunteers from the community and local churches. There was even a local group of musicians serenading us while we ate, singing songs and hymns we all know from our childhood. The food was great and next time you are in the area, please support them! Here is a google map link to help you find them.

Next day we woke up to rain – AGAIN!! It did finally blow over and clear up mid morning, but that gave way to some VERY HUMID conditions as there was water everywhere from the morning rain as well as the deluge we experienced the day before. We had breakfast and I took the dog for a walk before knuckling down to work. Around noon we had lunch and then spent the afternoon getting the wind generator installed. We managed to get the pole up but that was about it. 12 holes drilled and then we found out after installing one of the braces that the other 2 were located on parts of the boat where the fiberglass was thicker. Had to run to the store AGAIN and exchange the bolts I had purchased for longer ones so they would fit properly. It was quite a performance; shopping for the wire, bolts and other knick knacks needed along with actually installing the mast ended up taking the whole afternoon. We showered and fell into bed exhausted.

Wind generator pole – UP

The next day was a write off – we drove to Pittsburgh to say good bye to my mother-in-law. Its a 3 hour drive so that pretty much took the entire day. It rained for most of the morning so there wasn’t any lost time for outside work. Then when we got home we walked and showered and went to bed, only to be woken up by the next round of thunderstorms rolling through. We had left the windows on the lee side of the boat open because it was so hot and humid, and in our foggy sleepiness we forgot. So the dog’s bed got soaked, as did the seating cushion on that side. Ah well, at least the laptop didn’t get wet. It rained and stormed for 4 hours, finally quitting just around sunrise. There were warnings all day prior from our weather apps on our phones to the effect that there would be torrential rain – BOY they weren’t kidding! Our dinghy filled up with water, so I had to pump it out just in case there was more rain later in the day.

The weather held, but we sweated through the day. It was unbearably humid and tried to rain all day. Towards evening the clouds cleared and the humidity dropped, so we decided to work on getting the batteries installed. That was a circus act in the making. The area inside the lazarette (storage locker) is large enough to comfortably fit a small adult. My 6 ft frame was a tight squeeze. Then, add to that you are working at arms length AND not being able to see what you are doing because what you are working on is around the corner out of sight.

Needless to say it took me a good 3 hours to do what a person in a workshop with the tools and access could have done in 10 minutes. By the end of it all I was dripping with sweat and VERY frustrated. I yelled more at myself in those 3 hours than I have in years. After finally getting 1 battery operational so we could have cabin electric for bed time, I called it quits and rewarded myself with a stiff drink.

Next day we worked on the wind generator, the solar panels and the controller which keeps everything synchronized and working properly. We could not fit the generator on the pole with the existing rubber sleeve; the sleeve was too thick. So we had to improvise (duct tape) and with the help of a friend of ours, we got the generator installed on the pole and got the pole mounted and secured – WHEW. The solar panels were a little easier; they only weigh 4 pounds each, so we laid them temporarily up on the bimini top and used bungee cords to hold them in place, with permanent attachment to come later. This allowed us to run the connecting wires to the controller which I installed in the lazarette. While time consuming, this was not nearly as frustrating as my adventure with the battery hookup. By dinner time we had solar and wind sources both hooked up to the controller and everything worked like a charm. We rewarded ourselves with a glass of homemade Sangria and watched a beautiful sunset from our cockpit. The hot weather has broken and we are now less humid with about a 10 degree drop in temperatures, so we are back to good sleeping weather.

So, as the weekend rolls around, my wife is taking the car down to Columbus for the last time and a friend is bringing her back and spending the weekend with us. I will be getting the last battery installed and get the depth sounder tweaked (we thought it was broken – it wasn’t) and then the last thing we need to get is a bilge for the shower and we are on the road. No car once today is over so it will be strange not running into Tofts for a quick ice cream in the heat, but within 5 days we will be gone and we won’t see our dock again until next October.

Its been a month since our last post. Our plan was to leave on Fathers Day weekend, but that didn’t happen. There were too many things that needed to be installed, parts that were delayed and critical things that broke, so we will be delaying leaving until we have all that addressed. We have still been working like crazy and life has gotten easier now that the weather has warmed up. We had a pleasant Memorial Day weekend, then my wife left for California to visit family. The week she was gone I spent the entire time in sweats – howling North East winds with temps in the low to mid 50s made it tough to get out. The continuous rain didn’t help either.

The church we attend up here was preparing for VBS, so I went over to help them out on Wednesday evening. Thankfully the sun was actually out as I was working outside. I picked my wife up at the airport late on Thursday, and on Friday we headed back to the boat. Straight from freeze to fry! I haven’t worn a sweater since! It has been hot (90+) and humid and it has been hard to get used to.

Decorating for VBS

The next block of equipment arrived, and we started installing away. The first big cosmetic change was the installation of lifeline netting. This completely changed the look of the boat, and with the netting on, the lifelines can no longer be lowered. It looks pretty good, and really helps keep the dog in – he can no longer jump to the dock, so we have to lift him over, but the added safety benefit is well worth it. We will however need to figure out an easier way to get over the lifelines and off the boat without standing on (and damaging) the netting.

Last year we re-did the interior of the boat and modernized the color scheme. While wandering around the local Dollar General, we found turquoise bath towels and my wife hit on a great idea – re cover the cockpit cushions with towels instead of sunbrella. It would be MUCH cheaper, and more comfy to sit on. So she whipped out the sewing machine and a few hours later we had a whole new look upstairs in the cockpit. 6 towels at $3 each – well worth the investment. And, when they get dirty we simply take them off and run them through the laundry.

Then my wife painted our boat cradle and got it ready to be alone for 18 months. A good fresh coat of paint and a name plate for each side made by her son (westcoastcurbs.com) and she looks brand new and ready for some time alone.

The next thing on the project list was the installation of the davits. These hold the dinghy out of the water while we are traveling, which helps us to go faster and keeps your lifeboat attached to the boat so you cant lose it. The installation wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be; all I needed was a drill, a socket driver and a level – a few hours and 6 holes later and we were in business!

Our new dinghy also arrived. We bought a Portland Pudgy – its a 4-person dinghy that also serves as a life raft. Its made of the same material that the plastic kayaks are made out of – its hollow and filled with foam which makes it unsinkable. Also, there are storage compartments for all kinds of nifty stuff. Playing around in areas where coral can play havoc with rubber boats will give us definite peace of mind.

Our dinghy/lifeboat – Miss Pudge

The fun thing was figuring out how to secure the dinghy in the davits for traveling. There were all sorts of straps and it took a good 2 hours before I sorted out how it all goes together. Now we have a dinghy and a lifeboat (all in one) and that will give me peace of mind when crossing the ocean.

I also had to go up the mast – our spinnaker leader jumped out of the sheave and got jammed. I use leaders (cheap disposable line) to allow me to take the halyards off in the fall so that they last longer. Fixing the halyard has been challenging because it has been so windy and rainy since we moved up here that we have not been able to safely go up the mast to fix the issue. We finally got a nice calm day and I climbed the mast using our new main halyard as a safety line and got the leader unstuck so we could get the spinnaker halyard in place. Now all we have left to do is get the mainsail on, but that won’t happen until we get our new sail cover.

We had a pleasant surprise last week. One of my wife’s helpers in her Sunday school class came up to the lake on vacation, and we met her and took her family out for a sail. Her youngest daughter was in our class as well, so we had a wonderful reunion and for a change the weather that day cooperated as well. They have sailed before, both keelboats and dinghies, so we let everyone who wanted to drive the boat. The wind was perfect and we had a wonderful time. It was nice to step out of our routine and we felt blessed by their visit. Afterwards we went to the local Tofts ice cream store for some caveman chocolate (best ice cream EVER) and were treated to a gorgeous display – a sunset that truly showed the artwork of our Creator.

The next big task is the installation of part of our charging system; the mast and the wind generator. Then the last 2 things on our list – the solar panels and anchor chain – once installed will give us everything we feel we need to be able to leave. But – just when you feel like you are ready, stuff breaks. Our depth sounder and the inverter both gave up the ghost. So now we have to replace those as well. Thankfully the inverter is under warranty so it won’t cost anything to replace. Aah the joys of cruising on a boat – repairing your boat in exotic locations….

Life aboard was not so romantic to start. Day 1 it poured rain all day, and day 2 added a howling wind to the rain. We were cooped up inside the tiny cabin trying to work and get stuff unpacked and put away. We were chilled, we had originally thought that we had too much “winter” clothing, but in retrospect, I could have used more! Day 3 was cool and sunny and one of our boating friends paid us a visit. We sat up in the cockpit and chatted for a while in the warm sun, while downing our favorite white wine; Walleye White. Its from a local vineyard (Firelands Winery) and its light and uncomplicated.

Thursday we packed up and headed back to our old stomping grounds, then off to Pittsburgh to visit with family and attend a concert our friend was featured in. Just as well, Thursday and Friday at the boat were plain miserable; some of the stores in Port Clinton put sandbags by their entrances to stop water from blowing in. It was hellish – we were glad we were able to miss it!

Monday was sunny but cold, but by noon it was warm enough to work outside. We got the bottom painted, some more unpacking done and then Tuesday we launched. It felt good to feel the boat floating in her natural element instead of up on the cradle where the deck was 10 ft off the ground. Here are some pictures showing the launch process.

The water in Lake Erie is high this year. We docked without incident, and got settled in. I spent the day doing some remodeling. We had scavenged a bunch of teak (doors and trim) off a boat that was scrapped. We decided to use the doors to make new storage spots in the boat where there was space that was not being used. I cut the holes while my wife helped, and wouldn’t you know it – in spite of making very sure I had unobstructed cutting room, I nicked a water line with the jig saw! Water spurted everywhere – we hastily turned off the water pressure. That meant a trip to the store to get some plumbing parts to join the line back together. That done we turned on the water pressure to test my repairs and wouldn’t you know it – the other water line was nicked as well!

Water pressure off – another trip to the store to buy the exact same things I purchased an hour ago. Back to the boat, fix the leak and then with that done we were able to finish the installation of our new storage spaces. After cleanup – fiberglass dust really gets everywhere so thank goodness we covered everything – I tackled the assembly/fixing of our teak cockpit floorboards.

That was a circus performance! I was making good progress until the last board. One of the pieces I was attempting to put together with a mallet flew off and landed a good distance away in the lake. The wind caught it and it started to drift away. I ran back to the boat to grab the boat hook. I grabbed the wooden piling as I jumped aboard and WHAM – a nice sized wooden splinter sheared off and plunged into my thumb right under the fingernail. I was in a fair amount of pain and had to fight that off while grabbing the hook and fumbling to get it extended to reach the piece of wood which was now being taken away from shore by the wind.

I managed to get it extended and hooked the wood and brought it in to shore where I lifted it out and then attended to my finger. The splinter was a good size and luckily was sticking out from under the nail, so I was able to grab it and pull it out. Whew. After finishing the assembly of the floorboards we took a shower, and after enjoying a relaxing glass of wine, we collapsed into bed to do it all again the next day.

After a few days home babysitting the grandkids while their parents were out of town, we returned back to our home (the boat) and went right back to work. Our next project was the construction of a book shelf to hold the books in place and prevent them from flying around while we are under way. Then we tackled the mounting of our DVD player under a bookshelf at the navigation table so we could clear off a shelf for storage of our media. The last thing we tackled was the cutting of a storage area under the stove and putting a “gate” in place to keep the pots and pans from flying out of their spots.

One of the major pieces of equipment we had to replace was the wire from the front of the boat up to the top of the mast (forestay). This was made from aluminum and was an original piece of equipment from 1979 when the boat was made. It presented a risk – breakage would be a disaster and could have resulted in the loss of our mast! So we replaced it with a new stainless steel wire, and a furling unit that mounted over it to make rolling up the front sail (Yankee) easier. I spent the morning helping the rigger assemble the furler, and when done, the marina put up the mast, so we now have a boat with a mast on it – its starting to look like a real sailboat.

Mast Up!

With all that done, we went back to our storage unit and started bringing our provisions back to the boat. While I worked, my wife packed and organized so we now have a boat where the floor is free of obstructions 🙂 Every day I work, then I work on the boat and we collapse into bed and sleep like babies. One thing about living on the boat; you are outside more than when you are in a house. That feels good although it would be nice if the weather would warm up a little.

The past weekend the wind howled and it rained and temps were in the 50s (10C) on Saturday so we were stuck inside packing and made brief trips outside only during breaks in the rain. The wind was out of the North East at 30-40 mph, which caused the water to pile up on the west end of the lake where we are located. The water was 4 to 5 inches away from covering the road where our car is parked, and we heard from friends that the water was up on the roads in some of the lower parts of town. Fish were swimming and eventually got stranded in the streets when the wind died down and the water level dropped back to more normal levels. The water level dropped almost 3 foot in a few days once the wind died down – a testament to its power.

Friends ask us if we are enjoying ourselves. We are! There is still a lot of work to do to get the boat ready, but things are taking shape and we are making progress. The excitement is building.

Change is sometimes unsettling. Sometimes its good and sometimes its bad. We have had a bit of both lately. We had the sad experience of saying goodbye to an old, dear friend. Rick has been in my life ever since I met my wife; she introduced us. He was a paraplegic, and when he died at 74 he was one of the longest lived paraplegics ever. Thankfully God took him quickly, he did not linger long, but he did leave quite a void in our lives. We will miss him greatly.

Then there’s the sad goodbyes related to leaving our home of 5 years and changing tacks in life to become live-aboard sailors. We had a huge garage sale last week and made ourselves a bit of cash. What didn’t go we donated to a children’s cancer charity – it all HAD to go regardless. So our past week was spent packing, packing and packing. Going back and forth to the storage unit and filling it to the rim with the things we want to keep. As much as we have gotten rid of, there’s still enough to cozily fill a 1 car garage. Its amazing how much we are keeping and how much we got rid of!

Wednesday we went to our final church group and was touched by the well wishes and prayers they said for us when we left. We loaded up the car – FULL – and headed up to the boat where we proceeded to unload and start filling every nook and cranny with stuff. Amazingly enough we got it all packed away, so we turned around and headed home to get load number 2.

Another trip up to the storage container to try and smash some more stuff into it and then we collapse into bed exhausted, only to get up the next day and start all over again. Saturday we got everything packed and were done with the storage unit! We decided to go to our favorite watering hole and say goodbye. But – no clean clothes as we had left all our clothes up on the boat. All we had were the clothes we were working in and our Sunday best for church.

We stopped by the Dollar store and purchased a cheap outfit for each of us, then headed home, showered and went out to dinner. We said our goodbyes to friends and then headed home where we collapsed into bed. Sunday we woke up and with great joy took our horrible mattress down to the car – we dumped it. Got dressed and went to church where we taught our final Sunday school lesson and I did my final security duty. Then we said our goodbyes to church family and went to see my son, daughter-in-law and their new baby. They now have 3 kids.

What a precious beautiful baby! We spent time there and then after eating , came home where we packed the car and then left. One more time to the storage unit – we weren’t done – and then we drove up to the boat. We arrived around 12:30 and collapsed into bed once again, only this time we knew when we woke up that our backs wouldn’t hurt as much since our bed up on the boat is MUCH better than the one we were sleeping on at home.

We are now live-aboards. The next part of our adventure has begun.

Wow! You finally get to the point where the house is starting to empty out and then the enormity of it all strikes. In 2 weeks we will be “homeless” – with only the boat to live on. We went out to dinner last night and I don’t know if it was the food or the TV watching afterwards, but neither of us could get to sleep. As a side note – we were watching a series on Netflix called “Midsomer Murders” – my parents introduced it to us on our last visit down there. GREAT show – we have yet to figure out the guilty party in an episode and we are now up to the beginning of season 4! Highly recommended!!

Anyway, so at 11:30PM we turned on the light and grabbed a notepad and started writing down things that had to be done before we leave the house. The list was HUGE!! Gifts for all our family birthdays in April, license renewal, wrapping up loose ends for things we are giving away, address changes for the bank, life insurance, cellphone service, scheduling the final electric meter reading and having the power turned off – that was just part of my list and I only have about 25% of the tasks! All these little details you don’t think about when living from day to day on land – amazing how much they clutter up your existence. And another thing – they add to your bills!

The nice thing about this is we will only have 4 bills next month; mail, cell phone, credit card and dockage – a FAR simpler existence that will allow us to concentrate on the things of importance, namely getting the rest of the equipment purchased and installed for the trip. This is proving to be daunting – I finally took a serious look at what still needed to be done, and its almost $25K worth – dinghy, lifeboat, safety equipment, fixing broken and leaky hatches, new forestay and roller furling, solar and wind generation capability – I know why they spell it BOAT – it means Break Out Another Thousand 🙂

After going over the list we realized that some of the stuff can be purchased and installed along the way, but some of the stuff – like the forestay, roller furling, dinghy, safety gear and lifeboat have to be done before we can leave. That means I will be doing a LOT of chores on the boat after I get done with work each day. Its going to be a tough road, but the reward will be worth it. Our departure date looks to be in the first half of June assuming we can get all the required chores done. Weather will play a part in this too.

We are both getting over colds too – while we don’t feel stressed, I think that the enormity of what needs to be done is silently taking its toll. Can’t wait for the next step to pass – our get-rid-of-it-all garage-sale – that big step will move us toward move out date and the start of the next part of the adventure.

Half of what we’re taking aboard – not much…

Then there are the con-men – I mean seriously! I am trying to sell a riding mower in Ohio, and some guy calls me from California with all this stuff about a certified check; I called the bank and they said 10 days to clear, so I told the guy I will hold the mower for 3 weeks to ensure the check clears; strange how he just suddenly fell off the planet. Crickets…. Don’t people have better things to do?!? Happened to me 3 times today, all with the same M.O. !

Ah well, the joys of downsizing. Until next time….