Cleveland ROCKS

While we were in Put in Bay, we met a couple who noticed the name of our boat and asked if we liked Bruce Springsteen and rock and roll. We said, "of course we do." They said we should stop in Cleveland and tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They also told us we could park the boat in a city park right next to the Hall. We took their advice and found the spot they were talking about. It was perfect!




Laurie standing next to Glory Days with the Hall in the background.


This is Glory Days from a balcony at the Hall of Fame.




The City of Cleveland was doing a guitar display, painted by local artists This was one of dozens that we saw.




More guitars.

We walked around the Hall for about five hours, then walked around the downtown area. Cleveland has done a great job making this area safe and inviting. We were able to keep the boat at that spot for the night for free. There were lots of people walking by enjoying the park and the view of Lake Erie.

Early the next morning we shoved off and said goodbye to Cleveland and headed to Fairport Harbor, which is at the city of Grand River. This is the home to Tartan Yachts, where our boat was built in 1985. We may try to get to the factory for a tour in the morning.

We are docked at the Grand River Yacht Club and have met some of the friendliest people. The Commodore, Jack, met us at the dock and helped us tie up. We mentioned we would like to get some groceries and fill a propane tank. Jack said it was too far to walk, but offered to drive me to get propane and his wife, Sue, took Laurie to the grocery store and to Sam's Club. We are now well supplied and enriched by having met such nice people.

Tomorrow we head further east and plan to stop at Conneaut, Ohio. If the weather holds, we should be in Buffalo by early next week.



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Location:Grand River, Ohio August 29, 2012

Not all fun and games

We spent four nights at Put In Bay before moving on to Cedar Point. While we were at PIB we saw the entire island by walking (instead of renting a golf cart, which is what most people do) every morning for an hour. It is nice to stretch your legs when you live on a boat.

We went to the Boathouse Bar for dinner and saw Pat Dailey. He has been entertaining at PIB for 45 years. Also appearing with Pat was Ray Fogg. He is a young "Pat Dailey." Both were very good.




While we were there, we took advantage of the great weather to get some boat work done. This is Laurie varnishing the teak. We decided this picture represents the difference between vacationing on a boat and living aboard. It is a tedious job, but it looked good when we were done.

From PIB, it was on to Cedar Point. Daughter Hayley and son-in-law Dan2, drove down and met us there on Sunday and we "did the park" and did it right. The weather was great and the crowds were light and we were able to ride all the big rides, with a minimum of standing in line. It was a great day and a great way to spend some time together before saying goodbye.




Monday, we woke up to pouring rain. We delayed leaving until it let up and then headed east to Lorain, Ohio.





By the time we got in and anchored, the sun came out and we were treated to a nice sunset over the breakwall.

Lorain is an industrial town and not particularly attractive from the lake, but it was a good place to stop for the night. Tomorrow, it is on to Cleveland.
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Location:Lorain Ohio, August 27, 2012

I love Put in Bay

When we were traveling to Put in Bay, I was concerned that there would not be a mooring ball available for us. Well, as you can see from the above picture, there was no need to worry. Each white dot is a mooring ball. Our boat is the one in the very center of the photo.




Put in Bay (PiB) is a real party spot with lots of places to eat and lots of open air bars. Some call it "Key West North" and it does have that kind of feel. There is a steady stream of tourists arriving on ferries and there is a lot of boating activity.




It is also famous for the Perry Monument, which recognizes his heroics in defeating the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. It also stands a symbol of lasting peace between the U.S., Canada and Great Britain. The monument is 356 feet tall and is operated by the National Park Service. For $3 we got to ride the elevator to the top and enjoy a fantastic view of Lake Erie and the nearby island.









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Location:PiB, South Bass Island, Ohio, August 22, 2012

Moving again

Laurie and I parked the boat in Tawas on August 17 and headed to Midland. While we were there, we closed on the house, attended two weddings, a house warming party at our daughter and son-in-law's house, a birthday party for Laurie's mom and connected with other friends and family. It was great to see so many people before saying goodbye to Midland.

On August 17th, we said our goodbyes to our Tawas friends and headed out. We had a fantastic sail to Port Sanilac. I was struck by a sense of sadness to be leaving so many people who mean so much to us, but after we turned south at Grindstone City, I began to feel like we were moving toward something, and not leaving something.




After a night in Sanilac, it was on to Port Huron. We stayed two nights, which allowed us to spend some extended time with my step-mom. We also had a chance to see the Great Float Down. 6000 partiers get into tubes (or anything that floats) and jump into the river and drift from Port Huron to Marysville.








The Coast Guard shuts down the river for this "unsanctioned event" for 9 hours. We viewed the floating party from a dock in the river and enjoyed the scene.




After another goodbye, it was on to Detroit. Tomorrow we hope to make it to Put-in-Bay for a few days, before going to Cedar Point to meet Hayley and Dan2

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Location:Detroit, MI August 20, 2012

Tobemory, bound for Tawas

Today we sailed from Club Island to Tobemory. On the way we passed Flower Pot Island. It is so named because of the unique stone towers on the shoreline.





Tobemory (Little Tub) Harbor



The Chi Cheemaun ferry docks here to take car, trucks and motorcycles from Tobemory to the Manitoulin Island. Compared to where we have been, this is a very busy place.
Tomorrow morning we will leave Canada and head across Lake Huron to Michigan.

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Location:Tobemory, Ont. August 7, 2012

And Bears, Oh My

We were sitting at anchor at Thomas Bay and the wind was blowing like crazy and everyone in the bay was nervous about their anchor holding. A power boat from Michigan came in and tried to set their anchor. They seemed to be doing everything right, but their anchor just would not hold. After numerous failed attempts, I got in our dinghy and went over and offered to help them tie to a tree on shore. After we finally got a couple of lines secured, they invited Laurie and me over for a drink.

While we were sitting on their boat, a family of three bears came walking along the rocks, right where we had tied the lines. Luckily, the daughter, Samantha had a great camera and is an accomplished photographer. She snapped all these pictures as we watch them wander along the shore line.









This little guy actually chewed on the line we had tied.


We watched the bears for close to a half an hour and met a really nice family. This was a great day in the Georgian Bay.


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Location:Thomas Bay, Ont. August 5, 2012

Hunkered down in Thomas Bay

We left Covered Portage Cove yesterday and motored through the town of Killarney, stopping briefly for a pump-out and milk and eggs. Leaving the channel and entering into Georgian Bay we passed the lighthouse at Red Rock Point. We headed to Thomas Bay.



We anchored behind the large rock wall which offers good protection against the predicted strong NW winds.




After we got settled in, we enjoyed some great kayaking in the channels between the many islands.




I climbed the rock wall and was treated to a fantastic view of Glory Days in the foreground and the Georgian Bay in the background.

We had planned to leave today for the Bustard Islands, but the forecast dictated that we stay put. It looks like we may be here for a couple more days, then head south to Tobemory and get ready to cross to Tawas.

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Location:North Georgian, Ont. August 4, 2012

Moving East

After we left Oak Bay, we headed east and stopped at a new (for us) anchorage at Louisa Island. This Island is somewhat unique for the North Channel in that it features a nice sand beach. It is also close to the town of Little Current and we arrived on a Saturday which meant after we got settled, lots of boats arrived to play on the beach and enjoy the warm water. Many left before dark and it was not crowed. It was so pretty, we decided to stay another night.





On Monday morning, we left Louisa Island and went the short distance in to Little Current. Compared to when we were here in early July, Little Current was hopping. Our plan was to only stay for the day, but we needed to see a mechanic about getting the dinghy motor repaired, get groceries and booze and get caught up on the Internet. By the time we had taken care of all that, it was getting late and they were predicting thunderstorms, so we stayed the night. It turned out to be a good decision as the storms rolled in and it blew hard.

Kaye and Leo on Whirlwind and Wally and Jamie on Mimi decided that Little Current was and far east as they wanted to go, so we said our good byes and Laurie and went thru the famous swing bridge and the other boats headed the other way.

We spent the night at Heywood Island and then it was on to Covered Portage Cove.




Covered Portage Cove is one of the "can't miss" spots in the North Channel. It is surrounded on three sides by high granite walls and the entrance is guarded by "the Indian." If you look in the center of the picture above, you can see his face.


The views in this anchorage are spectacular. Looking up.




Looking down




Looking east, out of the entrance.




The top of our mast is in the background.

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Location:Louisa Island-Little Current-Covered Portage Cove, Aug 2, 2012