May 18, 2017

We don't have sails Lord!  Thats what I said when we woke up to the strongest winds we've seen in a month!  and WE planned to "start" the trip today!  We even took pictures!  So now we have to wait it out...like I said, either the Lord thinks we have sails, or He is trying to teach us patience...probably the latter.

Update:  May 20....we DID leave.  Apparently the Lord thought we learned our lesson.  About 1 pm  the skies cleared and the Captain asked if I was up for a 6 hour trip.....well, I was getting tired of Markley marine,( although we made some good friends in the short time we were there).  So we pulled the lines and blew our horn and we were off ... day 1.  Have to add the incident at the marina "guard shack"-- when I went to turn in our key and explain we decided to leave a few days early.....the guard looked at me and said.....(seriously!!)   "are you taking your boat with you?"...in hindsight I should have said....."no, we decided to swim".   Oh well, it was the day after Saturday night, and he probably had a hang over???  just trying to give him some credit....as he probably wasn't the smartest kid in his class.  (ps...either was I, but seriously, I asked you!)

6 hours later we had cruised the Clinton River, passed Port Huron (which we could have pulled into if we decided we were tired) but kept on to Lexington, MI. (hit a rain storm on the way, but nothing to rattle us....we need to see what LeReve can do....and she did fine.  Bob had a little problem figuring out the fuel tanks, as LeReve has 3.  He worked thru that (what a guy)   We were  delightfully surprised at what a great port Lexington is.  We were in the slip and tied up by 8:30pm.  Monday was a beautiful day and we decided to not move but take a day of rest...
...which means shopping and eating.   We did both. I had forgotten how much fun these port cities can be.

Another thing we quickly noticed is how cell phones and internet has changed boating since our last boating experiences....  ie: hardly anyone uses the marine radio.  You don't hear the fishermen chattering at each other, or people calling marinas, etc....(kinda like listening in on a partyline!) I  miss that, but we too, resorted to using our cells.

This morning we left Lexington, to a good weather forecast, and headed to Harbor Beach (on the tip of the thumb)  as in you view Michigan as a mitt....in case you are not familiar with how we do it here.   Notice I said "we"...I guess as hard as it is to admit, I missed this ole state and the beautiful waters....although it will be a long time getting used to the humidity.

Another "cute" harbor worker experience.....today, as we pulled into a slip, I got the back end secure and the wind was fiercely whipping, and it was starting to rain...(note the above mentioned "good" weather forecast...NOT) the girl dockhand had the front of boat by the line around a piling and was holding on for dear life, as the wind gusted, and she says to me...."I've pulled calves on our farm, but it isn't this hard!" Finally with capt Bob on the dock (that left me on the boat alone....oh no....) a neighboring sailor ran over and helped pull us against the wind...and she was finally secured.   (this is while a boat load of Coast Guard, big, strapping men, sat in the comfort of their float boat and watched)....oh well, probably not in their job description.  (Now, for you boaters out there....yes I did throw a spring line but "we" were trying to get the nose over and change cleats at the same time the wind gusted and the spring shouldn't have been loosened before the other was secure ....lesson learned.) That's what life is about....a good quote I heard the other day..."it's ok if you don't know something, but it's when you don't know that you don't know, that will get you in trouble!"

As long as I am quoting, someone on our AGLCA page said..."How awesome is our God that has not only promised us an incredible future home, but also gives us the opportunity to do things like the Great Loop, while we are waiting".