MacGregor Harbor, safe and sound.

Anchoring is a peaceful experience and Jim and I prefer, when possible, to anchor. The generator is available to run our A/C power, so we are independent and can enjoy the outdoors. Before the schools close for the summer, most marinas and anchorages are deserted. Just the way we like it!

Of course, anchoring comes with its negatives. The dinghy must go in and the boys need to head to shore periodically. Seems like a rain storm or a heavy wind comes up when Boo starts spinning. Some dogs longingly go to the door, asking for relief. Others whine or bark. Boo is a spinner, but he doesn't just spin, he smiles while he spins!

In the small harbor there is the broken spine of an old wooden schooner that was built in 1888 and abandoned in MacGregor Harbor in 1904. Ida A. Olson was reported to be 4 feet under water in the 1980's and is now fully exposed. The boat was 122 feet long and had a draft of 9ft 6 inches. Interesting stuff to and old sailor!

The night was extremely dark as the land surrounding the harbor is owned by a tribe of the First Nation. We landed at the dock and were greeted by an old Indian with a border collie as big as a bear named Diamond. The boys walked us up to the Council Office and the church across the street. The tour book described the local businesses.....no longer there.

The old fishing boats are on dry land now and the locals jump on board and throw out their fishing lines.

Watched a charming family of ducks (red head and a comb) with many babies. Later they were lined up on the bow of the schooner. Lots of other birds too. Killdeer in lower picture. Can't see very well in these pictures, but it was so interesting at the time! Better get out the Bird Book.

Tobermory Home of the Chicheemaun

Now you’re talking! Boats, people, things to see and do.  The Dockmaster placed us in a peaceful spot a mile from the restrooms and bathhouse, but we later found out our slip was an upfront spot for fireworks. Did I ever tell you how much BooBoo hates fireworks?

We are in Canada now. How can we tell for sure?

Lake Huron can be the most peaceful place on earth or pure hell. I have experienced both and everything in between in my 30 years of racing. What is peaceful on a trawler can be hell on a sailboat. Fortunately for us, trawler cruisers, the water was truly flat. No waves on our crossing to Tobermory. The crossing takes about 9 or 10 hours. By the time we arrived, the boys bounded off, headed for grassy havens!

Chi-cheemaun, a passenger and car ferry, travels from Tobermory to South Baymouth located on Manatoulin Island, the largest fresh water island in the world.  There is only one other way to arrive with car on the Island and that is over the drawbridge at Little Current. The Chi-cheemaun is 396 feet long and weighs empty almost 400 tons. The name means Big Canoe – yea, one BIG canoe!

Tobermory is located at the very end of the Bruce Peninsula which divides what we know as Lake Huron and the Georgian Bay, which are both parts of the same Great Lake-Huron. The scenery is not unlike the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. The harbor has two distinct parts. Little Tub Harbor (where the municipal marina lies) and The Big Tub. Old wrecks lie under water in the Big Tub and can be viewed with the naked eye.  Needless to say, Tobermory is a scuba divers dream!

The Grandview Restaurant overlooks the Harbor and is a fine place for dinner.  Lots of fresh whitefish in this area! Can't miss the lighthouse!

Harrisville, MI A Jumping off point.

Bay City to Harrisville is about 75 miles. Short trip by car, but a long trip when travelling 10mph.

Harrisville is a welcoming hamlet with young college students suntanning their bodies as they assist boaters into their slips, buying fuel or pumping out. The two college students assisted us as did on our return home from our Great Loop trip. We recognized one another and enjoyed the chit chat.

Where is everyone? There were only 2 transients for the night. As you can see, the marina is well maintained and beautiful.

And the price is right! Michigan marinas are subsidized by the state and are the least expensive anywhere we have experienced. The rate is $1.10 per foot length. In New York for example, the price is $4.00 per foot. Even in Canada, it is not unusual to find $2.25 per foot.

We walked into town and enjoyed one of the few local restaurants. Not much going on. Four old guys dining each by themselves. Apparently the single women are in the other room.  No wonder there isn’t much happening in this town!

Back at it Again! Bay City, MI June, 2012

Great planning over the winter scheduled us to leave for the North Channel and Georgian Bay June 1st. That way we could pack it all in! There is so much to see! June 1^st came and went as did many other days. Lyn Detzler from Skipper Buds was helping us with our last minute projects which, as usual, took longer than we had expected.  The rear video camera and DC engine lights are now performing admirably!

Over the winter we completed the new galley (Corian!)  and canvas was extended to give us more casual, outdoor seating. The white wicker and cushions are a welcome addition. As we cruise, Jim or I can lounge and read while the other half works feverishly over the auto pilot. Jim also used epoxy on the transom and the windows, then appropriately varnished or painted. Jim also repaired and varnished the handrails. Looking mighty fine! Oh, and we had the propellers balanced.....and the generator hoses replaced.

The weather for the two weeks before we left was incredible, of course!  When it came time to leave, the wind showed it’s ugly (or lovely for my sailor friends) head. We decided to cruise under bridges from Skipper Buds to the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club so we could easily enter Saginaw Bay. Lyn kindly called and scheduled our space for us as Saginaw Bay Yacht Club offers reciprocity to other yacht club members. Lyn's wife Tari was the first female commodore in 2005. Not one since. Hey Bayview, get your head out of the sand!

What a night! The wind gods were warning us to be careful on our trip! The most hazardous bay in my opinion is Saginaw Bay. The shape of the Bay lends itself to building winds that come from the (prevalent) SW wind. We rocked and rolled and not one of the 4 of us slept.

We took off early and the Bay was like glass! Hallelujah!

The Other Side of Life - Bayview Yacht Club Team Race - yeah!

Now that we are home, Jim and I are settling into our "normal" life. We don't yet have Crawdad in her new home in heated storage (so we can work on her!), but we are enjoying our routine. Crawdad has a new galley countertop and the canvas on the bridge extends to the stern! Our next project is the swim platform. Our plan is to extend the swim platform to make it easier for Buddy to board the dinghy for his important duties.

This blog is - The Other Side of Life. What was life like before we left on the Loop and ...what has life returned now that we are home.

Racing sailboats at Bayview Yacht Club is my favorite past time. I have raced with Ray and Winnie Adams for almost 30 years on three different boats. First a Cal330, then a Beneteau 38 and for the last 10 years, they have owned a Beneteau 42, named Epic.

Epic is an extremely successful racing team and the crew is composed of a bunch of crazy people that have become my best friends. Nothing like racing in 30 knot breezes and for days and nights at a time to bring a people together.

Saturday, October 8th, was the last race of the season. Epic was representing Bayview Yacht Club located on the Detroit River in Detroit, MI. I hope if any of you are cruising up the Detroit River you will contact me and stay at Bayview Yacht Club. Bayview is a serious sailboat racing club, but we allow stink boats from time to time!

Bayview Yacht Club located on the Detroit River. Not fancy but a pretty fun place to hang out. Bayview actually has pretty tasty food!

Before we leave the dock, we removed anything we didn't need as it was a "light air day", which means we expect little or no breeze. Ray even inspected our bags and requested we remove anything we didn't need from our boat bags and return it to our cars. We also removed the boat cushions that Ray and Winnie had slept on the night before the race.

All that is left on board are the sails we expect to use on the day of the race. The sails you see here are the spinnakers. We have many spinnakers for different wind conditions and the varied points of sail. The spinnakers are carefully packed into bags, so that when they are attached to the halyard and by the clews, the spinnaker will come out of the bag without twists.

The cushions from the cabins and sails that won't be used for the day, along with the dehumidifier and stored in the "Epic Van". Dean Kuhn is guarding the van.

This is the Cookie Monster aka Bill Doyle. He looks like he needs a cup of coffee or a coke to brighten him up!

As we eased into the Detroit River, we watched the sculls on the calm water.  Jim and I watched a "Head Race" on the Chattanooga River. The teams were from large universities as well as small, private teams, including a few with "gray haired" ladies. Anyone know any gray hair ladies? Rowing with a team is on my Bucket List!

Bayview Yacht Club is located under the shadow of downtown Detroit. Note the Renaissance Center in the background. The building in the foreground is part of the Detroit water supply system.

More chit chat as we head to the course. Looks like Joe Lucas is leading the conversation. This race is held in the middle of Lake St. Clair, about an hour away from the Yacht Club.

Scenery along the Lake St. Clair's shoreline. Grosse Pointe War Memorial.

Air Force was the 2nd boat on the Bayview Team. They needed a tow, so we threw them a line and they "followed" us out to the start of the race.  Baron was the third boat on the Bayview Team.

Dean Waldrup relaxing and getting ready for action. Dean has been a buddy for over 25 years.

Phil Zykowski is my pal of as many years as Dean. Can't tell you how many Mack Races we shared, same shifts every time, including the - 2AM to 6AM shift. Lots of philosophical conversation in the middle of the night!  Note the knee pads. Knee pads have become more desirable as we age. Hey, those knee pads look just like mine!

Mit Goins and Winnie (other owner and superior sailor), enjoy the beauty of the day. Mit appears to need some of the same drink the Cookie Monster needs!

We passed the Grosse Pointe shore. Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. Before Adrienne's birth, I kept a sailboat at GPYC.

Epic flew the Bayview Yacht Club burgee on the backstay along with the "class flag" for the race. Sailboat races typically have classes, or groups of boats segregated by their rating. The Race Committee attempts to put together classes of competitive boats.

The sailing instructions are critical to navigating, as the details of the course and instructions are outlined here. The race was postponed for one week as the winds were too fresh (high) for safe racing. Winds were up to 30 knots the previous Saturday.

Depending on the wind direction and speed, there are may options for the course. You can see from the diagram, the navigator has to really pay attention to the details of the race.

Ray is concentrating.....on everything and everyone!

Often when I race, Tom is my partner on the jib brake/trim. As you can see, he is a congenial guy!

Phil is working the "hotbox". The halyards, which raise and lower the sails are his responsibility on this race. His experience makes the foredeck work easy.

Joel and Tom are ready for action, but Ray, did you really mean that!

Diann is an incredible mainsail trimmer. None of us!! including the big guys want to trim the main sheet on a windy day. How does she handle that huge main by herself? She must weigh 90 pounds!

Our competition - too close for comfort!

Joel, Ray and Diann at a quiet moment. (Won't last!)

Mit is really enjoying the race. I am thinking the two babies at home may have something to do with his condition.

Dean Kuhn on alert!

The Cookie Monster at the helm. I didn't know the Cookie Monster was a beer drinker!

Phil says it is fun to race, but more fun to win!

 

The head (bathroom) is spartan at best on a sailboat. Pump the water in and then pump out! The head is a small space that is difficult to use when the weather is cold, the wind is blowing and you are feeling like the Michelin man with layers of clothing!

Oh, I know her! Who stole my camera!

Every winning race brings out the champagne. Epic drinks champagne often!

Team Bayview, winners of the Team Bayview Race! Epic, Baron and Air Force.