Loopin’ – Loopin' with Mike n Pam

“THAT’S A WRAP”…MIKE N’ PAM ARE LOOPED

August 6, 2021August 13, 2021Mike & Pam

We’re Baaack….to our home port in Kenosha WI. We officially crossed our wake, in Charlevoix, MI last week which is where we started the Loop back in June of 2019. It only took 26 months, more than 6000 miles, 200 or so stop overs, and connecting with hundreds of people and places. There are too many highlights (& some low points) to list them all. A bitter sweet conclusion as we are anxious to get back to our home, family and friends but will miss the day-to-day adventures and Loop friends. We now have serious conversations about how to find a nice balance between the two.

Our final Loop leg included Lake Huron and Lake Michigan which gave us our monies worth and more.

On our way to Harrisville Marina – Coast Guard announces tornado warnings to the south of us – we skirted this storm perfectly!

Some of the 250 sailboats on their way back from the Port Huron to Mackinaw race in a
high-winds day, many filled the Harrisville Marina on a 1st come 1st serve basis.
Having been warned, we left super early hoping there would be room for Sea C to
get safely off Lake Huron!

Wanderlust in Harrisville, Mi. Lake Huron

Sea C passing the thumb of the Michigan mitt near Port Austin, MI – Lake Huron.

The brilliant, mysteriously colored, clear waters of Lake Huron

The new lighthouse. Pam (in yellow – high in the sky) climbed 138 spiral steps
up to the tallest accessible lighthouse on the Great Lakes, Isle Presque, MI, Lake Huron

Not sure if Pam is giving a thumbs up or asking for a ride to shore as a storm approaches.
We lost the inflatable Kayak overboard this day as forecasted 2 ft waves turned into 4 to 5 footers,
This picture captures the last sighting of the old girl (the gray kayak on the bow that is, Pam is fine)
it was whisked off the boat in Lake Huron as a wave splashed over our 18 ft Bimini.

Les Cheneaux islands up in the great UP (Upper Peninsula) – Michigan’s ‘land of water’!

One of our fav dining spots in De Tour Village,. MI

Mackinaw Island, no cars allowed but horses and Schwinn’s are good.

Captain Mike loved taking his own boat under the Mighty Mack in these perfect conditions!

Chilly waters of Egg Harbor on Green Bay

The cold waters of Lake Michigan, recorded 48 degrees this morning causing serious fog.

Dining in PORT WASHINGTON, WI overlooking the incoming storm, we docked just before the rain and 60mph wind gusts

Milwaukee state park, overlooking the city and summer fest grounds, loved Milwaukee

This our our last official wordpress blog post. We’ll spend the next month or so doing some work on the boat (Tranny, upgrading, cleaning ..etc). The Loop was everything we expected and then some…we are so grateful for the experience, new people, friends/family we met along the way.

As Jimmy Buffet sings…

We only sail in circles
so there’s no need to cry
We’ll see you again one day
and then I’ll wave bye bye
Bye Bye

THESE LAKES ARE GREAT

July 26, 2021July 30, 2021Mike & Pam

We completed traversing the Erie Canal just in time, heavy rains closed many of the locks right behind us causing weeks of delay for some. The cruising conditions on Lake Erie were non eventful. Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes but is known to kick up some action just like Lake Michigan. We traveled the southern coast of Lake Erie, and floated our boat into Canadian waters many times….HA. Cleveland, Geneva on the Lake, and the southwest islands of Lake Erie are all highlights.

VIDEO

Beautiful clear, cobalt and sapphire blue waters of the Great Lakes

Our scooter bike convoy touring town.
The sun is muted by the smoke from Northern fires

Fellow Loopers Jen and Rick from Nauti Jenny at Geneva on the Lake, Ohio – Lake Erie

_{^{Not to be confused with Geneva Lake WI}}

Geneva on the Lake, OH, a nice town with a 50’s flair and ’21 touches, complete with wineries, live music venues (and a salad with fries?!?)

Downtown Cleveland Rock and Dock – Sea C is docked in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is the white building on the left.

First showcase grocery store we have experienced, Heinen’s – beautiful!!

20 Loopers converge for dinner in Cleveland

Kelley’s Island moonrise – First and only marina that we were parked in by other boats
and couldn’t leave in the morning.

A huge shout out to our OH friends who hosted us in Middle Bass Island for 3 days! So glad they were a memorable part of our loop experience!

Day floats with lots of laughs! Great meals, nice beds, & laundry catch up!💕

Thank you to the Gaskins for their hospitality. Their home is on Middle Bass Island and looks directly
over Lake Eire, a beautiful view! We left Sea C at their Yacht Club for the weekend.

A notable icon of Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie

After stopping at 6 ports on Lake Erie we head north for Lake St Claire, MI

Port Huron, MI ~ home of the Bayview Port Huron to Mackinac race. We don’t even bat an eye about hailing & scheduling lift bridges anymore

Lucky to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Port Huron, the Loop
experience has helped us grow stronger and grow a deeper appreciation for each other! Cheers 🙂

See Sea C in the reflection of Zebra Bar ~ headed to Lake Huron ~ a slow crawl up-current!

TRANSMISSION UPDATE – Pam and I bought each other a beautiful new Italian made transmission on our 30th wedding day anniversary, very romantic…and practical too! This beauty is not available until mid Sept and will be delivered directly from Italy to Kenosha WI. It is a bit challenging navigating Sea C in tight areas with the limited starboard power, but manageable for now.

ERIE CANAL EXPEDITION

July 9, 2021July 17, 2021Mike & Pam

Just completed 36o miles up the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo, NY. The trip included locking through 35 concrete chambers, sliding under hundreds of low hanging bridges, and moseying through dozens of quaint small towns. Had the Canadian border been open to non-essential travel, we would have taken a right hand turn half way up the Erie but it was not to be. The Erie route option proved to be a better than expected passage leaving us even more impressed with the state of NY. Not all boats can make it through the Erie Canal due to the low bridge clearance. We needed to pivot down our tall radar mast and lower our fly bridge bimini (not an easy task) to about 15 ft to prevent banging Sea C’s head. There were some close calls with low steel trusses but mission accomplished!

These “Guard Gates” are used to isolate sections of the canal in case of accidents,
high water, and to drain water during the winter…..or of course bad boat behavior.

.A company called ‘Erie Canal Adventures’ rents these sleep ready boats to people to cruise the Erie Canal.
This is a must do for anyone interested in trying out overnight boating. You can’t do much harm to these beauties,
they are similar to big bumper cars. Most of the small towns have free docks with
water and electric that boaters can use as they navigate the Erie.

After lock 19, Sea C’s bimini was lowered to meet the upcoming bridge heights.
This 12″ height reduction was tricky but it worked.

VIDEO – This was the lowest bridge of all….no problem…. centimeters to spare!

VIDEO – Our first head-to-head encounter with a freight train – not only loud but a smelly experience, Yikes!

Free water and electric in most town, nice!

The Erie Canal has an beutiful bike/walking path that runs the entire length. A biking event that involved riding the entire canal was underway as we passed through. Biking the Erie is now high on our list of future adventures.

Middleport Lift Bridge, like many, is operated by a ‘roaming operator’ who races from
bridge to bridge to accommodate all moving vessels…can get pretty crazy!

The granddaddy of waterfalls – A great day at Niagara Falls with fellow Loopers from Agape and Nauti Jenny

We learned a few navigation tricks from this vessel. Perhaps someday the Sea C Rider will get a chance to enter the Niagara mist!

** BOAT PROBLEM UPDATE **

A certified mechanic confirmed that we have a serious issue with Sea C’s starboard transmission. Fortunately, with a little finesse and reduced speed, we should be able to cautiously make our way back to Lake Michigan for surgery later this summer. Soooo, all systems go to the Great Lakes!

HANGIN’ ON THE HUDSON

June 25, 2021July 3, 2021Mike & Pam

Moseying up the Hudson River we enjoyed every mile. So many different looks, from the southern portion urban sprawl, to the northern hilly remote nature meccas.

Can’t help but think about Captain Sully’s amazing heroics back in 2009 when he saved 155 lives by splash landed an airbus in the middle of the Hudson.

From sunrise to sunset, the Hudson River Valley has beautiful surprises around every bend.

Mysterious ruins are a popular stop on the local tourist boat.

Had an impressive dining experience at the Culinary Institute of America #wheresmike

Saugerties Lighthouse is a bed and breakfast with a breathtaking view!

VIDEO – West Point cadets at work!

Ankle breaker hike to Hannacroix Falls, Ravenna, NY to splash around
and cool off with the locals on a 90 degree day.

Looper fun – a daily check to see who’s where on Nebo – a rare sighting: navigational line-em-up channel markers –
had dinner with long time gold Looper pals in Hyde Park NY, Susan & Pete
& enjoyed docktails with new and old Looper friends at Shady Harbor Marina

VIDEO – Little Beers with Dock mates

Troy,NY – our last Hudson River quaint towns before we made a left turn to start the Erie Canal.

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Also…. discovered we have a starboard transmission issue which will take some time, 3-4 weeks, and cash to fix. We haven’t decided when or where we will get the repairs. One option is to just keep movin’, although slower, another is to take a break and pick up later?!? We’ll see……….BOATS!