Joy @ Sea

Grand Finale for This Blog

2009-01-09T21:23:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving 2008 picture of our family. So happy to be back with them!!

Post-Adventure Events and Christmas

2008-12-29T18:49:00.006-06:00

It was somewhat shocking to go from the temp in the 80's to this Winter scene in our backyard overlooking Prior Lake in MN. But we adjusted quickly as friends and family welcomed us home.

This beauty stops for a picture with her father-in-law in the middle of preparing Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Our homecoming was made all the more enjoyable when, as we entered our home after being gone for 9 months, the place was fully decorated with all our Christmas things. The three daughters-in-law (Lisa, Sara and Becca) had taken everything from the attic (about 15 boxes, including the big Christmas tree) and fully decorated our home for Christmas. Even the temperature had been turned up so the house was warm and inviting. We feel so blessed!

Those of you who have been to Key West, Florida will recognize this marker which resembles the Southernmost point of the U. S. This is a replica of that marker at our marina in Ft. Myers. It was put up recently by a Cuban restaurant there and named the Funnestmost Point.

What's Next for Us?

2008-12-13T07:49:00.003-06:00

We will stay here in Ft. Myers for the next week to get organized to return to Minnesota to be with our family in time for Christmas. Plans are to sell the boat here in Southwest Florida. It has performed flawlessly for the entire trip and was, without doubt, the best choice we could have made for this adventure.

We are so thankful to God for His protection for this entire trip. I was also able to gather some great interviews of first generation Christians. I plan to continue those interviews till I have about 50 or so and then hopefully work with another author to write a book on the topic.

Others have encouraged us to write about this trip as well. Given the interest in the adventure, we may just do that. Many books have been written on the Great Loop Adventure but most are several years old.

WE FINISHED THE LOOP!!

2008-12-12T18:08:00.006-06:00

....or, as fellow loopers say, we crossed our wake at this spot where we began our journey 8 months and 11 days ago and over 6000 miles. This works out to 36 weeks and 4 days. So we stopped the boat and drifted for a few minutes to take these pictures before moving up the Caloosahatchee River where our boat will be docked.

I finally got the camera to work so we could both be in the picture. But I like the other one much better. She honestly deserves so much of the credit for making this adventure a success. To say that I couldn't have done it without her is an understatement. In this, our 43rd year of marriage, it only gets better every year!

Dolphins were everywhere as we came into port. The Admiral caught this one in mid-air. Even when we stopped about 6 or 7 were gathered near our boat as if to say "Welcome Home"

Triple Play

2008-12-09T18:33:00.006-06:00

Amazingly, on this 9 month cruise, we have managed to see Sara, Troy and the kids at three different concerts; first in New York City at the Teen Challenge 50th anniversary celebration, again in Chicago at their fall tour, and last Sunday night at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fl. on their Christmas tour. Aaron Fabrini, Sara, and Troy put together some great Christmas sounds off their brand new album just released. Go to their website (www.saragroves.com) to order your copy of O Holy Night. You will like it!

Papa and the pirate are guarding Kirby and Toby at Clearwater Beach.

If you zoom in, you will see Ruby Cate, our newest granddaughter in the back of their tour bus. Troy had it remodeled recently to sleep up to 14 people, which is how many they had on the 6 week fall tour.

Mimi got her grandchild fix here at Crabby Bills on the Sunday afternoon prior to the performance.

Bradenton, Fl and the Manatee Museum

2008-12-05T18:16:00.003-06:00

If you've never heard of a Manatee then you haven't spent much time in Florida. There are about 2700 of them in Florida waters and they are highly protected. Weighing in the area of 600 to 800 pounds, they are docile mammals who sometimes get in the path of boaters. So they put up special signs on waterways to slow us down to avoid hitting them. We learned more about Manatees at this museum which has one of the few Manatees in captivity. The one above, named Snooty, was born in 1947 (age 61). Most, however, only live for about 20 years. That white stuff on the surface of the water is lettuce, a main food they give them.

We are in Bradenton, Fl. at the same marina (Twin Dolphin) we visited when we bought Joy @ Sea 2-1/2 years ago. The weather has been very good for the past few days as evidenced by the Admiral being at the pool. It's about time. Looks good for the next few days too.

Clearwater to Gulfport

2008-12-03T16:53:00.008-06:00

The good things about this adventure are made even richer through being able to see and visit with great friends from the past. Marlene spent her growing up years in Canton, Ohio where her dad was a pastor. So she remembers her Canton years very fondly, particularly all the great people she got to know while there. On that note, we really enjoyed being with Barbara (Ciokan) Jacobs (above) who moved to this area about 30 years ago. Barb is an Assistant State Attorney with the State of Florida, celebrating her 29th anniversary with the State Attorney's office yesterday. Congratulations Barb, and thanks for sharing with us about your wonderful family!

Have you ever had Cuban food? Hint: It's not like Mexican food. Barb took us to this great little Cuban restaurant in Gulfport. We had a delicious pork dinner with all the trimmings and topped it off with an award winning desert: Flan made with cream cheese. This was clearly the best food we've had since that fish dinner at Bobby's Fish Camp.

Clearwater Beach, Fl

2008-11-30T07:02:00.010-06:00

Only 15 miles down the coastline is Clearwater, Florida and Clearwater Beach. We were joined here by our good friends Barb and Bill Sowers. Marlene got to know Barb in what now seems like another life: Hawaii in the 70's.

On our way to dinner, the fishing boats were coming in with the day's catch. It was a good day!

That is a fairly large Grouper along with some Grey Snappers.

Onlooker Pelicans are patiently waiting to consume what will be available for them and their families.

Almost missed this sunset on Clearwater Beach pier. The sand is as white as in Pennsacola. We were very impressed with this area.

Looking northwest from Clearwater Beach. Wish it were a little warmer. This would be a great beach on which to spend a few days. But it looks like we are in for a couple of cold fronts this week.

Thanksgiving Day at the Sponge Capitol

2008-11-30T06:44:00.005-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving with the Greeks here in Tarpon Springs. Even on Thanksgiving day the shops were mostly open to sell you their wonderful greek food and also traditional Thanksgiving meals.

" This is a waterfront view of the boats used to harvest sponges out of the Gulf of Mexico. Divers go down anywhere from 20 to 100 feet to collect all varieties of sponges. I bought one of the wool sponges for my stocking person - extremely soft and will last for years.

These are sponges harvested right out of the Gulf over the past few weeks.

Thanksgiving Day at Captain Jack's restaurant. Joy @ Sea is in the background.

Now we head for Clearwater Beach.

Happy Thanksgiving - we made it to Tarpon Springs

2008-11-27T08:49:00.005-06:00

Number One on our list of things to be thankful for is our wonderful family. Today, Sara, Troy, Kirby, Toby, and Ruby are hosting the Thanksgiving spread in their home and have invited Kyle, Lisa, Maddie, Jack, and Josie; Rory and Becca; and Papa Frick. We are so blessed to think about all of them together today; laughing, eating, dozing, watching football. We are so looking forward to being with them again at our home on New Years Day!

The second leg of our trip across the Gulf to here was a long one - 12 hours from Steinhatchee to Tarpon Springs. We covered well over 100 miles but had good weather and seas, but not without some "excitement." We started out in the dark for about an hour because we knew we didn't want to arrive in Tarpon Springs in the dark. Why? There are crab pots everywhere to get caught in your propellers or rudders. So you need light to be able to see them and steer clear of them.

On our way about an hour out to sea, I noticed my starboard engine was running a little hotter than normal. With that, I decided to shut it down to check the coolant level. It was low so I filled it up. Then, when I went to start it - it clicked but wouldn't start. I began to think the starboard battery must have gone out since I used the radar all day previously and I did notice earlier that the amp meter was charging more than the other one. So I pulled out the jumper cables to see if the generator battery would jump start the engine. Nothing. Must be a bad cell on the big engine battery. The Admiral started praying. She does that on everything. I usually exhaust all options and then pray. I reluctantly decided we had to turn back and limp in to Steinhatchee on one engine and buy a new battery. Then Marlene said: Is there something on these gears that needs to be done? Then it hit me: I forgot to put the gear in neutral before starting it. So I put it in neutral and presto! the engine roared to life! She said thank you Jesus! I did too!

Crossing the Gulf from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee

2008-11-25T16:01:00.006-06:00

Weather on the Gulf (or anywhere on the open seas) is to be given the utmost respect. So we waited three days for the weather to improve before heading out to open seas. We pulled in to the small port fishing town of Steinhatchee after the first 70 mile leg of the "Big Bend," which is the name given to the curve starting at the panhandle of Florida and ending about 200 miles later in Tarpon Springs.

Even with the good weather reports, our trip started out with waves in the 2 to 3 foot range and then tapered down to less than one foot by the time we got to Steinhatchee. Our plan was to leave early the next morning for Tarpon Springs, but again, the weather changed all that. Today was supposed to be seas in the 4 to 6 foot range. It's clearly doable for our boat, but not our idea of a pleasant cruise. So today, we have another weather day which will mean we will miss Thanksgiving with our good friends in Clearwater, Barb and Bill Sowers. But that's the way it is. Hopefully we can connect on Friday.

The Picture Above

Our stay in Steinhatchee is at The Sea Hag Marina. When the Admiral saw this, she lit up. The story goes back to her days in nursing school when she and Sandi (long time friend) backcombed their long hair which stood out in all directions. The hair was then smoothed over to arrive at what most will recall as a bouffant hairdo. As they were in stage one of doing this, a little boy they were babysitting for called them Sea Hags. It stuck. Now that little boy is on staff at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California, David Peterson. Of course, she called Sandi right away who remembered the story. So Sandi, I think there will be something coming to you as a token of your Sea Hag Days.

Apalachicola, Fl.

2008-11-22T19:05:00.004-06:00

We pulled into Apalachicola to these floating docks, a rarity at most coastal marinas. These were in front of a new hotel.

This fishing trawler was in the downtown Apalachicola area. Even in its dilapidated state, it has a lot of character.

We couldn't leave town without a basket of oysters and fries. These were literally right off the boat (about 20 yards away) from the morning catch.

Excitement Underway

As we motorsailed toward Carrabelle in the Apalachicola Bay, the dingy hanging off the stern of our boat broke loose from its davit mooring. While the Admiral negotiated the narrow deep water channel in the bay, I was able to go astern and release the other mooring from the davit so that we could pull the dinghy behind the boat the 20 miles to Carrabelle.

Happy Birthday Jack Walter Groves!!

2008-11-20T07:22:00.002-06:00

Happy 12th Birthday grandson Jack! We are so proud of you and glad you could be on the boat with us as we cruised up the Hudson River this summer. Remember when you found a new entrance to the boat at the bow through the hatch? That was fun to watch. And then when you tied up your mom? You would make a good pirate.

Hope your day today is a great one! We are so pleased to hear you are doing well and look forward to seeing you and the family again soon.

Love,

Mimi and Papa

Port St. Joseph, Florida

2008-11-19T15:41:00.006-06:00

Really nice people here at the marina. This is about 6 miles off the main channel but seemed worth the visit - and it has been - even with the cold weather we've been having.

Don't be fooled. This is the only work I did all day. That boat in the background is called Grape Escape, a couple from Napa, California who took the Great Circle plunge too. They have two dogs on board as well. The dogs have been trained to go on a green carpet so they don't have to dinghy them to shore.

Marlene captured this picture of a seagull who has been here all of the three days watching our boat - perched nearby

We love boats, all kinds. This is a workboat named Speedy. They have been here for 8 months doing a beach restoration project nearby.

Ft. Walton Beach, Destin, and Panama City, Florida

2008-11-16T19:46:00.005-06:00

After anchoring out for two days at Pensacola Beach, we cruised to Ft. Walton Beach and stayed at their free city dock. Took a walk over to the Publix grocery store at Ft. Walton Beach, clearly one of the best grocery stores in Florida.

The next day we continued to Destin, Florida about 5 miles further and stayed at a marina inside the bay near the waterfront. This was a beautiful setting to watch all the huge sportfishing boats come into port. We also took a break from boating to shop at one of those upscale malls (above) and saw the new 007 movie.

Then it got cold.......

So we headed for Panama City, Fl. with a good tail wind and some fairly high waves and temps in the 50's. Made the 70 miles or so to the downtown marina. The temps continued to drop into the 30's overnight. Brrrr... Fortunately, the boat has a good heater.

We attended St. Andrews A/G church today and I was able to get another interview for my research. We nixed plans to do any sightseeing since the temps were low and it was quite windy.

Pensacola Beach

2008-11-13T14:21:00.004-06:00

Finally! Great beaches again! We found a great place to anchor near Pensacola Beach. A little cool but getting better every day.

This is the most beautiful sand I've ever seen, including Hawaii. It is so white, fine and pure.

The landmark watertower overlooking the beach and lots of places to shop. The Admiral found a couple of items here. That's saying a lot because she usually just looks around and doesn't buy much if anything.

The dingy has been our critical link to land when we anchor out in a bay or other spot protected from the wind. Marlene is surveying a place for us to tie up to go to dinner.

Pensacola and the Brownsville Revival

2008-11-10T12:01:00.004-06:00

We pulled into a marina Saturday afternoon in one of the oldest cities in America: Pensacola. It is also noted to me and many others as the location where a great revival occurred, starting on Fathers Day 1995 and continuing for five years. It is known as the "Brownsville Revival" taking place at Brownsville Assembly of God. If you haven't heard about it, you can read all about it in Wikipedia. It is a fairly accurate account but, as with anything else written by secular writers, it misses much of the impact the revival has had on hundreds of thousands of people, including me. We had the privilege of attending the revival in 1996. It was a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit, perhaps similar to the Azusa Street revival at the turn of the last century

On Sunday, we attended Brownsville Assembly of God and had the privilege of interviewing one of the people who was a long-time attender who also accepted Christ as an adult (age 39). His story is on my other blog (First Generation) and it is a very interesting one.

Boat Project Week

2008-11-06T19:34:00.005-06:00

The good news is that we made it all the way down the Tenn-Tom river without getting shot at. According to some fairly reliable reports, the duck hunters on the river don't like it when boats pass by and disturb their hideouts. So they have been known to shoot above the boats passing by to let them know how they feel about it. On a related note, (this is true for sure) the captain of the 55 foot Viking was arrested at a lock downstream because he passed by a marina under full power, rocking all the boats and damaging some of them.

We are spending most of this week at Dog River Marina giving the boat some needed attention after over 5,000 miles of travel. Our to-do list for boat projects is never done, but it's getting shorter.

Boat names, we've seen a lot of them. These shrimp boats just came back from a day at sea. The front one is named Prince of Peace
What are the chances you would have two boats docked next to each other named:
AND

The Last Lock and then Mobile, Alabama!

2008-11-02T19:22:00.006-06:00

Starting in Troy, New York and finishing at the end of the Tenn-Tom Waterway in Alabama, we have gone through about 150 locks. This is the last one!

Coming into Mobile area, we were taken aback at this stealth Navy ship getting ready for service.

Marlene almost jumped overboard when she saw this Hawaii Superferry. It is one of the new fast boats getting ready to ply the waters between the Hawaiian Islands. Access to Hawaii is through the Panama Canal.

Back to civilization! The skyline of Mobile comes into view as we round the bend.

I Think This is the Deep South

2008-11-02T18:58:00.003-06:00

Bobby's Fish Camp is located strategically along the Tenn Tom to welcome us as we near the end of the river system. In fact, it is the only "marina" (no electricity, no water) on the last 230 mile stretch. But they made up for the lack of amenities by providing a great catfish dinner and some of the best cole slaw we've ever tasted.

If this isn't the Deep South, then where is it? These two men came by to look at the boats on the dock today. They are self-described "red necks" on their way to a high school football game this Saturday night.

Anchoring out in a peaceful cove gives us a chance to enjoy a couple of good books. The Admirals main fear is that she will run out of books to read. A voracious reader, she will probably read 100 books on this trip, currently at 78.

Rivers and More Rivers - Midway to Demopolis

2008-10-29T17:24:00.008-05:00

Joy @ Sea rafted to Decisions at Anchorage

Each portion of the trip has had its own unique twist. Since we left Chicago, we have been more involved with others who are also doing this big adventure. Sometimes we go with four or five other boats down the river. Yesterday we were with one other boat (Decisions) who clipped along at the same speed as us. Then we got to one of the preferred anchorages as the day ended. As it turned out, the basin was quite small, making the swinging room uncomfortably close to each other. So we decided to "raft" our boats together with both anchors set. To top things off, Bob, Judi, and Steve invited us over for a steak dinner. Very nice!

After a nights rest, we awoke to find ice on the deck!

Here is a beach on the Tenn Tom all decked out with Alabama's version of Cabanas

Demopolis Yacht Basin's Restaurant. The burgers were really good!

White cliffs on the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

Civil War Battleground at Shiloh, then on to the Tenn - Tom

2008-10-24T22:07:00.004-05:00

In April of 1862, over a two day period, there were about 23,000 casualties during the Civil War battle at Shiloh. We took a tour of the battlefield grounds here in western Tennessee. In this picture, taken on the battlefield grounds, Marlene is talking to one of the locals about his family, many of whom were buried in this Shiloh Methodist Church cemetery in the background.

Having gone through about 100 locks now, we are finally getting the hang of it. This is the first one on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. It is a really big one which "drops" us 85 feet to the next level.

End of the cruising day, arriving at Midway Marina, Fulton, Mississippi. Here the Admiral poses for me to take her picture with the placid waters and unique background of trees. We enjoyed a catfish dinner tonight with another couple we met (Pete and Linda from St Louis) who also cruised with us today from the Shiloh area to here.

Clifton, Tn to Pickwick Landing

2008-10-21T21:14:00.002-05:00

The rivers have actually been upstream every since we left the Mississippi. First the Ohio, then the Cumberland and lastly, 200 miles of the Tennessee. It will be good to finally be going downstream again as we are now at the top of the Ten-Tom Waterway. This will lead us 450 miles to Mobile, Alabama and back to the Gulf of Mexico.

Tonight we are anchored out in a small cove near Pickwick Landing.(above picture) We dinghied over to the Landing facilities and found a 4 star hotel complete with a full service buffet. ($6.95) The hotel and conference center is owned by the state of Tennessee. They know how to do things first class here.

Paris Landing to Pebble Isle to Clifton, TN

2008-10-20T19:42:00.000-05:00

Here I am with looper friends Gary and Bob as I finished cleaning the dinghy to put back on the stern of the boat and continue down the Tennessee River.

One of the great things about this trip is our ability to find a weekly time to join with other believers in praise, worship and to hear a message from the Word of God. With few exceptions, we have been able to do that. This weekend was a real bonus as we happened on a Feast of Tabernacles conference sponsored by a group of Messianic congregations. They were meeting here for a week-long conference within a half mile of the marina in Paris Landing, TN.

I don't want to take away from those who are inspired by their devotional times, but absolutely nothing can compare to the affirmation and inspiration that comes from being in the fellowship of other believers who are joining in worship to our God! Here we are all singing the familiar song Our God is an Awesome God. I learned a lot about the Messianic movement over the weekend and plan to learn more. As the Admiral said, "we are going to be in Heaven with these people someday," maybe soon!

Please don't use the Mississippi River as your view of how a river is supposed to look. The Tennessee River is so clean and picturesque, it would rival the Hudson, which is still my favorite river so far.

Paris Landing, Tennessee

2008-10-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been a time to do some of the things that don't get done in the regular course of our travel days -- like cleaning the dinghy, washing and waxing the boat, minor maintenance and the like. We were docked at Green Turtle Bay for 3 days and are now at a state run marina called Paris Landing. It is a Class A marina at some of the lowest rates we've paid - $30 a night.

A String of Anchorages

2008-10-14T20:27:00.000-05:00

Once the anchor is set, there is nothing like sitting back on the deck and enjoying the sunset. The anchorages here have been much easier than those in the coastal areas or great lakes. But maybe it's because we are getting better at it than in the early months.

Getting to know other Loopers has been one of the bonuses of this adventure. While in Chicago, we connected with Bob and Peggy Olsen from Minnesota who began their journey in Lake Superior on their pristine conditioned Grand Banks 32 named Baby Grand. Here is a shot I took of their boat as we plied the fast current of the Mississippi River.

In all there were four to six of us Loopers who stayed together for most of the entire journey down the rivers to this point. I think it has worked well as we had frequent captains meetings to plan our next day cruises and keep aware of some of the tricky areas.

Today, we arrived at Green Turtle Bay Marina in Kentucky, probably one of the most popular stops on the entire 6,000 miles loop. Nearby is a famous restaurant named Patties Settlement. The Admiral had a generous portion catfish she couldn't finish. I had their specialty, a 2 inch thick pork chop, clearly the best I've ever eaten anywhere.

A scare-pumkin I guess, outside the front door of the restaurant.

This is a remote stretch of the Loop

2008-10-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

Even though we passed by St. Louis, there were no marinas there or places to even drop anchor. So we stopped about 20 miles south of St. Louis at a marina called Hoppies -- not a first class facilty to say the least, but lots of character in the owners and their family members who run the place. Every day the owner (Fern) gathers all the captains and their first mates to a meeting place on the dock to talk about the journey ahead. She is an expert on this part of the Mississippi River so we were all attentive as Fern described the hazards we need to watch out to get to our next major destination of Green Turtle Bay in Barkley Lake.For about 300 miles ahead, there are no marinas or even places to get fuel or water.

Tonight, we are just south of Cape Girardeau, Mo. in a small canal off the main channel of the river. Tomorrow we finish the Mississippi River and turn up the Ohio River for about 60 miles. Then on to the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley.

Heading for St. Louis

2008-10-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

Three University of Chicago graduates decided to build a raft and cruise (Huck Finn style) down the river system to Mobile, Alabama taking the same route as us. They are going about 5 MPH. We will check in on them as we continue down the rivers.

(top picture)Another Rotarian and boater joined us for church last Sunday. She (Barbara) and her husband (Ken) are on their way south like us. By the way, this is the church that provided a place for the Beardstown Ladies Investment Club to meet.

Commentary

Today has been very dreary, almost as bad as the stock market. My personal opinion is that the market decline is made much worse by the fear instilled by TV and radio commentators and bloggers who are creating a spirit of panic in the average investor mind. People act on their advice to get out of the market. Some of it is real, but more of it is emotional. This will take time to recover.

Peoria to Beardstown

2008-10-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

Heard of the Beardstown Ladies? Well we are in their home town. I wonder how their stocks are doing now? You may remember they were a group of older women who formed an investment club with very high returns in the stock market, something like 24% a year for 12 years running. Then they were discredited by an investment professional who said they only had 9% return. I'm going to try to find them tomorrow after we get out of church.

Our trip today started at 11:00 am. The weather was so nice, we decided to go along with another looper who led us to Beardstown which is almost 80 miles for the day.

River Travel on the Loop - We're in Peoria, Ill

2008-10-03T20:06:00.000-05:00

Traveling down the Illinois River means sharing the "road" with these behemoths known as tows. These tows are pushing anywhere from 3 to 6 barges loaded with grain, coal, chemicals, scrap metal, sand or anything produced in this area to reach ports in New Orleans and beyond. They are usually longer than a football field in total and require highly skilled captains to navigate the river bends and currents. We know to stay out of their way, since it takes about a half-mile to stop them if needed to avert a problem.

Tonight we are docked in downtown Peoria, within a block of the Caterpillar corporate headquarters. Since I have two Cat 3208's in my boat, I tried to get a tour of the Cat engine plant. But it couldn't be arranged in the time we are here. (I just heard this saying today: "If it's not a Cat, it's a dog.")

Being docked in downtown locations means there could be a rock concert nearby. In our case tonight, Joy @ Sea is docked about 30 feet from the back of the stage where a rock band is going full blast. Oh how I wish it could be Sara and her band. Her music has so much more substance. But for the time being, we'll endure this one.

Chicago to Joliet, then to Ottawa, Illinois

2008-10-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

We left Chicago south to Joliet right through the middle of the city. After the first few miles, the scenery became very industrial with barges lining the banks left and right. We arrived the 40 or so miles into the downtown area of Joliet where they provided a free dock with electricity, a first for us.

Shortly after arriving in Joliet, we were treated to a visit from Jim Rasmussen, in the Chicago area for a business appointment. He had a car and took us to a restaurant to eat and Sams Club --Yea! Jim and Kathy are long time friends, going back to our days in Kansas City and before that for the Admiral prior to the turn of the century.

After two days in Joliet, we teamed up with 4 other Loopers and travelled in a westerly direction through three locks. The day became quite long as we had to wait at every lockage to permit the commercial tows to use the locks ahead of us. At the end of the day we were welcomed by a very hospitable marina named Heritage Harbor. They had full services at the incredible low rate of $1.00 per foot.

Side Note: Getting to know some of the fellow Loopers, we are finding that a good number of them are permanently on their boat, having sold their homes and taken to a new life. How would you like to do that? That is a bridge we will not cross onto. Although we are enjoying this trip of a lifetime, we love Minnesota and all our wonderful family and friends.

Happy 90th birthday today to Ivar Anton Frick, Marlene's dad. They had a big party for him today in Minneapolis.

Friends and Scenes in Chicago

2008-09-29T22:19:00.000-05:00

Tony and Glenda Nazarowski with son and daughter (friends of ours and Rory and Becca) stopped by to see us last Saturday. Tony is a computer guru and Glenda is an air traffic controller.

Great view of downtown Chicago from the planetarium.

The centerpiece of the Melennium Park is the Bean, a polished stainless steel piece of artwork about three stories high and about 50 feet wide.

Joy @ Sea moored in front of downtown Chicago in Monroe Harbor.

Very pleased with our Ziess lens/8.1 megapixel camera which captured this nighttime shot of the city

Former colleague, Craig Olney, and his wife, Day, with whom we dined on the Chicago waterfront and recalled our earlier boating "adventure" when in Kansas City about 35 years ago. They are avid boaters, spending whole summers in Canada on their 38 foot sailboat in the North Channel

Still in Chicago

2008-09-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

The Illinios River is still above flood stage 180 miles south of here. So we're going to wait another couple of days before heading down the river. We will be attending Willow Creek Community Church's downtown location tomorrow, just a few block from our dock in Monroe Harbor.

The next post will have several pictures of the Chicago waterfront area plus friends who stopped by to see us while we have been at this magnificent port.

One Week in Chicago and Counting

2008-09-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

Son, Troy, and daughter-in-law, Sara, onstage at the debut of the Art-Music-Justice Tour in Wheaton, Illinois over the weekend. Check out their full tour schedule at http://www.saragroves.com/, including a concert in Minneapolis on September 30th.

The rivers South of here are still swollen. Looks like another couple of days before we will be heading into the 1300 miles of rivers on our way to the Gulf of Mexico.

But what a place to wait things out! Chicago weather has been spectacular for all of the 7 days so far. And I used this time to run up to Minneapolis to take care of some winterizing duties at the house. And, as it worked out, Marlene decided to stay here and spend time with her girlfriend, Sandi Robertson, who took the train down from Minneapolis to experience the downtown shopping and restaurant mecca that it is.

How I got from Chicago to Mpls and back? What a coincidence. Troy and Sara had their first performance of the Art/Music/Justice Tour in Wheaton, Illinois, last Friday along with several other artists like Derek Webb, Sandra McCracken and Charlie Peacock. The bus was headed back to Minneapolis that night and I bummed a ride with them. Then they dropped me off at the Marina back in Chicago about 4:00am this morning as the tour continued to Atlanta this weekend.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2008-09-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Rory and Becca were able to join us last night so we could tour Chicago together and, would you believe it, see Sara and Troy at the debut of their Fall concert series which starts tomorrow night in Wheaton, Illinois.

Took this picture of Joy @ Sea (middle) from high atop the ferris wheel on Navy Pier, downtown Chicago.

Chicago skyline as we arrived yesterday.

Flooded Rivers further South

Good thing we have a week here. About 30 loopers are stranded at various places down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. They had 11 inches of rain over a three day period which flooded the rivers. Should be OK in a few days.

The Admiral Wanted You to See This

2008-09-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

Bought this umbrella at a Rotary fund raiser in Florida. It came in handy the last few days. Can you see the duck bill on the front?

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

2008-09-15T18:47:00.001-05:00

We cruised to Ludington, then to Grand Haven, then to South Haven, Michigan. about 100 miles in all. Got holed up in South Haven for three days in the rain. But we did have an opportunity to visit a great little AG church in South Haven (First Assembly) where a group of Teen Challenge guys gave their testimony of how God delivered them from a life of drugs and alcohol. I've heard these type testimonies before and and always come away inspired by the work of Teen Challenge and the power of God to change lives. After the service was over, we enjoyed a great pot luck dinner.

Today we arrived in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, Michigan on the flooding St Joseph river. Currently we are tied up to the fuel dock for the night since getting into a slip is too risky with the current flowing as fast as it is.

A good weather forecast for the next few days will make our time with the next young couple all the more enjoyable as we do Chicago together!

And yes, Jamie, you are the one we were thinking of. Congratulations to you and Lance on the news of a new arrival planned for next Spring!

Ludington to Grand Haven

2008-09-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

Smooth travel for the 50 miles of travel today! Gave us time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of sand dunes which line the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan. One would think we are back in Florida with all the beautiful beaches. If you Minnesotans haven't been to this area, it would make for a great little vacation trip. You could drive to Milwaukee and take the fast ferry to this side of the lake for a few days of fun in the sun on an ocean-like beach. (better make that next year)

I just heard someone is expecting. Maybe she will post a comment and let us know when the due date is.

Frankfort to Ludington

2008-09-12T19:26:00.000-05:00

We planned to cross over to the West side of Lake Michigan. But the big waves rolling in from the South changed our plans to stay on the East side of the Lake. The reason to go to the West side is to get the protection of the Western shore, since prevailing winds are from the West. But since the winds are from the South mostly this week and next, staying on the East side is a toss up. Great little town of Ludington with a restaurant named PF Steamer that has great meat loaf!

Some recent Pictures

2008-09-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

This is where we went to church last Sunday, First Congregational Church of Frankfort, Michigan. The place was almost full but I didn't get an interview.

Brother (Larry) and sister (Marlene) at the Charlevoix Marina. No matter the age, family matters a lot, especially when going through tough times.

The shopping in Petosky is great! They have a few of these benches around for the husbands.

Husband and wife Larry and Judy Frick. Sunset at the Charlevoix Harbor. We were so glad we could be with them again for a few days.

Charlevoix, Mi to Frankfort, Mi

2008-09-08T18:31:00.000-05:00

After holding at the marina for two weather days in Charlevoix because of winds, we decided to go for it on Saturday to try to reach Frankfort about 65 miles down the coast. We made it, but not without a fight. The waves were much higher than forecast, largest we've encountered so far. Fortunately, it was head-on into the waves instead of from the side (beam). So it was mostly a matter of plowing through them for about 6 hours of the 8 hour trip. About an hour from our destination, one of the lines holding our tender boat in the back broke loose. So the Admiral took the wheel into the waves while I went aft to make a temporary repair. It's fixed now, better than ever.

Sunday we attended the First Congregational Church of Frankfort. Good service with a full crowd of people, mostly seniors. They had a reception for visitors at the end of the service where we met a couple who had taken the Loop as well as another couple who were planning the Loop starting next week.

Today was another wind/weather day which permitted Marlene to do some reprovisioning and me to repair one of our Vacuflush heads.

Tomorrow we head for Ludington, Mi., weather permitting.

Plan B Activated

2008-09-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

This was one of the many summer homes we saw in Petoskey, Michigan.

About Plan B

We were planning to head for Frankfort, Michigan today.(Plan A) But as we entered Lake Michigan, the wind and waves were just too much for our comfort, so we decided to turn back and enjoy another day or two at the beautiful Charlevoix Marina. They also have cable TV so we can continue to watch the exciting Republican Convention.

Free advice for boaters who do this trip: Allow for weather days and don't have the attitude that you must go on because you are tough and can handle it. We've heard too many stories of miserable experiences surrounding the "get there itis" syndrome. We learned that on Lake Ontario.

Charlevoix, Michigan

2008-09-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

Good weather permitted us to go the full 65 miles to Charlevoix, Michigan instead of the originally planned stopover at Beaver Island. I have heard about this beautiful little town on the East Coast of Upper Lake Michigan for many years. It is the hometown of most members of the Way Family, connected to us through Judy (Way) Frick, (Larry Frick's bride of 40 years this year). The Way families are very active in the community through several businesses (manufacturing, trucking, and home building). They are also strong supporters of their church, Charlevoix Assembly of God.

Another big reason for us to go to Charlevoix was to get to spend more time with Larry and Judy, only three weeks following the passing of their son, Trent. They arrived from Minneapolis about the same we did and were with us on the boat us for a couple of days. (See picture above)

Dawson Way and his wife, Joan, went on this same 6000 mile cruise route back in 1991 when it was rarely done. He was one of the people who inspired to us to take the cruise. They were very hospitable to us while we were in Charlevoix, including loaning us their car to make provisioning runs and putting on a great steak dinner before we left.

While here, we visited two other resort communities with Larry and Judy: Boyne City (by boat) and Petoskey (by car).

Dinner at the Grand Hotel

2008-08-29T15:47:00.001-05:00

In addition to the great food at this place, there seems to be a fudge shop on every corner. This was in the dining room of the Grand Hotel. Dresses only for the ladies and coats and ties for the men. The Admiral likes that.

Honeymoon Redux

2008-08-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

43 years ago my bride and I had our picture taken in this same spot - The Grand Hotel front porch on Mackinac Island. This was our first time back since then. We were on our honeymoon having just traveled up from Flint, Michigan where Dad Frick pastored at the time. Today, the place is more beautiful than ever.

We are Back in the USA!

2008-08-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

We really enjoyed our six week Canadian adventure. But we are so glad to be back in the good old USA. The weather these last two days have been great! A little on the cool side, but clear and no wind, which is good for boating in wide open Lake Huron as we approached the Mackinac Bridge. Tonight we are in St. Ignace, Michigan and tomorrow we head for two days at Mackinac Island. The picture is of the Grand Hotel we passed today.

Sunset in the North Channel, Ontario

2008-08-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Johns Island anchorage

2008-08-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

The North Channel is much more remote than we have been so far. Here we are at anchor behind Johns Island to get maximum protection from the windy conditions. Also, at this place we took the dinghy up close to the huge rock formations extending from the shoreline.

The next morning we decided to head for Thessalon. But after about 30 minutes of beam seas and a storm warning ahead, we decided to turn back. We learned our lesson from last month trying to tough it out going across Lake Ontario. So back to Johns Island.

Then, here came the storm. My anchor wasn't set well enough for 50-60 mile an hour winds so we broke loose and were heading for the rocks. I fired up the engines in a hurry to keep us off the rocks. Then, a nearby sailboat was swinging toward us as the wind direction changed, almost pinning us between the shoreline and the other sailboat. Fortunately, I was able to power us away from the other boat in time to avoid a big collision. But my second anchor was just clipped by the other sailboat's stayline, knocking it into the water. My main anchor was already in the water. So here we were with high winds and a driving rain and two anchors in the water between the rocky shoreline and another boat. Sound like fun? The admiral must have thought so because she was taking pictures of the calamity in progress. The winds began to subside as soon as they came so we were able to recoil both anchors and re-anchor.

Lesson Learned: Make certain anchor is very well set. I should have known of the possibility of wind shifts and the potential of the approaching storm. Also, allow for the swing of other boats.

This Just In

2008-08-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

A fellow Looper took our picture as we were in one of those locks on the Trent Severn Waterway where the boat is actually floating in a "bathtub" which is supported on a 7 foot thick hydraulic piston and lowered to the waterway below, about 60 feet. We just got the picture today.

Into the North Channel

2008-08-21T20:51:00.000-05:00

I know that looks like snow, but it is actually granite! We are on our way to a popular spot known as Bay Fine between Killarney and Little Current.
The Admiral was watching for rocks as we headed up to the "pool" at the very end of Bay Fine. The water is so clear you can see down to the bottom for at least 20 feet. What we usually see when it's this shallow are huge boulders.
Here we are in Killarney. How about that sign for building your appetite. We rarely pass the ice cream stands.
This is not exactly a Discovery Channel prospect for The Deadliest Catch, but this fishing boat goes out in the bay every day to bring in a large supply of Whitefish for hungry customers.
The fish are caught and delivered to the other side of this bus (converted into a fish and chips stand). Then they are cleaned for cooking about 1 hour later. It doesn't get any fresher than that.

Georgian Bay - Part II

2008-08-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

Sure glad we decided to take the small craft channel up the north shore of Georgian Bay. The scenery is spectacular, somewhat like Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area, but on a much larger scale.

Woke up this morning to a cool 10 degrees. Not Farenheit, but Celsius. That translates into about 50 degrees Farenheit. So the Unabomber (AKA Admiral/first mate/Marlene) donned everything she had that was warm for this cold snap. But the weather looks great for the next few days as we plan to be Killarney tomorrow sometime.

Back on our Trip!

2008-08-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

We left the boat for a week at Penetanguishene, Ontario while away for Trent's funeral. The people at Bay Moorings Marina were so good to us. I think we got charged about half the normal rate. Anyway, we left Saturday morning for Georgian Bay, planning to cross a big part of it. But the winds were up. So we decided to anchor out in a cove before tackling the Bay the next morning. Last night, while watching the Olympics (and 8th gold medal award to Mark Phelps), we had a change of heart on the route to take. So instead of "sprinting" across Georgian Bay in two big chunks, we decided to take the channel up the northern perimeter. That picture above was our welcome to the channel.

A few miles down the "road" was this fish restaurant called Henry's. Great fried fresh (pickeral) fish! It must be pretty popular because there were about 4 seaplanes docked there as well.

Everywhere you look in this area could easily be suitable for a postcard picture.

Tonight, we are at a marina in Parry Sound. I think it's the last time we'll have internet access for a few days since the next town is Killarney at the beginning of the North Channel.

Trenton Robert Frick: Nov. 7, 1973 to August 9, 2008

2008-08-09T16:20:00.000-05:00

This blog is about our journey, yes. But it's also about how our lives are impacted during it. So it is with great sadness that we report that our nephew passed from this earth to Heaven this morning. Here are some of my thoughts at this time

Life doesn’t stack up to my perception of fair. If it did, Trent would still be here and I would be gone. A lot of us are asking the question right now, why am I still here? If a guy so energetic for the Lord and his vocation can be taken out of the picture, what did God have in mind? Is this some type of cruel joke?

Let me be quick to say the answer is no. Rather, we live life in these earthly bodies which are subject to all of the diseases which entered the human race with the Fall of man. Some of us have been fortunate to miss the onslaught of dread diseases like cancer. Some of us got it and are doing everything possible to keep ahead of it. The reality of it is that no one is immune. And yes, God can heal people from their diseases and has. And I will be talking to God about Trent when I get to Heaven- because this is a hard one for me. But this I know: Trent fulfilled his calling with excellence and is in Heaven with his Maker. You can know that for certain!

When the news came to me about 4 years ago that Trent had been diagnosed, I called him so we could have lunch. We ate at a TGIFridays in the Block E development in downtown Minneapolis. The news was a shock, and we all didn’t want to accept the fact that something like this was intruding into the life of a man with so much going for him.

Trent was an architect and a very good one. He had both undergraduate and graduate degrees in his field from the University of Minnesota. I remember when he took an interest in architectural things early on. And, as it turned out, I was able to get him a position at one of my clients, Ellerbe Becket. This was by far the largest architectural engineering firm in the Midwest and ranked about 8th nationally. He went on to become a staff architect and was granted access to some of the most prominent opportunities in the world, including the early developments in Dubai, which as you know will have the world’s tallest building this year. Trent went on to pursue his interests in an area not a strength of Ellerbe – that of libraries and churches. He spent a lot of time in Europe expressly to visit some of the great churches and libraries there. And on that topic, he wrote a letter to the editor of the Star Tribune about the selection of the architect of the new Main Library in downtown Minneapolis. He had visions for that library which far exceeded the City Council’s own vision. Seems they selected a firm he felt wasn’t up to the potential of a great city like Minneapolis.

Another conversation I had with him several years ago was on the topic of city design and how the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul came into being. His view of things like this was way beyond me but I was so impressed with his excitement about his work.

One structure I visited that Trent played a major role in is the school and community center near 50th and Minnehaha in Minneapolis. He was especially proud of that building as I recall.

So not only was Trent a model for others to follow as a follower of Christ, but his work ethic and expertise in his chosen field were of top caliber as well. His devotion to Cathy, his bride of 5 years was also a model of how a husband can and should be. Trent loved his parents dearly. They were so pleased with him in so many ways. Trent had one brother Todd. In an email he just sent to me, Todd said:

“Trent was an amazing brother. I had the chance to write a personal note a couple weeks ago letting him know what he meant to me. How I admired him and loved him. I know we all did.”

Trent’s life was a life of excellence for the Lord, excellence as a husband, excellence as a family member and excellence in his work.

So this is a challenge to all of us, no matter where we may be in our stage of life. My message to you is this: Be excellent for Trent. Let the spirit of this Godly man who showed us how to live life become a part of us. He didn’t get to finish what he planned on this earth. I can only imagine what God will have him doing in the New Earth. Trent’s memory can live on through each of us in our lives. In our work, in our family, in our dedication to the Lord. Be excellent for Trent.

With that, we are now on our way to Denver to be with Trent's wife and family. Will talk again in a few days.

The last Leg of the Trent-Severn - Some Pictures

2008-08-08T15:21:00.000-05:00

Looking back at where we just came out of the lock. The current is swift here, partly because of the rain.

One of many little cottages along the Waterway.

OK, here comes the excitement as we prepare to take the boat out of the water and into the "rail car" which carries us, boat and all down the hill. I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it.

The Joy @ Sea is held in an upright position by those two huge straps which span from the railings, under the boat and to the railings on the other side. The keel is resting on the bottom of the rail car. The props and shaft are hanging over the back side, but would have been OK anyway since the keel is lower than them both.

There is the admiral looking at me as the car is slowly descending the hill with the boat and us in it.
Here is one of the larger locks with the lockmaster opening it's downstream gate.

Into Georgian Bay!

2008-08-07T09:08:00.000-05:00

We made it fine throught the remainder of the Trent-Severn Waterway and into Georgian Bay. In all, over the last month and a half, we have gone from the Hudson River and then up through the Erie canal, across Lake Ontario, then through the Trent-Severn. There were 82 locks! the Admiral and I were very busy over this period. Now we head for the North Channel which is a safer route than going out into Lake Huron to get to Mackinac Island.

We have pictures, maybe I'll get them to download at a faster wifi connection soon.

Last night we docked at Pentaguishene, Ont. where they actually have a place for people who are traveling the Loop!

As we left lake Simcoe, the terrain changed to pristine collections of granite rock formations, many of them with little cabins on them.

The most spectacular part of the Trent-Severn for us was the Big Chute Railway boat conveyor. If you can imagine this, we pulled our boat into a garage-like steel framed structure on rails. Huge straps on both sides of our boat began to lift it out of the water. Then the structure itself began to move slowly out of the water, taking us with it. These straps on each side of our boat kept us perfectly stable as we were carried over a hill and down about 65 feet into the waterway on the other side. It is an amazing tribute to Canadian engineering. Marlene was totally calm the whole time, actually relished the experience. Then I remembered she jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 13,000 feet about 5 years ago.

A Three Day Weekend for Canadians....

2008-08-03T16:53:00.000-05:00

...meant that we decided to stay put in the LeFroy Harbor for a few days. Had we ventured out on the Trent-Severn Waterway on Saturday we would have likely run into a lot of boat traffic which may have caused several hours of delays at the locks. So we are now on schedule to leave Tuesday morning for Georgian Bay. Staying here also gives us full internet access so we can keep checking on Trent's progress, which is still guarded. He has not awakened fully since his surgery last Tuesday. Thanks for praying!

Top book on my list - The Shack

2008-07-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Sara and Troy who loaned us their copy (its coming back soon, Sara!) I just finished The Shack by William P. Young. I also noted others are reading it too, now number 2 on the USA Today best seller list. In any event, this book is a phenominal work of art, a novel which explains God and his relationship to us like nothing I have ever read. Eugene Peterson (The Message) said "this book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress did for his. It's that good!"

We are just about finished with our unscheduled stay in Barrie, Ontario and will likely be on the boat again and on our way sometime tomorrow as we complete this leg of our journey on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Then we head into Georgian Bay and probably the North Channel.

Trent Frick, our Nephew needs a miracle

2008-07-30T12:09:00.000-05:00

Transcending all of this is the news that our 35 year old nephew Trent, an architect living in Denver with his lovely wife of 5 years is in critical condition, just having come out of brain surgery to remove a malignant tumor(Glioma). But only one of the three that were there could be removed surgically. Trent has had this condition for 4 years and this has been an ongoing battle. Now it is getting serious as there are more tumors.

So we are asking everyone reading this blog to stop right now and pray for a miraculous healing for Trent. We believe in healing and have seen it in our own family. So please pray.

Thanks.

Another Update on our "Bump in the Water"

2008-07-28T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is the damaged port prop the divers brought up from under the boat.

Then, to repair the bent drive shaft, we had the boat lifted out of the water.......

....and placed in the boat yard so the mechanics could work on it.

When the boat hit the boulder or something hard, it damaged the strut, the cutlass bearing the shaft and the propeller.

We should be back on the water in a couple of days. Meanwhile, we are getting to know more about Barrie, Ontario, about 60 miles north of Toronto.

Prop and Shaft Damage - Update

2008-07-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

Well, the bad news on our running aground in the Trent-Severn Waterway channel is that the boat will have to be hauled (a term for taking it out of the water with a big lift) and remove the shaft which was also bent in addition to the port prop damage. We are in Fenelon Falls today, a bustling little riverside community, on our way to Lake Simcoe where the boat will be hauled. I will have pictures on the next post so you can see what the boat looks like out of the water.

I keep thinking what I would have done differently to avoid this. The answer is nothing, since we were inside the channel when it occurred. So we are accepting it as is. I'm not a person that generally believes in good luck or bad luck, but this seems to qualify on the bad luck side.

I've sent an email to the folks in charge of the canal system to see if we can get some consideration for their error in not properly marking the channel. However, I'm not holding my breath.

A Bump in the road (more like a boulder in the canal)

2008-07-23T19:05:00.000-05:00

As we were nearing the mid-point of our Trent-Severn Canal trip through the province of Ontario near Peterborough, we sort of rolled over something firm on the bottom of the canal. Then a thud which sounded like one of the props hit it too. It did. So we have been in a holding pattern at the Peterborough Marina since Tuesday and it looks like our departure will not be until Friday at the earliest. The delay is caused by the time required to arrange for divers to go under the boat and pull the damaged prop and replace it with one of our spares. They are busy this time of year since it is when most props get damaged in these shallow waters.

I'll have pictures by Friday or Saturday so you can see exactly what happened. Meanwhile, we are planning our time to do some projects on the boat. The weather has been quite rainy the past three days so we are ready for some sunshine.

Sunday in Campbellford

2008-07-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

We found this Assembly of God affiliated church about 3 blocks from the canal as we again headed for church in the rain.

Small church, yes. But the warmth of the fellowship of God's people and the message from the Word was so very genuine. Read about my interview with Ruth and Dennis at this church on my First Generation blog. The pastor has been there for 39 years.

As we were looking at the church bulletin, we noted they were promoting their family camp in Cobourg, Ontario. That struck a familiar note with Marlene, who confimed that it is the same camp that her dad preached at over several summers about 20 years ago. It is good to know that church camps are alive and well here in Canada.

Campbellford, Ontario, Canada

2008-07-20T15:25:00.000-05:00

Marlene (AKA The Admiral) takes it easy after helping us get through 7 locks in about 4 hours. This is coming into Campbellford

Joy @ Sea docked in downtown Campbellford. Note the mast is in its lowered position because of the maximum height of 22 feet through this area (we are at 26'4" with the mast up)

Kingston to Picton

2008-07-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

Our plans are to get to the Trent Severn Waterway by Thursday, so this day we made it half way to Picton, a fairly decent size town on the Bay of Quinte. We were able to get a mooring at the Prince Edward Island Yacht Club for $10, then dinghy in to shore for dinner and to buy a large wrench to try to stop a small oil leak in the starboard engine. This is a picture of one of the many sailboats returning to port from a day in the Bay of Quinte

Touring Kingston, Ontario, Canada

2008-07-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

Kingston was the first capital of Canada. There is a lot of history surrounding this city which is considered the sailing capitol of Canada. After our ordeal of the previous day, we checked into another marina in the heart of the city and had a huge breakfast of eggs, ham, French toast and pancakes. (made up for all we lost) The weather was spectacular as we toured the city on a trolley. They have both a Canadian Military Academy as well as a large (Harvard of the North) University in Kingston.

This steam engine and coal car were built right in Kingston. It's interesting that the railroad industry was so big here and in Oswego 75 years ago.

Oswego New York to Kingston, Ontario, Canada

2008-07-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

We arrived at the end of the Canal System on Saturday and went to a small Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oswego, joined by a boater friend Tata who has a very interesting background in the plant business and a great testimony.

The weather had been rainy, but things cleared up for our planned Monday morning crossing of Lake Ontario for Kingston. The weather forecast called for winds from the South at 10 to 15 knots. This meant following seas, which is tolerable. This is not what happened. As we came out of the breakers from Oswego harbor, the winds were coming out of the West in the 15 to 20 knot range. This is called "beam seas", meaning the boat is rocking heavily from left to right as the 4 to 6 feet waves were rolling under us from port to starboard. Not expecting rough seas, we didn’t batten down the hatches like we should have. The first thing to fly off the counter was a goblet of over 200 tiny sea shells Marlene had collected on a beach with Lisa. Then just about everything else that wasn’t fastened down toppled over (chair, plants, fruit, candles, books, etc…)

Leaving the boat on autopilot, I went down to check on the Admiral who decided to ride it out in the main cabin. However, she was sitting on the bed in the aft cabin after having lost most of her breakfast. Being the strong one, I, of course had to keep my responsibilities as Captain and would have no problem riding out this inconvenience --- until after about 2 hours it became apparent that the Captain can still maintain control of his ship while throwing up ---- 3 times over the five hour ordeal.

We arrived into a welcoming harbor in Kingston around 3:00pm as it was beginning to rain. Both of us went to bed around 7pm and slept about 12 hours.

Canada Here We Come!

2008-07-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

Plans are to cast off tomorrow morning from Oswego and head for Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It rained almost all of today but the sun is coming out as I write this around 7:30pm Sunday. So the weather looks good for the 50 miles across the big lake. Will post more in a couple of days.

Conquering the Unknown

2008-07-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

CRUISE'N UP THE ERIE CANAL

One of the things about boating on a trip like this is the uncertainty of what lies ahead. A lot of the stories of those who have traveled this route center on things like when they ran aground or had some other calamity. I guess it's human nature to remember more vividly those times when things went bad. So even with our years of planning, there are those times of apprehension about a segment of travel, like going out into the ocean or crossing one of the Great Lakes or going aground. For the most part, the concerns have been overblown. I'm finding that problems usually arise when there is lack of good planning or the mind wanders when it shouldn't. Since we're only one third of the way around the Loop, I should probably hold my tongue. But the travel so far has gone real well. I think that is because we have a lot of good people praying for us. Thanks!!

Tonight we are in Brewerton, NY on the Erie Canal at one of the finest maintained boat yards and marinas I have seen so far. The day was beautiful following a 24 mile cruise across Lake Oneida. The Admiral and I went to WalMart, Target, and a great new grocery store to reprovision for our trip north to Canadian waters.

What We Expected vs What We are Experiencing

2008-07-08T20:24:00.000-05:00

I asked Marlene today if this trip so far is what she expected. She said yes, generally, except there are more things to do and less free time than expected. My answer: I have spent much more time than expected planning our steps for the next day or days. I know generally where we are going but one needs to know specifically where and when to park this 38,000 pound rig every night. You can't just stop when you get tired and drop anchor. (I suppose you could but you could wake up on the rocks without careful thought) Also, the time needed to study the navigational part of the journey is fun but time consuming. Fortunately, we have had only minor mechanical issues so far, so that is a testimony to the quality and maintenance of the boat.

New Duties for the Admiral and Captain

2008-07-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

After getting into the Erie Canal we are quite a bit more active through the day managing the locking-through experience. Here is Marlene holding on to a lock line from the bow of the boat. I'm doing the same thing from the stern. We have about 35 of these on the Erie Canal alone.

My duties have changed too. The Admiral gave me a list of things to buy at a grocery store about 2 miles away. Turns out I had about $60 worth of groceries in the two saddle bags of my bike plus a 24 bottle pack of water on the rack.

Fresh Water and no Tides till this Fall, but....

2008-07-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

As we entered the Erie Canal from the Hudson River, salt water gave way to fresh water and the tidal changes we have encountered for the first 2000 miles of this trip ended, at least until we get back down to the Gulf of Mexico.

But a new adventure awaited us on the Erie: Locking through. That is a term to describe how our boat goes up and down a series of "stairways" to get over terrain of anywhere from 300 to 500 feet in this area. There are about 35 locks to pass through on the Erie Canal and the Oswego Canal before we get to Lake Ontario.

Last night we tied up to a wall and ran the generator in the town of Canajaharie, NY, home of Beech Nut baby food. Pictures will be on the next posting of this beautiful area.

More From New York

2008-07-04T16:50:00.000-05:00

We spent last Saturday morning at Ellis Island with Troy, Sara and the kids. And the following Monday night, we anchored out next to the the island which is about 500 yards from the Statue of Liberty. Lisa and Jack were on the boat that night and it rocked a lot from the wakes of the passing ferries and other boats.

A waterfall underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Maybe you've read about it recently. There are four around the Manhattan Island and Brooklyn area. My understanding is they are all solar powered.

Here we are with the Statue of Liberty in the background. So thankful to be in America. With all it's faults, it's still the greatest nation on earth.

Here's Marlene in NYC - Times Square area. She's been a great first mate on this trip. I just promoted her to Admiral. And yes, it is possible to live happily together on a 42 foot boat - but she has her space (aft cabin) and I have mine (engine room).

Our New York Stop with Family- Part I

2008-07-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

Ruby Cate Groves is getting quite a personality. This was her newest thing as we were dining on the corner of Broadway and 50th in New York City.

Troy, Sara, Kirby and Toby in front of the Statue of Liberty. Sara had a concert in New York which worked out great for us to see them.

Then came another special treat to have Lisa and Jack join us for a few days as we started in Manhattan and went up the Hudson. This is on the Hudson River near Croton, NY. We didn't find any bodies. The dockmaster said this part of the Hudson is cleaner than a swimming pool.

Lisa and Jack on the East side of the Hudson river with West Point in the background.

We've been playing Mexican Train with a lot of our guests. It's a version of dominoes that is really fun. Lisa took first place and Jack was a close second as we finished this series.

On Our Way Up the Hudson

2008-07-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

Had a great week in New York city with friends and family. Will have pictures on the next posting. Troy and Sara surprised us by bringing Kirby, Toby and Ruby along with them. It worked out that Sara had a concert at the Times Square Church in connection with the 50th anniversary of Teen Challenge, a very successful drug rehab program started by David Wilkerson. So we had a great time with them in the Big Apple before another grandson, Jack, arrived with his mom, Lisa, for a few days.

As I write this, we are docked on the East side of the Hudson river at Garrison, New York with a spectacular view of West Point on the West side. Lisa and Jack will be leaving us in the morning to get on the train back to Grand Central Station in New York City, and then on to the airport to fly home. It worked out that they could be with us for 4 nights on the boat to get a feel for the type of boating experience we are having.

New York on Monday Night

2008-06-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

We started the evening at the 7:00pm taping of David Letterman. It will air this Friday. Some things you may want to know about the Late Show but never thought to ask:

Even though it is taped, the show is in real time - meaning we are listening to the band while you are watching all those commercials.
During the commercial breaks, David took off his coat every time. That was hard to believe since we were advised to bring our coats to compensate for the 53 degrees in the studio. Those lights must put out a lot of heat.
There is no laugh track. Just about 400 people acting like they were really enjoying the show as we were coached to do before it began. For the most part, we really did enjoy it.

Then after the show, we met our cousin Debbie Jonnes who is now living here as a director with the Bowery Mission, located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We found a great delicatessen in Times Square where the cheesecake was the best (and biggest) we have ever had.

Sunday in New York City - Amazing!!

2008-06-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

As you all know by now if you have read this blog, when it comes to Sunday, we go to church if at all possible. First of all because we want to stay spiritually connected during our journey and secondly to help me in finding interviews for my research on first generation believers. So far, we've only missed a couple of Sundays in our 12 weeks of travel. Today was a red-letter day of Sundays - to put it mildly.

After docking in Staten Island at a great rate (thanks to a referral from Looper friends Jim and Joan), we rented a car for three days. Sunday morning we headed to the Times Square Church, located at 51st street. This church was founded by David Wilkerson, also founder of Teen Challenge. The service was everything we could have expected and more. The singing, the praise, and the sermon were a pinnacle experience of our trip. You absolutely must attend this church if you happen to be in New York City especially over any weekend! I will pay your parking or subway fare - just go.

Continuing the day, we drove over to another great church in Brooklyn for their 3:30pm service. This is the home of the well known Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. And they were there in full force - great music and worship!

More in the next blog to tell you about another surprising development on tap for Monday night in Manhattan.

Cape May to Atlantic City to Manasquan, NJ to Staten Island

2008-06-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

We have been blessed with generally good weather for the entire trip so far. The past three days were no exception, and particularly because we traveled the New Jersey coastline into the Atlantic ocean instead of the intracoastal waterway. All went well.

The highlight of the three days was Atlantic City, but not particularly exciting compared to all we have seen. Since we are not gamblers, our fun included a walk down the famous Boardwalk and a burger at Johnny Rockets.

Trivia: Did you know that Monopoly - the game - used actual major street names of Atlantic City, New Jersey? We stayed away from Mediterranean Avenue, especially at night:)

On to Cape May, New Jersey

2008-06-18T18:46:00.000-05:00

On the southern tip of New Jersey and at the mouth of the Delaware Bay is an entire city that is on the Historic Preservation Register - Cape May. Sara and her family remember spending many family reunions here. We now know why. It's a great little town with a lot of character.

Annapolis to Chesapeake City, Maryland

2008-06-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are new to this website, read the first post in this blog to find out about our idea behind this trip which has now covered 1600 miles by boat from Ft. Myers, Florida to here.

Chesapeake City is on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal which connects the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay (duh). It was created about 75 years ago mostly to save distance (about 600 miles) and fuel for those ships and other boaters transiting between Baltimore and points north like NYC. This quaint little town is on the canal and afforded us dockage free plus only $15 for shore power and water.

Annapolis with Carolyn and Jon

2008-06-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

Arriving Tuesday evening of this past week, my sister and brother-in-law Carolyn and Jon Silvester joined us as we toured the Naval Academy, then to Washington, D.C. to visit the Holocaust Museum and our Nation's Capitol. In between these events, we found time to dine in some great restaurants as noted above. Jon and Carolyn stayed at a bed and breakfast just a few block from the boat and furnished a big car for us to get around in, including several trips for our provisioning for the next few days. We also had the chance to take them on a cruise of Chesapeake Bay and up the Severn River. The week was complete with our Sunday morning attendance at the Naval Academy Chapel, with Stan Tukarski and Jon's college buddy, Gary Cook joining us for the day.

Annapolis, Maryland

2008-06-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

We arrived Sunday afternoon in Annapolis and had the great honor and privilege of being hosted by Stan and Jane Tukarski in their home. Stan is Lisa Groves' brother and has worked high ranking government positions both here and abroad.

Jane prepared a feast which included the main course of those famous Maryland crabcakes, clearly the best we've had. We were joined at dinner and for the evening by two of their daughters, Lara and Lydia. It was so enjoyable to be in a real home for the first time in over two months. The following evening, we invited Stan and Jane to join us for a short cruise around the Annapolis area, including a great view of the Naval Academy from the Severn River.

Tomorrow, we have two mystery guests arriving all the way from California. Here's a hint: He was a history major and flew over Iowa in one of his first jobs to take and sell pictures of farms to their owners. She graduated from Baylor University. If you know the answer, leave a comment.

Up the Chesapeake toward Annapolis

2008-06-10T12:06:00.000-05:00

As we cast off to head out into the Chesapeake Bay, we were soon greeted with dense fog. This happens when the hot sun meets the cold water in the bay. I was ready to turn around and wait for it to lift. But the admiral said let's keep going -- so we did. Not being able to see in front or back, I sounded my horn every few minutes to warn other approaching craft, hoping they had their radar on and working since mine is at the lower helm and I preferred to stay on top to look and listen. This is when the GPS becomes worth it's weight in gold. As you can see on the top view, I set the course for a waypoint and activated the autopilot to go to that point. We did. Slowly the fog began to lift and we arrived in Solomons, MD for a stopover about half way to Annapolis.

Tangier Island

2008-06-07T20:24:00.001-05:00

About one-third of the way up Chesapeake Bay is a little fishing village named Tangier Island. It is very unique in that it was settled 400 years ago last week. (what's the word for a celebration of the 400th year?) In any event, we found the little village of 300 people very interesting. That guy sitting next to Marlene owns the Marina we pulled into. He was so hospitable that he took us on a personally guided tour of the town. There is much that has been written about the inhabitants of this island. The three last names of the island which makes up about 75% of the 300 are Parks, Pruitt, and Crocker. And yes, some of them marry their cousins.

Also, I took a picture of the Sandra Gail fishing boat. It is the second boat I have seen named Sandra Gail. The first one was named that by my dad when his first grandchild was born. Her name is Sandra Gail Richardson now, living in beautiful Wenatchee, Washington.

One huge ship

2008-06-07T20:20:00.000-05:00

This is looking at our boat from the opposite direction. The Navy ship in the background had just come out of drydock. It is a supply ship, so high in the water because it is completely empty of the normal contents.

Joy@Sea docked in Downtown Portsmouth, Va.

2008-06-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

As it turned out, we stayed 5 days in the Portmouth/Norfolk area, three of the days here in the center of the historic district (seems every town on the East Coast has a historic district) We've been able to dodge most of the stormy weather they've been having here.

Another Must See - Williamsburg

2008-06-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

No tour of the Eastern US would be complete without a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. We docked at Portsmouth, Va. and rented a car to travel the 45 miles to this living history museum. It is the seedbed of American History. The entire town is a stage where you will hear and see people in their attire of the 1700s conversing with each other on the issues of the day. Reenactments also take place on the piviotal decisions of early American leaders to begin the separation from England and, of course, the revolutionary war. I would estimate the investment in restoring and maintaining this magnificent place to be in the hundreds of millions.

The Portsmouth/Norfolk area is the home of the U. S. Navy. The big ships are, of course, everywhere. So far we've managed to stay out of their way.

Our boating journey continues in a couple of days as we travel up the Chesapeake Bay. Plans are to anchor out on the western shores of the bay before we arrive in Annapolis, home of the U. S. Naval Academy.

We found a small A/G church in Norfolk area yesterday. I have another interview scheduled for tomorrow.

Who Needs Gas?

2008-05-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

This is Marlene in Belhaven, NC where the marina supplies golf carts to those who want them to go into town. This form of transportation is quite common in the coastal cities. They are permitted to travel on city side streets and come in real handy for short trips. Some of the souped up versions are really cool looking.

The home in the background is a Sears Catalog home - no kidding. It cost about $5,000 at the turn of the century, which included an allotment of $1,500 to build it. Since this was Memorial Day, we celebrated dinner there - the first time we have been alone together on Memorial Day. Hope yours was a good one!

On to North Carolina

2008-05-28T11:50:00.000-05:00

A quiet anchorage at sunset near the New River Inlet, North Carolina

This is the first post in several days because of limited access and some problems with our laptop air card. In the past week we have covered most of the North Carolina coastline and are now waiting for the weather to improve so we can cross Albemarle Sound. So for the past week we have been plying the ICW with stops in Southport, Wrightsville Beach, Morehead City, Beaufort, and Belhaven. We are now about 100 miles from the beginning of Chesapeake Bay.

Marlene's Time to Blog

2008-05-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

There we are on the front seat as we took a horse drawn carriage tour of Historic Charleston.

We just finished a few hours of cruising in North Carolina. It’s beautiful here! We saw the Outer Banks and homes built 3 and 4 stories high with the first level made for water to flow through in case of storm surges. We were on the “Cape Fear River” for awhile. Doesn’t that sound cool? Now we’re at Wrightsville Beach anchored out in a very calm area.

We just passed 7 weeks on the boat and I celebrated. I didn’t make the bed on day 50, but the next day I got myself back under control and made it again! Hard telling how I’ll celebrate in a few more weeks.

Also, I finally had my hair cut. We were in a very small town and I went into a little store where they were doing hair in the back of the store. It was the only place around. I asked for a “haircut and style”. When I came out Madison asked, “How much did you pay for that?” and I said, “$28.00”. It will grow back!

Last week my Dad, 89 years old, and living in Minnesota, fell and fractured 2 ribs. It was hard being so far away from him and things were “touch and go” for awhile, but I’m grateful to our kids for taking over and seeing that everything that needed to be done for him was done. They’re so good to him and that helped me so much. Now he’s back at Legacy Care and doing well again. Thank you to those who prayed for him!

If any of my friends read this, you need to find out how to log on to this site to leave comments. It’s free, but you do have to register. It will tell you how at the site. I hope I’m not talking to myself here. Bye!

Georgetown, SC to Southport, NC

2008-05-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

This is a view from the stern of our boat down the Intracoastal Waterway. The longer we are on this 1000 mile water highway from Key West to Cheasapeake Bay the more I appreciated the engineering marvel that it is. If we had had to go in the open ocean all this time it would have been much more challenging.

Today we arrived in Southport near Cape Fear and Wilmington. I had planned to anchor out but the winds are very strong so the marina got our vote. Also, we can watch the American Idol finals on the cable hookup. Who are you for?

Charleston to Georgetown to Myrtle Beach

2008-05-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Just in case you've check out blog and no entries recently, my laptop card went on the blink and a new one will not be here for a week. I'm typing this from the North Myrtle Beach Library computer.

We anchored out in front of downtown Georgetown, SC. A quaint little town with a lot of history too. It's the third oldest town in the state. We toured a home of one of the former plantation owners where most of the furniture was over 200 years old.

As for our anchoring out experience, the boat kept coming loose from its muddy mooring. Marlene and I got a workout resetting the hook a few times. I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of our boat tapping against another. Fortunately it appeared to be an abandoned sailboat - but a little unnerving just the same.

Pictures and more posts will be forthcoming as soon as I get my new laptop air card from AT&T.

Charleston

2008-05-19T12:06:00.000-05:00

Charleston

We stayed two days here. Having been to this city rich in history and sights to see, we hit the ground running upon arrival. First a quick walking tour of the historic district. We walked about five miles from the Charleston City Marina which is the best location if you want to be in the city proper.

On day two I had some boat business (needed to buy a new starting battery ) and then we took the horse-drawn guided tour through Charleston. Our tour guide was the best we have had on any tour. A fairly young guy, he knows the town well from almost any angle. In fact, when it was over, I suggested he run for Mayor.

Charleston is the number one place where the slaves were brought to America, both white and black – sort of the Ellis Island for involuntary immigrants. My sense from having been here the third time is that there is still a significant degree of racial tension. So it may take a couple of more generations to get where most of the rest of the country is on this issue.

A real bonus was having the opportunity to see and have dinner with our long-time friend Linda Bright. We both knew Linda while we were still in college in Springfield, Mo. She and Marlene shared an apartment before we were married. Linda is doing very well now in the medical field as a senior practioner in palliative care.

Savannah to Beaufort, SC to Charleston, SC

2008-05-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

Like many cars these days, boats also have GPS systems. They are a great aide to navigation but you always want to have the the back up of official charts to be able to confirm where you’re going just in case the little electronic gizmos don’t work like they should. It’s not like a car if you get lost. You could easily wind up on a sand bar or worse.

To make it more exciting, I have found that when one thing goes wrong, there are two or three other things that go wrong at the same time. Case in point: We were about 5 miles from our destination of Beaufort, NC when I saw on the GPS that the screen would not register our channel markers to make sure we were heading in the right direction. We were actually in open waters going across Port Royal Sound, a wide expanse of water at the end of a river just before it empties into the ocean. At about the same time, the waves began to pick up as we moved into less protected waters. Our boat is very seaworthy but it can pitch considerably when going into the trough of the large waves. Things started flying off the tables and shelves as we were trying to make our way into safer waters while not running aground. Marlene took a Meclazine while we were both trying to read the charts. I should have been more prepared to read them. As it turned out, we made it fine. I later discovered that it was my error on the GPS (I had it zoomed out too far).

Beaufort is a quaint little coastal town but we used it mainly as a stopover to get to Charleston the next day. The Beaufort – Charleston leg was about 75 miles in all. But we made it by 3:00pm in time to begin our tour of this town rich in history and tradition. More on Charleston in our next posting.

Another Must See - Savannah

2008-05-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

One of the values of my bus driving for the Sara Groves tours was getting a sense of how to get where in the various cities and towns we visited. So when we knew we had four days here in Savannah, Ga., we figured out how to make the best of our time here. Among the highlights of our visit to this beautiful city were a complete guided tour of historic Savannah, Georgia. Lots of history going back to the 1700's and the revolutionary war. Makes you appreciate what our forefathers went through to make this nation what it is. Without going into detail, just Google Savannah for the places to see and we probably saw it.

Also, this morning we celebrated Mothers Day as Marlene opened her cards and gifts and received telephone calls. We really enjoyed the worship and the pastor's Mothers day message at Southside Assembly of God. It turns out that the associate pastor is one of those first generation Christians -- so I am excited about getting his interview.

Following church, we decided to drive to Hilton Head Island, only 30 miles away. Our good friends Jim and Sandy Robertson have been going there for 7 partial Winters now and we can understand why.

Tomorrow we head for Beaufort, S.C. The weather has been acting up a bit, but it looks doable right now.

Greetings from Marlene in Georgia

2008-05-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

After 5 weeks cruising all the way around Florida, we have arrived in Georgia. If you wondered, now you know why this trip is going to take 9+ months to complete 6000 miles! Tomorrow we reach Savannah and will stay a few days. I’ve never been there and am really looking forward to it.

We’re 36 days into this trip, and I must say, we’re doing quite well! I think it really helps to have separate baths, showers and closets at opposite ends of the boat. Plus, the Captain has to be really nice to me because he needs my help every day with getting us into and out of Marinas and Anchorages and steering the boat while he tries to find out where we are. We’re having fun! (I read 11 books in April!)

Last weekend was so great because we had Kyle and Josie with us! Ask them how crowded it was in the V-Berth! It’s a good thing Josie was short. Hopefully, we’ll get to see all of our kids in the next few months.

Madison is out on a bike ride just now and after he checks out the area, I may take my bike out again. All of my cuts and bruises have healed after my fall into the Bougainvilleas on my first time out! I did really well on the empty, open parking lot, but not so great when I had to maneuver myself on narrow sidewalks where there are people! I became acutely aware that I hadn’t ridden a bike for 50 years. Yikes! - At just this point in my writing, Madison came in and said it was beautiful outside and he wanted me to go for a bike ride with him, so I did. And, I didn’t even fall. There were no people or cars around, just rural Georgia. I look terrible in my helmet, but it does have Hawaiian flowers on it!

Now we’ve had a salmon and baked potato dinner which isn’t so bad for on a boat. Tomorrow night we’re going out to eat in Savannah!

Thank you to everyone who has written and said they’re praying for us. We greatly appreciate it as we continue on this journey.

Jacksonville and our time with Kyle and Josie

2008-05-05T20:09:00.000-05:00

We were so busy I haven't been able to get this message off to you. Here's what we did:

Jacksonville Beach on Thursday

Cruise to downtown Jacksonville at the Jacksonville Landing (up the St. John's River) with Josie as our third crew member while Kyle was meeting with a client who also happen to make my Acuvue contact lenses

Drive to another beach (Mickler's Beach) on the Atlantic Ocean that is more family friendly - lots of kids playing in the tidal pools and enjoying the sun.

Attended Christ's Church on Sunday morning, a mega church here in Jacksonville where I was also on tour with Andrew Peterson and Sara last Christmas while driving the bus. Kyle got some good ideas I'm sure he will share with the folks back home.
Josie collected many sea shells and a good bit of sand for her return to Minnesota. Dad said the shells can come but the sand had to stay.
Saturday night we grilled steaks. The only glitch was an overheated generator quit on us and not all the food was cooked. But we made it work and still enjoyed the evening which also included several exciting rounds of Dominos.
Kyle and Josie left for the airport last night.

Tonight we are about 40 miles further up the coast at Fernandino Beach, part of Amelia Island. This is a quaint little town with a lot of those unique shops that appeal to the shopping instincts of the Admiral. So our departure tomorrow will be more like noon as we plan to be in Savannagh by Thursday.

The Mystery Guests Arrive....

2008-05-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

What a treat to be able to be with our son Kyle and granddaughter Josie for the weekend. Kyle had a business appointment in Jacksonville tomorrow and it worked out that Josie could come too. The picture is of them at Jacksonville Beach. We are docked at a marina about 2 miles away. Tomorrow we cruise to Jacksonville’s downtown area to rejoin Kyle back from his appointment while we have another crew member to help us ply up the St. Johns river for about 30 miles. (Note: as with all these pictures, you can click on them to enlarge the image)

2008-04-30T22:11:00.000-05:00

At first, we were pretty apprehensive about dropping our anchor in the middle of about 20 other boats and trying to sleep through the night. However, visions of the anchor letting go and drifting into the rocks or other boats have proven to be of little concern so far. Nevertheless, I still keep more of a vigilance when anchored out, which is, of course, the duty of the captain. Last night was our calmest ever, with almost no wind and little wave action. Anchoring out has some advantages. You don’t get hit by other boats trying to dock theirs, the cost is nil, except for the cost of the generator fuel, and there is a sense of serenity being out there away from most everyone.

But if you want to go ashore, you need a dinghy. I was sitting in our dinghy when this picture was taken. Then you may need a bike depending on how far everything is. I can pretty easily put one bike in the dinghy. Haven’t tried two yet but probably will.

We just arrived in a little coastal town outside Jacksonville call Jacksonville Beach. Our guests are arriving tonight and we are very excited. The Admiral has the boat all spiffed up and we are heading to the grocery store soon. Plans are to spend the day at the beach tomorrow. Our guests will have their picture in the next entry. Be watching.

More on St. Augustine

2008-04-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

This was the Ponce De Leon Hotel built in the early 1800's by an oil barron named Flagler. It is in the center of St. Augustine today as Flagler College. Put this city on your list as a must-see if you haven't already. We are extending to 4 days to see more, including the Golf Hall of Fame about 8 miles outside the city.

Today, we attended Ancient City Baptist church. Good message by the pastor who has also agreed to give me some names for my research. The weather has been magnificent.

Nautically speaking, we are entering a part of our journey where the tides are getting higher and lower. Right now it is around 4 feet. It will approach 8 feet by the time we reach Savannagh, Ga. Getting the boats into slips is more of a challenge when you have tidal currents pushing the boat one way and the wind the other. A boater next to us hit our boat as he was trying to dock his. The damage appears to be minor, just a rub rail repair that he will pay for, of course.

At this dock (Augustine Municipal Marina) we have met several others who are on the Loop cruise as well. Should be fun reconnecting as we continue our journey.

St Augustine, Florida

2008-04-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

Arrived in St Augustine today after a stopover at Daytona Beach and an anchorage next to a Sea Ray boat facility. If Joe Weissenborn is reading this blog, he will recognize a carbon copy of his recently owned boat in the picture, a 52 foot Sea Ray Sedan Bridge.

From a quick guided tour of the city, St Augustine is everything we expected so far, and more. Two days will hardly be enough time to see everything, but we'll try. Thanks to Joanne and Lee for their suggestions on things to see and do.

What we are doing (the loop of the Eastern US) is getting quite popular. We observed 5 other boats on our dock tonight with the AGLCA (Americas Great Loop Cruisers Association) flag (better known to boaters as a burgee) flying from their bow. This is a great organization that helps people in their planning and execution of the adventure.