2010 Cruising Notes:
With our car loaded to the brim, we make the 12 hour trip from Chattanooga, TN to Grand Haven, MI where Idyll Time has spent the winter. By having two dogs and two birds, traveling is always an adventure. We stopped for the evening just outside of Grand Haven. We always have to search for a motel that is pet friendly. We don’t even mention the birds to the check-in clerk, just the dogs. We reach North Shore Marina the next morning and find IT patiently waiting our return inside the warehouse. She looks really good!
After loading all of our stuff aboard, IT is quickly put in the water and we are soon happily tied to a slip. It feels great to be back aboard. The dogs and birds seem equally happy to be back on the boat. We spend the next 10 days preparing for this years’ cruise. Our big project this winter was having the back deck enclosed.
This adds another room to the boat. We will especially enjoy this enclosure when the bugs are out this summer. Nate and Homer are already benefitting from this addition as they have enjoyed spending time on their t-stands out here each evening.
We also had screens made for the pilot house doors. IT had her bottom painted and hull waxed this winter. We have been busy the last week completing many other small projects. After sanding the cap rail, a new coat of varnish was applied.
Jeff changed the impellers on the engine, generator, and hydraulic pump. He also changed the impeller in our dinghy, Time Out. North Shore Marina modified our generator cover for easier access to the generator impeller. We had taken all of our food off the boat before storing IT last fall. This meant many trips (and $) to the grocery store to re-provision. IT is ready to go!
Cruising Plans For 2010:
For the 2010 season, we plan on working our way north on Lake Michigan exploring the many small towns along the shore. Our niece and nephew will visit us for a week in June. After they fly into Traverse City, we will take them to Mackinac Island to experience its unique charms and atmosphere. Once they depart in mid June, we plan on entering Canada and will head back into the North Channel for the summer. Right now we are dealing with the birds and US Fish and Wildlife for their entry into Canada, as we did last year. We will let you know how that goes. We hope it is easier this time around. The majority of our summer will be spent in the North Channel. We hope to rendezvous with another Krogen, Allizann while there. We also have several guests coming to visit during this time. We are discussing plans to then enter Lake Superior for several weeks in August with Allizann. September should bring us to Chicago where we will enter the Illinois River. From there we will travel to the Mississippi River then the Ohio River and finally to the Tennessee River. We hope to close the Great Loop this fall when we pass Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. From there we will motor north on the Tennessee River to Chattanooga, our home port. After almost four years of cruising, IT will finally be back home. From there who knows where!