Day 1 & 2

Ok, I am new to this blog stuff.  Hopefully it will serve as a chronicle of our adventures for all to enjoy.  Don't expect that I will post everyday but I will try to keep you up to date on our location and musings.

The trip to Harrisville was pretty uneventful.  Motor then motor/sail and 10 hrs later we're there.  The exciting event was we met up with Greg & Sally Whitaker who were just returning from their own three month adventure to Montreal!!  It just seemed right that we would bump into our 'boating mentors' as we started on our journey.  Thanks for the fender Sally...we will put it to good use!!

Tuesday we struck out for Presque Isle with a following wind and sea.  Two nice days on the water really helped settle us in.  There is still much to organize but we couldn't resist opening a bottle of wine and sitting on the foredeck and relaxing!!

Is this what we worked so hard for??  I think so!!!!

Official Start!!!

We have left!!!  Unbelievable!!!  After many years of preparation and hard work by us and our supportive friends we are on our way!!!!  We left Sunday, July 29, on a windless-sunny day for Harrisville.  After a great bon-boyage dinner with Cyndi & Steve Gould and Cindy & Tom Burger on Friday at Old City Hall, Bay City and a trial run down the Saginaw River with Cindy & Tom on Saturday we were off.

We haven't left yet!!!

To say we have been working hard to get ready for the loop is an understatement!  Those that have watched must have notice how driven we have both been...maybe a little crazy!!  In the last few days the lists have melted away but much remains.  Chris has been looking forward talking about where we'll be...when we'll be there...who we might meet...making plans for travel to Kelly's wedding, Thanksgiving, home for X'mas.  Me...I have remained focused...lots of stuff to do.  My reply has been "Dear, we haven't left yet...we haven't left yet...we haven't left yet.  Yesterday afternoon we're on the boat putting stuff away and Chris says...do you smell smoke?  SMOKE!  Yes, but luckily where there is the smell of smoke there was no fire.  The inverter/battery charger that has worked flawlessly for three years was the culprit.  See pictures.  The AC line out had a melt down!!  Stunk the boat up big time!!  Call to Technical Service and the advice was "it's a loose connection that arced....seen it many times before--wire gets loose due to vibration, arcs and melts the plastic junction--should be no damage to inverter."  So I put it all back together and so far so good.  What are the odds??  Two days before we go and bammm!  Well seems like something like this happens before every vacation...why should this one be any different!!