7/9/23 - Sandusky to Pier 53 Catawba then home - That’s A Wrap

Last day to enjoy coffee on the water for a while 
😢

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HIoH2uKPJe23Fd3ojfKeBG5D0iqckqbD/view?usp=drivesdk

Above is a link to a drone video that an acquaintance of ours and fellow Marinette owner did for us the day before our bridge incident 😝 

We awoke to a cloudy and breezy but warm last morning aboard in Sandusky and sat drinking coffee for a bit before we went up to the clubhouse for a farewell breakfast with the rendezvous members.   Soon after we prepared the boat for the short 13 mile trip back to Pier 53 and shoved off the dock a little after 9am.  The lake conditions were pretty favorable and smoother than the ride over for the ride back with made Felicitas happy.   

Leaving Sandusky Yacht Club
We hope to return to Cedar Point sometime soon

Rounding the point of Marblehead again 
Smoother, more comfortable cruise today

We arrived back at Pier 53 at 10:30am.  Dad and Felicitas departed to head home quickly while Renee and Erik stayed to get the boat ready to sit for at least a couple of weeks and pack up what we wanted to bring home.  While sitting in the McDonalds drive through a few miles up the road we remembered that we forgot to turn off the water system and water heater so we returned briefly and then got on the road toward home.  

Back at Pier 53 Marina
Riva approves of the spot for the summer 

Nestled in tight 
Ready to rest for a bit

This trip over a 36 day period we traveled 898.5 miles and stopped in 21 towns.   We anchored out only 5 nights (not as many as we’d have liked to) and stayed in marinas the remainder.  We traveled under many bridges and only hit one! 🤣.  We traversed portions four lakes (Michigan, Huron, Sinclair and Erie) and several rivers (Sinclair, Black and Detroit).  Unlike other years where we traversed through multiples of states this years travels had us almost solely in Michigan with the exception of ending the trip in our home state of Ohio.   Technically we did boat in some Canadian waters, but, some we never ported anywhere in Canada we won’t consider that we visited there….yet.   

As usual it is with mixed emotions that we finish up another leg of our journeys.  We are both tired and ready to be home but we will also miss traveling, meeting people, having wonderful experiences and generally being aboard!   We are both excited that for the first time this year the boat will remain in a slip on the water for the remainder of the boating season, until early October, allowing us to hopefully make a few weekend trips up to enjoy the water some more.   We are hoping to plan trips back up with some of our friends and children to explore the islands and and possibly a trip to Cedar Point; we’ll see what happens.   

7/8/23 - Layover at Sandusky Yacht Club - Rendezvous rainy day 2

Nice to have Dad and Felicitas aboard the past few days

Sunrise

Riva and Erik awoke early and spent an hour walking all of the docks looking at the boats, in particular the other Marinettes.  We sat and chatted for another hour or so while getting caffeinated up before Erik and Renee went up to the clubhouse for a morning Marinette owners breakfast buffet and meeting while dad and Felicitas ventured into town to get breakfast at ‘Wake Up And Waffle’.  It was interesting to hear of the 25 year history of the Marinette club.  It has held its annual rendezvous in several locations over the years ranging from here in Sandusky to Cedar Point, Huron, Cleveland and also many in Canada.  

At the morning breakfast and Marinette club business meeting elections were held and they attempted to nominate one of us for a position…..not gonna happen! 😝 

By 11am significant rain moved into the area and we all retreated to inside the boat for a relaxing late morning and early afternoon period of reading, blogging and napping.  The rains moved through and gave way to partly sunny skies and nice warm temperatures by 2pm.   There was a ‘Tour of Marinette Fleet’ during the other afternoon hours during which we walked around the docks chatting with all of the rendezvous attendees while also checking out all of the boats.  It was fun seeing all of the different models as well as the things owners have done to customize and decorate their vessels.  We came away with some ideas on new flooring for our salon/galley/V-berth as well as some improvements we may make to what will be our new upper enclosure.  

Many Marinettes at the dock walk
One of these is not like the other…
Can you find it?
Hint….it’s a 5 million dollar yacht

Dad and Felicitas had dinner aboard while Renee and Erik attended the rendezvous dinner in the SYC clubhouse which was delicious.   In addition to the good food and Marinette talk, we both won a “Homeport Basket”.  Each member donated a basket of items from their homeport to be raffled off to raise funds for the club.  We came home with some nice goodies including two bottles of wine 😂 (donations to grandparents we suppose), a nice East Tawas beach towel, an outdoor folding mat/blanket, multiple cups, some hand towels and a metal seahorse hook with a tutu (Renee’s favorite).   

Nice dinner event
All of the baskets from members homeports
Our winnings
Renee’s favorite, the seahorse hook

The final hours of the last full day of our trip was spent enjoying another sunset from the back of the boat and walking Riva around the marina.   We will be heading back to Pier 53, Happy Destiny’s home for the remainder of the year, in the morning.   Hard to believe that another adventure is nearing an end, but, only with the hope of many more yet to come!  

Sunsets never get old….
Next one we see will likely be over the Muskingum River 😊 

Cedar Point light show

7/7/23 - Pier 53 Catawba to Sandusky Yacht Club - Marinettes galore!

After a good nights rest Erik awoke with a much better attitude than he’d had the past couple of days following our bridge collision.  It took a day or two to digest and get over the initial bruised ego apparently.   

Tabasco boat at Pier 53

Riva kind of likes the enclosure off and found herself a new favorite seat on the dashboard of the helm

We sat around on a beautiful morning and chatted with Erik’s Dad and Felicitas while enjoying a big breakfast.  The lake conditions were showing as fairly rough but were to diminish throughout the morning and early afternoon so we putzed around doing a few boat chores.  An estimator from a local canvas shop, legacy canvas, came out to assess damage and take measurements in order to prepare a quote for the enclosure repairs.   The lines were tosssed and we departed Pier 53 a little before noon for a short 13 mile jaunt over to Sandusky Yacht Club where we were registered to attend the Great Lakes Marinette Boater Association’s rendezvous.  The ride across Sandusky Bay was not as smooth as most of our trips have been with 2’ + rolling waves; not too bad though.   Felicitas may have begged to differ as we could all see in her eyes that she was not particularly comfortable.   In a later Facebook post that she made she had expressed that the ride over was akin to riding a mechanical bull 😂.   Coming across the bay great views of Cedar point were to be had.  As we got further into the bay, and closer to the yacht club, it did smooth out some to become a more comfortable and enjoyable ride.   

Coming around Marblehead point 

Thrill rides anyone?

Once we were docked and secured we spent a few minutes checking into the marina as well as visiting the rendezvous registration table where we met and chatted with a handful of other Marinette owners.  In talking with one owner, who’s home port is a marina very near Pier 53 where we had just come from, we discovered that we were the talk of East Catawba Bay after making our grand entrance a couple of days prior; maybe someone was videoing and we will make it onto Americas Funniest Home Videos…or some boating fails site!  😮 

Sandusky Yacht Club is a much posher marina than we typically stay at

It has a beautiful clubhouse, couple restaurants, huge pool, nice park area etc

Dad, Felicitas and us spent a couple of hours walking around some of the lakefront areas of downtown Sandusky.   We had forgotten that on the rendezvous agenda their was a 5:30pm happy hour time where we were supposed to bring an appetizer to share and we did not have much on the boat as options.  Along with several other shops we stopped in at a bakery and picked up an assortment of brownies, cookies and a couple of other sweet goodies to make a platter out of.  

A short rest back at the boat and preparing our dessert platter was followed by a couple of hours sitting around on the very nice yacht club property visiting and sharing stories and ideas with fellow Marinette owners.  There were a total of 50 people registered, some there with their boats and some who drove cars.  There are 14 Marinette boats here in the marina representing many sizes and styles ranging from 28’ to 41’ expresses, sedans, sportsmans and aft cabins.  It was fun meeting other likeminded boaters.  After sharing our bridge collision story with a couple and their two adult kids they made us feel better by sharing their boating catastrophe story which made ours feel much more like a fender bender.   Several years ago while cruising aboard their 39’ aft cabin (same model as Happy Destiny) they were behind Kelley’s Island cruising 20+ mph when they hit an underwater island tearing one of the two props and shafts completely out of the hull, creating an open hole in the bottom of the boat.   They somehow managed to continue on one damaged engine/tranny the 10 miles back to a safe marina with Sea Tow following them as they took on water.   The Sea Tow captain had told them that he could not tow them any faster than they were cruising on one engine and to just keep going.  By the time they made it to a marina with a lift to get them out of the water they were crouching so low in the water that their swim platform was under water and they had water on the floor of the lower stateroom.   The boat lift had to lift them out very slowly because it couldn’t handle all the weight of the water in the hull.   In the end the boat was saved and repaired but with a $35K insurance claim….ouch!   

Fellow Marinette owners at happy hour gathering 
Notice the Marinette logo cornhole boards 😊

Our view from the slip 

We rounded out the evening back aboard sitting on the aft deck with Dad and Felicitas talking and enjoying a very nice evening.  The nighttime view of Cedar Point with all of the lit rides was nice and they also had a light show and small firework display (Riva was SOOO happy 🤣) that we could see at 10pm.  We all retired to bed around 11pm after a fun day.  

Ahhhh

More ahhhh

                                    A quiet and peaceful evening looking out over Sandusky Bay

Nighttime falls on Sandusky Bay

7/6/23 Catawba Island and back on the road!

Morning moon

And the sun did rise to a new and glorious day today after all!

Watching the sunrise and drinking coffee, our normal start to the day.   Erik called and got the claim started with the insurance company.  Emile and Felicitas arrived around 10am and Erik cooked a delicious breakfast. Pretty quickly after eating Renee and Erik hit the road towards St Joseph Michigan to retrieve Renee’s car.  While Erik drove, Renee called canvas shops and marinas.  Before arriving at St Joe two canvas shops had made plans to come give estimates, and the decision was made to dock at Pier 53 Marina for the rest of the season, to better facilitate the canvas repairs.  Erik harassed a toll gate operator on the Ohio Turnpike on the drive home 😂…..long story but the Ohio Turnpike is ridiculous and poorly operated.  

When we got back to the boat we headed up to a nearby Mexican restaurant for dinner with Emile, Felicitas, Uncle Dick and Aunt Marge while enjoying a nice visit.  Had a delicious dinner then fairly quickly after returning to the boat headed to bed!

Looking forward to tomorrows cruise to Sandusky Yacht Club to attend the Great Lakes Marinette Club Rendezvous.     

7/5/23 - Anchor Point to Pier 53 Marina, Port Clinton - WELL @#&*

Erik made omelettes from the shish-kabob leftovers. Got on the water to head toward Pier 53 Marina in Catawba, our other option for a dock for the rest of the season.  It was only about 28 miles so Erik decided to try fishing again.  He had just as much luck as the last time 😂 We trolled about 2 mph for a while, no luck….we drifted for a while, no luck.  No fish, but what a beautiful day for floating on the lake ❤️ 

Riva waiting patiently for dad to bring dinner on board
She will just have to continue waiting 😂 

Coming into Catawba Island 

As we approached Catawba Island the recreational boat traffic as well as the ferries running back and forth to the islands had the water much rougher but still very manageable.  As we typically do, we were following the track created by Navionics fairly closely.  After coming into the western entrance to middle harbor (there are two entrances to the harbor) we were making our way towards the marina at idle speed and noted that Navionics showed a fixed bridge with a 20’ clearance that we would need to go under; our air draft is only 16’ so this would not be an issue.   Coming up to it there was another larger cruiser just in front of us that went through.  Erik noticed that it was fairly narrow but also should not be an issue.  Bridges always look deceptively lower than they actually are as we approach them but Erik did not panic and slowly continued forward until just as we got to it Renee hollered “we are going to hit!”  Sure enough, the bridge is NOT a 20’ clearance and as we went under the top of our enclosure hit hard 😩  By the time we hit and the framework bent down it was too late to back out so we pushed through.   Crumbles of concrete came showering down on us and all over the boat and what remained of the enclosure.  Several choice words were expressed and looks of dismay and horror were shared before we silently completed the slow cruise of shame the final 1/4 mile into the marina.  Our demeanors became speechless and somber as we docked the boat and got tied up.  

Between the exhilarating events and the now very hot afternoon we all needed a break before getting into surveying damage and cleanup so we plugged in and got the AC running, walked up to the marina office to check in and had a quicken bite to eat.   We took many pictures of the damage and took a minute to call our insurance agent to verify the process for filing a claim on an incident like this.  It was then time to dive into the mess and the next 4 hours were spent removing the enclosure canvas/isinglass, attempting to straighten frame poles enough to get them secured and out of the way, and in general cleanup of a bunch of concrete ranging from chunks to dust that had covered a large portion of the boat.   The afternoon heat and sun got the best of us several times and we would have to pause to rest, cool down and attempt a bad joke to find any humor in the situation.   Laugh or cry they say!  

Stuff happens! 
Life goes on….

By a little before 7pm the boat was as back in order as it could be for the day.   While Erik rode bike up to a carry out to get a couple things and prepared burgers for dinner Renee called into her McConnelsville womens meeting to find some serenity.   After dinner and showering up our minds and bodies had all they could take for one day and we retired to bed.  Laying in bed and reviewing the day we are both very grateful on several levels.   Most importantly no one was injured; boats can be fixed!   Also, we are sure that there are lessons to be learned from todays events that we will carry with us as we move forward.  Lastly, it is nearing the end of this years journey which is certainly better than if this would have happened early on in the trip.  

We have made it through the storm (collision) and will pick up the pieces, learn from our mistakes, and trudge forward on the road of happy destiny!  

7/4/23 - Happy Independence Day from Anchor Point Marina, Curtice OH - Lessons From The Lake

Buck Super Moon setting in the morning

Upon awakening Erik took a sunrise bike trip up to a local bait and tackle shop where he purchased some miscellaneous lures and tackle, a fishing net and a couple dozen worms.  It had been probably 30 years since he has fished for walleye and he figured a relaxing layover day where locals have been saying that the fish were biting just a mile or so out into the lake in 17 ft of water would be a good opportunity to attempt to catch dinner.  Renee got a load of laundry going and after it was finished we headed out the channel to the lake.   🎣 

Fishing license $25 ✅
Tackle and worms $32 ✅
Extendable fish net $54 ✅
Perspective Fish dinner = $111

It was very obvious where the good fishing was because of the slew of boats both heading out and the density of boats seen fishing just offshore.   We motored out slowly to join the pack and Erik rigged up his pole with an old faithful Erie Derie lure and worm to start casting.  The bugs, mostly non biting midges, were thick and very annoying.  There was some small amount of reprise from them if we were in the sun but the shady side of the boat, and anywhere under our bimini tops, was apparently a haven for the little snots making it almost unbearable to be in those areas.  Renee took advantage of the necessity to stay in the sunshine by suiting up and laying out on the bow while Erik fished.  In the two hours of our excursion only two small bites were experienced producing 0 fish….skunked!   

No fish but Erik and surrounding fishermen were able to catch a glimpse of  some beautiful legs 😝 

Our patience, and ability to handle the onslaught of bugs, wore thin so we headed in.  We spent and hour vacuuming the decks and spraying down the entire boat that now was TOTALLY covered in bugs before heading over to the pool for a form of relaxation that we were certain to be successful at.   The sun was hot and the pool offered a nice refreshing afternoon activity. 

If you zoom in close you’ll be able to see how bad Erik needs to cut his toe nails

An acquaintance whom we had met several years ago through the Marinette owners forum, Richard, and his wife stopped by late in the afternoon to visit.   While they were there another previous Marinette owner also joined all of us on the aft deck and sat for quite a while chatting.   We invited Richard and his wife to join us for dinner and Erik fired up the grill to make some of his old faithful kabobs this time made with some delicious T-Bone steak.   By the the time we ate dinner and they departed the sun was setting.  

Just after sunset here at Anchor Pointe Marina the mosquitos come out in force….
Time to retreat to the recliners inside the boat!

Riva was (and is) a nervous, hot mess from all of the fireworks going off in the area.  We thought there was a quiet spell so Erik brought her outside to attempt to throw a frisbee with her but as soon as they stepped off the boat a few more firework explosions rocked her ears and nerves.  She made a bee line to a random car that was near the boat with a lady sitting in it with her door open were she proceeded to jump right in the car onto her lap and then to the back seat to hide 😂 😞.  

We showered up and cleaned up dinner dishes before settling into our chairs for the evening to enjoy our usual ice cream and coffee before retiring to bed.   

Two nice T-Bones 🥩 $24, mushrooms 🍄 $3, Visalia onion 🧅 $2, Two zucchini (no emoji pic for zucchini apparently 🤷‍♂️) $1, two peppers 🫑 $3 = nice dinner for four $33….much more economical than fishing 😂 

Todays lesson: Time on the water with loved ones and friends…..PRICELESS!

7/3/23 Algonac to Anchor Pointe OHIO!

Glimpse of the start of our day…but the promise of better things to come🌈

Coming into Lake St Clair

Got a pretty early start despite Renee’s objections due to fog.  It was a good time to practice using the radar since the fog was not too heavy.  We pulled out right about 7 am to head for the BP gas dock that had really cheap gas.  We hit some drizzly spots but overall the rain had moved through over night.  It was 15 miles to the gas station by water, then after filling up tanks we headed across Lake St Clair. We researched weather, lake conditions, wave and wind reports and made the decision to have a long cruising day and make the trip all the way to Anchor Pointe Marina (85 more miles). 

                                   Heading into the Detroit River getting ahead of two large ships

Detroit shipping channel light

Detroit, Michigan

Windsor, Ontario

Bridge over Detroit River, connecting Detroit and Windsor

Coming out of the channel on the Detroit River and into Lake Erie

Looking back on the Detroit river channel from Lake Erie

We stepped up the pace a little, with a little help from the Detroit River current, on mostly smooth water we made it to Anchor Pointe Marina a little after 2pm.  Traveling on the water with the breeze constantly moving, the temperatures had been comfortable.  Once we got tied up to the dock it was pretty obvious it was going to be a hot afternoon.  We got plugged in, turned on the AC for Riva, then headed up to check out the pool.  The pool was very refreshing and they even have a baby pool with splash pad type fixtures.  Perfect for us to bring Killian to!!! 👶💦.  Renee showered and Erik walked Riva, then went on the hunt to try to find someone who knew the Wi-Fi password. Surprisingly no one seemed to know the password 🤣.  We biked up to The Bilge for dinner.  Erik finally got the password for the WiFi and we had a really good pizza.  

Coming up to Anchor Pointe Marina

Back at the boat after dinner we relaxed and looked at the numbers to help make our decision as to where to store the boat.  We are close to Maumee Bay State Park, and about an hour from Sandusky and Cedar Point.  And about 23 miles by boat to the Islands(Put-in-Bay).

Our other option for dockage and winter storage is on Catawba Island.  Close to cedar point, Sandusky, Port Clinton , and about 9 miles fromPut-in-Bay.  This option is considerably more expensive….decisions, decisions, decisions!!!!