Tuesday, July 18, 2017

As you can see...I think I figured out how to post pictures.....The first is of "Reef" who I got to dog sit in Meldrum, the 2nd is an example of WHY we come to the North Channel....every evening we are treated to a spectacular example of God's handiwork! and 3 is Cap't Bob, just in case you don't recognize him!!....we are going to put his hair in a pony tail when we see our kids next week!...admittedly it is not the greatest example of one, but he is proud non the less! (and to think I am a hairdresser!!)  We are both getting a kick our of our ability to grow our hair long!

We did get the dinghy arm fixed by "Norm"....THE man in Gore Bay....some refer to him as the "dock god!"  He can fix anything, that is WHY he doesn't answer his phone, he is too busy.... but he found us and found our problem.....as he laid way out over the edge of the roof and looked into the arm!..Now, as to not knock Capt Bob's abilities, it did take Norm considerable time to track the problem down and Bob had checked most of the same things, except for that hanging over the roof part.  "We" now know how that works.....not sure who will get to be the one to do the hanging over part to reset the breaker, if need be in the future!

So, now we are in Blind River...at the North side towards the west end of the channel.  We perhaps got a little over confident in our anchoring abilities and are very happy to be attached to a dock again, getting a good nights sleep.   After we left Gore Bay, after 4 days of crummy weather, but saw a great one woman "community play"....(very good, not the previous experience I have had with a one woman play, remember GA and Gini...how could we forget).....we then motored into Oak Bay....found an anchorage with about 7 other boats already there and a few more came after us...but after quite a windy night, we seemed to be the only one headed for the shore line!  At 6am we were up and running, away from the shore and rocks......we found another, better protected, anchorage and I went back to bed....Capt bob never took his eyes off the anchor until noon....then he spend that night sleeping in the helm to keep a better eye on it.  We do have alarms that go off in these cases, but it was faint and I was the only one who heard it....

We had another crummy weather day, but did manage to dinghy around Oak Bay and ran into (not really, just a matter of speaking) Barbara and Bill, who we had met and hung with on Mackinac Island.  Bill was attempting to fix his dinghy motor (its always something!)....don't know if he got it fixed or if they tried to find us, as we left the morning after Bob stayed up all night.....

We motored thru the Whalesback Channel, checked out a few anchorages, tried one and came up with a 20 foot log perfectly balanced on our anchor!....If I had stopped screaming and taken a picture, I could have shared that with you.....Bob and I wear headphones to speak to each other when one is one deck and other in pilot house....(they are called "marriage savers") and are designed so you don't have to scream at each other.....but in this instance, I WAS screaming into his ear piece....OMG...OMG!!!  Well, we left that anchorage, as remote as it was, (maybe that is why) and tried a few more that were FULL of boats....and the wind was picking up.   I suggested we head to a marina!....maybe the adventurous days of my youth are behind me, as I kind of  like the security of a dock....  We won't give up, just needed a good nights sleep....We plan to stay here a few nights...give Bob a chance to work on his LIST.....he is presently applying oil stain to places that need it...!  Me, I am drinking coffee and watching!   I love this life!

July 12, 2017

Presently we are in Gore Bay, in the North Channel of Lake Huron, Canada.   We left Rogers City on Sunday am, had a wonderful trip across Lake Huron and entered Canadian waters at Meldrum Bay....after checking thru customs, we are now good to go for a few weeks.....

Our first stop and anchoring attempt was Monday eve in Campbell Bay off Bayfield Sound.  The anchor went down and held us overnight, just like it is suppose to!!  Hooray!....Neither one of us slept soundly though....but by morning we were more secure in our anchoring skills...not bad for the first time!....We would like to say getting the new dinghy off the top of the boat with the swing lift went as smooth.  After the morning fog rolled out, we decided we would stay here and take a tour of the area in our dinghy that Bob had successfully loaded up on top before we left Rogers City.  (Let me add that he is not impressed with it just yet.  He thinks it is too small and too slow.....he is so used to getting in his Caribe and going 40 mph!!! that he had yet to learn to slow down.)  That also goes for his life as a boater....every day he undertakes a major project.  What about me?? I am happy just sitting around reading and making an occasional meal.  Well, back to the saga......Bob got the little dinghy half way off the top when the power wench stopped....just stopped....Not a good thing.  Now we have it leaning over the side of boat and it won't go up or down.  After several hours of trying to find the problem to no avail, we both used all our manpower (and one of us is not a man) to get the darn thing back in the cradle manually.  Well so much for that!.....we decided to go to Gore Bay and find someone who might have a clue as to how to fix it.  We arrived late afternoon and the attendant says "oh, getting in and out of the way of the incoming storm?".....we didn't know there was an incoming storm, so perhaps the Lord has his way of getting us out of danger as we would probably stayed anchored another night.    We did get some rain last eve, not anything serious and today is a dreary dismal day.  We do have the name of a "guy" that could fix our problem, IF he would only return our calls...might be here longer than we anticipated.  It is not a bad port to be stranded at....it has changed considerably since we were here 12 -14 years ago....very large and nice amenities...lots of eating and grocery options near by.   There are probably at least 6 other looper boats in here....I might have to walk the dock and get in on some "docktails with them".   We did  meet 2 other looper boats while in Rogers City.....one with a man doing it alone.  (he was heading into Lake Superior) and another couple close to our age who had just started from Bay City....they were heading north.

Another cute thing that happened while we were in Meldrum Bay.....a young gal, sailing alone (has been for 10 years) with a cute little white yip yap dog named Reef was docked beside us.  She was going to dinner and said he might bark, just ignore him....I said, no way....."bring him on our boat and I will dog sit".    How much fun was that!  just like grandkids, I spoiled him and fed him all kinds of stuff probably that his mama would not.....cheese and crackers, etc....and then he went home.  ALMOST makes me want to have a dog....but decided if I can get a gig dog sitting every once in a while, no need!!!  Once I can get this picture thing down, I will try to post more pics and talk less!  HA...would love to share the beauty of the countryside.....

4th of July......We are back in Rogers City after a long weekend on Mackinac Island.   Left here last Wednesday and had a great trip up.  Spent 4 nights on the Island, returning on Sunday.  It looked like a great day on the water until about 2 hours out of Rogers harbor when the winds changed and we spent that 2 hours in "the trough"....going up and down sideways!.....I thought I would "hurl" over the side, but did not.  We are back here while Bob goes downstate for business and to pick up our smaller dinghy that we purchased. 

  I am getting ahead of myself.....on the island we met another boat "looping"....same brand boat as ours, a few years older, so we had lots to compare, and Bill was full of knowledge, as they have been looping for 12 years now.....   Bill and Barbara soon became our new friends as we enjoyed a few "happy hours"...one celebrating Barbara's birthday.  That was after our "private" carriage ride arranged by Bill just for the occasion.  A great time was had by all.  The harbor was not as busy as we had expected, but still as rock and rolling as we remembered, by all the ferry traffic.  We indulged in all the island has to offer....fudge, t shirts, fish dinners etc....  Bob especially enjoyed a "Saunders" chocolate cake that he remembers from his hunting camp days.  I did get to sample ONE piece.  I do need to mention that we took a bike ride around the island....8 MILES!...so one of us wore off the one piece of chocolate cake.  Every day started off a little overcast and gloomy, but would eventually clear up and the sun would shine.....it was a great time. 

Top pic is of Grand Hotel, then one of Capt Bob at the helm, with the Island Ferry in back round.

So as mentioned we are now back in R.C......had a great 4th and celebrated Betty's Birthday (87TH!!) on LeReve with salmon dinner....decided to do it all out, instead of traditional hot dogs....after all, you are not 87 every day!

However, forgot to serve the corn on cob and the watermelon.....too much celebration?? Not really, just too much food.....we will have no problem taking care of that in the next few days.....

Once Bob is, once again, back from business....we will be heading to the North Channel for a few weeks before we meet up with our kids and grandkids in Drummond Island for a week for our traditional family get together.....Perhaps for this years group picture we should all wear PINK...in honor of our new grandchild that will make HER appearance in November (thanks to Molly and Aaron Branham).  We are delighted and above all, pray for a healthy child.  We are truly blessed.

Monday, June 26.     Well.....I might be putting out a call for a new captain!!....since we left, Bob has broken (almost, so he thought, but an er visit) a toe,  fell off the boat, and last eve cut open his finger....went to ER this am and got 3 stiches in it!!  Last eve I tried to play Nurse (NOT AT ALL MY CALLING) and we cleaned it out with a concoction that I found in the first aid kit....but this morning, still bleeding heavily (ugh......again, I am far from a nurse, did all I could to not pass out last eve just looking at it!)...so off he went for "professional" help.  After the horror of our friend, Dick's , cut finger, it was nothing we wanted to fool around with.

We are still in Rogers City, a crummy day, overcast, heavy rain.    We have reservations for Mackinaw Island on Thursday, and hope to begin our way there tomorrow, or next day.  Plans are changing daily, as to our "schedule"....NO schedule!.....

Our dinghy here is way too big for this boat, so we have ordered one  back in Detroit area.  We can pick it up end of week.   So we decided to go north for the heck of it and then return to Rogers where our car is (stored at my mom's) and go pick it up when ready.   We thought about heading across the lake to North Channel, but you really need a dingy there to get around all the anchorages, etc.   So we will visit the island of fudge and horse sh___.   We will return here, (Rogers) and Bob has business in the area where we will pick up the ordered dingy, so perhaps I will go along (by car) and visit daughter Molly and son in law, Aaron....who by the way, announced that the upcoming baby (November) is a GIRL.  We prayed for a healthy baby, and already have 3 grandboys, and would have welcomed another, but are over the moon for a girl!!!

We also forgot to mention what an awesome day we had  the day before we left Lake St. Clair with Bobs mom and sister Diane and brother in law, Tom.    We did a short trip out to the lake so show them how "fast" we would be going.....thus, why it will take a year!! (HA).  The weather cooperated and we had a good day.  Bob's mom said she feels better now knowing what we are living on , etc.... She also watched him build the platform and steps this winter, and signed the bottom along with the all the guys that helped with that project.    AND speaking of that.....we had a couple yesterday come over and admire our boat (always a good thing) and say, "I've never seen a Carver with a swim platform like that".....to which I replied  "and you never will!!"    UNLESS you have Bob custom build you one!!     They were impressed and Capt Bob's chest just got a little puffier.....almost makes up for him cutting off his finger!!  That's why they call it an accident.   Everyone has survived and we are learning from all our "mistakes".  

JUNE 22......a very rainy, humid day in alpena,mi.   We arrived yesterday..had a long day across Saginaw Bay...but enjoyable and calm seas...however at 10 miles per hour it can get tiresome.   Woke up to rain and cloudy skies so stayed put....Alpena was the BIG city back in my high school  days...it is sad to see it now... not vibrant and booming as it was in the 70's.   We did however have dinner at the "owl cafe"...a favorite of my youth.    Still run by same family.    Took capt bob to groc store with me...not a good plan...but we do have  lots of swwets and junk food! Hope to head for rogers city tomorrow am.

Opps.. i posted yesterdays post as MAY instead of JUNE..and referred to it in the post as may instead of JUNE...see what "living the dream " can do to your sense of time!..sorry

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".