Release 16 - Coming Home

Hi everyone,

Well, we are back in Canada, and are heading up Lake Huron - we may be back to the club by June 30th, weather permitting. This morning (Sunday, June 24th), we left Point Edward on the southern tip of Lake Huron - skies are clear, there is no wind, and the lake is as flat as a mill pond. I will get this sent off as soon as possible, then resume our adventures when we head back south in mid-August.

We left Norfolk at 11:00 a.m., on May 27th, planning to travel on the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Cape May the next day. The weather was clear, however, they were calling for thunderstorm activity in Chesapeake Bay.

In the middle of the night, the storms in the bay started moving our way. We had thunder and lightning all around us, but clear skies and stars directly overhead. However, the seas did start to build, as the storm approached and the winds increased.

About 5:00 a.m., one of the lines on our davits broke, dropping one end of the dingy. In the dark, stormy night, Danny went back to let the dinghy down, and prepare it for towing. Knowing we couldn't possibly tow the dinghy and motor all the way to Cape May, with waves crashing all around us, we decided to alter course and stop in Ocean City. We arrived at the White Marlin Marina at 8:30 a.m., after 123 nautical miles.

We spent the day napping, putting new lines on the davits, and getting ready to continue on to Cape May.

On the 29th, we went the 44 miles into Cape May, and stopped at Utsch's Marina for fuel. While approaching the marina, we got a call from Barb and Dennis on Moxsun - the Endeavour 43 we had travelled with briefly in November. They were also on their way to Utsch's, so we were there to take their lines and have a visit.

Our intentions were to anchor out, and prepare for another overnight trip to New York City. However, Barb and Dennis (and daughter Ginna) asked us to stay and join them for supper. They were also planning the same overnighter with another boat - Whippoorwill (a Cape Dory 27) - with Loren and Betsy from Chaumont Bay, New York.

Thanks to Barb and Dennis' talents, we enjoyed a terrific steak dinner, and ended up staying at the marina (which was a blessing for me - our previous anchoring experience in Cape May was not pleasant - the wake from passing pleasure and fishing boats kept us rocking and rolling for two days).

The next day, strong north winds were forecast, so we decided to wait a day before our next trip. We did a grocery stock up, had showers, took on fresh water, and charted our course for the 132 mile trip to Liberty State Park - the place we stayed on the way down, behind the Statue of Liberty.

In the afternoon, we were delighted to hear Sea Breeze calling the marina for fuel. Bill Mawhinney and Barbara had travelled from Chesapeake City, down the Delaware Bay, and were stopping for the night. We hadn't seen them since St. Augustine, so we looked forward to catching up with them.

They arrived in late aftenoon, settled in, then came over for a visit. They also wanted to make the run for New York City, and we all decided that the weather looked favourable for leaving around noon on May 31st.

The trip was fantastic. We were able to do some motorsailing, seas were kind, and the day was warm and clear. All four boats were able to maintain radio contact throughout the day and night - in the middle of the night when your partner is sleeping, it's very nice to be able to talk to someone, even if it is via VHF radio. The night turned very cold, but the sleeping half stayed bundled up, and the steering half stayed wide awake in the pre-dawn hours. The weather stayed perfect until we were safely at anchor at 10:30 in the morning - on Danny's happy birthday. Moxsun and Whippoorwill were in the same anchorage - Sea Breeze had gone on to the 79th Street Basin.

The next morning brought us heavy rain (washing away all the salt), and clouds and cool weather stayed with us for the day. We decided to rest up before continuing up the Hudson River. Those overnighters sure seem to take alot out of a person's energy bank.

On Saturday, June 02, we woke up to thick pea-soup fog. Whippoorwill was the first one to venture out, reporting back that they could see from buoy to buoy in the channel going out. Moxsun followed, and we left shortly after. Moxsun reported back they could see nothing, and were relying on radar. We perservered, and continued, slowly into the Hudson River.

By 9:00 a.m., the fog had lifted, the sun came out, and it turned into a beautiful day. That night, we tried docking at West Point, but the high docks, wind and current made it too uncomfortable for us, (plus the fact we didn't believe Lobita could get off the boat at such a high dock), so we decided to go a couple of miles further and join Sea Breeze at Pollepel Island (or Bannerman Island as it is known locally). The island has the ruins of a former castle - it is very impressive, but was off limits to going ashore and investigating.

The next morning we headed up to Catskill Creek, stopping at Riverview Marina. We had put the mast up here in the fall, and planned on taking it down to prepare for the trip across the Erie Canal System. Fortunately, the piece we left behind to fit in the tabernacle for the mast support was still there (the tabernacle is a 2-piece wooden "slot" on our cabin roof that holds the mast upright). Upon arrival at 4:00 p.m., Danny started work on the mast support, we removed and stowed the sails, and prepared for removing the mast in the morning. Sea Breeze, arriving shortly after us, was doing the same.

The next morning, we finished our preparations, and by noon we had the mast down. The rest of the day was spent securing it, rigging a temporary VHF radio antennae, doing five loads of laundry, (including all our linens, bedding, etc. - we no longer have a washing machine waiting at home for us), and other odd jobs. During the afternoon, a local resident named Skip stopped by and offerred us a ride to get groceries or a trip to a hardware store. Needing silicone, we took him up on his offer, and managed to get our silicone and cold beer (it was very hot that day!). Skip is an archaeologist who suffers from Lyme's Disease - it had been our first encounter with someone with this awful disease - he is a very determined man and is not letting this disorder get the best of him. He is cheerful, helpful - a great guy!

That night, we decided to head to Mariner's Point for supper - Bill and Barbara joined us for a great meal and very enjoyable evening.

The next morning, we set off for Waterford, and back into the lock system. For some reason, there wasn't the same excitement we had in the fall of spending days going through canals and locks - we were now anxious to end the northerly journey and the system is quite slow (in my humble opinion).

We got into Waterford, and were welcomed gererously by the volunteers at the Visitor's Welcome Center. We headed over to Don and Paul's cafe for Danny's hot turkey sandwich fix (although once in the vicinity of Rocky's Restaurant in Spragge, he will be able to get his fill), and decided to stay an extra day to get groceries, and I desperately need a haircut.

So, it was on June 08th when we left Waterford and started through the Erie Canal System. We stayed on a lock wall the first night, back to the Rotary Park in Little Falls the second night, and Sylvan Beach on the east end of Lake Oneida the third night. Our friends Sue and Ed in Phoenix, who greeted us last fall, had kept in touch with us during the winter and were looking forward to a visit as we passed through again. However, since we were headed to Buffalo instead of Oswego, we missed the opportunity.

We made stops in Baldwinsville (could Alec Baldwin and Kim Bassinger possibly live here?), Newark, Holley, and finally reached Tonawanda on June 14. All of hese communities have received funding to spruce up their waterfronts and we were able to enjoy very nice facilities, laundry, power and water at most of the stops - it was very nice to overnight at these places.

In Tonawonda, with the help of Sea Breeze, we made arrangements to put the mast back up. However, we had to wait an extra day before going into Anchor Marina. A fellow named Bob on a motor vessel Sea Ducer, offered us a ride to West Marine - the four of us went and we were able to get new charts for Lake Erie and Lake Huron. That night we found a wonderful family restaurant named Nestor's - wholesome meals, reasonable prices - definitely worth a return visit.

We arrived at Anchor Marine the morning of June 16th. We had the mast put up by early afternoon, and spent the remainder of day putting on sails, connecting mast wires, and other odd little niggly jobs (is niggly actually a word?).

Next morning, we set off to discover Lake Erie. Not impressed, we slogged head on into wind and waves. We had intended to reach Dunkirk, but decided that Port Maitland on the Grand River in Ontario would be an easier run. We arrived about 8:00 that night, but found a lovely anchorage, well protected and quiet.

The next morning we headed back across to Erie Pennsylvania, where we spent two nights at the Presque Isle Yacht Club - very nice, friendly facility, but shopping was a taxi ride away (which we shared with Bill and Barbara).

The following day, we decided to head for Fairport, with Sea Breeze planning an overnighter to the Detroit River. In late afternoon, the weather forecast indicated heavy north west winds for the following day, so our plans changed. We stopped in Fairport for 2 hours for a quick supper and a shore trip for Lobita, then weighed anchor and headed out towards Pelee Island. We had a fairly quiet night, arriving at Pellee Island just at daybreak. The early morning forecast had changed (no surprise there), and the anchorages we had picked were no longer viable - however with forecasted winds from the northwest, going northeast, then west, it's no wonder that a safe harbour was not available). Another change in plans had us heading up the Detroit River to anchor at Stony Island - arriving there at 1:00 p.m. Poor Lobita was not impressed, however she kept her opinions to herself and never said a peep.

We found out later Sea Breeze was anchored just 2 miles south of us, and we both planned on heading out the next morning - June 22nd. That night, after doing the Detroit River and most of Lake St. Clair, we found a wonderful anchorage at Metropolitan Beach, on the northwest end of the lake. Very protected, quiet, a quick visit on Sea Breeze after supper - a very nice evening.

Yesterday, the 23rd, we stopped at Lake Huron Yacht Club on the south shore of Lake Huron. A very friendly, nice club made us welcome, directed us to the fantastic Bridge Tavern for supper (live music, good menu, reasonably priced meals), and a few of the members we chatted with have been to the North Channel, and some even knew our club.

This morning, a beautiful, warm day, we headed into Lake Huron, on a course for Goderich. We'll anchor there tonight, then head to Southampton tomorrow, where we plan on anchoring at Chantry Island, then on to Tobermory. Then, weather permitting, we will be on our final stretch to the club.

Bill and Barbara have stayed at Lake Huron Yacht Club for the morning - they will leave around noon, then do another overnighter to the top of Bruce Peninsula.

We hope to send this away, maybe from Goderich, then will take a hiatus while we return to the club, get the work done on the boat we have planned, then start all over again.

We're looking forward to seeing eveyone at the club, and hope all is well with you. We'll be able to catch up soon.

We would like to thank the club for providing us the opportunity to use this website for our communications back to you. It has been very valuable to us, and we hope that we may continue to utilize it in the fall.

Take care - hasta pronto!!

Danny, Debbie y Lobita sailing on La Vida Dulce