9/4/11

Arrived in our home port (IVY Club-Peoria) just after noon.  Successfully pulled into our slip and joined the pig roast on the barge.  It's good to be home.  We won't be posting for a few weeks.   Our trip resumes in early October. 

Chicago to Peoria

Talked with Loopers behind us...Mike and Gail from Australia, and then headed for Burnham Harbor (near McCormick Place) for fuel since several  marinas have stopped carrying diesel fuel on the river.   We saw our next boat (see photo).  It is owned by the CEO of Arlington Race Track...not a bad little vessel. 

We headed north for the Chicago Lock.  Even in the harbor, the wind had picked up and we were glad to get into the shelter of the river.  Duke was terrified of the car noise from the bridges.  Our height is 14 feet from the water line, so we fit under all but 2 bridges.  The Amtrack bridge is notorious for making boaters wait.  We called on Channels 16, 14, 13, and 12.  No Response!  We finally called a phone number listed on our charts and they told us that the bridge is monitored by a camera.  After a second phone call, and a 45 minute wait, the bridge opened. 

Our first lock (Lockport):  We went in with a barge, the "Addie C " and tied to her starboard side.   Not a good locking experience.

2nd lock (Brandon Road):  Went through again with "Addie C".  This time we tied onto a bollard and it was a  much better experience.

We arrived at Harborside Marina and couldn't get them on the radio even though it was a holiday weekend.  We needed to stop since we'd been on the river for 10 hours.  Eleven years ago, this marina looked completely different.  It now has floating houses instead of boat slips.  We saw an empty spot next to a dock and pulled in (it said no dockage, but at that point we didn't care).  They have a pool and the temps all day had been in the upper 90's and very humid.  One of the other boaters let us into the pool (Dave and Keith on SALTY).  We finally found the harbor master who told us we could stay. There was a rear harbor that would have been better.  (highest slip fees of the whole trip---$50)

Salty traveled with us on Saturday through lock #3 (Dresden) --we got right in this lock.
Lock #4 (Marseilles):  Along with several other pleasure craft, we waiting for an hour for entry.
Lock #5:  Starved Rock Lock:  We arrived and were told it would be over an hour, so we went back to Starved Rock Marina to let Duke walk around.  Went back to the lock and there was a split load barge going down, so the wait went on.  Waiting to enter the lock was another barge, Sugarland (hazardous load) and 6-8 pleasure craft.  Another hour went by.  The lockmaster finally said that he was going to let the pleasure craft through first--this is very unusual since commercial vessels have priority.  THEN THE STORM HIT!
Northbound pleasure craft were alaready in the lock.  We were floating above the lock in the channel next to other boats and the barge.  Visibility went to near zero.  Winds were over 60 miles per hour.  One of the boats said he clocked wind speed at 92 miles per hour.  Keeping away from other boats was a real challenge.  The storm died out after about 15 minutes of maneuvering and we entered the lock as the northbound vessels exited.  We had storms on and off the rest of the day, but nothing compared to the first one.  We arrived in Henry, IL and tied up to the wall with the help of the Salty crew. 

The LST 325 was at Henry for tourists to board and view the WWII vessel.

South Haven 9/1/11

We traveled from Grand Haven, MI to South Haven which made for another long day.  We finally moved closer to shore to reduce wave action.  Ate at a new restaurant in South Haven and then to Save a Lot for some groceries. Duke met many new dog friends on his numerous walks.  We watched the weather and knew we had a small window to get to Chicago.  We set a 7 hour course in a direct line to the windy city.  Seas were glassy to 1 foot the whole way.  We saw no boats for several hours.  The city was shrouded in humidity, so we were on top of it by the time we saw the skyscrapers.   We had to dodge some boat traffic getting into the harbor, but it wasn't bad since it was a weekday.

In Monroe Harbor, we were told to tie up to the wall, but had a bit of a time finding which wall.  This was our first experience parallel parking---not as easy as pulling into a slip.  No power, so we used our generator all night for air conditioning (temps in the 90's).  Ate at the Chicago Yacht Club, which has a beautiful view of the harbor. You have to be a member of a reciprocal yacht club in order to get in.

Frankfort to Manistee to Grand Haven

After a lovely evening in Frankfort and a good night's sleep, we decided to do laundry.  However, the laundromat was closed on Sunday, so we headout back out on the Lake.  The prediction was 2-4 ft waves, but it turned out to be 1-3's.  We arrived in Manistee on Sunday afternoon and were given the perfect slip right in front of the NEW facilites, which included laundry and wonderful showers.  We walked about a 1/2 mile to a store and stocked up on needed items.  After dinner, we took a dingy ride.  Manistee is a quaint town with a river walk of 2 miles.  On Monday we left Manistee at 0800 for Whitehall.  1-3 ft waves were predicted, but it was a glassy sea most of the way. It was so nice, that Duke and I spent time on the bow taking in some sun.  It was a long day on the water.  Arrived in Whitehall at 1430.  Whitehall is 6 miles inland on a lake.  We have been using the Michigan Municipal Marinas each night, but this one was way off  of Lake Michigan.  There were only 3 boats in the whole marina, and they were offering a free night if you paid for 2 nights.  We decided to pass after just one night and moved on.

 (Lighthouse into Whitehall)

Today (Tuesday) we left Whitehall at 0940 because we were waiting for weather reports.  1-3's were predicted, but by the time we arrived in Grand Haven, the waves were at least 4's and some 5's.  Because we had winds from the south, we had to go past the entrance to the harbor and enter from the south to avoid beam seas. Yes,  I'm still docking the boat...this routine has worked well for us.  One of the harbor personnel came back to the boat several hours after we docked and complimented me on my "boat handling" while docking. He said they don't see many women at the helm.   At least I haven't run into any docks!!  Some photos are attached.

Traverse City to Frankfort

We left TVC about noon on Friday, 8/26.  Weather forecast was sunny, clear and 2 to 4 foot waves.  We rounded the point  at the top of Traverse Bay into Lake Michigan and the waves were at least 4 feet.  Off to the west was an impending storm.  We made it to  Leland about 1/2 hour before the storm hit.  Very happy to be off the water!  Weather forecast for today was sunny and clear....  the 2-4 foot waves were at least 5 to 6...very rough.  We had to zigzag our course so that we did not have beam seas.  Traveled over 60 miles today.  We were very glad to get in around 1pm.  A small craft warning was issued this afternoon.  Frankfort is a beautiful little town!  Found and attended St. Ann's church tonight, then went out to dinner.  We are at the municipal marina.  I've attached some photos from Frankfort.

Getting out of Dodge

We're leaving today for Leland and will not be returing.  As soon as we sign the papers, we'll be leaving....still waiting for the dealer to show up.
  It's been 10 weeks since our boat was delivered from the factory.  In that 10 weeks, we've waited for the dealer to complete the necessary installations/repairs.  (Ron has fixed the problem with the generator......a switch in the engine room was not turned on.  Ron also installed the mast light yesterday--quite a job.)  The Vessel View (under warranty) is still not working.  We expect Cummins to send someone to Peoria to fix it.  WE WANT OUT OF HERE!
We ordered DTV on the boat and at home...switching from Comcast.  Ron has the patience of a saint.  He was on the phone with DTV/Satellite company for 6 hours on Wednesday.  It's working, but we have some signal issues yet to deal with. 
Today is beautiful!  Calm waters after days of wind.  The Canadian air moved in over night and caused us burrow under blankets for warmth.
Hope to be back in Peoria around Labor Day!

still waiting

The Cummins "expert" came yesterday to work on the Vessel View...learned he didn't have the right diagnostic equipment and promised to return with it on Wed or Thursday.  Fortunately, the weather would have delayed us anyway.  Small craft warnings for Traverse Bay today and tomorrow with high winds and big waves.  The inverter has not worked at all.  Both Ron and Ryan (from Bay Breeze) worked on it yesterday, to no avail.  This morning Ron was able to fix it (Woo Hoo!)....the output connections were not wired properly.  The generator turns on, but has not provided power.  That's Ron's next project. 
Now that we are without a car, we are at the mercy of our legs, our bicycles, or the dingy for transportation.  None of them will take us to distant stores for groceries, laundry, parts, etc.  Jay, the Bay Breeze owner, has offered us a car later today.  Hoping and praying for boat repairs to be completed SOON!

Sold the car

We went to Immaculate Conception church yesterday...we've been there so many times, they may send us envelopes.  For you Blessed Sacrament "Proclamation" friends...the music is very different from ours, although we recognized/participated in a few songs.

Divine intervention again...
Our goal, when we left Morton, was to sell our car in Traverse City so that we did not have to return to pick it up.  We listed it on Craigslist, but had no calls, so we were preparing to store it.  Yesterday we received a call from a young man in Cheboygan (calling for his father in Sault. Ste. Marie).  They met us in Charlevoux, looked it over, and bought it.  He then took us back to Traverse City (1 hour trip) which created a 3 1/2 hour trip back to Sault St. Marie.  We liked him immediately...seemed to have lots in common.

Today we borrowed a car and did laundry and errands.  The Cummins specialist is due here at 2:00 to fix the vessel view.  We could again use God's intervention!  After checking the Lake Michigan forcast for tomorrow, we will not leave even if the boat is ready.  (7-10 foot waves are predicted). 

Saturday

After a very breezy and rainy Friday evening, we awoke to calmer, semi-cloudy conditions and decided to go to Suttons Bay for lunch (via boat).  We wanted to see if everything that had been installed was working properly.  We tied the dingy in our slip and took off.  As I may have mentioned, I never moved our previous boat of 11 years in and out of the slip...not once.  However after a couple of lessons with Ryan at Bay Breeze Yacht Sales, I am the official "docker" while Ron handles all of the lines.  We had a nice ride to Suttons Bay.  Water depth is up to 300 feet in many places.  Having an electronic chart plotter and radar lets you identify shoals (very shallow water) and other obstacles.  When entering a new harbor this is the scenario...Ron calls the harbor on the radio, "Suttons Bay, Suttons Bay...this is Adagio".  Suttons Bay responds and then asks the length and draft of our boat and assigns us a slip # and tells us whether it is a port or starboard tie-up.  (I prefer starboard tie-ups) While Ron gets the lines out of the rear storage compartment and reattaches them to the cleats, I steer slowly into the marina and look for the slip # on the end of a dock.  Since our boat is a single screw, our bow thruster is used for maneuvering.  Ron gives me verbal directions (no yelling allowed) and I follow the commands so that we can arrived unscathed.  We had lunch at Martha's...a great little place, and then returned to our slip at Centre Point Marina (Bay Breeze).  The 4 story building behind our slip hosted another wedding last night....a very noisy crowd.  Even though the weather was cool and calm, we decided to close up the boat and turn on the air so we could go to sleep. 

work day yesterday

The electronics were completed yesterday and the Weaver Davits were installed on the swim step.  That means that the Portland Pudgy is now attached to our boat.  You engineers viewing this blog would love the daily challenges.  We now need a way to raise the Pudgy out of the water and onto the swim step.  This has involved many sleepless hours for Ron as he contemplates solutions.  Duke and I left the great minds yesterday and went for a long walk through a charming area of old homes here in Traverse City.  We've also rented several videos to occupy our time.  Yes, we have a TV on the boat that drops down out of the ceiling.  The only remaining work to be completed is some warranty work on the Cummins Vessel View.  We've been promised a Monday service call.  The weather here is clear, breezy and in the low 80's.  It will be perfect for the Traverse City Wine and Art Festival on Saturday. 

Still in Traverse City

We are beginning to believe we are living in the movie "Groundhog Day".  This is our third trip to TC and we are still waiting for work to be finished.  The mast is up, but still needs some electronics work.  The electronics guy is getting married Saturday.  We hope he shows up BEFORE his bachelor party.  The Vessel View, a monitoring system for the engine, is not working.  The factory in Washington is shipping a new one...it should arrive today.  We hope that will fix the problem.  Some good news...our previous boat is being shown on Friday to some potential buyers (and we still own it since we haven't signed the final papers yet to trade it).  If we sell it before the trade, we get more cash...that would be terrific!  Weather here today--possible thunderstorms.  We hope to be out of here by the weekend.

Portland Pudgy

The electric 2 1/2 horsepower motor arrived late yesterday.   After 1/2 hour of coaxing, we finally convinced Duke that he should accompany us on the maiden voyage! Unfortunately, no photos of that monumental event.

Monday, August 15

We arrived in Traverse City last night about 9:00pm local time.  Duke, our Springer Spaniel, quickly re-adjusted to life on the boat.  He fell asleep while we unloaded a car full of gear.  Today we are waiting for our Portland Pudgy to be delivered.  It will be used to save the lives of Pudgy Duke, Pudgy Ron, and Pudgy Jan. 

The beginning

After visiting the Nordic Tug factory in Burlington, WA in January, we put in an order for our 2011 Nordic Tug (34').  It was delivered to Traverse City, MI dealer in June.  After several delays, we will take possession on August 16th.