The Chicago skyline is pretty nice in the morning (in the summer).
Chinook wrote:Michigan City looks like a good possibility for a visit while leapfrogging down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. We plan on heading across the lake from there or somewhere in the vicinity for Chicago. We won't take the industrial waterway route, since we'll not have any issues involving bridge clearance, once we lower our mast. Unlike the big cruising sailboats, who typically need to ship their mast down to Mobile, we look forward to just lowering our mast to clear the Chicago and Illinois River fixed bridges, and then putting it back up so we can enjoy the wind, when conditions allow. Most sailboats miss out on sailing opportunities on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and on Kentucky Lake and other waters. The Mac will let us sail much more than most.
Experiencing sunrise while out on the water and well away from shore can be truly magical. We don't cruise at night very often, but on the few occasions when we have, seeing the dawn begin, and the sun climb above a watery horizon to light up the world, the memories are vivid. Sunrise while crossing the Gulf Stream or the Great Bahama Banks can be stunning. The most memorable was our overnight passage across the Sea of Cortez. We departed from the mainland side at sunset, with the full moon rising astern. All night long, we watched that moon as it arced overhead, and finally setting behind the Baja mountains as the sun rose behind us. It was like a spotlight suddenly turned on, as those mountains began to glow. With its abrupt east facing skyline, I imagine seeing a sunrise develop while on Lake Michigan in front of Chicago could be well worth seeing.
Sunrise on and around boats is my favorite thing in the world, outside of hearth and home of course. These were taken in the Cobourg Marina in Canada. I was sitting on a wet bench with some fresh perked coffee, just - being - . Full-on ataraxia. -.-
There were 6 freshly-graduated high school boys sleeping below (my oldest son included - it was his graduation 'party'), plus my FIL, so the park bench was the only place to get away to without disturbing everyone.
The lagoon, where many boats spent the night.
Nobody who sails with me will overnight on the hook, so this is as close as I can get to nirvana.
Just payed for another years Moorage on Kootenay lake in British Columbia Canada......70 miles of beautiful warm mountain fed water 450 feet deep, with music festivals and no traffic!
I have the Mac in a boatyard in Florida about a mile from where the Endeavour is (living in her). Working on the Mac everyday finishing up the projects I started at home and hope to be ready to go out in 2-3 weeks at the most.
I ordered the NV Bahama charts/and digital ones to run using OpenCPN and I'm ordering the Bahama Explorer paper charts in the morning so trying to box myself in where I have to commit to going over there. Should do that mid-March. Before that heading south on Florida's west coast back to the 10,000 Islands and Everglades and then to the Keys and then see how brave I am ,
Good luck with those sailing plans. Hope you make it out to all the places you mention. Maybe we can get together with you in Florida or Bahamas waters in a year's time. How does a buddy boat trip out to the Dry Tortugas or Andros sound to you?
Good luck with those sailing plans. Hope you make it out to all the places you mention. Maybe we can get together with you in Florida or Bahamas waters in a year's time. How does a buddy boat trip out to the Dry Tortugas or Andros sound to you?
Mike C/Chinook
Sounds great if I'm here and still have the boat here. My plans now are to go down the west coast like Ruth and I did and then at Cape Sable across Florida Bay to the Keys on the Gulf side towards Key West. Then I'll have to make a decision on the Dry Tortugas. At that point I'll have a better idea on going across to the Bahamas or not and if going probably need to get that done and skip the trip out to the Dry Tortugas.
I have to decide if I'm done down here or not with the Mac when I leave. I really don't want to pull her all the way back down here again if I can avoid that. So I'll either leave the Mac here if I'm not done here or take her up to my sister's (Long Island Sound). I'm not working on the Endeavour this trip but want to return to her in the fall and finish the small jobs I still need to do and then make a decision on if I should sell her or keep her so I'll probably be back here about the first of November. Not sure when you will be in this area, but hopefully we can hook up at some point. Who knows maybe in the Fall going south from the Great Lakes .
I've been re-reading you Bahama report and it has been instrumental in me spending the money on the charts and such . Great writeup, thanks for doing it. I'm thinking if I go to try and get as far south as I'd like to go as fast as I can (Exumas) and then take my time working my way back north. Good or bad idea?
In my opinion, the Exumas should be experienced with the fewest preconceived constraints as possible. Getting out there in small boats like ours is a significant undertaking, involving 4 major crossings, and then descending the chain of cays is a substantial undertaking in itself. One prerequisite is having an ample amount of time with which to make the cruise. In my view, once you reach the Exumas (and most cruisers arrive at or near Allens Cay, with its intriguing population of native iguanas), you should let the waters and weather set your pace. We found the northern half of the Exumas to be most inviting, and so we took our time there. Further south the islands get longer, with fewer remote anchorages and more large, exclusive resorts and mansion developments. I would advise letting the weather, the inherent interest and attraction of the places you're at, and the acquaintances of the cruisers you meet along the way determine your pace. If you pass up some great places on your way south to Georgetown, you may find that weather or other constraints accumulating along the way could prevent you from savoring them on the way back. If you explore the chain on your way down, you then have a delightful choice when the time comes to head north again. You can either return via the Exumas, revisiting your favorite spots and checking out some that you passed by while cruising south, or you could return by another route. You could go back via the out islands of Long, Cat, and Eleuthra as we did, or you could cross the Tongue of the Ocean and experience Andros, largest of the Bahamian Islands, but seldom visited by cruisers. So much water, so little time. What ever way you go, you'll be richer for the experience.
Chinook wrote:Hi Sum, In my opinion, the Exumas should be experienced with the fewest preconceived constraints as possible. ..... What ever way you go, you'll be richer for the experience.
Thanks, good advice as usual . I don't have any time restrains so can work with the weather. Just want to get back before it is real hot an humid,
We noticed a definite change in weather by around May 10, when we were heading back. Less wind, hotter weather, and threatening thunder storms building in the skies. I'm guessing June 1 would be a reasonable outside date for avoiding the less desirable aspects of summer weather out there.
Chinook wrote:We noticed a definite change in weather by around May 10, when we were heading back. Less wind, hotter weather, and threatening thunder storms building in the skies. I'm guessing June 1 would be a reasonable outside date for avoiding the less desirable aspects of summer weather out there.
I've been down here (FL) once into early July and once into late July. Didn't get a lot done from about mid June on as the thundershowers started the the humidity went way up. That was in the boatyard. We helped someone move their boat from part way across the state on the ICW the first part of June and it was hot but not so bad on the water.
My deal is I have to be home the 1st of August to get ready for Bonneville and if I feel I'm done down here and want to haul the Mac up to my sister's (CT) I can't wait too late to do that unless I just take it up there and then head home,
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