Sunday, March 31, 2013

The Great Adventure

On September 6, 2012, Diana, Kodi (aka our Furry Kid) and I "crossed our wake" at Belmont Harbor in Chicago and officially completed a nautical adventure known to boaters as The Great Loop.  Statistics tells a great deal about this wonderful journey that began two years earlier from our slip in Belmont Harbor.  Over a period of 23 months we covered a total of 6,150 miles, spent 442 days on our boat and visited 135 cities in 10 states and one Canadian Province.  In the process, we burned 5,792 gallons of diesel fuel and traversed a total of 102 locks. 

We got to see a view of the eastern United States from the navigable waters that were central to our country's history.   As we proceeded on our journey we touched the the Civil War, especially along the Mississippi, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 along the east coast, World War II (in the Florida Keys, Norfolk and New England), the Space Program (at Cape Canaveral) and we witnessed the widespread loss of manufacturing jobs, which we saw in city after city.  We visited cities along the rivers and canals that played a big part in our country's expansion and economic growth.  These included the Mississippi, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Black Warrior and Hudson Rivers along with the Tennessee Tom Bigby Waterway and the Erie Canal.

We got to know approximately 50 cities where we spent three days or more and had the opportunity to meet local people who helped us better understand the unique culture of each one. 

We met lots of fellow boaters from all over the country (and, in fact, the world), who, like us, were doing the Great Loop.  In the process made new and permanent friends, connected with old friends and visited with family and current friends.  We also coped with Diana's accident in Mystic Connecticut that could well have been a life changing event and, most of all, got to spend quality time that has brought us even closer together.

The journey began with a going-away party thrown by our Belmont Harbor boat neighbors several days before departure.  We gathered on Sea Rose (a 47 Sedan Bridge) and enjoyed a bottle of champagne and horderves.  Present were Pam Rose, Dick and Cathy Hoffman, Brad Bush, Mike Patton and Mark and Wendy Fidan.  Mike, a graphic artist, designed a board game in honor of our trip.

Guded Discovery; a game of skill luck and high seas adventure
Departed occurred on October 3, 2010 from our slip at Belmont Harbor in Chicago when my friends, Sophocles Karapas and David Jones, accompanied me for the first three days, which included traversing the infamous Asian Carp barriers in Romeoville, Illinois.  While we experienced the barrier as a nonevent, fellow "Loopers" the year before were subjected to weeks of delay by an arbitrary political decision that required each vessel to be towed through the one mile "electrified barrier with their batteries disconnected at a cost of approximately $600 each.

Guided Discovery departing Belmont Harbor on October 3, 2010
Note: Diana and Kodi officially joined the journey on October 6 in Peoria where David and Sophocles said goodbye.  Diana wasn't thrilled about doing the Great Loop and stayed on land as long as she could.

From there we headed down the Illinois River at a leisurely 9 MPH.  Our goal was to make our way down the Western River system over a two month period, which would allow us to arrive in Mobile Bay after the hurricane season was officially over.  Within days we ran into our first of two expensive problems.  One caused by my impatience, when I attempted to speed up on the river and hit a submerged object, and the other caused by a loose wire that shut us down for a week in Alton Illinois.  Note: The propeller was finally repaired when we reached Green Turtle Bay on the Tennessee River.  Fortunately, since we were traveling a 9 MPH (i.e., not in a hurry), the damaged propeller did not affect our progress or enjoyment.  While at Alton we connected with our friend Mike Maglione who lives in St Louis.

Visiting with Mike Maglione in St Louis
After the Illinois River we merged with the Mississippi and quickly learned why it has the "mighty" nickname (fast moving muddy water with lots of debris).  We also experienced the big tows consisting of 15 to as many as 25 barges being pushed by big powerful million dollar tow boats.  Then a hard left at Cairo Illinois where we headed up the Ohio and then onto the Tennessee with memorable stops at Paducah Kentucky, Green Turtle Bay (where we hauled the boat to fix the prop and remove a damaged spur) and Florence Alabama, where we made friends with Darryl Peters and Sue Lister. 

Darryl & Sue on Present Moment
Then down the Tombigbee Waterway to Mobile (where we again hauled the boat to replace the damaged spur).  A short trip across Mobile Bay to Fairhope Alabama allowed us to discover a lovely resort community.  Here we celebrated Thanksgiving with other Great Loop cruisers in a festive meal at the home of the local AGLCA ambassador couple.  Diana also got to connect with Roberta Speh, her former sister-in-law.
Thanksgiving 2010 with fellow loopers in Fairhope, AL
Funny how worlds connect.  Roberta, who makes special hand-made quilts for veterans, made one for my friend Andy Tangen's son, 1LT (now Captain) Stephen Tangen, who received a Silver Star for gallantry in combat in Afghanistan.


Leaving Fairhope on December 1st we traveled east along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, just months after the infamous BP Oil Spill that had almost caused us to delay our trip for a year.  Lucky for us it turned out to be another nonevent (i.e., we saw NO OIL).  We arrived in Apalachicola on December 9th just in time to take advantage of a weather window that allowed us to make a 188 mile non-stop crossing of the Gulf to Tarpon Springs, Florida. 

The crossing is the longest overwater crossing on the Great Loop..  Even with favorable winds, we experienced 5 foot waves off the port quarter and a rough time for the first 3 hours of the trip.  Then, as predicted, the seas gradually calmed and by the time we reached Tarpon Springs we were flying along at 28 MPH.  We learned the next day that two gas powered unstabilized power boats that took 24 hours to cross experiened heavey seas overnight that emptied their cabinets and in one case caused a TV to breakloose from its cabinet.  We were lucky.

188 mile crossing from Appalachicola to Tarpon Springs
The period between the end of November to around December 15th was a nasty cold snap that brought temperatures down to the 30s as far south as St Petersburg.  Good thing we brought a few warm clothes.  A week of that cold was spent in Tarpon Springs where the fixed docks challanged Kodi skills at getting on and off the boat.

Kodi considering how to get off the boat
We next cruised to St Petersburg where we spent another week with greatly improved weather.  Ron Markovits, my friend and long time business associate, drove up from Sarasota to meet us in St Petersburg to accompany me on the run 38 mile to Sarasota.  Ron and I retired from The Warranty Group on the same day after each serving for 38 years.  Diana and Kodi and drove his car back to Sarasota. 

Sarasota turned out to be one of our favorite cities on the 6,150 mile journey.  Sarasota has blend of sunny Florida weather plus culture and low density that is unlike the busier east coast where most of the water views are blocked by high rises.

We stayed in Sarasota for 19 days (12/22 to 1/10) the first time and, while there, made friends with Dick and Marjorie Singer.  We met the Singers when Diana decided to "hug a puppy" at  Southeastern Guide Dog's Sarasota Discovery Center.  At least that's what the sign said.  Turns out there were no puppies that day but Kodi stole the show with her wide range of behaviors (i.e., tricks).  That's how we met Marjorie.  When she learned that we were living on a boat she invited Kodi for a play date at her home with her two labs, Molly and Jake.  Kodi has been friends with them every since and so have we with Marjorie and Dick.


Marjorie & Dick Singer with Diana at the Bird Key Yacht club

Kodi with Molly and Jake
We also connected in Sarasota with Brittany and Scott Meyers, our young friends who had set out from Chicago on their 35 foot sailboat, Rasmus.  They had traveled clockwise from Chicago to reach Fort Lauderdale via the Great Lakes, Erie Canal, Hudson River and the east coast.  Between us, we had, in effect, completed the Great Loop (save 140 miles to cross Florida by car).  We joined them and Brittany's family for Christmas and New Years celebrations.  Brittany writes an incredible blog.  www.windtraveler.blogspot.com


Brittany & Scott in Chicago just prior to departure in September 2010
We returned to Sarasota a year later (December 9, 2011 to April 1, 2012) to help Diana recover after surgery to repair fractured tibial plateau resulting from an accident with a 90 pound Doberman in Mystic Connecticut.  More on that later.

Our next connection was with Jerry and Cathy Swerdlick when we visited Captiva Island on January 18th (2011).  I met Jerry, my oldest friend, in 1967 when I worked in Westerly Rhode Island for a small loan company.  He applied for a loan., I turned him down and we've been friends ever since.  Jerry is legally blind.  Talk about making lemonade out of lemons.  Today, Jerry is the CEO of EVAS, a company that provides computerized vision aids for the visually impaired.  Captiva also allowed us to connect with our long time Chicago friends Steve and Becky Betts and their two wonderful kids, Dakota and Nathanial.  They spent four wonderful days with us on Captiva.  We also connected with Barry and Mary Ricketts (Proud Mary - 55 Fleming) and our friends George and Sue (another 55 Fleming) while at South Seas.


Les with Jerry & Cathy Swerdlick
Captiva and Sanibel Islands are lovely, lush and green with beautiful white sand beaches and plenty of wildlife.  The perfect place to get away from it all.

From Captiva we made our way south via Naples to Key West where we spent a week at the farest point south right at the "dead of winter" (January 31, 2011).  Key West, a cruise ship destination, with its "tourist trappy" Duval Street is loaded with tourists and lots of history.  A unique place to visit that is very different from other cities.

Then east to Marathon where we spent a fun week with fellow cruisers Darryl and Sue (who we originally met in Florance, Alabama).  Side story: On our way south we were surprised at how few Loopers we encountered.  All this changed at Marathon where we discovered hundreds wintering at anchor, on moorings and in slips in one of the warmest spots in the country ("snow boaters").  We found the rest of the keys rather uninteresting unless you were big into fishing, diving, beaching or water sports.

After the Keys and the Hawk Channel, we discovered Coconut Grove and the Grove Isle Marina.  All told, we spent close to a month in Miami including moving the boat to South Beach for the Miami Boat Show, where we connected with our Belmont Harbor boat neighbors and good friends Pam Rose and her friend Scott, and Dick and Cathy Hoffman (Note: Cathy was tragically killed in a freak accident at a car wash just weeks later).  We also connected with Jim and Heidi Kargman, who were instrumental in my meeting Diana, and their son Michael (who tragically died in early September 2012).


A lovely evening with Cathy and Dick Hoffman in South Beach

With Ron and Linda Markovitz at the Miami Boat Show

Heidi, Michael, Jim Diana and Lester in South Beach
We then left Miami and made our way north for approximately 1,000 miles along the Intracoastal Waterway arriving in Norfolk on June 6.  This three month segment allowed us to visit the colorful and historic cities along the intercoastal including Stuart Florida (where we were joined by my ddaughter, Lesley, and her fiance Scott), Daytona Beach (where we met Bill and Laurene Parlatore, founder's of Passagemake Magazine), St Augustine, Fernandina Beach, Hilton Head, Beaufort NC & SC, Savannah, Charleston and Norfolk.

Along the way we contracted to purchase a 2010 Outer Reef 63 Cockpit Motor Yacht.  The plan was to drop our boat in Annapolis, take delivery in Seattle in August, cruise the northwest and then transport the 63 by ship to Fort Lauderdale, Florida (with an arrival around mid November 2011).  The grand plan was to spend the winters in Florida and then cruise north each year to summer in New England.

63 Outer Reef - The one that got away
We stayed in Annapolis for two weeks during which time I flew out to Seattle to survey the 63.  The following day the 48 was surveyed and the deal was locked in.  We then returned to Chicago for a short vacation after which I would go to Seattle to take delivery and then be joined by Diana about a week later. Ultimately, we did not purchase the boat, but that is another story (which I will cover in future articles).
So in mid July we returned to Annapolis to proceed with our Great Loop adventure.  After refueling we departed for Baltimore and made an interesting discovery, the 48 had lost at least 8 MPH.  Instead of cruising at 30, it now cruised at 22.  Efficiency at full cruise had dropped form .7 to .5 MPG.  Enroute we traversed the Chesapeake and Delaware Lock, proceeded to Baltimore, hauled the boat and discovered that the 30 day stay at the Petrini Shipyard in warm brackish water had allowed barnacles to form.  $1,000 later with a power washed bottom and shinny propellers (which had to be sanded to remove the barnacles) we were on our way with our 30 MPH cruise speed restored.

Barnacles from a month in brackish Annapolis waters
A memorable stop at Cape May, where we again connected with our friends from Proud Mary, was followed by a cruise along the Jersey shore with stops at Atlantic City and Belmar.  On July 26 we cruised north to New York City turned east up the East River traversed Hells Gate (wiith its strong currents), entered Long Island Sound and made our first stop at Manorhaven.  Manorhaven being just across from Great Neck was a memorable stop for me as I had worked in Great Neck between 1971 and 1972.

Passing the Statue of Liberty
From there we headed east stopping at Branford, a town that we would return to and where the boat would spend the winter following Diana's accident with Wolfie three months later.  But who knew.  Lesley and Scott connected with us there.  Branford was followed by Mystic Connecticut where we met Dutcha and Wolfie, her 90 pound doberman (yes the same dog who would later run into Diana's leg months later).  We were joined by our good friends Darrel and Sue (Present Moment) who accompanied me on the cruise from Mystic to Newport, Rhode Island (while Diana and Kodi ferried their rental car).

Following Newport, we headed east through Buzzards Bay, traversed the Cape Cod Canal and headed north along the Massachusetts coast stopping in Situate and then Hull where we docked at the Sunset Bay Marina next to the A-Street Pier.


For me Hull was one of the most memorable stops on our great adventure as it was here that I spent entire summers from age 5 to age 20. Hull is a beach town just south of Boston and the A Street Pier was where I hung out.  I was fascinated with boats and during my time in Hull I "captained" my uncles 18 foot runabout and later worked as first mate on a 50 foot Wheeler (and then a 65 Wheeler when the owner upgraded).  Lesley and Scott (my daughter and future son-in-law) visited us in Hull along with my sister, Myrna.  I also visited with my 1st cousins Myrna and Kenny Elkins and their kids and their grand kids.

Diana with my cousins Myrna and Kenny
In early September we cruised from Hull to Gloucester Mass where we spent a week in that historic fishing town.  Gloucester was the farthest point on our New England side trip. 

Artist painting a Gloucester scene
At this point we headed south with the intention of cruising to Florida for another warm winter.  We stopped and explored the colorful historic towns of Salem Mass, Plymouth Mass, Newport Rhode and Mystic Connecticut, where we again connected with Jerry and Cathy on October 9.

Life changed on October 10.  Diana and I decided to say goodby to Dutcha and Wolfie before heading south for our next port.  While visiting with them, we let Wolfie chase Kodi.  Kodi ran by Diana followed by Wolfie who misjudged and slammed into Diana's right leg. 

Kodi and Wolfie
Fast forward.  Diana was transported to Pequot Hospital where she was told that the fracture of her tibial plateau was beyond their pay grade.  A painful 60 mile ambulance ride to Yale New Haven Hospital two surguries, one lasting 6 and a half hours by Michael Baumgaertner, Chief of Orthopedic Surgury (a magician), two full weeks in the hospital followed by three weeks of recovery and rehab at Apple Rehab in Mystic (yes we returned to the scene of the "crime").

Meanwhlie back at the ranch (well OK the boat).  Kodi stayed with Dutcha and Wolfi (which would be the case for the next 7 weeks) while I moved the boat from Mystic to Branford.  This five hour cruise was the only time on the entire adventure that I cruised at night (which is not a great idea near-shore in unknown waters).  Branford proved to be Guided Discovery's final stop in 2011.  It would spend the winter on the hard and not see water again  until late June 2012.

Following discharge from Apple rehab, we stayed in Westerly, Rhode Island for three more weeks as the guest of Jerry and Cathy Swerdlick who had moved to Florida for the winter.  We had the pleasure of sharing their house with their daughter, Sarah, and their son-in-law, Patrick.  We celebrated Thanksgiving with them, bought a used 2011 Ford Taurus (we had sold our Audi S4 prior to leaving Chicago) and then headed south to Sarasota.

Why a Ford Taurus (after driving Audi's for 24 years)?  It was just what the "doctor" ordered.  Big enough to transport Diana, who required a walker, our stuff and the Furry Kid who we retreived from Dutcha as we headed south (and in the process broke Wolfie's heart).

2011 Ford Taurus parked at our Sarsota rented home
Why Sarasota?  It was the town we liked the best and where we had friends (Marjorie and Dick, who we had met in December 2010 and Ron, who retired with me from TWG and his wife Linda).  Chicago was not an option as our property there is a three story townhome.  We were also able to rent a lovely three bedroom one story home in the Palm Aire subdivision (that allowed big dogs).

Diana recovered in Sarasota and by April she was fully ambulatory and just slightly the worst for wear (having lost about 10 degrees of flexion in her right leg).  While in Sarasota we were visted by all of our close Chicago friends along with Lesley, Scott, Laura, Jim, Heidi, Sophocles, Elena, Irene and my sister Myrna.  It was a busy and fun time.  We ended our Sarasota visit with the wedding of Marjorie's and Dick's daughter on April 1st at the beautiful Bird Key Yacht Club.

With our friend Soph, Elena, Irene in Naples
We departed April 2, for our trip north to Chicago and made a slight detour to Savannah that allowed us to connect with Lesley and Myrna who were visiting there.  Dinner with them in downtown Savannah turned out to be another life changing event when I learned I was to be a grandfather some 7 months later (October 19, 2012).  Wow.

Returning to Chicago, we enjoyed the next two months reconnecting with all of our friends as Diana continued to get stronger and stronger.  We even spent time on the water as guests of our boat friends (Soph and Elena - Selene [510 Sundancer], Pam - Sea Rose [47 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge], David and Colleen - The Colesters [55 Sundancer])

Now back to the Great Loop and phase II.  Guided Discovery spent a relatively warm winter shrinkwrapped on the hard in Branford, Connecticut.  I visited the boat in early June with Lesley and contracted for recommissioning and launch at the end of June.  On June 29 we sea trialed the boat confirming that everything was OK (well the dingy's steering arm had rusted shut - but the Brewer Bruce and Johnson Marina fixed it on the spot).  Lesley, now slighly more pregnant, accompanied us on "shakedown" cruise to New Haven and back to Branford.

On July 2 (2012), we headed for Chicago, some 1600 miles to the west, with a short cruise to Stamford, CT (where the boat got waxed for $1,400 less than we were quoted elsewhere).  Then we headed west down Long Island Sound, through Hells Gate with a hard right up the East River and then to the Hudson River stopping in a lovely town called Croton on Hudson where spent 4 days visiting histroric sights (including West Point and Franklin Roosevelt's home).

FDR's Hyde Park Home
Stops along the Hudson included Poughkeepsie, Catskill and Albany before turning hard left at Troy to begin the Erie Canal.  Stops along the Erie Canal included Schenectady, St Johnsville and Breweton.  Then we turned north onto the Oswego Canal and stopped at Oswego prior to crossing Lake Ontario.  We traversed 29 locks on this segment, which, when added to the 28 locks during phase I, gave us a total of 57.  The locks on the Erie Canal were much easier than those on the western rivers.  This was due to the lack of commercial traffic, which eliminated lengthy waits, and lines that hung from the sides of the locks.


Note: A few weeks later, 1LT, now Captain, Stephen Tangen received the Nininger Award from West Point.  The Nininger Award is named in honor of LT Alexander “Sandy” Nininger (Class of '41), the first West Point recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.


West Point as viewed from the Hudson
On July 18, after two days waiting for a weather window, we crossed Lake Ontario heading northwest for 89 miles toward Trenton Ontario. We encountered three foot waves for the first 70 miles, which abated quickly as we reached the north lee shore.  The entire trip was made on plane at an average speed on 25 MPH.  We burned 119 gallons as opposed to around 60 if we made the trip at Trawler speed - 10 MPH.  We were now in Canada and ready for our 240 mile journey on the Trent Severn Waterway with its 45 locks.  We refueled at Trenton where diesel sold for $5.18 per gallon - reminding us that we in the US get a great deal on fuel.


The Trent Severn was a unique expeience.  A series of rivers and lakes connected by 45 locks that winds through beautiful countryside.  The locks proved easier then any that we had previously encountered.  Why?  The locks were smaller, there was no commercial traffic, there were cables to run lines around, which made the ride up or down easy, and the locks were staffed by friendly Canadians (who were also helpful as tour guides).  We paid a $220 fee for the 45 locks (the US locks were free).  The trip took 7 days.  The stops included Campbellford, Hastings, Peterborough, Buckhorn, Fenelon, Orillia and, finally, Port Severn. 

While most locks were of the classic style, (i.e., enter, doors close, water rises, doors open), several of the Trent Severn locks are unique.  The lift lock at Peterborough is one.  You enter the upriver lock and it then lock rises while the down river lock decends.  The other unique lock is the Big Chute just before Port Severn where Guided Discovery was transported over land for about 1/th of a mile from one pool to another by a marine railway.

Lift Lock at Peterborough, Ontarion, CN
Speaking of lifts.  We had to lift the boat in Orillia after striking a submerged object in the Trent Canal between Fenelon and Orillia.  The controlling depth of the Trent is 5 ft.  This means that you are guaranteed not less than 5 feet of water (which they control through the locks).  The shallowest spot was on the Fenelon to Orillia segment. Guided Discovery draws four feet of water so our props we were literally 1 foot off the bottom.  In this segment of the canal we were running at a slow 7 MPH to keep the props as far away from the bottom as possible (Note: the boat squats as speed increases).  While the Trent folks can guaratee the depth, they cannot guarantee what's lying on the bottom, which changes as rains wash stuff into the rivers and canals.  $1,436 was the cost to lift the boat, switch props and have the one damaged prop repaired. Note: Even a prop strike at low speed can distort a blade and a slight distortion can cause vibration when the boat is up on plane.

The Big Chute Marine Railway Lock
On July 29th we left Port Severn and began our exploration of the Georgian Bay and the North Channel.  At that point we were 5,312 miles into our journey.  The Georgian Bay lies on the east side of Lake Huron and runs 189 miles on a south east northwest line from Port Severn to Killarny (the beginning of the North Channel).  The North Channel runs 137 miles from Killarney to Drummond Island (Michigan).

The southern most segment of the Georgian Bay is called the 10,000 islands and the bottom in this segment is granite.  There is no such thing as a soft grounding.  Every rock that breaks the surface is considered an island.  This is an area with narrow channels and lots of bouys.  A young pretty female captain we met in Honey Harbor summed up the navigation challenge when she said "there are two kinds of boaters in this neck of the woods (an accuate decription of the landscape), those who have hit a rock and those that will."  We are still in the former category.

We had always heard from boaters on Lake Michigan that the Georgian Bay and North Channel were the prime cruising grounds on the Great Lakes.  They did not exagerate.  This is beautiful country with great achorages and lovely small towns with friendly people.  Special towns included Penetanguishine, where we met Bob and Jan Kossman who cruised with us on and off 20 days, Honey Harbor, with its lovely South Bay Cove Marina, Killarney and Little Current.  The charming city of Little Current was memorable in that we met a couple who had raised a dog for Southeastern Guide Dogs (with whom we became acquainted with in Sarasota).  The meeting occured in a book store where Kodi was entertaining the patrons with here wide range of behavoirs (which as March 2013 exceeded 110 command and a 150 word vocabulary).

A chance meeting with Southeastern Guide Dogspuppy raiseers at Little Current
On August 14 we checked into US Customs on Drummond Island.  Here too we had an adventure.  We traveled 5 miles by dingy to a resort for dinner (which was exceptional) and then made our way back in the dark (the Caribe is equipped with a compass, a GPS and navigation lights.)

We then cruised to Cheboygan Michigan, a port that we had not previously visited, and then to Michigan City, which for us put us back into familiar waters.  We were in "home waters" so to speak (although still over 300 miles from Chicago).  From there we headed for St Ignace, one of the few ports on Lake Michigan that we had not previously visited, and then on to the most unique port on the Great Lakes, Mackinac Island (and maybe even on the whole trip). 

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac as viewed from the water.

The Grand Hotel as on land - from a big distance to get it in the photo
This small island bewtween Michigan's upper and lower peninsulars can only be reached by water (or air) and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area. Thousands of people vist every day arriving by fast moving ferries.  There are no cars on the island.  Bicycles and horses are the modes of transportation.  This is a charming tourist trap with the famous Grand Hotel.  Noteworthy is that the locals call the visitors "fudgies" due to the fact thare are no less than 10 fudge shops and everybody who visits buys fudge (OK, I know, not everybody - but trust me few escape without a taste).

Diana and Jan Kossman next to a Mackinac fudge shop
On August 22, we began the home stretch with perhaps a little "get home-itis" (a disease contracted by boaters and pilots [I happen to be both] which causes them to cruise or fly in less than desirable (read as sometimes dangerous conditions).  The trip from Mackinac Island to Charlevoix, our favorite port on Lake Michigan, involved a westward run down the relatively protected Staights of Mackinac with a turn southwest into open water toward Charlevoix.   We caught four to six foot waves when we turned southwest and the rough water continued for about four hours.  We stayed in Charlevoix for six wonderful days.  Then we head south along the Michigan shore to Leland, another favorite port.  In June of 2006 on our first cruise and just after purchasing Guided Discovery days earlier, we lost the port engine when a oil cooler housing fractured just north of Leland.  This is a story with a happy ending in large part because the dealer, Skipper Buds, who we called from the water (sometime I love cell phones), stepped up to the plate with an unbelievable customer satisfaction experience that got us back on the water in four days.


Guided Discovery in Charlevoix
On the 28th we made an 82 mile crossing of Lake Michigan on perfectly calm water and cruised from Leland through the Manitee Straights and west across the lake to Sturgeon Bay.  What a difference a few days make.   From their we headed to Fish Creek on the Door County peninsular.  Another side story: We had been trying to sell Guided Discovery for over a year and a cruising couple we met in Canada had expressed an interest.  They lived in Fish Creek. So we agreed to visit there to see if they were serious.  This could be a story in itself but I'll keep it short.  Several days later they walked away from the deal of a lifetime (but then so did I a year earlier - oh well). 

From Fish Creek we headed south returning to Sturgeon Bay for two more days.  Then we headed south along the Wisconsin shore stopping at Manitowoc and then Sheboygan, where we learned of our friend's son's tragic death.  From their we headed to Port Washington (for the cheapest fuel on the lake) and then to Racine where we planned to leave the boat and drive to Chicago for the funeral.  A weather window with flat water on the next day changed our plan.  We decided to enjoy a peaceful day on the water and to cover the last final 60 miles of the great adventure.  At around 2:00 PM on September 6 we crossed our wake and finished the Great Loop.

Crossing our wake at Belmont Harbor as The "Great Adventure" came to an end
It was a great adventure and the memories are wonderful.  The process of writing this article and the uploading of photos brought them all back.  It was a learning experience, with boating challenges and personal challenges (e.g., Diana's accident and my failure to buy the Outer Reef 63).  It was a grand tour of the Eastern United States, it was an opportunity to make new friends and to connect with our old friends and family.  It was a history lesson.  It was, at least for me, the ultimate cruise.  The Great Loop is truly a great experience.

Now on to new adventures.  In the next series of articles I will be describing the experience of building a 63 Outer Reef Long Rang Motor Yacht and, hopefully, as time passes the joy of cruising the new yacht with Diana and, of course, the Furry Kid.  Stay tuned.

63 Outer Reef LRMY - Under construction

Final Phase II Statistics (Branford CT to Chicago IL):
  • 1,580    Miles Traveled - July 2 to September 6, 2012
  •    953    Total Gallons Used
  •    1.66   MPG Fuel Efficiency
  •      74    Locks
  •      45    Cities Visited
Final Great Loop Statistics (Chicago to Chicago):
  • 6,151   Total Miles - October 3, 2010 to September 6, 2012 
  • 5,792   Total Gallons of Diesel Used
  •    102   Total Locks
  • $3.72   Average Cost of Fuel
  •   1.06   MPG Fuel Efficiency
  •   442    Days on the Great Loop
  • $212    Average Cost Per Day
  •   135    Cities Visited
  •     11    States and Provinces Visited
.