Back on the Great Lakes

IT'S GREAT ON THE GREAT LAKES!

After traveling over 4,000 miles and visiting relatives and friends in Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota and Wisconsin we arrived in St. Ignace, Michigan, on July 26th and launched Ticaboo in Lake Huron.

For those of you who haven't been following my posts on the Albin Cruisers website, I now have a First Mate aboard Ticaboo.  In December of 2011 I got married to Mary, who is an avid boater and has owned two sailboats including a 40' Hunter.  Mary has been a great help aboard and even served me hot tea, at the helm, one cool morning.  After single handling for most of my life, I am most grateful to have someone handle the lines when I'm docking.

I'll try and post some pictures each day of our travels, which will include Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, Mackinaw City, the Les Cheneaux Islands, St. Mary's River, Sault Ste. Marie, the North Channel (Ontario, Canada), etc.  We currently plan to be back in Arizona in mid-September, when the temperatures start to drop a little.

We have had a wonderful time thus far, with only a couple of trailer problems.  I had trouble with the lights on the trailer and was able to sought that out and I spun a bearing and had to replace a trailer wheel.  That's not really too bad for 4,000 miles.  Ticaboo has been running great and we motor-sailed through Gray's Passage, on route to Petoskey at 7.4 knots and 2600 rpm.  We are heavy!!!!

                                         
                      The 50' slip they put us in at the Petoskey Marina

                       That's me standing high above Ticaboo    

                      A view from the Charlevoix, MI marina.

                         My new First Mate, Mary, at our slip in Petoskey, MI.

                       
                         It's not all work, Mary relaxing with a book, in Charlevoix, MI

Back on the GREAT LAKES

After driving some 4,000 miles and visiting relatives and friends in Colorado, Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota, we arrived at St. Ignace, Michigan on July 26th and launched Ticaboo, in Lake Huron.

For those of you have not been following my posts on the Albin Cruisers website, I now have a First Mate aboard.  I got married in December 2011 and my wife Mary is an avid boater.  Mary has owned two sailboats and she has already been a great help aboard.  Who would have ever thought I'd have a First Mate, who serves me hot tea at the helm, on a cool morning. 

We spent two nights in St. Ignace and had to sample some Whitefish, a specialty around the Great Lakes, that my wife and I love,.  We then moved on to Petoskey, MI and enjoyed everything except our "slip."  Our little 25' Albin was dwarfed by the "slip" and the huge "ships" around us.  If you look at the picture you can see we had to climb several rungs of the ladder to get to the walkway.

 We are now in Charle