Dec 13th & 14th Days 154 & 155

We did some shopping and were getting things ready for our trip up North for the Holidays.
The boat is secure for our time away, sure hope the weather is warmer when we return,
If you are following the blog I hope you have enjoyed the ride and we have not bored you to death. It has been quite the adventure so far for us. Some high points and some nail biting times but we have survived and are looking forward to time with family and friends before continuing or adventure. We will leave for home on the 15th at 6am with Dan taking us to the airport and return on January 4th,

WE WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Lin & Rich
Still GoofinOff

Dec 10th,11th, 12th Days 151,152,153

Got the solid state relay at 11:30 and headed out for Pensacola. This was our first real taste of the Gulf Intercostal Waterway. It was a beautiful day and a great ride. We saw many dolphins some with baby's. They come up to the bow and you think you are going to hit them as they ride your bow wave. We were separated from the gulf by small islands of white sand(not snow). Arrived in Pensacola marina around 3pm nice marina which we will be in for a month while we go home for the holidays. Installed the relay and now the water pump shuts off when the boat is not calling for heat or air, mostly heat now.
On the 11th we said good-bye to Mitch & Carol as they headed out on their way down the coast, hopefully we will meet them again during our travels, they are from New Jersey. Picked up two new 4d batteries from Interstate under warranty. We purchased three in Canada and one went bad and the other had a low load test. The marina got them thru their dealer. They are installed and working fine. Last night the four of us went to a Christmas parade on main street which was nice. Yesterday it was in the 60's and sunny a real nice day and part of the night. Around 11pm Lin woke be to a pounding noise. It had been windy when we went to bed but now had gotten worse. I went out to see swells in the marina and water breaking over the sea wall. Went down to check on Dan and Donna and and Dan and I refendered and ran some more lines on each boat. Was real hectic for a few hours but by 2am thing calmed down. This weather is suppose to be unsettled till Tuesday.
Dec 12th Made it thru the night and finally got some sleep. Today we are doing laundry to be caught up for the holidays. We will close all the sea strainers while we will be gone, check to make sure all sump pumps are working, and put a darker cover over the front windows for sun and protection. We have our flight scheduled for 6am on the 15th and Dan is taking us to the airport as he has his friends truck while they are here. We are looking forward to the holidays and seeing family and friends after 5 months.

Lin & Rich
Pensacola, Florida

Dec 9th Day 150

Yesterday the 8th we went to the Navy Aviation Museum at the Naval Base in Pensacola. It was our 9th state but really does not count because we went by car. The museum was very interesting and we spent about 5 hours there. Went to dinner with Mitch, Carol, Dan, Donna and us. It was very good. Today Dan and I worked on changing the the wire on the dingy davit to a lighter wire to make it easier to store. We also worked on the relay for our heater . New part should be here in the am and then we will head to Pensacola where we will leave the boat for the holidays.

Lin & Rich
Orange Beach Marina, Alabama

Dec 7th & 8th Days 148 & 149

Remember Pearl Harbor and those who gave their all for all of us.
The morning of the 7th we got up to bright sunshine and cold. It was a nice morning so we decided to head out toward the Gulf Coast Intercoastal Waterway. The wind was down on the bay and the water had a light chop. We are learning new terminology for the weather and water conditions. We traveled 52.7 miles today which brings our total up to 3,197 miles. We are in the warm south but as you all know it is not that warm here now. Only gets up into the 50.s during the day and down in the 30's at night. Today during our travel we saw MANY dolphins up close. They would cross in front of us, head toward the bow, and swim along side of us, it was really nice. We stayed at the Orange Beach Marina last night and had a nice fish dinner at Tacky Jacks with other loopers we have meet. Today the 8th we are all going to Pensacola to see the Naval Air Museum and whatever else we find. Pensacola is about 20 miles from where we are. We will spend tonight here as it is suppose to be in the twenty's tonight. Where is the sunshine we traveled over 3,000 miles to enjoy. At least there is no snow yet.

Lin & Rich
Orange Beach Marina
Orange Beach, Alabama

Dec 5th & 6th Days 146 & 147

Stayed in Dog River Marina yesterday due to weather in the bay and cold temperatures. Does not look good today either so we will stay one more night at the marina and then find an anchorage on the Gulf Coast ICW tomorrow night. Might stop at Orange Beach before heading to Pensacola. Sun is shinning but it is only suppose to be in the 50's today. Colder than Lin and I expected but a lot better than the temps at home plus no snow. We did the tourist thing yesterday and will do some more today.

Lin & Rich
Dog River Marina
Mobile, Alabama

Dec 3rd, 4th Day 144, 145

This morning was not good. We woke up to logs hitting our boats. Dan had a 20' log stuck on his bow. Got that one off ok but the debris and logs just kept coming. To top it off there were no owls last night that sounded like wolfs. The only owl we heard was a regular down to earth owl sound.
Back to the debris and logs, the tide was coming in pushing all the main river debris from the storm a few days ago down the Big Bayou Canot we were anchored in. One log was caught under Dans boat we had to tie a line to it and drag it out from the bow, as we were doing that the girls got the boats running and ready to get underway. We decided we had to get out while we could.
We untied from Dan and Donna's boat as a clear spot came, we had to back away from them then go around their stern anchor chain. With Lin on the bow we started to maneuver our way out as Dan & Donna took in their anchors. We both made it out to the main river with our hearts beating a little harder. We traveled the 32 miles to the Dog River Marina just off the Mobile Bay. Our trip took us thru the Port of Mobile which is a HUGE industrial port with dry docks for tugs & barges plus many ocean going freighters. Last night we went to the Bellingrath Gardens which were just beautiful. It was an outdoor garden with millions of lights, lighted scenes, and beautiful flowers. It was hard for us northern people to see roses still budding. We probably walked around the gardens a couple of hours I hope the pictures we took come out. Today December the 4th we will catch up on laundry, resupply the boat and do boat things. It is suppose to be in the 70's today. Back home they are calling for cold, maybe snow SORRY.

Lin & Rich
Dog River Marine, Mobile Bay
Mobile, Alabama

Dec 2nd Day 143

Was foggy this morning but we were able to get underway by 8:30. The river had a lot of foam and debris which made us look at every little thing, luckily it was a short day for us. We traveled 24.4 miles and we are anchored in Big Bayou Canot off the Mobile River. There are suppose to be owls here that sound like wolfs but we have not heard them yet. Tomorrow we will head to the Dog River in Mobile Bay and stay at the Dog River Marina for a few days. Since we are Loopers and if you fuel, which we will, you get the first night free. The second night you stay they give you a $50.00 gift certificate for West Marine. Dockage is only a $1.00 per foot so how can you lose. On Saturday night there is a Christmas boat parade on the Dog Riverwhich should be interesting to see. If the fog is not bad in the morning we should reach the marina, which is 20 miles from here, by noon.

Lin & Rich
Big Bayou Canot, Alabama

Nov 29th 30th & Dec 1st Days 140, 141, 142

Up and at it at 6:30 for another long day. Lin was at the helm when we reached the 3,00 mile mark of our adventure Yahoo! Time and distance is sure going by fast. Still cold nights but hte days are warm and sunny. Went thru the Coffeeville lock a 34' drop this is our 145th lock and the last one till Southern Florida. We traveled 61.4 miles and dropped anchor in Three Rivers Lake, not really a lake. The day was rough as it was cold and rained on and off all day. There was a tornado watch for our area. Dan had a bow and stern anchor down and we were rafted to them, the anchorage was narrow. Early afternoon the storm hit with high winds which made the front anchor drag. I had our engines running as Dan & Donna's boat was over the back anchor. Lin and I maneuvered both of us back into the middle while they re anchored the bow and stern. We got a good set and the rest of the night went well. Every day we are learning a little more about what the boat can do and what we can do. We have learned more about the boat in the last 5 months than we did in the three years since we owned her. The 30th was cold and wet so we stayed on the hook for the day. Today the 30th we woke to really cold weather but got things cleaned up and were underway by 8:40. Traveled 26.3 miles and where the Tombigbee met the Alabama River it is now called the Mobile River. We are at anchor off the Mobile River on the shore side of the Tenas River. We are 39.3 miles from Mobile Bay and plan on being there on Friday.



Happy December



Lin & Rich

Tenas River Alabama

Nov 27th, 28th Day 138 & 139

Got up early 5:30 to get our 71 mile day in. Well ole Mother Nature said I have been pretty nice to you lately so it is time I threw something at you. It was 30 degrees, ice on the deck, and the fly bridge windows were all ice. Started the genny and turned on the heat as the boat was only 50 degrees. Went up on the bridge and used warm water to get the main window deiced so we could roll it up with out it cracking. Got that done and the boat heat was melting the decks so things were looking good. Hello Mother Nature in rolls the fog thicker than pea soup. Well we were finally under way by 7:30 fog had lifted enough to see good and we headed out to the lock three miles south. We reached the Demopolis Lock and it was ready for us. It was a 40' drop and took a about 40 minutes to drop. Longest time in awhile and here we are trying to beat darkness on our longest day. This was the fastest we have traveled since leaving Lake Michigan, Dan lead and ran at about max for their boat, we averaged 10 miles per hour. Reached the anchorage at 4:30 just ahead of dark. Dan went in first as he has a keel that would hit before the props. It was the first time for both of us to drop a bow and stern anchor. The anchorage was so narrow neither of us could swing or we would hit shore. Glad to say everything went well as we each anchored separately.

Nov 28th Up and the fog had us stalled again. This time it did not bother us as our next anchorage is only 23 miles south of here. Around 9:30 the fog lifted and we had another first picking up two anchors. We let the chain loose on the bow and Lin backed up as I took in the stern anchor. When that was in Lin brought the boat ahead as I took in the bow anchor. Again all went well. The channel was too narrow to turn so we backed out into the river. Traveled our 23 miles and are anchored the same way in Okatuppa Creek. One more mile of travel and we will have traveled 3,000 miles on our adventure. We have 123.5 miles to Mobile Alabama where we will spend a few days in Dog River Marina before heading to Pensacola.

Lin & Rich
Okatuppa Creek, Alabama

Nov 26 Day 137

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with all the Fixings, as usual I ate to much. I talked to the Dock Master this morning and pleaded my case for an extra night. I had all kinds of reasons and before I could use them all he said it was ok with him. So here we are with the heat on enjoying one more night on the dock. It is cold, wet, and foggy out there. We will take off tomorrow and head the 71 miles to Bashi Creek anchorage. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Lin & Rich
Demopolis Marina
Demopolis, Alabama

Nov 24th & 25th Days 135 & 136

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
We left our anchorage at at 1pm yesterday and arrived at Demopolis marina around three. It was only a 7.9 mile run. We convinced the owner to let us stay for two nights they usually only have one night stays. With turkey day there is not much traffic. Lin & I have the turkey. dressing and cranberries and Donna and Dan our doing the potatoes, creamed onions and an apple pie. It has been raining on and off today and now that it is almost time to carry the turkey to their boat it is really raining, We can see their boat but it is probably 700 yards from us by the time you do the dock thing Tonight (25th) it is suppose to get real cold and wet. Tomorrow it will be in the 20's and might get some hail or snow. We are going to try and stay one more night here till the weather gets better have to do some begging. When we leave here it is 71 miles to the next anchorage not a short day and the anchorage is not that good.

Well hope you have, had a great Thanksgiving

Lin & Rich
Demopolis Marina
Demopolis, Alabama
Tonight

Nov 23 Day 134

Got up at 6am this morning to get ready for our 42 mile day. The fog was not to bad this morning so we were able to get underway by 6:40. The trip was nice with some good scenery and nice weather. At Epes Mile 248.8 there iare the white cliffs which were something to see. There was also rock formations along the river which seemed to be wet or have a shiny surface.
We saw a lot of bank erosion and one camp did not have much more time left before it would become a house boat. We traveled 43.4 miles today bringing our total trip to 2,897 miles. Tomorrow we will try to get into the Demopolis Marina which does not take reservations. They are supposed to have 20 transient slips. We hope we can get one or two so we can cook the turkey rather than anchor out to cook the bird. On Friday we will make a 71 mile run to the next anchorage which will put us 145 miles from Mobile Alabama. We are at anchor in a place called Rattlesnake Bend, and have had two heavy rain showers so far but it looks like it is clearing now (3pm).

Lin & Rich
Rattlesnake Bend
Tenn-Tom River, Alabama

Nov 22 Day 133

Beautiful morning no fog at all this morning. We were underway at 8:40, it was a little cloudy and the sun kept getting behind the clouds. Saw some beautiful camps along the shore today. Everyone of them are raised up on stilts for the flood waters and we mean high and the banks are high. We did one lock today the Howell Heflin Lock which dropped us 32'. Right after the lock was our anchorage for the day. We traveled 21.7 miles today but the river was so winding we probably only covered 10 miles as the crow flies. At the anchorage there was a log with about 6 turtles sunny on it. It was in the 70's today even with the clouds. We are anchored in a place called Tombigbee Ox Bow. Tomorrow we have 42 miles before the next anchorage, that will put us 7 miles North of Demopolis where we hope to get dockage and electric to cook the turkey and fixins.

Lin & Rich
Tombigbee Ox Bow
Alabama

Nov 21st Day 132

Great anchorage last night had to go quite a ways in to get under 40' of water.
Up this morning to be fogged in like pea soup. One of the tows waiting to lock thru
decided to wait out the fog. We pulled anchor at 10:30 and headed to the lock. Two barges one South bound and one North bound had been thru the lock. When we got to the lock there were 4 boats waiting to get thru and a South bound barge on its way. Barges get the right of way so we had to wait for the barge to be dropped and then raise the lock for us. We were finally in the lock by noon. South we headed after being dropped 27' by the Tom Bevill lock. We traveled 21.4 miles to our next anchorage at Cochrane Cut Off and anchored in 6' feet of water. Our travels today brought our total mileage traveled to 2832 miles, 9 states and 2 Providences.

Lin & Rich
Cochrane Cut Off
Alabama

Nov 20th Day 131

We got up early and headed to the Columbus 3rd Annual Holiday farmers market. It was nice but we thought it would be a little bigger with more fresh produce. After that venture we stopped to pick up some groceries as our next chance is 120 miles down river. Got back to the marina fueled, pumped out and took on water. We left Columbus marina at 11:30 and went thru the John C. Stennis lock a 30' drop.We headed south on the Tenn-Tom and after 22 miles entered our 9th state Alabama. We traveled 29.8 miles today for a total of 2811. We are anchored in a cove in Pickensville Alabama. Tomorrow we will go thru the Tom Bevill lock which has a 27' drop. At the lock ther is the US Snagboat Montgomery which was the last steam-powdered sternwheeler. For 60 years it kept 7 of the South's major waterways Navigable.

Lin & Rich
Pickensville, Alabama

Nov 18th, 19th Day 129 130

The Aberdeen Marina was a convenient store and had gas pumps by the road. It was pretty nice and was a real thrill getting in and out. When we called the lock in the morning after the fog lifted we were told to stay at the dock as they had a diver in the water. Well at 11:30 the lock called and they could let us down. We found out a 65 footer had gotten a cable wrapped around the prop and shaft. Long story but when we went into the lock the 65 footer was outside the lock still waiting to be repaired. We traveled 16.8 miles to Barton Ferry Cutoff where we anchored in a nice cove off the Tenn-Tom on the Tombigbee River. We saw a baby Raccoon swim across the cove behind us, thrill for the night.
On the 19th we had to wait out the fog one more time, lucky we only had 8 miles to the Columbus Marina. We arrived at Columbus Marina 1:30 real nice marina and we had full use of the courtesy car. We went into Columbus and visited the house of Tennessee Williams, which looked like they just redid it over, real nice. Did the tour of the city and found a great place for dinner, made reservations for 7pm. Good choice the food and service was great. Tomorrow we are heading to a farmers market at 7am. After that we will decide to either stay one more night or head south. The next lock is just below the marina. We are going to try and reach the next and only marina till Mobile by Wednesday. It is 120 miles from where we are now. Main reason to get there is to cook our Thanksgiving dinner.

Lin & Rich
Columbus Marina
Columbus, Mississippi

Nov 17th Day 128

Today was a great day we left Midway Marina at 9am and got thru the Fulton Lock and dam which was a 26' drop and was a mile from the marina. This area of the trip is really remote with mainly Cyprus trees and dead heads. The day was so nice and in the 60's we decided to go farther than planned. We ended up going thru the Glover Wilkins Lock a 25' drop and Amory Lock another 25' drop. Each lock was perfect timing for us and the wait was minimal. After the Glover lock the lock master total us to favor the Red buoys for three miles. As we were doing this we ran into two tows(barges) changing tugs. Needless to say that did not give us much room to get by. Dan asked one of the tows if there was enough water depth to pass, tow captain said should be. We decided to pass on the mid channel side everything went well. Our first choice of an anchorage was too narrow for us to have a safe swing distance. On we went to our next choice, as Dan was heading in he ran into about 2' of water, second and last choice for anchorage was not good. There was another marina on the west bank that said we could get in there. Well it was 1/2 mile off the river in a winding channel in. It was getting late so we decided to take another night in a marina. Well we made our way thru Cyprus trees and Lin and I thought we were on a Disney ride or heading into a deliverance situation. Well we made it in fine thru the shallow water and are safe at dock. Tomorrow the plan is for 9 miles, anchor, relax and fish. The following day we will head to Columbus, Mississippi for Friday and Saturday.
Today we traveled 37 miles and a total of 2756, we are 357.5 miles from Mobile Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico.

Lin & Rich
Aberdeen Marina
Aberdeen, Mississippi

Nov 14th 15th 16th Days 125 126 127

We are safe and sound in Fulton Mississippi. Guess no one noticed that on the last blog I said days 112-114 instead of 122 123 124 I will let it go this time. Guess we are doing so good and having a great time days don't really matter. If I haven't said it before it is great traveling with Dan and Donna, we have cocktails and dinner together most nights and decisions are easier when 4 do it rather than 2. It is also good to know if you have a problem there is always help near by. To bring you up to date on the 14th we traveled 35.2 miles and anchored in a beautiful cove in Cotton Springs just before the Jamie Whitten lock our first of ten locks on the Tenn-Tom. On the 15th we rose early and got underway to a storm headed our way. We caught the lock with perfect timing as they we just letting out a North bound Tow(Barge). This lock dropped us 58 feet, from here on we will be let down on the locks as he head to the warm South. We went thru three locks on the 15th and due to the inclement weather took dockage at Midway Marina. Used the courtesy car and we stocked supplies at a super walmart. Today the 16th we decided to spend the day here as the weather called for more rain. It gave us a great opportunity to catch up on laundry, boat cleaning, maintenance, relaxing and news (have TV). Tomorrow we will head out and might make our destination Columbus Mississippi.

Lin & Rich
Midway Marina
Fulton, Mississippi

Nov 11th, 12th & 13th Days112,113,114

We were in a couple of bays the last few days and had no phone or Internet service so here is an update from the sunny south. On the 11th we left Dry Creek and headed up the Tennessee River looking for a waterfalls at mile marker 217.8, well we found it but did not look like a good anchorage so we went a little farther to a place called Whetstone Branch and anchored there. We took the dingies back to the waterfall for a look see. Was real nice and we probably could have anchored there but it was not very big and our spot was nicer. I had to climb to the top of the waterfalls just to say I did it. Did some more fishing but not much luck. Traveled a big 8.8 miles today TOUGH DAY in paradise.
On the 12th we left the anchorage at 9:45 and headed upriver to Waterloo on the way there we were in three states in 5 minutes. It is where the state lines meet at Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi so with a little zig and zag we accomplished this feat. Waterloo had nothing and there was no place to dock so we headed back down river and anchored in Panther Bay on the opposite side of the Tennessee river. Big day we did 18.6 miles and we were directly across from where we anchored the night before. Dan did some fishing and caught cat fish and yellow perch. I was letting my finger heal which I slammed in the fly bridge sliding door, bleed for about 4 hours and is all black, finally got it to stop and put butterfly tape on it.
Today the 13th we entered Yellow Creek and the start of the Tenn Tom Waterway. We did a long 8.1 miles brings our total trip miles up to 2,664 miles and entered the state of Mississippi our 8th state. We stopped here because the next 25 miles there is no place to stop or anchor it is called the CUT. We will do that tomorrow and stop short of the first lock about 30 miles from here. The locks(10) from here are on request except for weekends where they open every one or two hours depending on the lock. It is a little cooler today and is calling for rain later this afternoon. Got to move south as they are calling for temps in the 20's Thursday night.

Lin & Rich
Goat Island
Tenn-Tom Waterway
Mississippi

Nov 10th Day 110

What a beautiful day today was, we decided to stay at anchor in Dry Creek and do some relaxing.
Dan & I did some fishing and caught yellow bass nothing big. There were these huge fish called Sauger near the surface around the boat but no matter what we used they were not interested. Would have liked to catch one and try it out. It is dark here by 5 or 5:30 so it makes for a long night. We get out the cards and games till dinner usually around 7pm. We are slowing down our Southern travels due to insurance regs. Tomorrow it is suppose to be in the 7o's sure don't miss the cold weather.

Lin & Rich
Dry Creek
Picknick Lake, Tennessee

Nov 9th Day 120

Another great day with lots of sunshine and warm weather. We had a little fog this morning but the boat was 61 degrees when we got up. We left the anchorage at 8:30 and headed south on the Tennessee River the current was a little strong as we approached the lock at Pickwick. Went thru the lock our first in a long time and were in Pickwick Lake. We found a great anchorage in Dry Creek. Saw two coyotes on shore one eating a huge catfish head. We will spend a few days exploring the lake before head down the Tenn-Tom waterway. Tonight Lin and I are cooking a chicken dish we got from the Great Loop Cook Book.

Lin & Rich
Dry Creek
Tennessee

Nov 7th & 8th Days 118 &119

Yesterday the 6th we visited the fresh water Pearl farm which was pretty interesting. We also went for a hike in the state park probably did about 5 miles Nice hike and good exercise, saw 6 deer. Night was cold and again, we had frost on the windows on the 7th. Headed out after it warmed up and headed South we traveled 47.4 miles on a beautiful sunny day. The Tennessee River is really nice with great landscape and we had calm waters. We set anchor in behind Kellys Island around 3pm. Have to get to anchorages early since the time change. Night was great and it was 58 in the boat in the morning of the 8th. We can tell we were getting out of the cold and there was no frost just some fog. Once the fog cleared on the morning of the 8th we were underway. Again the water was calm, scenery was outstanding and the trees were still green. After 48.5 miles we dropped anchor behind Wolf Island. We took a dingy ride around the Island before putting it on the top. Tomorrow we will go thru a lock at Pickwick a little south of Shiloh National Park(civil war). We will stay at the Pickwick Landing marina to take on fuel. We are hoping they have a courtesy car so we can visit Shiloh. Tomorrow will be a 15 mile day, to date we have covered 2,607 miles and have seen some real nice places and have had some great and some not so great experiences.

Lin & Rich
Wolf Island
Savannah, Tennessee

Nov 5th & 6th Day 116 &117

Woke up at 5am 0n the 5th to heavy rain. Rained on and off from heavy to lite, so we hung at anchor till 9:30 before heading out. After 1/10 of a mile we crossed in the state of Tennessee which is our 7th state. The Tennessee River was rough with following seas which are actually better than taking waves straight on, just have to do a little more steering as it pushes the stern of the boat from side to side. This is the second day we have pulled the dinghy behind us and decided if it made it thru these two days of rough water it was good to go. We decided to stay at Pebble Island Marina in New Johnsonville Tennessee since it was suppose to go into the 20s at night. Good decision, when Lin & I got up this morning there was frost on the railings and windows. We ran the heat all night so the boat was warm but it sure was cold outside. We most likely will stay another night here as the weather will be the same. After tonight the weather is suppose to improve, sure hope so. There is the only fresh water pearl farm not far from here so we plan on using the courtesy van to visit that and also get some exercise by hiking in the nearby state park(if it warms up) We are about 600 miles from Pensacola where we plan on leaving the boat and head home for the Holidays for a few weeks.
Well that is it for now from COLD Tennessee.

Lin & Rich
Pebble Island Marina
New Johnsonville, Tennessee

Nov 4th Day 115

Today we left Eddy Creek and headed south. We crossed from Barkley Lake to Kentucky Lake via the Barkley Canal. We traveled 52.6 miles today in 6.5 hours. The seas were at our stern which make for a swirly ride. The rollers brought back memories of Lake Michigan in a small scale. We are tucked into Panther Bay and are at anchor. Today was very windy and cold, high in the 50's. Tomorrow night we decided to stay in a marina so we can have heat as it is going down into the 20's. Seems to be a cold front in the middle south where we are, hope it passes quickly. We are 1/10th of a mile from the Tennessee state line.

Lin & Rich
Panther Bay Kentucky

Nov 1st, 2nd, 3rd Days 112, 113, 114

Well today we planned on leaving Eddy Creek and start our journey down the Tennessee River. Well, again Mother Nature is trying to make a decision for us, it is cold and raining. Tough decision, head out in the rain, anchor in the rain, spend the night in the cold wet anchorage OR stay at the marina one more night with heat. If it does not get a lot better soon we will give in to Mother and hang here. The anchorage we plan on is about 3 hours or so from here and we would want to be secure before dark which now is getting sooner and sooner.
We changed the oil and filters, put fluid in steering, cleaned the boat, got dingy down and redid the dingy holders so we can leave it inflated while we were here. This will be the first time we have pulled the ding behind so we will have to see how that goes, if not good we will put it back on the holders. The marina says it is suppose to go down to 20 this weekend so we want to be SOUTH of here soon. Still on schedule to be in Florida by December and it looks like we will leave the boat in Pensacola for the Holidays.

Lin & Rich
Eddy Creek Marina, Kentucky

Oct 26th-Oct 31st Days 106-111

Happy Halloween

Weathered out the rain on the 26th and did boat things. Morning of the 27th the weather was nice so we headed out onto the lake. We found a place about 15miles from here called Crooked Creek and after entering it we found out how it got its name. We turned and twisted our way off the main lake to a cove. We could see the lake which was close but the water in between was not passable. Dan had a paper chart(no Depths) and the way in was well buoyed. Nice anchorage and we lowered the dingy for some site seeing and fishing. No luck fishing for two days and all the wildlife was turtles and pelicans. Left the anchorage on the 29th and headed back to Eddy Creek Marina. Donna's Brother and sister-in-law came in from Ohio(10 hours) and got here around 9pm. They left for a few days on the lake and Lin and I are doing marina things while they cruise. Changed the engine oil yesterday while Lin helped getting me things and did cleaning. We worked on a new way to support the Ding while on the top so we could leave the sides inflated. Will see if our plan works as we will try it today. Now we are relaxing catching up on paying bills, blog, and laundry. Starting to get cold nights so it is time to start heading south. Plans are to leave on Wednesday and start heading down the Tennessee River. With the time change the hours on daylight are getting short and fog and dew in the am will cut our cruising day down. We plan on being in the Pensacola area by mid December, find a secure place to leave the boat and head home for the Holidays.

That's an update from Kentucky

Lin & Rich
Eddy Creek Marina
Eddy Creek, Kentucky

Oct 25th Day 105

The wind did blow last night but not as bad as South Haven. This morning the sky got dark and down came the rain. Kentucky has been in a drought so to help them out we can put up with a few days of rain. Till Sunday's rain we had not seen rain since South Haven on September 22 over a month ago so we can not complain. Today we will do some laundry and engine checks. Looks like good weather for tomorrow so we will head out onto the lake for anchorage and fishing, even bought a license. It is noon and has rained all morning, good day to get a hair cut from Lin.

Lin & Rich
Eddy Creek Marina
Eddy Creek, Kentucky

Oct 22, 23, 24 Days 102, 103, 104

We left for Nashville on Friday after getting a rental car. It was about 109 miles from the marina, real nice ride. Checked into the hotel and headed downtown the place was packed as it was homecomimg at the University of Tennessee and they were playing rival Alabama. Also the Titans were in town set to play the Eagles on Sunday. Had a great dinner and ended up in a nice bar with a small group band, it was a lot of fun. Saturday we went to visit President Andrew Jackson's Home(farm) real nice tour and everything was original as it was when he stayed there.
Tried to see the Opry Hotel but it was still under repair from the floods. Went to an old car muesem which was interesting. Had another great meal Saturday. Sunday we headed to to the Ryman Building the original ole Opry but it was closed for three days while they held auditions for American Idol. On our way back to the marina we went thru the Land Between the Lakes, there they have bison and elk roaming free, within hundreds of acres, we saw both bison and elk(bull and cows). We were going to anchor on the lake for a few days while we wait for Donna's brother and sister-in-law, but the weather looks bad so we will wait till Wenesday to head out.

Lin & Rich
Eddy's Creek Marina
Eddy Creek, Kentucky

Oct 21 Day 101

It was a great anchorage we had last night only two barges went by with little wake movement. Left the anchorage at 11 am and headed to Eddy Creek Marina, this is where we will leave the boats for 4 days and travel to Nashville for two days returning Sunday afternoon. On the way back from Nashville we will drive thru a state park which has Bison and Elk roaming free. On the way here we passed the Kentucky State Prison which they call the castle on the lake. It is beautiful for a prison. I would love to have the money spent on stainless wire to keep the good guys out. It is suppose to house all the death row prisoners in the state. There were many towers surrounding the yards. We traveled 14.5 miles today and now have 2,391 miles under our keel.

Lin & Rich
Eddy Creek Marina
Eddy Creek, Kentucky

Oct 20th Day 100

Well we have reached the 100 day mark and are still together and having a great adventure together. We are now in Kentucky which is our 6th state. Had to wait to get underway this morning due to heavy fog. Got underway at 9am and started up the Cumberland River. It was a beautiful ride thru wilderness with the exception of a few HUGE stone quarries. We went thru the Barkley Dam which raise us 57' into Barkley lake.
We are at anchor in a cove called Willow Creek real nice and quite. It is nice to be off the rivers for awhile. Tomorrow we will head about 7 miles to Eddy Creek Marina where we will leave the boats while we head to Nashville by car for the weekend. We will spend next week cruising the lake while we wait for Donna's brother to arrive from Ohio.

Lin & Rich
Willow Creek
Barkley Lake, Kentucky

Oct 19th Day 99

Easy day today. Called the lock at 7am to try and get on the schedule to lock thru between barge traffic. The reply was be ready in one hour and we will get you thru, what a great piece of news. We listened on the radio as the lock master gave the list of barges and the order of passage. Some barges were told it would be a 24 hour wait. The lock master got us in and out and we were figuring on being there all day. We traveled 2.5 hours to our next anchorage a big 16.3 mile day. Got a lot of boat work done and tomorrow we will head down the Cumberland river to either another anchorage or to Eddy Creek Marina our next destination and from there we will cruise Lake Barkley and also head by car to Nashville. Life is tough decisions decisions.

Lin & Rich
anchored Cumberland Island Towhead
Illinois on one side and Kentucky on the other

Oct 18th Day 98

The last night anchored on the Mississippi went good. The traffic on the bridge was a little loud but we got a good nights rest. No fog this morning so we were underway by 8am traveled the last 7 miles of our Mississippi River journey and turn up the Ohio River at 8:41. Now we were headed up river and the current was against us, luckily it was not real strong. We traveled to Olmsted where they are constructing a new lock / dam to replace locks 53 and 52 what a massive project, should be completed either 2011 or 2013. Next we came to lock 53 and during periods of high water, the dam is lowered and you pass over the dam. That was our case and now we can say we drove GoofinOff over a dam. Made it to lock 52 after 49.9 miles and 6.5 hours. This lock has two chambers but the barge chamber is being worked on so all traffic goes thru the small chamber. There are barges all over being taken apart to fit then being put back together on the other side.IT IS ONLY A 10' RAISE. We had the option to get thru but it was late and the next anchorage was 30 miles upstream. We told the lack master we would wait for a chance tomorrow. It could be tomorrow or the next day before we get thru but we are not in a rush as long as it is not snowing. It was a great day and in the 80's. It was Dan's birthday today so of course we had to celebrate and Dan & Donna made a great birthday dinner. A little extra information, today we passed Metropolis, Illinois, the home of Clark Kent(Superman).
We are anchored on the shores of Kentucky our 6th state.

Lin & Rich
on the hook
I-24 Highway Bridge between Illinois and Kentucky

Oct 17th Day 97

We hung out for awhile this morning as we only had a 44.5 run and we were anchoring just outside the channel on the Mississippi. We left at 9am and and got to the anchor at 2pm. We tried to raft but with the two boats Dan's anchor started to drag. We broke lose and Lin and I headed to the channel to get GoofinOff ready to anchor. Remember this will be the first time we have anchored after we broke lose and hit the rocks. I was preparing the anchor and found the winch was a little bound up got that lose and in we headed up stream. Lin was at the helm and I was at the anchor as we got ready to drop I found out the anchor itself was stuck in the holder.
Back out into the channel we went hammer in hand I pounded until it broke lose. Anchor away and we were hooked a little nerve racking but we have been on the hook for 4 hours and have not moved. The current is running about 4 mph so we are dug in pretty good. Have the anchor drag alarm set and hopefully we will be able to get some peaceful sleep tonight(right). Tomorrow it is onto the Ohio River.

Lin & Rich
safe at anchor
Mile 7.5 on the Mississippi
Near the I-57 Highway bridge

Oct 16th Day 96

We got up early for our 70 mile run, well Ole Mother Nature had a different idea. We were fogged in and could not take off till 8:45. But we were sure glad not to be on the river in that thick fog. We traveled the 70 miles in 6 hours averaging 12mph with the help of the current. The day was beautiful and in the 70's. We are anchored in Little Diversion Channel off the Mississippi about 3 miles south of Kidd River City Missouri. Got some not so good news today, lock 52 on the Ohio river has two chambers and the large chamber will be shut down on Oct 18th for repairs. That means the small chamber used for pleasure craft will not do both. Delays could be up to 30 hours. There is no way we could get there before the 18th. If it is not Mother Nature it is the Corp of Engineers.
I have told you the barges on the Mississippi are large today we saw our biggest one being pushed by a tug with three engines and he was pushing 35 loaded barges, 5 across and 7 long. The turbulence these things put out is indescribable, like being back on Lake Michigan.

Lin & Rich
Little Diverson Channel
south of Kidd River City, Missouri

Oct 15th Day 95

Made it thru the night tied to the barge on the river. Every time a barge went by at night it gave us a pretty good ride and the docks creaked and cracked. We untied at 8:45 and headed back out into the river current and down stream we went. With the current we picked up 4 or 5 mph which also gave us better fuel economy(yeah). We traveled down river 42.1 miles to the Kaskaskai River mouth an turned up that river and tied to the lock wall. It is a free wall before the lock which can hold a few boats for overnight. We got here about 12:30, short day today but tomorrow will be some 70 miles before we can find a safe place to stay the night. The weather has been great as of late with good sleeping temperatures and 60-70 during the day with plenty of sun shine.

Lin & Rich
Kaskaskai lock wall
Kaskaskai River Illinois

Oct 14th Day 94

Up and ready to go at 8am, headed out and started our trip down the Mississippi. The current was still about 4mph so we were traveling around 11.5mph and saving on fuel also. We did two locks today and both were done without any problems. We passed St Louis and the Arch on the way down the river. We traveled 63.6 miles and arrived at a barge marina at 3:30. The marina is right on the river and we docked with our bows upstream into the current. The women who runs the marina and has run it forever is the expert on the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. She told us where we could anchor what to look for and what to expect. Everyone doing the loop stops here. All the guide books mention that she is the river expert. We are at mile marker 158.5 at Hoppies Marine Services, in the town called Kimmswick, Missouri.

Lin & Rich
Hoppies Marine Services
Kimmswick, Missouri

Oct 13th Day 93

Worked on the boats today checked all the fluids and got her ready for tomorrow.
Gave her a good bath as Lin cleaned her up inside. We are starting to get that brown mustache from all the brown water. We headed to a winery thinking we would get a tour as good as the Bud plant. Well it turned out just to be a wine bar. It was on top of a mountain and had a beautiful view of the river. We sat on the deck and had a great bottle of wine. Not much of a town most exciting thing was the ride across the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to get there.

Lin & Rich
St Charles

Oct 12th Day 92

Another great sleeping night as the weather was great. Today we headed to St Louis to see the sights. First stop was the Arch, it is quite the sight overlooking the river on one side and the city on the other. Took the tour ride to the top 630 feet. The cars you are in are small but all 4 of us did fit. The ride up takes 4 minutes and the ride down takes only three minutes. You get off at the top and can stay as long as you want. We took pictures of both side so from there we saw St Louis. The river is high and running fast so we are glad to stay off of her for a few days.
Next we headed to the Anheuser-Busch plant, this is the first brewery for Bud, real nice tour about an hour long. What we saw of the place was very impressive and clean. They had a few of the Clydesdales and Dalmatians there. Of course at the end of the tour there was beer tasting and pretzels. Did some driving around town and then went out to dinner.
Another great day.

Lin & Rich
OPort Charles Marina
St Charles, Missouri

Oct 11th Day 91

Today was a non travel day and not because of weather, it was beautiful and in the 80's. We did laundry and got ready to do the tourist thing. Headed to West Marine to pick up a few things and return our binoculars which had some waterproof problems. We then headed to the historic district of St. Charles. It was really quaint with brick roads, old buildings, and many shops. Had a great lunch at Maggie's which had a delicious cherry crepe. Left there and headed to Sam's to resupply food and snacks. It was a great day and tomorrow we will either visit a winery or travel to St Louis. Since we are the only transit boats in the marina they have let us use their courtesy car.

Lin & Rich
Port Charles Harbor
St Charles, Missouri

Oct 10th Day 90

We had a great night on the hook, watch Happy Feet on Dan and Donna's HUGE screen.

Up early and underway by 8am. It was a great ride but had to watch for a lot of floating debris. Most was caused by the dredging we came across. We finally got out of the river valley and could see mountains and towns. Once close to the Mississippi we ran into many boaters out for the long weekend. When we reached the Mississippi the current really picked up as the river had just crested after all the rain and flooding. As I made the turn off the Illinois river into the Mississippi River I went from 9 mph to 5.5 mph current was running at 3.5mph. We fought our way the three miles up the mighty Mississippi went around island 521 and headed to the marina at Port Charles Harbor. The entrance was small with rock piles on each side, with the current as strong as it was we had to go down river then head against the current to enter. Lin was looking over my shoulder telling me I was doing a good job, I was not that sure. We did make in with a sigh of relief and hearts pounding. We plan on staying three days to do the tourist thing and get some jobs done. We have now entered our 5th state, Missouri. It was a long day 8 hours traveling 64 miles, we have now traveled 2,054 miles.

Lin & Rich
Port Charles Harbor
St Charles, Missouri

Oct 9th Day 89

What a beautiful day today was 80 degrees and the sun was out. Left our anchorage at 8:30 and traveled 8 miles to our last lock on the Illinois River, La Grange, it was a big 7 foot drop. We traveled down river to our next planned anchorage at Big Blue Island. The north end was too shallow to get in so we headed 1.5 miles to the south end where we are anchored in 7' of water. We covered 30 miles in 4 hours including the lock. In another 10 miles we will have logged 2,000 miles to date. Tomorrow will be a long day traveling some 60 miles to Port Charles Marina on the Mississippi River. It is 3 miles up river but it has the cheapest fuel and dockage. There we plan to stay a few days and visit St Louis by car. After that stay it will be 230 miles plus to the Ohio River.

Lin & Rich
on the hook
Big Blue Island
58 miles from the mighty Mississippi

Oct 8th Day 88

We got up early and was glad to see our boats still had enough water under them to float. Got things ready and were underway by 8am, glad to say we both made it out of the marina without scraping bottom which was all silt(better than rock). Down river we went on an uneventful day.
The camps along the river are built on stilts which from our view point look to be about 10' high.
Might have told this but yesterday we saw a coyote and today the big thing was a turtle besides all the dead carp. Once today we heard a loud thump on the boat told Dan to keep an eye out and as he passed the area he said we had gotten an Asian carp about 2.5' long one less to make it to Lake Michigan. As it has been running our 20' anchorage did not pan out. We went a little past that spot and found refuge in about 7' of water. We are near a town called Beardstown.

Lin & Rich
at anchor
South of Grape Towhead Island

Oct 7th Day 88

We got up early to check on the schedule of the lock 3 miles south of us, called and was told be there for a 9 am lock thru. We were there at 8:30 am and told it would be another two hours.
Dan anchored and we rafted off for the wait. At 11:30 we were called into the lock for the 9 foot drop. Down the Illinois River we went heading toward Quiver Island for our overnight dockage in 10 to 12 feet of water. During our trip we ran into many barges of 3 across and 4 long you give these guys all the room they need. We contacted them and asked their preference on passage. We came across one dredge operation which was a little close. Once at Quiver Island Dan headed in and about 100 yards from the anchorage he went aground (soft) backed off and our next option was a marina 300yds away. Called and they had room but was not sure of depth. We both made it in and are in a safe harbor this river is really low. We set our plans for tomorrow which looks like a 30 mile run to a 20 foot anchorage hope it is true because the next good spot is 60 miles. We are glad we will be getting off this low river soon, not only are anchorages hard to find so are marinas with enough depth. This is really an adventure. But we are having a great time MOST of the time.
Lin & Rich
Tall Timber Marina
Illinois River

Oct 5th & 6th Days 86 & 87

We left Henry where we docked in an abandon lock which was really falling apart but with the river as low as it is we did not have much of a choice. We went thru our 6th lock on the Illinois River called the Starved Rock Lock and Dam. We pulled into a free dock which was suppose to have 6 to 8 feet of water, well as I pulled in my depth finder read 2.5 feet. The mud was churning but we were still afloat as we tied to the dock. Dan and Donna came in behind us but their keel hit the mud end result was they tied along side of us. On the way our starboard engine stopped running, had to change fuel tanks and was able to restart the engine. Used more fuel than we thought fighting Lake Michigan. The town was nice but small not suppose to stay overnight but this time of the year who is there to say anything. We hit dollar taco night at the local bar they were really good. On the 6th we had to wait for the fog to lift to leave and got underway at 9:30 and were anchored by 12:40 covering 18.5 miles. Lin and I stopped at Hamms marina for fuel $ 3.25 per gallon, we took 138 gallons which will get us to a cheaper fuel before the Mississippi. We are anchored in Peoria in about 6 foot of water. It is hard to find places to anchor with enough water for us to safely anchor. Tomorrow the plan is to travel 41 miles to another safe anchorage. We are 162.5 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River and hope to be there next Monday or Tuesday. Too date we have traveled 1881 miles, been in 4 states and two Canadian provinces and are still together.

Lin & Rich
on the hook
Peoria, Ill

Oct 4th Day 85

Don't know how you guys have been following us missed it but I was saying day 33 34 instead of 83 84, must be the cold weather or you gave up on us.
Well today we started out in the 50's and ended the day in the 70's real nice ride. We only had one lock to do and with out any wind it was a breeze. We planned on anchoring but both places we figured on were to low on the depth. We figure since the Mississippi is flooding they are holding the dams back on the Illinois which seems to be below normal pool. We ended up traveling 43.5 miles today well over our planned mileage. Tomorrow if all goes well we will only travel 17 miles to Chillicothe. We are tied to an abandon lock stone wall that was built over 100 years ago. We are at a place called Henry Harbor Marina. We are 196 miles from the Mississippi River, we hope the river will be back to normal by the time we get there in 4 to 5 days.

Lin & Rich
Henry harbor Marina

Oct 2nd & 3rd Days 33 & 34

Well our easy day was not as easy as we planned. Could have been the cocktails during planning or just being off the lake but our 20 mile day turned into 48.5 miles. We are in a town called Ottawa, not Canada, on a free city dock and decided to take Sunday off as a day of rest. Since leaving Chicago we have been lowered by 5 locks, gone under 62 fixed bridges, and had to have 8 bridges lifted for us. We are now on the Illinois River heading south to the Mississippi River which is 239.6 miles from where we are. We will travel 218 miles on the Mississippi to the Ohio River. The barge traffic near Chicago was something else with tugs pushing 4 barges. The locks are huge and you feel small in them. We went thru the Asian Carp fish barrier(electrified) no big deal, called the Coast Guard as instructed but got no response so on we went, hair stood up a bit but not a big deal. Today we will plan the next few days before cocktails, looking for anchorages and free docks. Pretty cold last night 38 degrees so south we head.

Till next time
Lin & Rich
Ottawa, Ill.

Oct 1st Day 32

We are far from Lake Michigan, we left Chicago this morning at 9am
traveled thru the city which was breath taking. We went under 40 plus bridges getting run over by trains and cars, had to have a few lifted for us. The barge traffic was something else a few times we had to wait to have room to pass. One lock at Lockport it looked like there was no door,
you went over the door and then as it lowered the door was there strange hard to explain.
We are in a town called Joliet. It is about 40 miles south of Chicago. Tomorrow wil be an easy day as we plan on only 20 miles to Ottawa not Canada.

Have a good one we are

Lin & Rich
Joliet Ill.

Sept 30th Day 31

We had a great day got things lowered on the boat to make the Chicago bridges 40 of them.
Tomorrow we will do the bridges, 2 locks, and the electric fish barrier. Should travel about 40 miles which will take us thru downtown Chicago.
Went to Millennium Park today and saw the Bean. It is a bean shaped structure which reflects buildings and skyline, hard to explain but really cool. Got some good pictures. Toured the town and had cocktails and dinner out. Home early to get ready for tomorrow. Will be nice to be underway again and as nice as it is will also be nice to be out of the Windy City.

Lin & Rich
Preparing to leave Chicago.

Sept 29th Day 30

Yesterday was a great day, sun shinning and weather beautiful. We went to the Sears tower which is now the Willis Tower. It is 103 stories high. We went to the top and saw Chicago from the highest point in Chicago. They have a few glass extensions that you can go on and you are looking down 103 floors. The first step was ok but the mind said what are you doing. It is a real thrill. I could not pass up the opportunity when a skidish women stepped on the glass I said its cracking, she screamed and jumped off. After I told her I was kidding her friend was able to talk her into going out there again for a picture. Probably lucky she did not belt me with her pocket book. Next we walked over to the planetarium and took the tour. We headed back had a few cocktails and decided to call it a day. We were going to leave today but decided to stay one more day to get the boats ready for the river. There are 40 bridges we go under the first day so things have to be lowered as clearance is 17' and one bridge has to be raised (10' closed). I will also give the boat a good wash and dry. Lin & Donna are going shopping today and Dan and I will head to the liquor store.

Lin & Rich
DuSable Chicago

Sept 28th Day 79

Yesterday was a great day it was nice to wake up without a ripple on the lake. We are docked behind two break walls. We did the tourist thing yesterday walked about 6 miles or more on solid ground. We went to the Lincoln park zoo which was free and bigger and nicer than we thought. We spent about 4 hours there before heading to the magnificent mile which is Michigan Street, which sports all the top end stores. We just did window shopping. There are always people walking everywhere, one thing you do not do is step off the sidewalk before the cross light comes on, also you have to watch for bikes as they make better time than the cars. We had cocktails and dinner at Grand Lux Cafe really nice, one drink was more expensive than the meal. Today will be another tourist day. Tomorrow we plan on saying good bye to Lake Michigan and Chicago and head down the river.

Lin & Rich
enjoying Chicago

Sept 27th Day 78

WE MADE IT We crossed the D lake yesterday and are now sitting safe and sound
in Chicago. We left South Haven at 7:30 and headed out with Chicago as our destination.
Lake was not to bad but the swells kept us rocking for the 77 miles across. With 35 miles to go we could see the skyline of Chicago, at 9 mph it seemed like we would never get there. Each mile made the skyline bigger and bigger even with black clouds over head and swells under our hull we were thrilled to think we were finally putting Lake Michigan behind us. We are in DuSable Harbor marina near the Navy pier and downtown Chicago. We plan three nights here which will give us two days to do the tourist thing. We got here at 3pm Central time the marina has 400+ slips and we view the towering skyline. Last night we walked to Geno's suppose to be the home of the original Chicago deep dish pizza. It was very delicious and a six cut fed the 4 of us. Sure was nice sleeping on the boat without rocking, think I told you we had to spend two nights sleeping in the club hose at South Haven.
Again it sure feels GREAT to be off the lake.

Lin & Rich
Safe in DuSable Harbor Marina
Chicago

Sept 26th Day 77

What a beautiful morning. The sun is shinning and the wind is down even though it is
only 40 degrees we are all very happy. The lake still has 4 footers but today we plan
on getting the boats in order and moving our gear from the club house to the boats.
Today and tonight the winds and waves are SUPPOSED to calm down.
Tomorrow is supposed to have lite winds and 1 to 2 foot waves so we will make the run
from here to Chicago about 80 miles so 9 to 10 hours. The champagne is on ice for the Chicago dock party. Plans are a few days in the windy city and then river time to Sunny Florida.

Hope everything is well for all those following us.
The next time I write I hope it is from Chicago

Lin & Rich
loving the weather change
South Haven , Mich

Sept 25 Day 76

Morning came and we are all still in one piece and safe.
We slept in the club house last night as the boats were still rocking and rolling
Dan and I got up every few hours to check the boats, lines and fenders
The swell and wind in the harbor has not let up and does not look like it will for a few days
We have gone thru 3 dock lines due to chafing and breakage and Dan & Donna have gone thru 2.
Today's forecast on the lake is 4 - 7 footers 10 - 15 kt winds and tomorrow
calls for 3 - 5 footers with winds 15 to 25 kts'
Looks like our first safe day to cross unless things change will be Monday.
We are making the best of the situation and are planning some stops once
we get off this D lake. We will definitely spend a few days in Chicago (to celebrate a safe cross)
before heading down the river systems. We are thinking of taking a side trip on the
Cumberland River to Nashville. It is nice to think beyond this Lake.
I have grown MANY gray hairs is the last two weeks

Have a great weekend

Lin & Rich
Waved and winded in
South Haven Municipal Marina
South Haven, Mich

Sept 24th Day 75

We were up at 3am rocking and rolling. The wind plus the surge from the lake made it impossible to get sleep. We went out and redid lines and fenders. Went up to the club house which was nice but were worried about the boat so back we went. Again tried to calm the boats rolling down with out much luck. Then out came Dan and Donna to reset their boat. The 4 of us adjusted and readjusted fenders and lines. Dock party time, we ended up with 12 lines on and double fenders, Dan & Donna had almost as many lines. We are in the lounge enjoying a non rocking spot. We were hoping on crossing the 80 miles to Chicago but that may change as of right now Sunday does not look to good. Think about us while you are on solid ground.

Lin & Rich
South Haven marina

Sept 21st, 22nd, 23rd Days 72, 73, 74

Weather was bad on the 21st due to a heavy storm the night before. The winds were hollowing and pushing us up against the docks which were not the greatest. The wind and storm lasted about 2 hours and we rechecked fenders and lines after it cleared. The storm out of the west stirred up the lake so travel on the 21st was not an option. We walked the 2 miles into town and did the tourist thing. Got up on the 22nd with plans on reaching New Buffalo as we left the harbor the lake was still rough from the storm. there was no wind to say but the lake had not laid down from the storm. We traveled 20 miles and then decided to go into Saugatuck Harbor to drop anchor for awhile to see if the lake would lay down some. When we got to the end of the harbor there was no place to anchor so we headed back to he lake killing about an hour. Back on the lake it seemed a little calmer but not much. We ventured on as we could see Chicago getting closer. We called New Buffalo to find out if they were still open, no deal they close mid September. We all decided to take refuge at South Haven Municipal Marina, a state run facility.
Did the usually tourist thing and had dinner out. Today September 23 is a weather day predictions have the waves over 10 feet so it is a no go ONE MORE TIME. actually it looks like we may be here till Sunday the 26th. Then the weather looks good for the 80 mile run to Chicago, but that could change anytime.
The weather has changed and it has turned hot again one good thing. We are still enjoying the adventure even with the lake trying to discourage us, we almost have her beat.

Lin & Rich
Weathered in
South Haven Munical Marina
South Haven, Mich

Sept 20th Day 71

Today was a big travel day for us. We were up and off the hook at 7:30 and 9 + hours later we had put 80.3 miles under our hull. Not much to see except shore line and a lot of water. It felt real good to pull into the harbor knowing we are much closer to Chicago. We will be here tomorrow as the Lake will have 6 to 8 footers with high winds. There is a small town here so we will probably venture there tomorrow. If all goes well we could be in Chicago by Thursday, weather plays a big part on this lake and you don't dare mess with Mother Nature. Forgot to mention when we were in Leland days ago it is has a place called Fish Town, well they suggested we go to this restaurant and have a Chubby Mary. Well this drink came out with a dill pickle, two olives, and a smoked chub(fish) head and all staring at you. It was a strange looking drink but we all drank it and ate the fish. When in Fish town do as the Fishtownions do(i guess) needless to say one was enough. Well so far we have logged 1,598 miles in 71 days and are looking forward to the next 294 days.

Till next time
Lin & Rich
Cresent Shores Marina
Holland Mich

Sept 19th Day 70

Today was a GREAT travel day. We were up and underway by 7:45 a little foggy but we knew it would lift. Out of the harbor and headed south, even some of the fishing boats were taking advantage of the nice weather. It got a little rough in the early morning but in the afternoon it was the smoothest water we have seen in two weeks. We cruised down the coast about 4 miles off shore the farther we went the better it got. At 3:43 we pulled in to Pentwater harbor and picked out an anchorage in 30 feet of water. Dan and Donna dropped the hook and we rafted off of them, that way there was no need to put a dingy in for dinner and cocktails. We had a great ham, squash and salad dinner after making our plans for tomorrow. Looks like tomorrow will be a repeat of today so we will make a 6+ run to Holland Mich. Tuesday looks like another weather day so Holland looks like a good anchorage for bad weather. If our plans come together we could be off the Lake and in Chicago by Thursday. If you have any connections with the big guy up above say a prayer that our plan works. We are READY to get off the lake and away from so many weather hold ups.

Lin & Rich
on the hook
Pentwater Mich

Sept 17th & 18th Days 68 & 69

Morning yesterday looked like a good day to travel so we got ready and shoved off from Leland at 8am for a forty+ run to Frankfort Mich. the first 20 miles were not to bad had a few bays we had to pass that stirred up the water a little but not to bad. Then we changed course to South West (wind direction) and things started to pick up, the farther we went the rougher it got. Our last course change made the ride rougher, but we could see the harbor light house some 8 miles in the distance. Eight miles another hour no problem we thought wrong. Wind and waves picked up and had some 6 footers that but the bow pulpit in the water for some cleaning. We had to go past the harbor so we could enter with the waves at our stern instead of midships(on the side) which really rocks and rolls you. We both made it into the harbor and were glad to see calm water behind the breakwall. We were secure at the dock at 1:30 after a 41.5 mile run. Each run gets us closer to getting to Chicago and off the Lake. We celebrated our safe travel day with a few cocktails and a nice dinner out. This town has a REAL size supermarket which we will resupply at today. Right now it is raining and the wind and lake forecast for today will keep us here. Looks like tomorrow and Monday may be good travel days for us. Like our weather back home you wake up look outside and figure the weather out yourself.

Lin & Rich
Frankfort municipal marina
Frankfort Mich.

Sept 14th 15th 16th Days 65, 66, 67

On the 14th we were again weathered in At Mackinaw City, by now we know all the street names. You know you have been there too long when the girl in the hardware store knows you by name. Have run out of things to do on the boat can only check the oil and fluids so many times. The 15th looks like a good day so we plan along run. Got up early fueled and pumped out and were underway by 8:30. The first 20 miles was a little rough but we had seen worse. Once we were out of the straits of Mackinaw the lake laid down for us. It was the smoothest water we had seen in a month or so. We logged 80+ miles in 9 hours and pulled into the state marina at Leland Mich around 5:45 in a lite rain. It was great putting that many miles in which put us about 1/3 of the way down the lake yahoo! Today will be another weather day as gusts could be 40 mph but tomorrow could be better and a travel day for us. Frankfort is the next safe harbor on the east side and is about a 40 mile run (5 hours) if the weather is good we will go farther.
We are ready to get off the lake and hit the Windy city(Chicago). From what I am reading there are a lot of loopers on the lake waiting for that weather window. Hopefully when I blog again we will be at a different location.

Lin & Rich
Weathered in(what a surprise)
Leland state marina
Leland Mich

Sept 12th 13th Days 63 64

Yesterday was beautiful in the morning, Dan looked at the weather and the buoy in the middle of Lake Michigan said 1 to 1.5 footers so we decided it was a great day to do the 50 miles to Charlevoix to replenish and refuel. Untied and were underway by 7am as we headed to the Mackinaw(5 mile bridge) the wind and waves picked up. We decided to give it a few more miles before giving up. Well as usual the farther we went the worse it got all of a sudden I hear Dan who was in the lead on the radio say UNCLE so around we turned and took refuge in Mackinaw State Marina, really nice and there are only 4 boats in here. For now it looks like the weather will have us here till Wednesday before the Lake will settle. While here I got a call from Tom Joy checking in with us and our progress. He asked where we were and if we were going to be at the boat. When we said yes he said well we are in Charlevoix and got here last night figuring we would surprise you. Well as you know weather changed that. They drove up to Mackinaw to visit with us. It was a big surprise and we were surely glad to see our good friends. They had to chase us around the lake but they were determined to find us. We all had dinner on our boat and come to find out Tom and Elizabeth know Dan and Donna's neighbor in fact they are delivering a car to Oregon for them. Sure is a small world. They stayed overnight with us and left this morning on their way to visit with their son in Montana before going to Yellowstone and Oregon. It was great to see them but for the second time this year hard to leave them, this time it was them heading out. Tom and Elizabeth are always full of surprises. Today we will make plans for a couple of big days on the lake to beat the weather before it beats us.

Lin & Rich
Weathered in again
Mackinaw State Marina
Mackinaw City

Sept 10 th & 11th Days 61 & 62

Yesterday we did the tourist thing took a buggy ride around the island and took in all the sites. Really a nice place with some gorgeous houses. Went up to the Grand Hotel where Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour made a movie. Cost $10.00 to walk on the street and porch needless to say we did not do that. Visited Mackinac Fort that's where they shoot off the cannon that makes you jump and play taps to tell you when to go to bed. It was a great day and we had a lot of fun. We planned on taking off this morning but the radar showed a big storm coming so we held off for awhile. The longer we waited the storm did not materialize. By this time it was to late to do the 50 miles before dark. It did rain a little here but it could have been worse out farther like the radar indicated. Well anyway we made the best out of the day and went to the butterfly conservatory and museum it was very interesting. Lin is a big butterfly fan.
Donna and Dan are making lasagna tonight. Hopefully the weather will look better for tomorrow and we will be on our way again

Lin & Rich
Mackinac Island

Sept 9th Day 60

We made our crossing yesterday. Waited the weather out and left Drummond Island at 10am we were going to get out of there good or bad weather. Trip across was pretty calm till the last 5 miles but we could see Mackinac Island so it made the rough water calm. Mackinac Island is 8 miles around with only horse and buggy or bike transportation. We arrived here at 4:30 after traveling 47.3 miles. Walked around town nice to see something different after 5 days on Drummond, had cocktail and dinner. Tomorrow we will do some more tourist type things and take a buggy tour. Donna and Lin are happy as they both need hair cuts. The Mackinac Fort above us fires a cannon off every once in awhile, well the firs time it about put us into shock At around ten pm they played taps so we figured it was time to hit the rack. Boat ran great with the pounded out props.
One tidbit when I registered he asked my name and when I gave it to him he said I was already in the system I said not possible. There is another Richard Nitz who lives in Michigan and I thought all this time I was ONE OF A KIND.

Till Tomorrow

Lin & Rich
Safe at Mackinac Island

Sept 9/4 - 9/8 Days 55 thru 59

Finally got some Internet so I will bring you up to date. Some good some not so good. On the night of the 4th the wind pick up and was like gale force and kept shifting directions as we slept.
About 4 am on Sept 4th we awoke to a lite scrapping sound which got us both up and out of bed. When up we decided we had dragged anchor and were rubbing against something and figured it must be rocks. It was darker than dark and even with the lights on we could not see. Made a call to the Coast Guard to let them know our situation and they decided to dispatch a boat. Well two hours later after hearing some unbearable scrapping in the pitch dark and figuring we were in big trouble boat wise the sun came up and we could see we were only about 5 feet off shore. I kept checking the bilge for water and we were not taking on water which made us feel real good. The anchor had reset and if it had done so 5 feet sooner we would have been in deeper water. Now two hours had passed and the Guard still was not underway as we talked to them every 15 to 20 minutes. Figured we might as well start the genny and make coffee. I had called the local marina and let a message of our situation and that I would need a tow. The wind was still in gale force mode and when it shifted we would hit on the rocks then swing off all we could do was pray and wait for someone to get us off because the winds sure were not letting up. About 7:15 the Yacht Club called and said they got my message and said they were getting a crew ready to get underway. We felt relief even though we knew we could walk to the Island. We put all our paper work, cards, grand children's pictures pack and waited. There came our tow boat and the Coast Guard, now the challenge was to get the boat away from the rocks and pick up the anchor in the wind. All worked out well and we were under tow to Drummond Island. Seems we always have problems on a Holiday so could not be lifted till Tuesday.
9/5 9/6 Just sat in the marina waiting for lift out, in the meantime Donna and Dan would dinghy over for cocktails and a visit. One day Dan and I hooked up an alarm in the main berth to go off if the anchor started to drag, I must have tested it a FEW times while we wait. Dan who seems to hold his breath forever dove down to check the damage his report was very little damage and could be fixed on site. We were all thrilled by that as there would not be a major delay.
9/7 pulled out prop repaired and back in the water. Now all we are waiting for is for Mother Nature to give us a window to get the 45 miles to Mckinac Island.
9/8 weather too bad to leave high winds and waves hopefully it will lay down by tomorrow. Plans are to leave at 7am if the weather permits and hopefully they will. It has been in the 40's and 50's at night feels like late fall back home, gotta get south.

Lin & Rich
Weathered in again
Drummond Island

Sept 3 Day 54

Great night calmed down and did not pick up much wind till this morning. Now it is dark, windy and raining. We will probably be weathered in thru the weekend from the sounds of the forecast.
The Straits of Mackinac where we are heading next have high wind warnings out and it is about a 50 mile run for us. Lake Michigan is reporting 9 to 16 foot waves so I imagine there will not be much boat traffic over the Holiday for sure it won't be us. Once on Lake Michigan it is about 300 miles to Chicago and they say there are safe harbors every 20 miles or so. We both decided if we get a nice weather window some day we will make a long run of it and get as far as we can.
Well just hanging out getting a few things done while we wait.

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend and fair weather.

Lin & Rich
weathered in at Harbor Island
Potagannissing Bay

Sept 2 Day 53

We decided last night to get up early and put some miles on today as the weather forcast for the next few days does not look good. We were up and under way by 7am. The weather looked real good and the forecast for the next few days did not, so after a few hours out there we decided to head to Drummond Island in the US of A. At 12:45 after logging 49.3 miles we entered US waters, so down came the Canadian flag. It was a good feeling to look at the land and know it was the US. We spent 46 days in Canada and traveled 1,072 miles thru many canals and locks. We saw many places and beautiful landscape in that time but the site of the US land was a highlight. Tonight we will celebrate being back in US waters with a venison hot dog roast, with beans and salad with Dan and Donna. The weather from Noah for Lake Michigan tomorrow calls for 9 to 12 foot waves with 45 mile winds so it looks like we will be tucked in here for awhile. We have a great anchorage which should keep us out of trouble. Well here comes the storm so I will try and get this out while I can

Lin & Rich
At anchor in the USA

Sept 1 Day 52

We came up the North Channel on a hazy morning and by noon time it started to get real stormy looking.
We battened everything down and closed all the hatches and here it came. Could hardly see in front of you, but we had Dan to follow when we could see him. All of a sudden I heard Dan over the radio say come to a dead stop I hit something. I pulled her in neutral and looked at the depth finder and we were in 80 feet of water. Dan came over the radio and said it was a log 12' by 6" round he hit. By this time the storm was over had it stopped a few minutes earlier he would have seen it. Dans boat seemed ok no vibrations so we continued on. The sun came out but the wind picked up a little to roughin the ride, but nothing like the Georgian Bay.
We reached the Bear Drop Harbour at 1:10 traveling 32 miles, to date we have put 1,212 miles under the hull. This is another great anchorage but with the wind we are spinning a little but it is suppose to let up. Dan went in the water with fins and mask to check for damage, looks like the log hit sideways on the front of the hull and only took some bottom paint off. Dan and Donna came over for cocktails as we planned tomorrows adventure. Looks like another 30 or so miles to an anchorage or farther if the weather is good. We went to their boat and Dan made pizza really good. Another great day behind us and one day closer to the US of A and better prices, need a grocery store soon.

Lin & Rich
Anchored
Bear Drop Harbour