All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

Kincardine has a very narrow entrance- maybe 30 ft. (Good thing we are used to going down the canals at home.) On both sides you have huge rocks. When we started you could feel how strong the current was and of course a following sea. (Once again, I asked myself, Why am I here?) We sailed in and docked like it was nothing. Kincardine, the Scottish culture is everywhere. I never saw so much plaid, even the fire hydrants were painted plaid. We took a tour through the Lighthouse, built in 1880. We saw where the keeper and his 10 children lived. All the way up to the top, the view was 360 degrees, the water, harbour, beach and town. A turn of the century Scottish man and his family were going to Kincardine to settle. They were caught in a storm with fog and he thought they were all going to die. As a last prayer, he started to play the bagpipes. In Kincardine a man heard the pipes and started to play as an answer. The family on the boat heard the pipes and headed towards the music. They made it safe into the harbour. The man was so grateful that every night at sundown he played the bagpipes for the rest of his life. Now, every night a phantom bagpiper climbs to the top of the lighthouse and plays until the sun goes down. On Friday night in downtown Kincardine it's Cruise Night. Classic cars, 125 to 150, parade up Main St. quite a show. On Saturday night there's a Bagpipe parade. About 50 bagpipers march. Anyone, and many do, can join in. We went into town for dinner with MJ and Jay. We decided to eat outside. Just as we were served, it started to rain, it came down with a vengeance. We picked up our food and ran inside. We were able to get a table by a window. The parade started, they were soaked to the skin. They marched past us to the Hawg's Breath Saloon. One quick drink and then back up the street past us again. What fun to watch. We got lucky, it wasn't raining for our walk home. There was a triathlon today, about 400 women were participating. The group was lead by a lady bagpiper to the edge of the water. The air is 68 and the water is 67 degrees, it's raining and I'm cold. They have to swim against the current. We watched the 1st girl come out of the water, no wet suit. She walks quickly to her bike, dries off a little and puts on her sneakers and her helmet (a must) and takes off. The bike ride was next, about 6 miles and there are a lot of hills here. After that it was a 5 mile run. Watching these women gave me a since of pride. If I were to be involved, I'd want it in a 3 day period. First day swim, second day bike ride and third day run. I guess I'd want the fourth day to celebrate that I made the last three days.

Detroit, Lake St Clair, St Clair River

No one encouraged us to stop at Detroit. Lots of vacant buildings, really sad. We wanted to visit the Henry Ford Museum. We were told that even the cab fleet was unimpressive. There are no marinas for transients, it's a heavy industrial area and large freighters cruise 24 hours. We just rode through the city. Lake St. Clair is absolutely beautiful. The water is the color of tidy bowl, a beautiful blue. It's even more colorful then the Caribbean. St Clair River and St Clair Lake connect Lake Erie to Lake Huron. The homes along the river can not have a boat in their yards; the current is too strong. Our necks were sore from going back and forth, like a tennis match - one house was more spectacular than the next. On port you had the USA, starboard was Canada. We were moving right along when we noticed some black clouds. It started to get very breezy. We pulled into the next marina. Better to be safe then sorry. It was hotter then usual so we spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. When the storm did come it was no big deal, if we kept going, you know it would have been much worse. There was a magnificent rainbow of colors after the rain. Next leg, Port Huron to get supplies before going back to Canada. I wouldn't want to live there. The economy is really bad.. Sarnia, Canada just across the river from Port Huron. Very pretty area, nice pool and Mike found a casino in Port Edward. His union number was 638, the last song sung in church this morning was 638. The slip number on our registration form was 5, Mike's lucky number. It's all on our side, we're gonna win big!!! Sue and Larry drove up from London, Ont. to spend the day with us. We sat on the boat and caught up on the past couple of weeks and then off to the casino. Guess who won really, really, really big? Both Sue and Larry. We let them take us out to dinner. After all it was Mike's lucky numbers that helped them win. The next day we planned the next part of the trip, a little sightseeing, swimming in the pool and in the evening back to the casino. Guess who won? ME- I did- enough to cover my honey and another nice dinner. His luck was good for all but him! When we returned to the marina we met MJ and Jay. They were heading to the same port as we were the next day, Bayfield. They were leaving at 6:30, we told them we would meet them there, it was a little too early for us. Bayfield, another pretty little town. As Jeannie F. would say, "Present Land". Lots of little shops and galleries. All the homes had an old fashioned charm with wrap around verandas. It was a hot day, you could fry an egg on the back of the boat. We went to the beach, to my disappointment you had to walk way out just to get waist high. It was very rocky, I'm glad I had my water shoes. It was too hot to cook, we had to eat out.

DON'T DREAM YOUR LIFE, LIVE YOUR DREAM

We have been out for a number of weeks now and Mike needed a haircut. I was so flattered that he trusted me enough to ask me to cut it. Believe it or not, I was very nervous; I was afraid of making him look like a fool. Then I said, "So what, a hair cut only lasts a couple of weeks, he'll be back to normal in no time at all." Besides, he's made me look like a fool once or twice. The set-up for the make-shift beauty parlor was half the fun. I started to shave the back, then the sides when I got to the top I realized I had to be very careful, there's not that much up there. All in all it came out fine and I got a nice tip. Do you remember the movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball? She started to collect rocks from every place they went on their honeymoon. Finally, Ricky couldn't get the trailer up a mountain because she had so may hidden rocks in it. Well, I have to be very careful because I keep finding driftwood that I would like to bring home. Some of it would look beautiful in the garden or in the corner of the livingroom. There's really no place for me to hide anything. I wonder if Mike could put an extension on the boat! Next stop...Kelleys Island, Ohio. I never imagined such a beautiful place in Ohio. It's very small with a laid-back atmosphere. You rent golf carts or bikes to get around. The first thing you do is go to the Village Pump and have a pitcher of Brandy Alexanders - like going to Block Island 's Oar House and having a Mudslide. You must take the bikes to the other side of the island and see the state park and its glacial grooves. It is the largest left in the world. You can't miss taking a ride to Kelleys Winery. A quick tour and then relaxing at picnic tables and playing horse shoes. They make the best pizza with wine and corn meal. We also took a dinghy ride around the island. We stopped and saw a flat-topped limestone boulder with pictures of men, birds and animals carved by the Erie Indians 300 or 400 years ago. Off to...Put-In-Bay, Key West of the North. The real name of this island is South Bass Island. When Commodore Perry 's fleet defeated the British Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie he was asked what to do with the fleet. He said, "Put them in the bay." Now that fleet is replaced by hundreds of boats like ours. This island is not at all laid-back; in fact it's a combination of Nashville and New Orleans, with beads and all. During the day it's a real family place, at night it goes a little wild. We were real tourists during the afternoon. We took a walk along the docks where they raft-up as much as 4 across. In town you have your boutiques of all description, a shoppers paradise. There's a 1917 hand-painted wooden merry-go-round. The pictures on it are all island scenes and animals. I could not count the number of bars; as long as they serve something, they're called restaurants. Of course there is a huge memorial to Commodore Perry, telling a lot of history; which Mike really enjoyed. It's the 4th of July. We spent the day in the dinghy, it was a little chilly for me to swim, my polar bear did go in for a while. That night we went to dinner at the Boardwalk Restaurant with Jack and Cathie Spayde. We left them; they had their whole family with them grandkids and all and went back to our marina. Turns out we had the best seat in the house. The fireworks display was on a barge in front of our marina, it was an array of colors and sprays of design that tickled everyones fancy. Around 11:00 we took a walk into town. We ended up at a place called Tippers. What a blast, they had a duo, Allie and Daryl. They had the whole place going; singing songs we all knew. They called up on stage 5 year old twins, a boy and a girl. They sang "Proud to be an American"; I had goosepumps. We're going back to Canada tomorrow. Last time we were in Canada for 2 weeks. With roaming charges, taxes and all, my Cingular bill was beyond crazy. We'll be in the Georgian Bay and North Channel. Think of us and keep us in your prayers.

TALL SHIPS

You never know what you'll see on the lakes. This tall ship was entering the Erie Harbor as we were leaving. Mike was cleaning the front of the boat where some birds had done a job on it. An elderly lady was passing by and he told her there should be a law about birds eating blueberries. She said, "I like blueberries." Mike said to her, in all his candor, "I hope you didn't perch yourself on my boat." Thank God she laughed.

Sandusky, Ohio and Cedar Point

Sandusky Yacht Club is a great place to stay. We did a lot of bike riding around the waterfront. Many people keep their boats in a boat garage. Some of our friends would like to have a regular garage like these. They have refrigerators , televisions and all the pleasures a man could want. We spent one day at Cedar Point. It was easier to take the dinghy over to the park and dock it then it would have been to get a ride. What an exciting amusement park. It has a ride called "Race for the Sky" it's a thrill dragster. At 120mph, 420-feet tall, I actually heard Mike yell while I swallowed the lump in my throat. What an adrenaline rush! At this club they have a buffet special...prime ribs and crablegs. Again, why cook when you can eat out.

Presque Isle, Pa., Ashtabula and Chagrin River, Ohio

• We arrived at Erie Yacht Club late in the afternoon. We docked, tied-up, hooked up the electric, registered and Mike was just about to open his first beer..NO...we have to let customs know we are back in the USA. You must go to the U.S. customs service's private boat reporting system at a state park and use a video phone. It was starting to get real nasty out; the wind was blowing and the bay was getting choppy. We got in the dingy and started our half hour ride. There shouldn't have been any problems; after all we have our decal number, our documentation number and our passports. I think it was easier to get a mortgage on our house then it was to get back into the country. Name, repeat that please? Address, repeat that please, how many on the boat, their names, name of boat, size, the U.S. marina you will be arriving at and the total of all purchased from Canada. Finally, we were able to relax, we were not going to be shot.
• Now, the half hour ride that turned into an hour and a half - We had to " GO FOR IT". We were soaked to the bone. The water was so rough I thought we made a wrong turn and entered one of the shows where they put their traps out for king crabs in the Bering Sea. Turns out the name of the bay was Misery Bay. Perfect name.
• The next day we took our bikes to Wolverine country. At the waterfront you can tour the floating maritime museum featuring the U.S.S. Wolverine, the first iron-hulled steamship. Mike loves history; learning about Admiral Perry was a bonus for him. At the park there's a bike trail that takes you all around Presque Isle. It is similar to our Wantagh Parkway path, but this one is all shaded. There's also an ecological preserve.
• After dinner, the club we were at had a bagpipe group, a band and a great fireworks display. We had a good time dancing.
• In Astrabula, the waterfront is not that inviting. The first thing you see is coal, coal and more coal. We stayed at the Ashtabula Yacht Club. There we met Chris and Rich who invited us to spend a few days with them at the Chagrin Lagoon Yacht Club. We really like to avoid big cities, like Cleveland and this was just before that port.
• For Father's Day the kids gave Mike a Stow N' Go propane barbeque. The regulator broke. We knew it was purchased at West Marine and there was one in the next town. Chris and Rich offered to drive us there. It's about 4:45 and it takes 20 minutes to get there. You realize it's the start of rush hour and the freeway has heavy traffic. Bad news - when we arrive, they don't have the part. Good news - they will be happy to exchange the barbeque. Bad news - it's 5:15 and they close at 6:00. We get in the car and race back to the boat. Rich said, "O.K. we can do this." We start back to the store and we get stuck at a traffic light that only lets 2 cars pass before it changes. After 4 lights we get through, it's 5.45. Rich puts the pedal to the metal and we get back to the store at 5:58. We made it! Again, you meet the best people on boats. By the way, we were too tired to cook...we ordered PIZZA!
• The next day we took the dinghy to the beach. You have to wear water shoes, there's just too many rocks.

Lake Erie

Hello to all the great couples we have met so far. Mike and Cathy, Xplorer. Larry and Sue, Twos The Limit, God Bless Them. Larry and Gail, Tropical Gale Winds. Bob and Donna, Island Moose. Tom and Gerry, Sea Knight and Rich and Chris, Unforgettable. O.K. we take the good with the bad, we tell the good and the bad. Port Colborne is just outside the Welland Canal. We stayed there because we were exhausted. When we got up. the weather was a little nasty, the waves were 3 feet. By the way, you really have to listen, sometimes they use meters, 3 meters would be 30 feet. We decided to take the chance and surprise Larry and Sue in Port Dover. We did not have a chip for the north side or the Canadian side of Lake Erie, our chip stopped at the US border. We were about 2 miles off shore and Mike had a way point on the world map. I was watching the depth...it went from 40 feet to 10 feet then 2.2 feet. Mike pulled back the throttle to neutral and we heard ping, ping, ping eight times. We held our breath, our hearts were beating fast and the sweat was coming out of every pore. It wasn't a sand bar, it was one of the 2 rocks in Lake Erie. We started out slow and Mike felt a vibration at a high speed. We reached Larry and Sue and had the boat hauled the next day. On land the boat next to us was a 39 foot Sea Ray with $50,000. worth of damage because he hit a rock. He needed new props, transmissions, shafts and struts. Well, we didn't do that bad. Mike took off the props and had them sent out to have whatever they do to bent props. Remember I told you what beer and milk cost in Canada?, well we won't be eating out for a week or two. We still had a great time in Port Dover thanks to Larry and Sue. We headed across Lake Erie to the Erie Yacht Club. It's so great being in the lake, you jump off the boat and take a swim. No worries about big fish or sharks, of course Mike keeps telling me about the lake monsters. Anyway, you take your soap and shampoo in the water get washed and then turn on the generator and dry your hair. You know how at the club you wake up in the morning and the boat and everything is soaking wet? Here it's all dry when you get up...I guess the moon dries it!

OH CANADA

Upon returning to the United States from any port outside the country you are required to have a US Customs decal. This decal can be purchased for an annual user fee of $27.50. We are armed and ready with this decal. We were told that without it we would not be shot, but it could be a hassle. So, sometimes being a "goodie-two-shoes", I followed the instructions. More later. Leaving the USA and riding across Lake Ontario all you see is the expansive blue sky and then a view of the city of Toronto. We docked at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. No trailer park for us. It is 23 acres, with a pool, tennis court and lawn bowling. You must wear "whites." In the formal dining room, jackets are required. You know I didn't get to eat there! I'm happy Mike has a pair of shoes with him. You can not walk to the pool in your bathing suit; you have to shower and put your suit on at the pool. Lots and lots of rules. You can walk or ride bikes for miles, which we did. Alcohol can only be consumed on your boat and we could not use our skateboards at all. There's some kind of flurry feather-like white dust falling from the trees. It's all over the place; stuck to boats, webs and docks. This pollen is driving me crazy, I can't stop sneezing. We took our bikes along a sea wall and the shoreline of Ward's, Algonquin and Center Islands. Just beautiful. Still, you must take the good with the bad...Bugs, bugs and more bugs. There's a launch that runs every half hour to the city. We went to the CN Tower. It's the tallest free standing structure in the world. We ate at the Revolving Restaurant overlooking the city skyline. It goes 360 degrees in about an hour. The view was breathtaking and so were the prices. We helped pay the Canadian National debt. You only pass this way once. We are staying 2 or 3 days everywhere we go. We are also trying not to travel more than 4 hours at a clip. Next port was Niagara-on-the-Lake. We stopped at a sailing club. Wherever we go, power boats are out-numbered 40 to 1. At the marina they have the whirlpool jet boats. They take you to where the whitewater waves mix with the swirling currents and form a whirlpool. Not good for a bad back or heart. You have to sign a release that they are not responsible for any injury......makes you think we are crazy. This town also has many wineries. Since we were riding our bikes, I was afraid to drink, I didn't want a BWI. There are dozens of little shops for anyone who enjoys browsing. If you continue along the bike path you can get to the falls. This town is known for its Shaw Festival. Port Dalhousie is only an hour away, that's our next adventure. We, again, took our bikes into town. You can see Murphy's Tavern and a picture of the 1920's carnival carousel, it still costs just a nickel. We spent the night at a Jimmy Buffett party. "It's five o'clock somewhere." At Port Dalhousie we made arrangements to go up the Welland Canal to Lake Erie. The Welland Canal is 23 miles long with a 326 foot lift through 8 locks. Each lock is about 46 feet deep. Each lock is about 80 feet wide and 1000 feet long. We saw a tanker that was 78 feet wide and almost 800 feet long. Obviously the tankers have the right of way. You must have a 3rd person on the boat, we had to hire a deckhand. The lock cost us $200. A tanker has to pay $23,000! These locks really had my stomach in a knot. Passage takes about 12 hours depending on the traffic. It wasn't so bad, we made it through in 7 hours.

Lake Ontario

On our way to Brockport the port engine started to overheat. Mike turned it off and went down to check. With all the extra parts we have--no impeller. The closest port was Rochester. We pulled into Shumway Marina, very accommodating. Confirmed that it was the impeller. It would take 2 days to get the part; Mike said, "Order 2." Our sister-in-law Trudy's brother and high school friend of ours, Ed, lives in Rochester. We gave him a call and he was there within the hour. It was rainy and cold. I took his car and went to the laundry and did some errands. Mike and Ed drank some beer, but they told me it was water. When I came back we caught up on some old times and went for a late lunch. The next day we were on our way. We pulled into Oak Orchard Yacht Club. One member came up to us and asked if we were yacht club members. After we showed him our travel card he said, "Welcome" and showed us around. WHAT A PLACE! Tranquil, isolated and beautiful. We went up to a covered desk on the dock to sign in. The first night was free; after that $10.00 a night. Then, we went up to the club house - bar, showers, ice machine, washer and dryer, barbecue and picnic tables all for our use. We slept in the next morning and then cleaned what is called the boat mustache. When you're in the Erie Canal the water is brown from all the sediment coming down from the mountains. It actually stains the boat. We cleaned it off with lemon juice. What a pleasure to clean the boat in fresh water. No hose needed, just scrub and rinse. In the afternoon we explored the Point Breeze Harbor by bike and in the evening by dinghy. We had a terrific dinner in a restaurant on the lake. During the night something kept hitting the side of the boat. We would both get up and check out the water. Nothing was there. It happened again and we still could see nothing. You know how Wally and Mike belly butt when they win a horse shoe match? Well, Karp belly butt to release their eggs. They hit each other on the sides of the boats. So much for relaxing reproduction. I could live in Point Breeze.

• Saturday, June 9th

We are in Wilson, N.Y. at the Tuscarora Yacht Club. It was truly a Gregg Day. (A Gregg day is when you get up early and are busy all day having fun) It started with a bike ride into town to do a little shopping and looking around. Then we went for a dinghy ride in and out of lily pads. The flowers floating were something out of a painting. Then out into Lake Ontario with the sun keeping us nice and warm.

Today is Tuscarora's sail-by. A ceremony similar to our Memorial Day. Then the sail boats get in a line and go around the harbor and then into Lake Ontario. We were invited to join Bob and Donna on their 42ft boat, Endeavor. My guess is that 30 boats participated. What a spectacular parade. After that, all met in the club house for a pot luck dinner. We were introduced as guests from the Sea Horse Yacht Club. Mike thanked everyone for a wonderful day. I could live here.

• We arrived at Kingston Town Dock around 4 on Thursday. The dock master was among the missing. We asked around and nobody knew where he was. We called my cousin Pete, he lives in High Falls, and asked him to meet us. We went to dinner,(my favorite thing to do)at a restaurant on the dock, it was great. Turns out it was the place to go. Pete showed up around 7 and we talked and laughed for hours.
• We wanted to leave early, the dock master still wasn't around. We left him a note with my cell phone number and told him to call us and we would send him a check. He called us around 11 and told us because of our honesty there was no charge. (Pay it forward)
• Next docking, the Troy Town Dock. My tire was flat on my bike, the Dock Master gave Mike a ride into town to have it fixed. Real nice people. The next morning we went to the local farmers market. Lots of nice fresh fruits and veggies. Mike wanted some important stuff like sambal chili aioli and wasabi aioli and garlic aioli.
• Friday - we were ready to start the locks. Let me describe the the locks for you. They're usually made of steel or broken cement. The water swirls around and makes quite a bit of turbulence. I wore my life jacket. The walls are slim and green muck, really messy. You pull up as close as you can to the wall, grab a line that hangs from the top, hold on to it until the water comes up or down. Some are as much as 50 feet.
• Locks 2 through 6 are taken as a set. Once you start you can not stop from either direction. This is called a flight of locks. Total distance is less than 2 miles, yet the combined lift takes you up a little higher than 170' ft. (17 stories). We were all set to start when we saw a couple that we have been corresponding with.. We stopped to say hello. Then, another couple needed a place to dock so we moved our boat to accommodate them. Where else but on the water can you meet some couples at 5 and have dinner with them at 7.
• On Sunday we went to Mass at a church in Waterford. We went to a little diner for breakfast. Two eggs, ham and toast $1.75 . In the afternoon we went for a long bike ride on Peables Island.
• Monday - we decided to start the locks. As we were entering it started to rain and then the wind picked up. Between the rain and wind it was nerve racking. We made it through without an incident. Well almost, I don't know what I did, but my hand looks like I'm wearing boxing gloves. Mike thinks I broke a small bone. I'm black and blue from my knuckles to my elbow. I guess I'm taking over for Mike.
• The Erie canal is absolutely beautiful. You ride for miles and just see the great landscape on both sides all green and quiet. In the distance you can see golden arches. Turns out there's a McDonald's drive in on the canal. I couldn't believe it.
• The next day the wind finally settled down, the locks were a pleasure. We stopped at Little Falls. We took our bikes for a ride. The hills were huge, thank God you only have to peddle up one way. Before we knew it we were in the middle of Lake Oneida. It's about 20 miles long and 4 miles wide. It was mirror like calm. Mike decided to take a swim. He kept telling me to jump in, that the water was warm. . .like I believed him.
• We stopped at Esskay Marina in Brewerton, N.Y. for 2 days. We did a little walking, shopping and relaxing. We were sooo relaxed; we watched 2 little boys try to get their Lab puppy into the water for his 1st swim.
• Then down the Oswego locks. Going down it's a lot easier than up. There are 7 locks--but they call it 8, number 4 lock is skipped. At the end of the locks is Lake Ontario, it look like an ocean. We started out clear and flat. After we committed ourselves the fog rolled in and Mike had the radar set for 1 mile. There were no other boats near us.
• We pulled into Sodus Bay Yacht Club around 3. The club was having an antique wooden boat show. Mike was impressed with the detail and beauty of the boats. Lots of work. Most of the boats in the club were sail boats, about 50. There were 12 or so power boats. We were docked right behind their club house and restaurant. They had a trio playing our kind of music. Everyone was very friendly. We had prime ribs for dinner...very reasonable.
• Sunday, after Mass, we had breakfast at the club, then we went for a ride in the dinghy. We noticed some black clouds coming in from the south...we were told to watch out for southwest winds, they're real bad. We headed back to the dock just in time (there was a wedding going on and the wind was so bad it took down the tent). They said the winds were 70 miles an hour. All I know is the boat started rocking and hitting the dock. Several of the men came over and helped us secure our lines. Then Mike became part of the team and helped others. Finally, just like at home, we had a storm party.

Hudson River

Heading up the Hudson River we had to stay port. The Fleet was in and you were not allowed within 500 feet of any Navy Ship. Security was in full force; the NYC Police, Coast Guard, Harbor Police and State Police. Helicopters all over the place. It was quite exciting and a challenge to navigate around the lower bay. We could feel the excitement when we passed by the Statue of Liberty, " Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearing to breath free". We saw Governors Island, Ellis Island and the many Circle Line Cruises. Once passed the George Washington Bridge the traffic disappeared, for miles we were alone on the river. The scenery was beautiful. On port it was all high cliffs of green and countryside. The Hudson is affected by tides and we were pushed upstream by the current. We passed the Tappan Zee Bridge and decided to spend the afternoon in Haverstraw. It was a wonderful day for our 1st day out.

A trip of a Lifetime

Welcome...So many of our friends and relatives have questioned how to get in touch with us and how will they know where we are and what were doing. We decided to blog. It's just some thoughts and feelings that we would like to share. It all started a few years ago. We belong to the greatest little yacht club in the world. It's limited to forty families. Each year, around Labor Day, the members have an auction to raise money to help support the club. One year we bid on and purchased a box of charts. They were from Flordia to the Great Lakes. Thus the start of our talks about taking a long trip. Now that we decided to take the trip, we would need a boat with diesel engines. We wanted two state rooms, one for us and one for company or storage. We didn't want a trawler because our friends all had fast boats. We didn't want to be the turtle with a bunch of rabbits. We wanted a comfortable salon and a galley with plenty of storage. We found a 33 SS Carver. It was big enough for us to move around and small enough to tie up in our backyard.

We're ready to go.........