Paddle Time!

10-9-16

 Even though the Memory Maker is tucked away in the garage for a 7 month nap and Miss Friday is not ready to hit the water yet we are not totally out of business when it comes to enjoying a beautiful day on the water. We just break out the kayaks and head to the nearest lake or river.
 Yesterday was just too pretty to not get out and enjoy it. With clear skies, light winds, and cool temps it was a the perfect red letter fall day in southern Indiana. Cindy decided she would like to go over to Yellowwood state park and paddle the lake there so while she got up and got ready I went out and dusted off the kayaks and trailer and loaded everything up.
 With Miss Friday sitting on saw horses behind Juicy the Jeep I did not want to have to deal with her to get down our tandem kayak so I got our singles off the wall and loaded them onto the trailer. Anytime we are taking two or more kayaks and or the paddle board I break out the trailer. I made this about 6 years ago now and it really works great.

 This is a really slick way to transport larger kayaks and paddleboards. I made it to be modular so I can change the crossbars to carry 2, 3, or four kayaks and a paddle board on top of them as well. I have a piece of diamond plate steel to put on the back half of the rear trailer frame to get some weight behind the axle as the tongue gets pretty heavy when you get the boats loaded up. I think it would ride a bit better to plus it will give a me a place to mount a small aluminum ATV tool box I found that would be perfect for tie downs and few tools.
 With the jeep and trailer loaded up we headed west over to Lake Monroe as we needed to pick up launch permits for our kayaks since Yellowwood is a state lake and you have to have them there. After a quick stop at Paynetown we pulled into the Log Cabin restaurant for breakfast. We were regulars there during the sailing season as their food is really good and the prices are really reasonable. After easting way too much we waddled back out to Juicy and headed northeast to Yellowwood.
 It was just such a beautiful fall day on the water and we were so glad we chose to play. There were just a few other kayakers out on the lake and one guy fishing from a bass boat. Just a very peaceful way to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon.
 All I can say is no one paddles quite like my beautiful little wife

Never one to take things too seriously Cindy made herself comfy while I fished for whatever might bite my lure. We had to break out the stick and take a selfie to prove that I really was there too

 I just can't seem to take a selfie and not get the stick in the pic. I might have to research that and see if I am doing something wrong besides wearing my hat backwards. At least I finally zipped my fly as it been unzipped all morning LOL!
 We slowly worked our way to the north end of the lake and I did manage to catch on nice bluegill along the way. We tried sneaking up on turtles as they set on logs sunning themselves but they were all a bit skittish and would slide off as we got close. One did sit still as I passed by about 6 feet away from him. I watched him slowly prepare to launch as he got his claws in position on the log but he set tight and I just slowly floated past him. Once I was past him maybe 15 feet I went to paddle and that did it, he splashed into the lake. We had a good chuckle over that as I was already passed him but he just couldn't take the chance and surely thought that big paddle was going to get him somehow.
 Not long after that the effects of the sun, breeze, water, and large breakfast took hold of Cindy. I said something but go no response. This was why

 She was asleep!!! Talk about the laid back LOL! I think Cindy was still tired from watching her grandkids Friday night and Saturday. Amazing how those little critters can wear a person down.
 I finally got her woke up enough to paddle back to the boat ramp where we loaded up and headed off to Nashville for our weekly visit to Big Woods Brewery for nachos and a skillet cookie! We got there just as Adrian and Nicole of Salt Creek Winery were closing up the tasting room so they joined us for dinner. We spent the evening laughing with them before we finally headed home to unload and prepare for the week to come.
 Like all days that we get to play it ended way too soon. Then of course we woke up this morning to another Monday and the start of a work week. We just want to say that working SUCKS! We could so play every day and do a dam fine job of it!!!

Another sailing season comes to an end.

 Just like last year our sealing season came to an end much too soon. Being on State run docks, the season ends on the last day of September. With that being on a Friday this year we decided to go over and spend on last night aboard and bring her home this past Sunday since the weather was supposed to be nice.
 Of course there was no wind when we finally arrived at the boat. We got there a bit later than we had wanted as we both had to work and then someone, no names mentioned (Cindy), discovered that she had left the lights on in Juicy when she went into work so I had to go rescue my damsel in distress before we could head to the lake. We got to the boat to discover a literal mess all over the top of her. Seems the spiders have taken over and their nest provide to be highly effective at trapping more flying critters than they could eat. All the dead carcasses were laying on the decks. So while Cindy motored us to Boy Scout cove I gave our girl a bath with the new collapsible bucket I got.
 After dropping anchor and pitching the pop top and cockpit tent I aired up Cindy's paddle board so she could go paddle while I cooked dinner. I had pre made shrimp kabobs at home while I waited on Cindy to get done at work so they were ready to go. I mixed up some cheddar bay biscuit mix and fired up the grill to bake them in. I am really getting into baking in the grill and if I say so myself I am getting pretty good at it as well. Here they are going on the grill

 Baking on a grill is not a set it and forget it type affair as the wind blowing past the grill can greatly affect the temperature of the "oven". I had to stop up the vents on the right side of the top to get it to stay warm enough. But after 15 mins of baking they were ready to be coated with melted garlic butter!

 Cindy came paddling back up just as I was finishing the biscuits and trying figure out how I was going to get the cooking stone off the grill so I could cook the kabobs. I did not think of that before I started. Well my idea of using my pot holder to hold onto it as I dipped it into the lake to cool off turned out to be a bad idea as it cracked right in the middle and dropped into the lake. I let the other piece I was still holding join it on the bottom and went about cooking the kabobs. Lesson learned.
 Dinner was delicious and we both ate way more than we should have. Seems 5 biscuits is very filling. Ask me how I know?
 The last sunset on the water for 2016 turned out to be a real beauty!

It is such a shame we loose the whole month of October. The wind that has hardly evened puffed for the last 2 months usually starts blowing again in October and the leaves typically start changing color although that seems to be getting later and later each year.
 After doing dishes we cuddled up into the v birth and watched a movie on the fire. Well, one of us watched the movie, while the other one napped. I am proud to say I saw all this movie as it is usually me who is sawing logs before the first scene is even over. Cindy was pooped from working all day at a volleyball tourney so I let her snooze peacefully with her head resting on my chest.
 The moon finally started to rise about 3 am and it was a gorgeous night. The stars we out very bright and the sky was clear. We stood in the cockpit to take it all in for a few minutes and then retreated back to bed till sometime past 9:30 the next morning! I awoke to the sound of fish jumping so I swiped Cindy's paddleboard and headed off with my fly rod in search of a lunker. The fish evaded my every cast but the biting black flies sure found me. Heading back to the boat to make breakfast I found Cindy swatting flies while she tried to read her book.
 We debated our options but wound up choosing to go ahead and load our girl onto the trailer and then go up to the Log Cabin for breakfast before returning to break her down for the ride home. There was no wind and no wind forecasted so we figured we might as well get it over with. It wasn't going to be any easier if we waited till evening. Cindy dropped me off at the boat ramp dock so I could retrieve the truck and trailer. Cindy did her usual excellent job of expertly guiding the Memory Maker into the keel slot as I hooked the winch hook onto the bow eye. In mere minutes she was hooked, winched and locked down ready to pull out. We actually look like we know what we are doing now.
 After dropping the trailer in the trailer lot we headed up to get breakfast as I was getting a bit hungry. The Log Cabin does not look like much but the food is super yummy and very reasonably priced. After eating way too much of my hay stack special which is a large platter of hash browns covered in biscuits and gravy with two eggs over easy on top we headed back down to the boat to start preparing her for the journey home. Someone had a 7 month nap coming up.
 Once we were all done taking her apart and securing all the pieces we headed out en route to get our weekly skillet cookie dessert at the Big Woods brewery in Nashville IN. Talk about yummy! Just think about two large dollops of chocolate chip cookie dough in a small cast iron skillet cooked just long enough to turn brown on the outside but still be soft and gooey on the inside, then cover that with ice cream, whip cream, and caramel sauce. Can we say heavenly??? We have been on a cast iron skillet buying spree so we can try to make these at home. Our first attempt will be very soon.
 Looking back on our sailing season it was the typical up and down of sailing in Indiana. We started the season with good winds and new sails. We sailed every chance we could and even made it to the dam and back in one day! Then there was the honeymoon trip that did not go anything like I had planned or hoped. Bringing the boat back to the lake after returning from the North Channel and making repairs at home I was not even in the mood to sail. The boat really let me down after all the work I had done to her but I think I let myself my down even more. We had good wind maybe one time after we returned then it just died. We still came over to the boat at least once per week to check on her and give her a bath but several times that is all we did as the wind just wasn't there. We got suckered out once as the flags at the boat house were blowing but the stopped as soon as we got out of the slips. We sat in the lake bobbing up and down in the wakes of power boats as butterflies passed us by. We dropped sails and returned under motor power. It just really sucks to pay for 5 months slip rental and only get wind descent enough to sail in for maybe less than half that time. I can see why people loose interest in sailing so easily around these parts. It is just so dam frustrating!
 Monday after I got home from work I started the yearly task of removing the mast and getting it hung up in the garage so I we can back our girl into my slot in the garage. While I am not thrilled at the thought of having to scrape frost off my car each morning the thought of having to get the rain and snow off the tarp covering the boat if we stored her outside sounds even less appealing to me. I did that the first winter we had her and ripped holes in two pairs of jeans getting in and out of her. A boat bay addition on our garage is in our future and I can't wait!
 With or girl all tucked away safe and sound in the garage it is that time of year that our, ok, my thoughts start drifting off to snow days and ski trips! Maybe a little early yet to be thinking about snow but hey, we did have our first fire of the 2016 fall season that same night

 So the snow can't be far behind! We also tried our first skillet cookie at home

 I need to fine tune the ingredients and cook time but I think we are on the right track!

 It was yummy but not quite the same as Big Woods. It is going to be a long winter so I have plenty of time to perfect it!!!

Honeymoon, the last days

7-25-16

 Waking up in the Empire room at the Cottonwood Inn brings back memories of the first time we stayed here back in 2013. It was our first vacation together and to be honest I was about to burn out. I had just been through two very hard years and building our house had about wiped me out. I needed a break. So when Cindy suggested we go north to Michigan to sail with friends of hers I at first thought she was crazy but then I realized we needed some time away, I needed some time away. So we went. Our first sail was the type of event that you never forget, for all the wrong reasons, much like the first night of our honeymoon LOL! Who knew that one fateful day in July would lead us back here again 3 years later. Oh the memories we have made along the way!
 Neither one of us was really eager to get started with our day as we knew it was time to start heading back south. That meant that we would be returning to the real world soon and no longer would I have my beautiful lil best friend by my side all day long. Cindy is just so much fun to be with and we get along so well that I honestly think we could spend day in and day out together. But that is not to be right now and we knew that.
 After breakfast we packed up and said good by to Carrie at the inn. We let the boat sit and made one more trip down to the beach as it was beautiful day and neither of us wanted to leave.

 It is amazing to see how much the beach changes from day to day. The water never stops moving and it is constantly rearranging the grains of sand and the pebbles it washes up from the bottom of the lake. Each walk is like walking on a new surface with new treasures to find. With pockets full of rocks we headed back to the inn to get our leaky little boat and head south.
 We wanted to stop back in Saugatuck and do some shopping so I booked the night at the Captains Quarters on the north side of town. The reviews were good and they said they had room for the semi and the trailer. We took our time working our way south and arrived there sometime in the midafternoon. Someone needed a nap after all the excitement paddling the day before

 The Captain's Quarters turned out to be a great find.

 It was a old road side motel that set back off the road but it had been totally redone and the rooms were very nice. Not huge, but they had everything we needed. Not only was it nice but the young couple running the place also had one very pretty pup for a mascot!

Hard to believe she was 13 years old. Scratching her ears made me miss our boys who were being spoiled rotten back home. We found a place to park the boat along the drive so all was good there. After dropping the boat we took off in search of treasures. We spent the afternoon going from shop to shop, buying way more stuff than we needed. But hey, its our honeymoon, plus we were stimulating the local economy.
 We had dinner outside next to the marina in Saugatuck. I had to ask the waitress why the sailing club was called the Singapore Yacht club to which she was clueless. Later I found a sign talking about the old town of Singapore that was there before Saugatuck and how it was buried in the sands from lake Michigan. I think I had my answer.
 We were both beat from all the walking and shopping so we returned to our room at the Captain's Quarters to watch some tv and relax. I lasted about 5 mins before I saw the back of my eyelids for the last time.
 I slept like a rock and so did my new bride, or at least I think she did as I did not notice her waking up any in the night. It was a sad day as it was the last day of our honeymoon. We were going to drag our feet as much as we could but we knew by the end of the day we would be back home and the real world would be waiting on us.
 After checking out and saying good by to the mascot we left the boat behind for a bit as we went to check out the Saugatuck beach as we had heard it was very nice. It was a bit of a drive to get there as we had to go south into Douglas and then back up around the harbor to get to the beach road. I was a bit miffed that they charged 8 bucks to park and no dogs were allowed. I paid the 8 bucks but grumbled as I did it. The beach was very nice and went probably at least another mile north to the pier.

 It got wider the further north we walked. We splashed about in the water which was probably 10 degrees warmer than the water at Empire but sadly there were very few rocks to be found.
 We headed back to pick up our boat before turning south for South Haven. You did not think we would pass up the chance to visit South Haven did you??? What a fun little town. Not sure I would like to live there but we sure enjoy visiting. We lucked out ad the parking spot we had on the way up was still there waiting on us when we got back!
 It was only about 11 am when we got to South Haven but it is never too early for a tall cold glass of SHIT

 We had a late breakfast/lunch a the Idler Riverboat. Such a neat little place and the South Haven iced tea is to die for. While we ate a new class of future sailors was getting towed out for their lesson.

 Always good to see a new generation take up the sport as it is dying a slow death today for several reasons.
 After our snack and beverages we took of for our two favorite shops in South Haven, Divana G's and the antique store just down the street. Diavan G's is a neat little boutique with a lot of pretty clothes for Cindy. Not much for me but I do enjoy a good fashion show.
 The antique mall down the street always has some great finds just waiting on us to sniff them out.
 This time I scored a awesome wood sailboat for 20 bucks! I also got Cindy a sharp pair of sailing pants probably from the 70's. I wanted them for as soon as I saw them but she said they would not fit. I made her try them on right there in the booth. What do you know, they fit. SOLD!
 After our shopping was complete, as in we spent too much money, we walked down to the pier for the first time as husband and wife. I am sure we took a selfie there as we always do but heck if I can find it now. If you have seen one selfie of us in front of the light house at South Haven you have seen them all LOL!!
 Someone told us about the Viking ship that had sailed there from Norway so we had to go check it out. It was docked on the other side of the Black River so we had to walk across the Black River on the drawbridge to find it. It was at the Coast Guard museum and we did not feel like paying 50 bucks for us to see it up close. But what we did feel like paying 50 bucks for was eat, drinks, and t shirts at Lou's bar right next door!
 We had put it off long enough, sadly it was time to head south and face the challenges the rest of the world would throw at us as husband and wife!
 We made it home a little before 9 that night and Edward and Wilson were super happy to see us.

 The chicken tenders I brought them as a peace offering probably helped them forget we just left them for two weeks LOL!
  While it was good to be back home it was miserable all that same time. The temperature was in the mid 90's and the humidity was 90% plus. It just felt like a sauna outside. Again I say, nobody chooses to live in southern Indiana because they like heat and humidity. I think it had rained almost everyday we had been gone and the grass was a foot tall. But what really made the fact that we were home so hard to deal with was because I knew I only had one more day with Cindy all to myself. Call me selfish, but I love when it is just my bestie and me side by side doing anything. We still had to take the rental truck back and go to West Marine to get supplies to fix leaky. I was going to make the most of every minute we had left together before we both returned to work...

Honeymoon, day 8

7-24-16

 Waking up in Empire found us refreshed and ready to hit the trail for more fun. Yeah right, we were both ready to roll back over and go back to sleep! It felt good to be back in a real bed, no getting up every couple hours to soak up water, and no fear of large waves crashing over our bow. We were both a bit bummed we did not get to sail on Lake Charlevoix but that can be another trip.
 We finally crawled out of bed and made our way to breakfast. Once again we ate way too much, at least I did as I conned Carrie into digging the leftover blueberry French toast out and warming it up. Man is that good stuff! After breakfast we took a long walk around Empire and checked out the lots as were house dreaming which one we wanted as our vacation home. We had no trouble picking out several.
 We walked down to the beach and the lake was really calm as the wind was barely blowing. We could see rain off in the distance across the lake and radar showed a small shower headed at us. After loading up my pockets full of rocks we headed back before we got wet. On the way back I asked Cindy if she would like to paddle her paddleboard in Lake Michigan after the rain passed. She was excited and said Sure!
 On the way back to the inn I stopped and reserved a paddleboard for me to paddle at the Empire Surf Shop so we could paddle together. While at the surf shop the rain set in but it was short lived. We stopped in the Empire Village Inn for the best, I say again, the BEST BLT ever! I suggest getting it on wheat bread instead of sour dough but either way it is absolutely delicious!!!!
 Returning to the inn to get the inflatable paddle board out of the boat and aired up while Cindy changed I was greeted with sunny skies and warming temps. Funny how the wind was picking up too. What is it with wind on this trip? Off to the surf shop to pick up the paddle board for myself and leg tethers so we did not loose our boards. That turned out to be a really good idea on our parts.
 Arriving at the beach parking area the wind was really starting to howl. Those calm waves that were there earlier when we got this idea, long gone! They were replaced with 2 and 3 foot rollers that were still growing. Oh, this look liked fun! What turned out to be even harder than paddle boarding in 3 foot waves was just getting the dam boards to the water. Their curled up nose made walking into the wind almost impossible as the wind would catch your board and take you where ever it wanted to take you. We struggled into the wind and finally arrived at the waters edge. How hard could this be? We have paddle boarded a lot down south, on nice smooth lakes, in no to light winds. How different could this be??
 Well, lets just say A LOT!!!! Neither Cindy nor myself had ever surfed before but we have seen it done on TV so surely we can figure it out. NO WE CANT! To start with just getting away from the shore line is not as easy as they make it look. I got washed back right into Cindy to start with and knocked her over. In my attempt to get up I got flattened again! Time to regroup. Lesson #1 keep the board on your down wind side, maybe I should have shared that with Cindy. If it is on your downwind side if the wave lifts the board, and it will, and the wind catches it, it will, the board does not get slammed into you knocking you over. Lesson #2, get out away from the breaking waves ASAP!!!! The sooner you do the less chance a waves will break right on you. Again, should have shared with Cindy.
 I finally got back to my feet and on my board then paddled like hell to get out away from the shoreline. Once I was clear of the breakers I was able to just bob up and down in the surf. Sometimes I could look back and see the shore, sometimes I couldn't the waves were rising and galling that much. I kept waiting on Cindy to join me, and I waited, and I waited. Finally I got up on my knees and looked back. She was struggling. Here, you watch and see what I mean.

 God love her. No matter what happened she never failed to have a smile on her face. Just one of the many things I love about Cindy.
 Sadly, the best part was not captured as I turned the camera off thinking how interesting will it be to watch me help Cindy get her board back to the south end of the beach. Well, as it turned out it would have been hilarious! Cindy was really struggling to get her board back down the beach as the wind and the waves were doing what they wanted with her and her board. So me, being the caring husband I am, went back to help her. I grabbed the strap on the front of her board and started dragging it through the surf and rocks but it seemed very heavy for some reason. Battling the waves I just thought it was the waves so I continued on. Finally I turned around to see my pretty little wife partially submerged with one leg canted towards the back of her paddle board and her other leg up in the air like a stick bobber with her frantically trying to reach her leg that was pointed towards her paddle board. Oops! I did not realize she was still tethered to her board. Seems I overlooked that part. I hollered back to here "take off your tether!!!" as she was climbing to her feet. She replied, "I am trying Genius!!!!" as another wave knocked her back down. At this point I should probably point out that very few people are in the water but there are quite a few peeps on the beach and pretty much everyone of them are laughing their asses off at us by now!
 Finally free of her tether I get her board back down the beach and up the shore to the grass. We are both winded by now and laughing hysterically. How hard can it be to paddleboard in 3 foot waves? Pretty dam hard!
 We went across the parking lot to South Bar lake and enjoyed the warm water for a bit while we rested up for try number two at the big water. The waves on South bar were not an issue but the wind still was. Not sooner than you stood up the wind would blow you towards the far end of the lake so fast you did not need to paddle and you were still making a wake. I figured out pretty quick that if we let it take us the whole way down the lake we would have one heck of a paddle into the wind to get back. So we got over to the west side of the lake pretty quickly and still had a pretty hard paddle back as we tried to stay out of the wind as much as possible.
 Not ones to give up easily, we decided to go back out to the big lake and give it one more go, this time minus the paddles. Surely it would be easier just using our arms to paddle us out. Again, we have seen this done on TV, how hard can it be? Stupid question on my part as the answer again was pretty damn hard! With my long arms I did fair a bit better than Cindy as her short little arms barely got to the water on each side of her board. She finally did get out past the breakers and was able to bob up and down in the waves for a bit. We let the wind and waves carry us north till we were down to the light house at the north end of the beach before we "surfed" our way to shore. At least I tried to surf in. I was happy I had the tether as my board would have been found on the south shore of Canada a few days later if I had not been tied to it!!!  We returned the rented board and just responded "it was an experience" when they asked how it went LOL!
 After getting cleaned up we headed up to Glen Harbor to do some shopping before returning to the beach to stake our spot by our favorite fire pit for the sunset fire. It was another gorgeous sunset and the fire felt great. We stopped by Joe's Friendly Tavern on the way back to the inn for a night cap before going back and crashing. It had been a fun day but sadly we were down to just a few more before would have to return to the real world. With Cindy asleep on my shoulder I vowed to make the most of every minute we had left on our trip as I did not want it to end...

North Channel Honeymoon Sail Day 8

7-22-16   Time to head back to the States

 Waking up about 6 am Saturday morning after getting up every two hours to chamois up the water that leaked in found no wind blowing. The water was like glass and I was very glad I tossed out the stern anchor before we went to sleep. Our boat likes to wonder around in the night when the wind gets too light to hold us back tight on the anchor line. All to often that means the anchor line gets wrapped around the keel and someone, usually, always, me, has to go swimming to get it free.
 The sky was clear and the sun was just starting to peak up over the stone mountains to our northeast. We wanted to get an early start back so we could get across the Mc Bean Channel before the wind and waves kicked up incase their winds forecast was not totally accurate. Seeing how our leak was worse when we were beating into waves and the whole trip back would probably be into the wind I just thought it was prudent to get back before the wind god woke up.
 We pulled in the anchors and motored out of from behind our rock wind block and out into the main body of Oak Bay as we headed southwest. The water was as smooth as we had seen it since arriving a week ago. We saw a lot of boats anchored on the north side of Hotham island as it provided a good wind and wave block the day before.

 We continued to motor southwest till we got to the exit of Oak Bay. Once we cleared the exit we turned west and headed across the McBean Channel to Little Detroit. The wind had yet to start blowing and the Mc Bean was super smooth as well.

 As we motored along at about 5 mph, hull speed, we discussed our options for the remainder of our honeymoon. With the leak we really did not want to try to sail on Lake Charlevoix like we originally planned to so we decided to just try to get a hotel room and take in the town from ashore. I tried every site I could find but there were no rooms to be had in Charlevoix due to the Venetian festival going on. After a brief discussion we decided to try and return to Empire and spend a couple more days at the Cottonwood Inn and just play around there. I went on line and saw they had open rooms but was unable to get through on the phone. I reserved the room online and left instructions for them to call me or text me to let me know they got the reservation.
 By now we were coming up on Little Detroit

 Time for Cindy to make her "Securita. Securtia, Securita" radio call. I really wanted her to use her sexy voice as it always makes me weak in the knees when she uses that voice. It was still early and not any traffic so ahead we went.

 It is not extremely narrow but you want to make sure you are right in the middle as it gets shallow quickly on the sides. About half way through a small power boat came streaking around the northeast corner and passed us going west bound just off our port side. So much for making radio calls LOL. I doubt he had a radio and if he did he would have never heard it anyway with the outboard screaming in his ear.
 We turned north after exiting Little Detroit and made our way back to Spanish. We noticed that no matter which way we turned the wind turned with us and was on our nose the whole way back. So much for sailing. We just motored the whole way back.

 After pulling our leaky little boat out we headed back to the parking lot to drop the mast and prep her for a 1000 mile ride back home. There were several other boats in the lot stepping their mast in preparation for sailing the North channel and few who were pulling out like us. Guess who came pulling in the lot after us, yup, Deja Vu! We had a good chuckle over how fitting that boat name was to our week as it seemed like in regards to the leak we kept feeling like we had been there before.
 We talked with the other sailors and shared our adventure with them. One said "so your the ones" as he had seen the post on the Trailer sailors Facebook page about our struggles. Sadly we had to admit that was us.
 While Cindy was down at the marina taking a shower the Admiral from Deja Vu came over to return the lighter I had given them before we left the week before.  She asked if we were able to get the boat fixed and how our week had been. I gave her the condensed version of our week. She was very nice and told me that we will have many more sails and that most will be better but some may be worse. She said she could tell I married an angel and that she knew we would have many happy years together based off how we survived the week we just had. I told her we made the best of it and at least had got to sail to Fox Island. She said it had been a very windy week and they only made it as far as Hotham Island. she said it was either too windy or no wind. We must have missed that no wind day. Come to think of it that was the day our boat hung in the boat lift all day.
 Soon  we were ready to head west to the boarder. Even though the week went nothing like I had planned we still had a lot of fun. We met some really nice peeps and got to see some very beautiful scenery. The best part was that I got to spend almost every minute of every day with my Bestie and that was awesome!
 We stopped at a hotel restaurant on the lake near Blind River and got lunch. The setting was very nice and it would be a neat place to sail to from the Drummond Island area and have lunch. You could anchor out and dinghy into their beach. After lunch we continued onto the border and back to the states.
 As we crossed the international bridge at Sault St Marie there was quite the backup to get into Canada but no line to get in the US. That seemed odd. We pulled up in line as the truck in front of us pulled out. I just pulled up to the booth as I did not see anything that said stay put. Brace, our border crossing agent, informed me that will motion us to come up when they are ready. I started to apologize and he said not to worry. I gave him our passports when he swiped through a bard code reader. Then he looked out his booth and back at our boat. I thought here it comes, a boat search. He then asked me if we launched out of Spanish. That kind of threw me as I was not expecting that question. I said yes. He then informed us that he was taking his sailboat to the North Channel in a few weeks and was going to launch out of Blind River. He wanted to know if he should go on to Spanish. we spent the next tens minutes talking boats, sailing, and the North Channel with him. Turns out he just bought a Catalina 25 which is what we are thinking about getting if we can sell our boat. He gave us our passports back and told us to have a safe trip home and to come back again. We thanked him and continued on.
 Pulling out of the customs area I was about half mad again. Cindy asked me what was wrong to which I replied "I spent 5 hours and 20 bucks getting all this paperwork ready, I drew a diagrams of the boat and labeled it where everything was stored, and no one asked to see it!!!" Cindy replied laughing "Let it go". So lesson learned,  Border crossings with a boat are not a big deal...
 We pulled into Charlevoix MI about 6 PM and luckily found a parking place big enough for the boat and truck. We were not sure if were supposed to park there but we fit so that was all I was worried about. We headed downtown and strolled along the streets checking out the shops. I was able to find a new shirt at the Momentum store to replace the one I set on fire as we all set around the fire at Empire the night after we got married. One spark pops our of the fire and what are the chances it lands on me and melts a hole through my new shirt? 100% if you are me! We worked our way north and across the draw bridge that crosses the channel from Lake Michigan to Round Lake. Both of us were getting a little thirsty so we stopped in the bar on the north side of the bridge and were luckily able to grab a couple seat the bar as the place was hopping. While we were there the draw bridge opened to allow a sailboat through.

 I snapped a pic from inside. You get the idea, bridge opens up, boat goes through, bridge closes back down. I know we had something tasty to eat there but for the life of me I forget what it was. We had a cheeseburger and it was fixed in a peculiar way. Crap, Cindy's memory issues are wearing off on me. In my defense we ate almost every meal out for 2 weeks. After a while they all sort of blend together. Ok, this is driving me nuts. Standby, let me see if I can find the menu on line. Found it! It was the Weathervane restaurant in Charlevoix and it was the bacon jam burger with pepper jack cheese on a pretzel bun. I do remember that it was delicious!
 Stuffed to the gills one more time, that really seemed to be the theme for this trip, we stumbled back to the truck in a food stupor hoping it had not been towed. It was still there and so was the boat. I was kinda hoping someone would steal it at this point but no such luck. The parking lot had really filled up and I was a bit concerned I might have some issue getting it out of the parking slot it was in as there was not much room. I looked around there was a SUV off our right side that I thought if I could use a anchor point if needed. My thought was if I did not have room to get the trailer around into the lane between the rows of cars I could hook my heavy duty ratchet strap to the SUV and the boat trailer and drag the boat out to get enough clearance. Cindy seemed a bit concerned at my plan but luckily there was just enough room for the trailer to clear the car beside us. Off to Empire!
 We arrived in Empire just about dark. We parked the boat and dropped the trailer at the Cottonwood Inn before heading off to the beach in hopes of catching the sunset. Too many clouds for that and there where bugs everywhere as there was hardly a breeze. Scrap the beach and off to Joe's Friendly Tavern for a beverage, cause God knows we needed more calories LOL!!!
 We had a nice chat with the lady tending bar and once she found out we were the couple who had gotten married a week before she was all excited to talk with us about how it all went. Very friendly place, hence the name. We finally headed back to the inn to get some sleep in a real bed that I did not have to get up in the middle of the night to mop up water around.
 As we laid in bed we talked about having to go back to the real world. We were both dreading that dearly. I know for myself I could spend every minute of every day with Cindy although I am sure she would probably need a break from me time to time. We still had a few days left before we had to go home and we vowed to make the most of them as we drifted off to sleep wrapped up in each others arms...

North Channel Honeymoon Sail Day 7

7-21-16 

 Friday morning seemed to come way too soon. Waking up every hour to chamois up water under the floor was a less than desirable way to spend your night, trust me on that one. Poking our heads out of the boat proved we were still above water and that the wind was still blowing. It did feel like it had calmed a bit but was still probably 10 to 15 mph at 7 am.
 Time to put the blueberries we had picked the day before to good use so I fired up the stove and made us some blueberry pancakes. They might have been small but once heated up in the batter they sure were flavorful. After breakfast we hopped in the dinghy and went over to the east side of the harbor to check out that side of the island. It wasn't as pretty as the west side as it lacked the views of the water but it was still fun to climb around on the rocks.
 As we hiked about Cindy started telling me that she wished I had not told Russell and Jean that we would be back in that day as she wished we could stay out at least one more night. We had plenty of food and beverages, might run a bit low on ice but that was just keeping the booze cold so we could stay another night. Knowing that the wind and waves were probably going to get cranking again pretty soon I thought we would just stay put, maybe even tuck behind the rocks if the other boat left. Cindy really wanted to get down to the Benjamin's so we decided to try it.
 Back when we first started planning this trip I made the point of saying, several times, that we needed to travel early and get to our anchorage early. Not only to get a spot but to avoid the winds and waves that build early and big there. Just being a 20 foot boat we could not plow through 4 foot rollers like a bigger boat. Cindy was worried I would not let her sleep in if we did that but I assured her that in the original plan I had allowed time for sleeping in on days that we did not venture out. Well that plan was long gone and now it was mid morning and we were just getting started, in a boat that had a leak, into winds that had continued to build all morning. The winds were now 20 plus and the waves were 2 feet and increasing. We just needed to go 2 or three miles. How bad could it be. Remember my 3 strike rule, I was soon about to put it to use.
 We decided that we would just motor because the wind was right on the nose. Heading out of the harbor and into the main lake area we realized the waves were pretty big as the bow fell off the first one. Down the bow went with a big splash when it bottomed out. Something down in the cabin caught my eye so leaving Cindy in charge of the tiller I went below just as we fell off another wave. As we bottomed out I could clearly see what it was that got my attention. Water shot out of the port side of the top of the keel trunk between the keel trunk and the bottom of the winch box. OH SHIT! With chamois in hand I tried my best to stem the spray but with each wave brought more water. I was really thinking this was not a good idea. Not that we would take on so much we would sink in 3 miles, but if it got worse, everything was going to get sprayed in the boat. At least now I was pretty sure were the real leak issue was.
 About then we fell off another wave that rolled the boat to port pretty good nearly dumping out the tote I was wringing water out into. Another big spray of water came in when the keel trunk filled up underneath. Executive decision time. Although the Admiral out ranks the lowly Captain, I had to pull rank. I turned around and hollered back at Cindy, wanting to make sure she heard, "Turn around and run with the wind!!!" We need to stop crashing into these waves before I was swimming in water.

 Cindy brought the bow around and almost immediately the ride smoothed out a bit. We were now surfing with the waves instead of plowing into them head long. I stayed down below and mopped up the mess before going topside to deploy the headsail so we could run along without the motor on.
 No matter how much we wanted to see the Benjamin's today was just not a good day for us to beating it into the wind and waves. The original plan allowed for lay days if we ran into winds like this. But now with our time limited sadly we did not have that option. Looking at the chart and taking into consideration what the winds were doing and what they were forecasted to do I had to come up with a plan to get us out of here. The winds were supposed to really get cranked up to 35 to 40 mph in the afternoon and then lay down overnight and only be 10 to 15 the next day. So looking at the chart I felt like we could hide on the lee side of Eagle island and Frichete island and get back to Oak bay where we could find a quite little cove to hide out in and enjoy another night on the water. That would get us closer to Spanish so we did not have so far to go the next day incase the winds did not do as forecasted. Cindy thought that sounded like a great plan so off we went. Things finally calmed down enough once we got behind Frichete island for me take a pic or two.

 Here we are with just  a double reefed main and about half the headsail unfurled and were doing between 5 and 6 mph on a broad reach. That is pretty good as hull speed is 5 mph. The wind was still honking but the waves here were not as bad as the island was breaking up the fetch.
 We had plenty of company as several other boats had the same idea. I think we counted 10 or 11 sailboats all headed up the east side of Frichete with us. As we round Gilmor Point we were over taken but this very pretty wood cruiser.

 Notice his crane they use to lift their dinghy aboard with. Turned out they were headed for Oak bay as well.
 We followed the wood boat into the bay and then turned to the northeast to go in search of a private little cove a couple of honeymooners could have some fun in :-)  This cabin on the lake cracked me up. Must have been built back when the lake was 5 feet lower a few years back. Either that or someone had very poor planning skills.

Watch that first step, it could be a wet one. We had our sights set on a small cove northeast of this cabin but as we rounded the point we saw two large motor cruisers in there already. You know what they say, 2 is company but 3 is a crowd, so we turned around and went further northeast.
 Oak Bay is very pretty but you better watch your charts and depth readings as this is one of those locations you could ding a rock pretty easily if you are not paying attention. We got back out in the main body and unfurled the head sail and ran up the bay under sail. We were now heading for what looked like could be a very nice anchorage in about 8 feet of water behind a couple of small islands. On the way there we passed several coves on the north side of Hotham island that were getting pretty crowded with larger boats hiding from the wind.

 They are kinda hard to see but there were already a dozen or so boats anchored in this cove. We continued under sail further back in the bay till we reached the mouth of the cove we wanted. I furled in the head sail and fired up the motor so Cindy could motor us in as I watch off the bow for rocks. We just had to move a bit to port to stay clear of some rocks then eased back behind the last island in the pool. There was already one boat in the cove tucked up tight behind the island but there was room for us behind them so we set our trusty new claw anchor and backed off till we had the scope we wanted. We were not totally protected from the wind but at least the water was much calmer than we had at Fox harbour. We set up the pop top tent first thing and got our house keeping down. I soaked up all the water I could under the liner before we retired to the cockpit to enjoy the beautiful view of the stone mountain and a cold beverage.

 Again I just have to say the picture does not do it justice. It really was a beautiful place. The air quality up north is just so clean. The blue sky is just so crisp and sharp you feel like it might cut you if stare at it too long.
 We finished out beverages and hoped in Ding Dong to do some exploring. We motored out to the mouth of the cove opening to see how the waves were. Cindy was getting sprayed by waves coming at us hitting the bow so we turned back :-) We parked on one of the rock islands and went hiking. Of course we had to go all the way to the top just so we could see what was on the other side.

 There were 3 thirty foot plus sailboats tucked into that cove trying to hide from the wind. The view off the southern point of the island looking to the southwest down Oak Bay was very pretty.

 This was actually taken on the island to the east of our anchorage that we climbed in search of a place to watch the sunset that evening. It was a rough climb that had us off into the woods several times trying to get around deep cuts in the rock. We decided that it might be better to watch the sunset from Ding Dong instead of trying to climb back up here in low light. Here is a pretty little hiker that crossed my path

 What do you know, that is my wife, fancy meeting her way out here LOL!
 We tooled around quite a while in Ding Dong then went over to apologize to our neighbors for disturbing their peace and quite. They were really nice and had been hiding out there since Tuesday. They were retired and spend the summers on the water there and winters in Florida. Must be nice. They said we were the first boat to come back in there to join them.
 We made our way back to our boat where lounged about and maybe even took a nap. I remember my eyes were closed. Pretty sure I might have dozed off. Waking up I felt that familiar empty feeling so I started cooking supper for us. Tonight we were going to have a North Channel delicacy, grilled Spam!!! While the Spam grilled I made some broccoli and cheese noodles to go with it. Say what you want, Spam on the grill is just pretty darn tasty! Cindy even had to agree on that one.
 After dinner I aired up Cindy's paddleboard so she could paddle around a bit. The water was really much warmer feeling that either of us really expected which was a pleasant surprise. While Cindy paddled

 I put my 83 dollar, US, Canadian fishing license to good use. This was the first chance I had to actually fish so off I went in Ding Dong in search of a lunker. I found him, just a little before he reached true lunker status though

 I caught two fish total, the other one was even smaller. That was only 41.50 each for minnow...
 We decided to take North Channel baths as the sun began its slide to the other side of the Earth. I just jumped in and after the initial shock I warmed up or got numb to it, not sure which. Either way it did not feel bad, actually rather refreshing. Cindy weenied out and just sat on her paddleboard. The skeeters were just starting to fly around by the time we got back aboard. We made quick work of drying off and jumped inside the boat. After lighting the candle we settled in to play some more cards while we watched Captain Ron on the fire. Well who can concentrate on cards watching a movie. I think Cindy took advantage of me as I played two awful games of cards.
 I took this picture out the window as I thought I saw the beaver who lived in the lodge on the bank just west of us.

 Later I would realize two things. One, you cant see in the picture what I saw, and two, it wasn't the beaver but instead it was a very large snapping turtle! He must have been at least 2 feet across and had a head larger than a baseball, but smaller than a softball. We saw him again the next morning and it was very clear who was in charge of the cove.
 We finally heard a loon off in the distance as we sat in the boat that evening. What a fitting way to cap off our last night on the North Channel. I think we both knew or understood that this trip was not going to be a typical honeymoon trip. No matter how much I prepared for it there were just going to be so many factors at play that were beyond my control. No matter how much I told or continue to tell myself that I still feel awful. I feel like I let my beautiful wife down. Had I just removed that keel winch the leak probably never would have happened. I have learned my lesson and hopefully all you who read this who have 30 pus year old sailboats follow my example and remove every piece from your boats and reseal them. Not every piece but one, but every piece. Just as soon as you skip one it will be the one that bites you in the ass like it did me. I just hope if it does, that you have a wife as half as understanding as mine.
 Sure our trip could have been ruined by the leak, by the mosquitos, by my come apart, by the leak again, but Cindy just refused to let it phase her. I could learn a lot from that little lady if I just wasn't too stupid to see the melt downs coming and not let it consume me. Cindy informed last night that we could easily be married for 35 years which considering our ages would be a long time. Hopefully by the end of our lives together I will have learned to be more like her in some ways.
 All I know is that as I laid there in our leaking little floating love nest with my wife snuggled up tightly to me as she drifted off to sleep I felt so blessed, honored, and down right lucky to have found such an incredible little lady to experience this adventure called life together with me. I love her more each day and I knew as the number of days remaining for our honeymoon dwindled to just a few, I was really going to miss her by my side all day long. But for the moment I just enjoyed her being in my arms as I softly kissed the top of her head and whispered I love you to my pretty lil bestie...

North Channel Honeymoon Sail, day 6

7-21-2016

 Thursday morning came way too soon for both of us as we were sleeping like babies. It felt good to sleep again. We both knew we had a big day ahead of us so reluctantly we got up and got going.
 We met up with Russell and Jean in the office and settled up our bill before going over to put our girl back in the water. Back in the water all was good sitting in the lift so I said good by to the gang at Almenara and motored back to the slip at Spanish to pick up my bride before we headed off to try and salvage what little bit of our time we had left on the North Channel.
 With Cindy aboard and back on the tiller we headed back out the channel that by now we were very familiar with. I check for leaks as we exited the channel and sadly found water. I wanted to cry, ok, so maybe I did cry, no one saw me and I won't say for sure.
 The keel bolts were dry so that wasn't the problem. So where is it coming from. I stuck my head down into the keel locker and locked up. Water was running down the side wall from the top of the keel trunk. How in the hell could that be? I took some of the underwater epoxy Russell gave me and managed to plug up that whole, or so I thought. There was also water coming in around the top of the keel trunk in front of where the winch mounted on.
 I was crushed. At first I told Cindy to turn around as we should not take a leaking boat out but then I finally had enough and said " F it!! If she sinks our problem is over. We will just get in the dinghy and catch a ride back with someone. Let's go!" So off we went!
 This was not easy for me to do as a pilot I strictly adhere to a 3 strike rule. I never want to get to 3 strikes or issues against me in the air. We had already had 2 strikes and now we were still leaking. Probably not one of my best decisions but after all the planning, work, and money spent we were going to sail the North Channel or else! EXACTLY the kind of attitude that gets people killed in planes...
 So off we went. With Cindy at the helm and me down below on leak detail we motored our way to Little Detroit where Cindy got to make her radio call. " Securita, Securita, Securita, 20 foot sailing vessel will be passing through Little Detroit from West to East in 2 mins over".

 Just as we approached the entrance a power boater called entering Little Detroit from eastbound. So much for calling ahead. That was one thing we noticed about people on the water up north. They were just rude. Maybe they just had no patience. Whatever the reason they cut us off, crowded us, ignored our calls and went in front of us. On dry ground everyone was as nice as they could be, in the water they were just the opposite. With all the issues we had I was the one who had the right to be rude.
 We held our position outside the channel and let the little man with the 34 foot penis extender come through then we took our turn. It felt good to finally get Little Detroit and see what was on the other side after being so close twice before.

 Once clear the channel the sails went up and Cindy was sailing.

 As for myself, well I had plenty to keep me busy down below bailing. I had looked on the chart and we were going right down the center of the Mc Bean channel.

 We should have 100 plus feet of water the whole way so I had no worries about shallow water causing Cindy any issues. No sooner than I had that thought with my arm stuffed way up under the floor I hear the depth warming go off on the chart plotter!!! Cindy yells down to me that we were in 4 feet of water!!! WTF!?!?!?! I told her to turn the boat as I ripped my arm out from under the floor impaling myself with multiple shards of fiberglass pungee sticks. Once up in the cockpit with the Admiral I looked around and saw nothing that looked like shallow water. Nothing on the chart. But the chart plotter depth reading was bouncing around from 9 to 3 to 100 plus feet. I stopped to think about the settings and when I set it up we were in our home lake with less than a 100 feet of water so it suggested the shallow water setting. I scrolled up to the general use setting and hit enter. It immediately jumped to 154' and held steady. I turned around to tell the Admiral that she was good and that is when I saw our next big issue.
 The sky to our west was just a wall of black. Great, all we need is a storm! I checked my phone and luckily I still had a signal and could get the live radar. Boy was it ugly. I should have took a screen pic. There was a bowing line of severe thunderstorms to our west headed right at us. I had to laugh, really, a severe thunderstorm, what the hell was going to be next??
 After a year of researching, reading, and cursing around Google earth I knew this place like the back of my hand. Oak Bay was a couple miles east off our port side. We would just pull in there and anchor up to the west side and ride it out. So while Cindy sailed us there I went back to my water removal detail.
 Arriving at the mouth of Oak Bay first in front of a large powered cruiser we waited for a sailboat to come out before we would start in. Once again, Mr. Impatient in his penis extender cut us off and went between us and the sailboat leaving so he could get in the bay first. I guess waiting in line was too much to ask. Oh well, we could get places he couldn't so we tucked in tight to the rock wall and trees and dropped two anchors not knowing how bad it might get.
 We were all set to ride it out but had a little time before it hit so we hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the island and did some exploring.

 Funny how we never wear these inflatable PFD's at home when they are so comfortable Cindy even hiked wearing hers :-)  We both really enjoyed climbing around on the rocks looking for blueberries. There were non to be found here due to the really dry spring but we saw lots of bushes. We had a awesome view from the top.

and we could see our little girl patiently waiting on us down below

 With the storm getting closer we headed back to the boat and shut her up for the storm. We had plenty of company as others took refugee from the storm too

Took this just as the shelf passed over the boat. Time to shut up the companionway and ride it out.

 We had a snack and played cards while it rained. We really lucked out in that the really bad parts of the storm went north and south of us so it really wasn't too bad.  It rained maybe 45 mins and then moved on. We climbed out and surveyed our situation. All seemed good so we started prepping the boat to head back out into Mc Bean channel and continue onto Fox island.
With the path setup in the chartplotter and with Admiral Cindy on the tiller I went back down below to keep us above water. What started out as a nice breeze was picking up quickly into a full blown wind and the water was starting to get choppy as well. By the time we rounded Gilmor Point and headed southeast towards our entry point into Fox Harbour the wind was cranking. We pulled in some head sail and let out the main some more to stand the boat up a bit. By the time we turned east

into the entry for the harbor the wind was probably 25 to 30 and blowing right down the harbor. My hope was we could tuck in behind a large rock and hide from the wind. As we motored back into the harbor just our luck that someone beat us there and had the one good anchorage out of the wind. We dropped anchor and ran out all 120 feet of rode as we were in about 20 feet of water with a stiff wind right on the bow.
 We had invested in a Lewmar Claw anchor before we came up as it was the recommended anchor for the area. We were both really impressed how well that little claw held. It never slipped once the whole time. I ordered a 4.4 lb anchor as it was rated for 20 feet and under. At first I did not think it would go into the anchor locker I made but it goes in there just fine so that is even better! I added 25 feet of chain to the 100 foot anchor line and we never had any issue anchoring.

 Once anchored we popped the top and installed the tent top just to make sure we were ready for the visitors at sundown. Once our house keeping was done we hopped in Ding Dong and went exploring. West of where we anchored was a nice little water way that lead out to the west side of Fox island. We went ashore there and climbed up to the top of the rocks to check out the view. We could see for miles to the west so we decided that is where we needed to take in the sunset at. We also found some blueberries here! Not big ones, about the size of a pea, but at this point we were not going to be picky. We finally found about a cup full of berrys before returning to the boat to check on the leak and get supper cooking.
 When we packed for this trip we had one whole cooler full of canned foods just in case I did not catch enough fish. Well seeing how we are only going to be on the boat a couple days we are not going to worry about running out of eats.
 I lit the grill so it could warming up while i prepared the flat bread pizzas. We found a 3 pack of 8" flatbed pizza crust, a small packet of pizza meat sauce, a small can of mushrooms, and cheese. I put them in our rail mounted oven/grill and watched the temp gauge as they baked. In about 10 mins we had yummy smoked pizzas!

 Dinner was delish and it was all we could do to eat it all. By the time we got the dishes washed and everything put away it was almost time for sunset!
 Cindy and I love to watch the sunset together so anytime we can get out and catch it we do. Tonight we were going to watching it set off of what we have called Sunset Point on the southwest corner of Fox island.
 Back in Ding Dong we headed west back through the narrow channel then went ashore on the east side of Sunset point. We scurried up the rocks like a couple of squirrels and set up our wine bar!

Always practice safe drinking and boating, even in the North Channel!
 The sunset did not disappoint as it was beautiful.

 The temperature was awesome and there was still a nice breeze. Here we are celebrating our one week anniversary!!!

 It was just beautiful and we were both really glad we threw caution to the wind and did not turn back when we probably should have. So far the leak has been something I have been able to stay on top of and aside from all the fiberglass shards in my hands and the blood loss from the stab wounds it is all good.
 Motoring along in Ding Dong back to the boat through the narrow waterway

 We decided it would be fun to have a fire so we picked up my backpack and headed off to the mouth of the harbor. We scurried around and gathered enough wood to last us a while then just as I was lighting the fire the mosquitos arrived. Run to the dinghy!!!! All I could think as I pulled the started rope was "please start, please start". The cruise and carry lit right off and away we went! Arriving back to the boat we jumped in and got inside before too many skeeters joined us. I lit a citronella candle and that did an amazing job of keeping the skeeters at least a foot away from the boat.
 We played a game of cards as the last bit of sunlight faded to black out our starboard side window.

 While not everything has gone as planned we have hung in there together and we have had a great time. Someone told me that you never remember the trips that everything goes as planned. If that is the case then it is guaranteed that we will never forget this one!!!
 I had noticed that the leak was worse the more weight we had in the bow so we decided to sleep on the table with it dropped down. After getting our bed made I set my alarm to go off every hour to wake me up so I could mop up water under the floor just to make sure we did not wake up with more water in the floor. So every hour I woke up and wiped up water with the chamois.
 I guess it was the 3 am alarm that something caught my eye. It was the moon out the screen in the door as it was looking to the northeast. I had to venture outside to see it as it looked huge in the night sky. It was so beautiful out that I had to wake Cindy up to come out and see it. All we had for cameras were our phones and I did not think they would work so we did not bother to try and take a pic but is was breath takeningly beautiful. The moon was so bright you could actually read by it. The stars were so bright and crisp they looked like you could reach out and touch them. We just stood in the cockpit with my arms around Cindy as we stared off into the night sky. There were just a few high thin wispy cirrus clouds that the moon had light up like neon lights. Words, nor pictures, could fully convey the beauty of that night. I feel the same way when I try to describe Cindy to someone.  
 Words nor pictures truly do her justice. She has been so much fun to be with on this trip and has taken all the set backs in stride. We have laughed a lot, after that first night, and I am sure we will laugh countless more times about the setbacks through the years to come. I am just so glad fate brought us together and now we husband and wife. All the problems we have seem so petty now as I stood there under a billion stars with my best friend in my arms...

Here is a our sail path for the day. Not too bad considering all we encountered.