Running Free

Joyce & Carl Berdie

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Joyce and Carl Berdie invite you to take part in their adventure aboard their 1980 Freedom 40 Cat Ketch called RUNNING FREE.  They sailed RUNNING FREE for 12 weeks in the summer of 2008  from Lake Superior to Rochester, NY, in Lake Ontario .  The summer of 2009 was spent sailing from Rochester up the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City.  The summer of 2010 RUNNING FREE found its way to the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island & Nova Scotia) ending up in Dundee on the south shore of the Bras d' Or Lakes.  2011 found Running Free sailing around the south coast of Newfoundland, up the west coast to St. John’s and a six day offshore adventure that ended back in Newfoundland at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club for repairs and for Joyce to join the crew. July and most of August were spent going west and south, ending up the season in Wickford RI. 2012 plans are for Running Free to enjoy New England and then on south to Annapolis for the boat show and the Keys and Bahamas for the winter.

August 27, 2011 We should have stayed in New Bedford where they have a hurricane barrier. Instead we sailed to Cuttyhunk Island in the Elizabeth Island group south of Martha’s Vineyard. Spent a wonderful day there. It reminded us of Madeline Island due to it’s being a summer people place and not a tourist destination. Not much to do there but relax. Climbing the hill lead us to some fabulous views of Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay. With Hurricane Irene predicted to come to us, we decided to sail to Wickford, RI, to try to have Running Free pulled from the water and left for the winter. We cut our travels short by a week, but thought we could see the places we missed in Narragansett Bay next year when we return. We are currently in a Marriott Inn waiting for the hurricane to pass. Runnning Free is still in the water but fully battened down for the storm. We’ve spent the last few days taking all the canvas off of her and getting her ready for the winter. When we arrived at the marina, we were told we would be the last on their list to haul out behind all their long term costumers. At that time the list was 60 boats long and yesterday it had grown to 100 boats and they had already hauled out close to 60. At least they have assured us that they would pull us out prior to them putting any boats back in after the hurricane passes. There’s been no wind to speak of yet, but the rain has begun to fall and we are enjoying the suite we are in with air conditioning, cooking facilities, a swimming pool, etc. If the power doesn’t go out, we may be able to enjoy this hurricane! Yesterday we took a taxi to get our rental car at the airport which we will drive back to Minnesota. Should be back by next Saturday. It’s been a great summer on the water. Have met many good people and seen beautiful places but we are looking forward to getting home.

August 22, 2011 We ran into Judy and Aubrey on Veleda IV again in Boston and yesterday in New Bedford when we came in. It’s always great to see a familiar face in a new harbor and yesterday we saw two. We heard our friend Roland Falkenstein, who we met in Bermuda in 1998 and sailed with in Grenada and St. Kitt’s in 1999, was getting his (new to him) boat ready for the water in New Bedford. As it was just 20 miles from our mooring in Marion, we beat with several tacks to find him just inside the hurricane barrier. He took us to a great Portuguese restaurant where we ate for next to nothing with a $14 bottle of 2001 Portuguese wine. We loved catching up with him as well as seeing his new boat. We spent another day in Boston so we could tour Harvard and the Peabody and Natural History Museum and see the offices of “Dewey, Cheatam and Howe” from NPR’s great radio show “Car Talk”. It is always fun to use another cities public transit and we used a “Charlie” card to take us there on the MTC subway. We had a easy sail from Boston to Scituate Harbor where we took a buoy and bought groceries at the supermarket within walking distance to the dinghy dock. From there we sailed to Provincetown and arrived just in time to see their “Mardi Gras” parade. We thought Trinidad had a lot of strange characters in their Carnival, but P-Town was a really different sort of crowd: A combination Gay Pride Day, Mardi Gras, and Madeline Island’s 4^th of July parade all rolled into one. We finally got to go beachcombing at P-Town and are enjoying wearing shorts, t-shirts, and having the hatches wide open on Running Free. We saw a pilot whale as we crossed Cape Cod Bay and motored through the canal to come out the other side in a 15 to 20 knot wind right on the nose. The ride to Marion, MA, was uncomfortable but the stay at the Beverly Yacht Club was very nice. Joyce has been suffering from a summer cold and stayed below for most of the beat to New Bedford. While I don’t enjoy beating that much, it was good to go under sail and let the boat sail itself as we made the 20 miles. Today we toured the historic part of New Bedford and saw the Whaling Museum. New Bedford bills itself as the town that “Lit the world” in the 19^th century due to providing all the whale oil. We are smelling the fish plants again, just like in Canada, as this is the largest fishing port on the Atlantic coast in the USA. Tomorrow it looks like we’re off to Cuttyhunk harbor and then to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. We’ll be looking for a place there to keep the boat for the winter and will head home from there.

August 15, 2011 We’ve got our photos showing again as the cheap “PDF Maker” has been deleted and I’m now using the official trial version of Adobe to make the files. We’re waiting out a rainy day in Boston after spending a week sailing down the Maine coast. After leaving North East Harbor, we sailed a long day up Penobscot Bay to Isleboro Island. The first part of the sail was very foggy, but then as we went by the home of Wooden Boat Magazine, we saw the regatta they sponsor come down the bay with around 100 wooden boats sailing right by us. It was very dramatic and challenging to stay out of their way while still getting some great photos of many of the yachts. Isleboro was the site of a Seven Seas Cruising Association “Gam” and we arrived after it was all over. We were able to see many of the boats and met Judy & Aubrey on Veleda IV in the anchorage. They had sailed from BC west and were considering closing the loop of their circumnavigation. They had been to all the places I had wanted to go in Europe and it was good to hear first hand about them. From there we sailed to Camden, ME, and spent a day rolling on a mooring as it poured rain. Took the water taxi to shore to get off the boat. Boothbay came next followed by a couple of days in Portland. We had a motor sail to the Isle of Shoals that is part Maine and part New Hampshire and spent a peaceful night on a free mooring next to the big religious retreat located there. The next day brought us into Gloucester which is one of the few working fishing ports in New England & home to Gordon’s Seafood. We spent the afternoon sightseeing and found a great Italian delicatessen to enhance our larder. Saturday brought us to Constitution Marina in Boston where we’ve paid for 4 nights. We spent the afternoon exploring the USS Constitution, (Old Ironsides) and the Charleston Naval yard with its history and WW II destroyer Cassine. We walked the Freedom Trail yesterday from Bunker Hill monument (close to the marina) all the way to Boston Commons. It was a day filled with colonial history after seeing North Church, Paul Revere’s home, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market and the North End’s Italian festival honoring one of their saints.

August 4, 2011 We’ve just been able to replace the programs we lost when the laptop failed us that enable us to update this website. We left Brooklyn and sailed to Shelburne NS. where we spent a couple of nights waiting for good weather. We met a number of other sailors and had a good time in the yacht club bar trading sailing stories, drinking beer and enjoying great burgers cooked by the volunteers that run the club. From there we sailed around Cape Sable up to the Tusker Islands. We anchored with the help of Adrian who owned a house nearby and invited us over to his party the next day. As we were going to leave at four in the afternoon, I declined the invitation and Joyce went to the party that turned out to be a wedding reception for one of Adrian’s relatives. The whole family was Acadian, so Joyce was able to enjoy the mix of French and English that was spoken, while trying to keep all the family ties straight.

The sail to Maine started off wing and wing in light winds, and actually allowed us to sail virtually the whole way without the motor. As the winds increased, Joyce got me up to reef the mizzen and I noticed some sheet lightening in the distance. At the change of watch, the lightning was getting more frequent with the winds at 18 to 22 knots. Within a couple of hours the wind came around to a beat, and then a beam reach. The storm came on fast with the wind going to a broad reach and gusting over 30 knots with lightning and thunder all around. I just held on and Running Free sailed herself beautifully throughout the entire storm period. After the storm the wind went back to ten to fifteen knots and we had a good sail in the fog up to Mount Desert Island Maine. Getting into Bar Harbor was a little frustrating as the Mainiacs tend to “farm’ their lobsters by putting pots all over and feeding them until they are large enough to keep. We were dodging lobster pot buoys in the fog, which can be really challenging, trying to keep your course,

We cleared customs in Bar Harbor and stayed one night on a rolly mooring. The tourists and bustle of the city were a little much for us, so the next day we brought the boat around to Northeast Harbor, where we are right now. Tom and Rose have sent us our mail, which should arrive tomorrow. Today we hiked up the South Bubble Mountain in Acadia National Park and had lunch at Jordan Pond with their famous popovers. Tonight they have live music in the park that we plan to see.

July 28, 2011. We’re in Brooklyn, NS. It’s a small town on the Mersey River across from Liverpool. We’ve had an enjoyable run from Halifax, anchoring the first night in Indian Harbour where we saw a derelict “WetSnail” 32 named Lady Jayne, from St. Paul, MN, at anchor. We are very curious as to who and why it is there. Our next night found us in Lunenburg where we made true 2 sayings about cruising: 1.) Cruising is just working on your boat in a lot of exotic places, and 2.) The difference between being a tourist and a sailor is that tourists can only look at the scene, while sailors are a part of it. I changed oil and found that our alternator had a big crack in the mounting which explained why we were going through belts too frequently. Our laptop also died leaving us with no way to update the website and organize photos. The helpfulness of the Nova Scotians came through, however, and we were able to get the alternator rebuilt in a day and a half, and the computer hard drive replaced in two days. Thanks to Danny’s Computer Patch & Lunenburg Automotive Parts. We did lose most of our info on the hard drive and only were able to save about 400 photos.

We had dinner with John Steele, who we met in the Caribbean in 1999 and got a tour of his beautiful Bristol Channel Pilot Schooner, Papa 1, and the new Blue Nose II, both of which he built and is building through his Covey Island Boatworks (http://www.coveyisland.com/built.php). Last night we anchored in the Folly Island Channel, next to Covey Island (where Steele first started his boatbuilding business) and met up with Rod and Gail Fraser who were going the other direction. Gail and Rod had been advising us through e-mails on places to see and go to and it was great to have a gourmet dinner with them on their classy 41’ sailboat Nor’easter. We met them last year in the Bras d’Or Lakes in Cape Breton. Tonight we’ve signed up for dinner at the marina where Wayne, the manager, cooks a meal every night. I think we will be off to Shelburne tomorrow.

July 22, 2011 . We’ve been enjoying the cosmopolitan city of Halifax for the last three days. The boat is cleaned of all the salt and full of fuel, food and charts. We saw the Harry Potter movie yesterday and Joyce is taking care of laundry right now. Life is good again. Tomorrow we’re off to Indian Harbour and then Chester and Lunenburg. These should be runs that can be made in a morning each, just the right kind of cruising.

We left Louisbourg , Cape Breton, early in the morning on the 13th and made Canso, on the NE tip of Nova Scotia, by dinner time. It feels good to be south of Cape Breton. We had to wait three days in Canso for weather that allowed us to run to Liscomb Harbour. Liscomb Lodge there is a wonderful resort up the river from the Atlantic where we had a good dinner ashore and enjoyed a completely calm night of rest at their dock. From Liscomb, we motored to an anchorage north of Sober Island near Sheet Harbour . We got stuck there for two days with high winds out of the southwest and finally were able to make Halifax , motorsailing in light winds the whole way.

Currently we’re at the Armdale Yacht Club up the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour. It is a large club built on the site of a prison that was used to hold the French during the Napoleonic wars and the Americans during the War of 1812. Rob Beck, one of the members, has taken us under his wing and helped us find what we need in the city. The weather has finally turned nice, and I have actually worn shorts for the first few days of the entire time I’ve been aboard this year.

July 12, 2011.  We are currently waiting for weather to change again. We're sitting in Louisbourg Harbour in Nova Scotia . The wind is SW 15 gusting 30 (the direction we want to go). We arrived after a long 28 hour passage from St. Pierre . As we got closer, the fog closed in on us so that by the time we got to the harbor entrance, visibility was down to about 100 yards. The autopilot got us past the rocks, using the Fugawi navigation software. When we were able to see the government wharf, I took it off autopilot and tried to steer with the wheel, only to not have the rudder turn. Realizing that the steering was gone, I got the anchor down just as Joyce waved the Coast Guard boat over & they came alongside. They towed us to the “recreational wharf” where we’ve been these last three days.

Sunday saw us visiting the Fortress of Louisbourg which was the French North American stronghold from 1713 to 1748. It was well defended from the sea, so the British took it in 1745 and 1748 by attacking it from the land (same tactics they won Quebec with). When the coal mines in Cape Breton closed down in the 60’s, the Canadians decided to employ the miners by having them rebuild the fortress. They have rebuilt about a quarter of the total area and it is quite a place. It’s manned by bilingual actors dressed in costumes of 1747. We enjoyed our visit tremendously, partly because it was the second sunny day ashore that Joyce had seen since arriving in NFLD on June 24th and only my fifth.

Monday had me chasing down the hydraulic leak in the steering (I couldn’t find it). I filled it with fluid, bled the system, and everything seems to be working fine now. I also re-bedded the spray hood in hopes that it would fix the leak we have been experiencing in the aft cabin. We enjoyed a Celtic Ceiligh (kaylee) show last night at the Playhouse. Fine fiddling, good entertainment & free tea & oat cakes during intermission. Tuesday morning we warped the boat (in the rain) from the windward side of the dock to the leeward side after the lobster boats had left so that we weren’t being blown into the dock with the waves slapping us silly with their noise. We’ve had a lazy day after that. My big accomplishment was having Donna from the RV park drive me five miles out of town to the only working ATM at a Irving Gas Station. You know you’re in the middle of nowhere in Canada when there are no ATM’s and no Tim Horton’s.

July 6, 2011 While Running Free didn't make it to Europe, we made it to France--St. Pierre, that is.  It's just south of Newfoundland.  We're enjoying the French ambiance: fresh baguettes, croissants, and other baked goods, cheap French wine, internet access at the dock with good fresh water.  I’ve just been running back and forth across the street to the gas station filling up our jerry cans with diesel so we can go on to Nova Scotia.  Unlike Canada, they don’t print a lot of English here but a lot of the population speaks it somewhat, so it is easy to find our way around.  It's probably a good thing we didn't end up in Europe as the Euro is at $1.45 and everything is very expensive.

 We had two uncomfortable passages to get here as the wind seems to keep out of the southwest, which is the direction we have to go.  We motored into 10 to 15 knot winds, right on the nose, and one meter seas.  Our trusty Perkins engine just keeps on going (knock on wood).

 We had our dinner at the hotel in Trepassey which was a disappointment, considering the last time I ate there was with Larry & Judy when it was so good.  Left that night in the fog and came into St. Lawrence about noon in the fog.  Right after a short nap, we heard the honking of a horn right outside and found Bill Molloy ready to lend us his truck for the afternoon.  Bill had taken Larry lobstering the last time Running Free was in St. Lawrence and it was great to see a friendly face again.  We drove up the dirt roads surrounding the town and got a good look at ‘backwoods’ Newfoundland .  Bill took us home and let Joyce use their internet connection and we met Donna, Bill’s wife, and friend, Phyllis, and their three pet beagles.  Bill claims that he didn’t learn to walk until he was seven because he was so cute the women wouldn’t put him down.  One of the highpoints of cruising is that you throw yourself on the mercy of strangers and find out how wonderful people can be.

 It looks like we will leave St. Pierre either Friday or Saturday for Louisbourg, Cape Breton, a 170 mile passage, as we may get favorable winds then.  We are currently on the windward side of the dock, getting pushed into the dock, but with 2 inch seas, it’s not a bad place to be. 

July 2, 2011 A lot has happened since the last update. Running Free is now sitting on the dock in Trepassey once again. We had the mainsail repaired by Milton of United Sail Makers in St. John’s, a third generation sail maker. He also repaired our dodger window. Joyce joined the boat while we were at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club in Conception Bay. After getting two new pairs of glasses and re-provisioning, we had a good sail to St. John’s for one night where we meet Sebastian on a Dutch boat and another French boat, the first going to Iceland the second to Greenland prior to Iceland. Quite an adventurous lot! I somehow had no desire at all to do either.

After leaving St. John’s we sailed to Fermeuse. On the way I saw what appeared to be someone making smoke signals to us on land about twenty feet above sea level next to a waterfall. A puff went up twenty or more feet in the air every 10 seconds. On checking the chart, we saw it was called the “Spouter” the most dramatic blowhole I have ever seen. We’ve seen several minke whales, had a pod of dolphins around us and have seen multitudes of puffins and a few seals. We spent a chilly night at Formeuse and then had a nice day sail to Trepassey, where Wayne, the Harbormaster, greeted us at the dock once again. We were in luck, as a crab boat came in that night and we were again treated to several free pounds of crab.

It’s a pleasure having Joyce back on board as everything is now back in place, and she knows just what to do while maneuvering and making sail. Not to mention the good cooking I missed while being a bachelor at the RNYC.

The sun is out with the wind blowing in the higher teens from the northwest. We were thinking of leaving tonight on an overnight to St Lawrence, but the weather has to calm down considerably before we will do that. It is predicted to be out of the west until Monday, when it will be “light”, so we may be stuck here until then. Watch the SPOT under “Find Us” to see the results.

June 17, 2011 .  This is a hard entry to write, as I am undergoing many emotions and I have never been a very emotional sort of person:  First is the ending of the dream to cruise Europe on Running Free, then in no particular order are; turning Running Free from a beloved second home to a crowded space occupied by people who don’t know each other very well and having to re-organize everything to fit in, to turning Running Free into a wet heaving mess, followed by a crippling loss of the mainsail, a loss of the ability to set the staysail, some conflicts between captain Carl and captain Chris and not being able to see clearly as my glasses were overboard.

The story starts on Thursday June 9 when I checked the weather predictions and saw that for the next week there was only one small spot, any where near where we would be going, that had winds of over 30 knots, and another small one that showed winds forward of the beam.  Both spots were predicted to last for less than 4 hours.  We topped up the water tanks with the sweet water from the brewery, finished changing the boat from a coastal cruiser to an offshore one, got a good dinner, a good night’s sleep, and left on the high tide Friday early afternoon, (ignoring that leave on a Friday superstition). We had light southerly winds and sailed slowly Friday night into Saturday.  The winds clocked to the west and we were able to sail wing and wing through most of Saturday night.  Sunday morning the winds continued to clock to the north and as they picked up into the east by Sunday noon .  According to our GPS we had a 152 mile run our first 24 hours and over 130 miles our second.  Not bad for a cruising boat.

We had started out with a full main and a reefed mizzen, and Sunday afternoon as the winds exceeded 25 knots we put a reef in the main and were on a beat to weather.  We were no longer sailing our great circle route and were making the best course we could.  As the wind changed we tacked a couple of times, and then as the wind increased to consistently over 30 we lowered the mizzen.  When the wind lowered to below 20, the reef came out of the main, and the wind went back up to the 30’s quite soon thereafter. 

Water temperature this whole time never got above 5 C or 40 F and it was raining, misting, pouring rain, or fog the entire time. Seas were from 2 to 4 meters. The mizzen mast had a leak causing water to run down it into the cabin and across the cabin sole.  The boat was tightly sealed down below and condensation caused almost everything to become from moist to soaking.  The furnace was giving off fumes that stunk and stung the eyes.  I was the only one of the crew able to go off watch and get into something resembling dry, (my feet were never dry).  The rest of the crew lived in their wet gear.  Alan got sea sick during the beat and was pretty well incapacitated for some time.  With Catherine on watch, I went below and had Chris dash by me with his hands over his mouth, into the head, for his first time being seasick.  Both seasick sailors had scopolamine patches.

I went back on deck and decided to make our ride a little more comfortable by heading further downwind and off course to the south.  As Running Free was turning a large wave slapped us around much faster than I wanted, and the main gibed across the boat with the boom raising high, both luffs shredded up to the boom lash hole.  The port side sail went forward of the mast when the outhaul let go.  At that time it appeared that the entire sail was a goner.  (Unless you know the Freedom 40 rig, this may not make any sense.)  We got the motor going, and with Catherine at the helm, I was able to get the remains of the sail on board and secured.  We then got the storm staysail set and headed south, somewhat more comfortably for the next day, Monday. 

My exertions wiped me out and as I recovered down below, Chris and Catherine kept everything under control.  It was during this time, under our tiny storm staysail that we covered approximately 180 miles in 24 hours; with a top boat speed of just over 10 knots and the top wind gust of just over 50 knots.  Seas were from 3 to 6 meters with breakers.  While down below, I made the decision to return to North America and forget about the idea of cruising Europe on Running Free.

In order to make the course change to get us home, it was necessary to gybe the staysail.  My memory of this is a little foggy, (in fact the whole voyage could be remembered differently by my crew).  I got the lazy sheet rigged prior to rigging the starboard running backstay, and before I knew it, the sheet bashed my head knocking my glasses lens overboard. The flaying sheet knocked the starboard backstay free while fouling the flag halyard on it.  It also knocked out a window in the dodger.  With the motor going and the staysail down, we got the portside backstay over to the starboard and raised the staysail, only to have its halyard get entangled with the backstay that was already flying free.  This left the staysail stuck half up, but at least on the right side of the boat.  This allowed us to set course back to Newfoundland , and we got the motor going as the wind died down Monday night.

The trip back consisted of figuring out if we had enough fuel to get home, as well as two trips partway up the mizzen mast.  We were able, after the second, to get the mess cleared up.  This relieved me because winds were expected to increase Wednesday morning and knowing we could sail under staysail added a measure of security.  On Tuesday, Catherine mentioned that she thought the main was ok above the reef points, and couldn’t we sail under reefed main?  After some investigation, it turned out she was right.  We got the main up and motor sailed all the way into Conception Bay Wednesday morning in winds of 10 to 20.  While lowering the main to go into port, the sail slapped my head, knocking my dark glasses into the drink.

Running Free now has a slip at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club.  My crew left Wednesday night as 38 knot winds howled outside.  I am awaiting Joyce, who arrives on the 23rd.  The mainsail is at the sail makers, who said it didn’t look very bad and would be repaired within a week. Conception Bay has the best weather in Newfoundland, the excess food has been sent to the local food bank, down below is slowly drying out, the laundry is done, I should have new glasses this afternoon, and life is, once again, good.

Statistics;

668.5 Miles traveled through the water

Average Speed 5.6 knots through the water

Top Boat Speed 10.01 knots

Top Wind gust 50.1 knots

Fresh water used 35 gallons

Highest water temperature: 40F, 5C

Lowest water temperature: 33F, 1C

June 6, 2011  We are in Quidi Vidi waiting for weather for the crossing.  We reached St. John's after a long run from Trepassey, arriving at 10:30 in the evening.  Communicating with St. John's traffic control was an experience arriving in the dark on the 1st.  We went to the head of the harbor, where the guide said that electricity was available, (unlike the floating docks), only to find out in the morning that the electricity wasn't on for another 4 months.  David the Harbormaster told us we could connect at the floating docks so we moved there in the morning.  When we got to the floating docks we met Jay and Mary Lou on "Screech" from Maine.  They had left their boat in Newfoundland over the winter and had driven up to take it south.  It worked out that Larry and Judy were able to drive Screech's car to Maine and solved the problem of how to get Larry and Judy back to their car in Dundee. Larry and Judy drove me to the airport to pick up a rental car, Catherine and Chris and later Alan, my new crew.  After spending the next morning shopping, we got back to the boat and met Dave Fong on a beautiful Baba 40.  Dave invited Running Free and Screech to his brewery in Quidi Vidi for beers at 4, which we, of course agreed to.  Dave then invited us to use his slip next to the brewery as his boat was being hauled for work.  Quidi Vidi is a tight little harbor, with great fresh water and a calm, wind free space.  Leaving St. John's was trying, as as soon as we had slipped our lines, in accordance with the harbor control, the "Athabasca" one of Canada's destroyers, decided to leave on maneuvers and another ship was hovering in the harbor waiting for the slip to free up.  We, of course, couldn't argue with a destroyer, and ended up putting a new scratch in the gel coat as we maneuvered out of it's way. In this process, both ships and traffic control were communicating with us and at one point I got confused and asked who had just communicated.  The answer was "the ugly ship behind you".  With visibility of less than a mile we followed the Athabasca out of the harbor as they ended up having to stop and reverse to keep from hitting shore.  I believe they were training new crew as their maneuver seemed most unprofessional.  The entrance to Quidi Vidi left rocks on both sides of Running Free about five or ten feet away, making it a big relief to actually get in.  We now have full fuel and water tanks, a full larder and only need winds out of the west to proceed.  Also in the harbor is Sean Moriarity, who plans on rowing to Ireland.  It will be interesting to see if we see him again.

May 30, 2011 Currently Running Free is tied to the wharf in Trepassey while we have 30 knots of winds howling outside with fog and rain.  We made it in two jumps: Fortune to St. Lawrence and St. Lawrence to Trepassey.  We've been greatly enjoying the hospitality of the Newfoundlanders: while in St. Lawrence we met Bill who took Larry out Lobstering early in the am.  When they arrived  back with 7 lobsters, Bill gave us three for supper.  Last night the Trepassey crab fleet came into the wharf to unload and we enjoyed a fresh crab dinner gratis from the fish harvesters.  I thought this was rather amazing as we were much more in their way than anything else.  The friendliness of this rock continues to amaze. Enjoying a lay day yesterday after the 17 hour sail from St. Lawrence we took a 7 mile hike up to the lighthouse and back and couldn't see much due to the fog.  It felt real good to stretch our legs however.  We're hoping to have two days of good weather sometime in the next week so we can take our comfort getting to St. John's.  With luck our next stop will be at Fermeuse just around Cape Race.  With out luck we may be forced to overnight to St. John's in one sail of about 85 miles. I'm hoping to get to the library this afternoon to post this update and don't think I will  be able to update again until St. Johns.

May 25, 2011 I'm on my way with Larry Carpenter and Judy Taylor as crew.  I have been lazy in updating this site as Larry has done such a good job on his site: www.allegro.mncarpenters.net .  Please jump to it to see the story and a lot of great photos by jumping to Larry's links.  Running Free is currently in Fortune Harbour Newfoundland tied to the wall waiting for the wind to go down and the rain to stop.  We hope to jump to either St. Lawrence or Trepassey tomorrow morning: St. Lawrence is about 45 miles Trepassey is about 130 miles.  We will make the decision when we get to St. Lawrence.  We've had two overnight passages so far; from Baddeck to LaPoile included a great wing and wing run down the Great Bras d' Or and an 11 knot over the ground romp through the passage from Great Bras d' Or to the Cabot Straight, (the buoys were at a 45 degree angle). On arriving in LaPoile we noticed our main mast had rotated 90 degrees due to the bolt coming out of the mast at the base. We had also ripped the sail when the clew knot came out.  The fix was much easier than first imagined and we proceeded to Doctor Harbour just past Burgeo after two days.  Doctor's was a perfectly protected, deserted anchorage mindful of the North Channel or Northern Lake Superior, loon calls included.  The next stop was Francois (franzway) Harbour, like LaPoile an "outport" with no roads or cars. We hiked to the top of the mountain overlooking the harbor and saw the waterfalls that feed the waterfalls that ran right through "downtown".  This is one of the most spectacular towns I have ever been in.  We were able to purchase live lobster there for $5. a pound and had a great feast, prior to being told the dock we were on was condemned and likely to be very uncomfortable that night.  We moved Running Free to tie to the ferry boat before deciding that our best course of action was to leave that evening to get to Fortune.  

May 7, 2011 We’re preparing for Carl and Joyce’s longest separation since they got married as Carl leaves for Cape Breton , Nova Scotia , on Monday.  An earlier trip to our boat, Running Free, brought new batteries, solar cells and other supplies to the boat.  Carl also rewired the mizzen mast and patched the bottom paint while he was there.  Judy Taylor and Larry Carpenter are driving up on the 12th to help Carl move the boat up to St. John’s , Newfoundland .   On June 4th,  Catherine McArthur , Chris Belanger and Alan Olson fly in for the crossing to Ireland .  Judy, Larry and Alan are fellow Minnesotans we have known for years, while we met Catherine two years ago in the Thousand Islands area on our way out of the St. Lawrence Seaway .  Chris is a friend of Catherine’s and they are both Canadians.  The Atlantic crossing should take 12-14 days and Running Free will sail about 1,700 miles.   Joyce will be working at her school until June 8.  She & Al’s wife, Beth Olson, will fly to Ireland to join Running Free the 3rd or 4th week in June. 

August 24, 2010. We've been home for a couple of days and find it hard to believe we did everything we did in just 2 months. We sailed Running Free about 1,000 miles through the water from Quebec City down the St. Lawrence River past the Gaspe Peninsula to New Brunswick, to Prince Edward Island and finally to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

We are keeping our boat for the winter in the Bras d'Or Lakes in Cape Breton. The crew at Dundee Marina had our masts and the boat out of the water before lunch last Tuesday, the 17th. We drove our rental car back to the Canso Causeway that evening and realized that it took us less than 3 hours to drive what took us over 3 days to sail. The next day we drove to Chester, Nova Scotia, to see this quaint little sailing town, after meeting a couple from there, who sold us on it. After visiting with their daughter, who owns a B & B there, we drove on to Lunenburg to tour that historic town. On Thursday we visited John Steele who we met in the Caribbean in 1998. John owns Covey Island Boatworks and he let us visit the shop where they are completing the schooner "Farfarer" and also where they are starting on laminating the frames for the "rebuild" of the famous 143' Bluenose II. The Farfarer is an incredible yacht, over 50 feet, and trimmed in exotic woods. It even has a slate galley counter with a large fossilized fish in it's surface. The Bluenose is an icon in Canada, and even appears on their dime. It was a great honor for Covey Island to be one of three companies to be chosen to "rebuild" her. We will be looking forward to hearing about the saga of its' "rebuild".

We found our house to be in good shape after 8 weeks and were thankful for our good housesitter, Heather. On Lake Calhoun, our Escow, the EpoxE, was very low in the water because of all the rain. It took Carl several hours to bail it out before sailing it. It is for sale, if anyone is looking for a fantastic 28' 1955 sailboat in good shape.

August 16, 2010.  We're back in Dundee in the Bras d' Or Lakes of Cape Breton Island. We left here on August 5 and headed a few miles northwest for Clark Cove by Marble Mountain. The dinghy engine worked like a charm as we explored the beach at the base of Marble Mt. We collected bits of white marble to take home. From there we got passage through the Barra Strait bridge and sailed for Baddeck.  It was Race Week there so we dodged the racing sailboats coming into the harbor only to find that all the spots were taken at every dock & mooring in town.  We anchored in The Harbor, a beautiful anchorage, a mile north.  This is where Alexander Graham Bell used to test his experimental aviation & boat models in the early 1900's.  A couple days later, we were able to pick up a mooring buoy at the Baddeck Yacht Club.  

We really enjoyed going to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in town and learning about this interesting & talented man, his wife & family. We got a chance to tie up the last couple of days  at Baddeck Marine & rented a car to drive it along the famous Cabot Trail before going to Sydney to pick up boating friends from last year, Jan Dennis & Brian Beckwith, at the airport.  We enjoyed our visit with them that evening before heading back to Baddeck. 

After Baddeck, we sailed to Maskell's Harbor where we took a mooring buoy.  This is a lovely, well protected harbor.  It was a highlight after that to motor through a long, narrow channel into Orangedale where we tied up to the old town wharf.  We enjoyed touring the Orangedale Train Station museum and the retired Stationmaster, Martin Boston, gave us a great tour.  We enjoyed t-bone steaks purchased in the general store in town which sold everything from soup to nuts, including appliances & furniture.  

So now we are in Dundee about ready to go pick up our rental car.  We'll drive this down to Lunenburg and then to Halifax by Saturday. Our sails are off, the masts come out and Running Free gets hauled tomorrow. We've got airline tickets home for Saturday from Halifax, and are sad to see the end of this summer's cruise.  The Bras d' Or Lakes are a sailor's dream:  hearty winds with small waves, hardly any insects, and lots of beautiful anchorages.  

August 4, 2010  We are very happy to be here in Dundee, Cape Breton Island,  at the marina.  Had a great trip through the Lennox Passage and through the lock into the Bras d'Or Lakes at St. Peter's.  Got invited to a chowder dinner at the marina on Sunday night.  Best chowder I've  had since Bouctouche at Sanquin's.  Have met some fun folks from Shediac, New Brunswick, who are next to us now at the marina.  We're waiting for a "stator" alternator part for our outboard motor.  The outboard didn't work in Little Harbor (about 12 miles away) much to our disappointment as we wanted to go explore in the dinghy.  It's been raining all day so we're happy that this little marina has a good cafe (called The Stuffing Box) and that we're at the dock. Just baked brownies and made lentil soup.  Nice thing to do on a rainy day.

This lake is just beautiful.  It's so nice to sail in waters that are calm with pretty islands all around. Reminds us of northern Minnesota. We'll head up to Baddeck as soon as the outboard gets it's part tomorrow a.m.  We're pretty sure we'll keep the boat for the winter here at Dundee.  The masts have to come down.  Their insurance requires this as three boats have fallen over on their jack stands in the past due to the high winds that go through here in the winter.  The other marinas are following suit too.  So we have about 1 1/2 weeks before we have to get serious and put the boat to bed and leave for Halifax to fly home.   What a summer it's been. We've seen some wonderful places & met so many wonderful people that we now consider good friends who we will stay in touch with.

July 29, 2010  We're in Pictou, Nova Scotia.  It's raining outside with the wind is gusting to 35 knots.  It's very nice to be in a snug marina.  This is where the first Scottish emigrants reached Canada in  1773. A replica of the historic tall ship "Hector" is moored right by us.  We've revised our plans and decided against going to the Iles de la Madeleine because of the time we have remaining and the potential for a couple of grueling passages.  We finally had a passage getting here from Charlottetown, PEI, where we only used the engine for getting out of and into the harbors. We averaged over 6 knots and were happy to go "wing and wing" the whole way.  As we came into Pictou harbor, a small screw came out of our steering pedestal that resulted in locking the transmission in reverse.  When we started the engine to come into harbor to take the sails down, we were going over 7 knots and it was a little traumatic.  Imagine putting your car into reverse at 30 miles per hour.  Carl managed to diagnose and fix the problem, while Joyce sailed through the narrow entrance into Pictou.  This lifestyle does contain its quota of stress.  We toured the Grohmann Knife Factory, the lobster hatchery and the fishery museum here yesterday.  Hopefully tomorrow the weather will get better so that we can sail the 33 miles east to Ballantyne's Cove.

July 25,.2010 We are currently in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, the birthplace of Canada in 1864.  It is the provincial capitol of PEI with a population of 39,000.  It’s been quite a journey since our last entry. We left Chandler, Quebec, at 7pm on the 16th after a fine dinner. We got about 2 hours of good weather before the wind came on our face (right where we wanted to go) and the waves got big. Carl got seasick twice on his watch while Joyce braved it out down below. 22 hours later, after sailing over 130 miles to go 80, we entered into Miramichi Bay and anchored behind an island. We had a beer, Carl took a shower, and right as Joyce was showering, a line squall hit dragging our anchor from 20 feet of water to over 40 before Carl was able to get it reset. We spent a day recuperating and just after leaving the anchorage our alternator belt decided to break. We quickly dropped anchor & Carl put on a new one. We made our way to Bouctouche and joined up there with Gary and Sheila Steeves, who we met while up the Saguenay Fjord. They took us on errands and had us over to their cottage for dinner. Joyce got to do laundry there. We spent a couple of days there prior to a passage to Summerside, PEI, and then another day's passage dead into the wind to Charlottetown where we arrived late aft. to see how PEI boaters enjoy their Saturday nights. After a switch of marinas this morning, we are peacefully enjoying catching up while it rains outside.

July 16,2010 We're awaiting good weather to make the almost 100 mile passage to New Brunswick.  We are contemplating   leaving this pm for a night passage and are hoping for the south wind to leave.  

July 9, 2010 Carl & I are enjoying being on our boat again and traveling the St. Lawrence River.  We are in a quaint town called Matane at their marina.  It's on the south shore and is a little warmer this side with less currents & tides.  We've seen a number of belugas (in the Saguenay Fjord especially) and today on our sail, we saw some dolphins.  Looking forward to seeing some bigger whales.  Tomorrow we'll head about 45 miles East to Ste. Anne de Mont.  We hear that there is a good seafood restaurant there by the marina.  The food has been wonderful.  There is no recession in Quebec.  Very friendly people and they put up with my not so good French. 

July 6,2010  We are back in Tadoussac.  It was socked in with fog the whole time we were up the Saguenay Fjord.  We got out just in time.  We had thick fog in Anse Ste. Jean this a.m. and when it lifted around 10, we left for this village again.  Sure enough the fog was still here.  Good thing we'd been here before but it was still hairy getting into the harbor.  

We enjoyed being 30 miles up the Saguenay Fjord where the mama belugas have their babies in Baie Ste. Marguarite.  Saw them in there as we motored past.  Off limits to everyone by 400 meters.  Endangered  We climbed what seemed thousands of stairs to see a statue of the Virgin Mary in Bay Eternite. 

This quaint town is quite a tourist place as everyone wants to see whales.  They pay to go out in assorted vessels (which have permits to get closer).  Carl saw them on his walk after we docked at the marina in an adjoining bay.  Tomorrow we have a 10 hour run across tides and currents to the south shore city of Ramouski.  Hope to get the Mercury outboard engine working again and get parts for it.  Not fun rowing a inflatable dinghy. 

No recession in Quebec.  Everyone seems to be doing well.  We've been eating some of the best food and pastries.  In Anse Ste. Jean yesterday we got salmon pies that were so exquisite that I went and bought another one just before we left the marina after the fog lifted a bit this a.m. 

July 2,2010  We're adventuring again!  Currently we are in Tadoussac waiting for two hours after low tide to go up the Saguenay River to Cap Eternite.   The tidal currents will only rule our life for a couple more days.  The run from Quebec to Cap a L'Aigle was 72 miles that we averaged 8 knots for while seeing up to 13 knots on the GPS due to the current.  Yesterday from Cap a L'Aigle to here we had the wind directly behind us gusting to 25 knots, quite a run!  We saw our first whales (belugas) and seals but the rules of the sanctuary are such that "if you can see them, you are probably too close.  They want us to keep at least 400 meters from any whale!  Joyce speaks basic French to get by and many Quebecois speak what English they know.  We have had some interesting and fun conversations & have met some lovely people along the way.  The food has been very good & fun to try.  Poutine (french fries covered with brown gravy with white cheese curds), fresh mussels steamed in white wine & herbs, duck confit panini & canneloni & smoked meat (pastrami?) are some of the foods we've tried.  Along with that, plenty of fresh baguettes & croissants!  

June 27, 2010 We've had a busy time since arriving Tuesday. Yacht Club de Quebec has been one great place to stay and we have been honored by them flying Old Glory while we've been here.  We are reminded of the reasons we cruise when we meet incredible people along the way.  Thanks to Denis who lifted Carl up the mast to retrieve a lost halyard, to Lilly who led us in our rental car to Costco for supplies thru over an hour in traffic, and to Peter who drove us back from returning the rental car.  We have also enjoyed the company of Bruno, Claire, and our friends from last year, Joe and Joan, who we had a great dinner and nighttime tour of Quebec last night.   Running Free is back in seagoing condition after replacing one bilge pump, rebuilding the other one, fixing an air leak in our fresh water system, replacing the head sink drain hose (that could have sunk us).   Today sees us off to the marina in old town Quebec prior to travel down the river.

Spring 2010 Finds Carl suddenly retired in October, looking forward to getting back to Quebec and Running Free on June 22nd.  We have paper charts to the Bras D' Or Lakes in Cape Breton Island, NS.  New equipment this year is limited to a AIS (automatic identification system) that should help us identify the larger vessels around us.  We will update our site as time and internet connections allow.

August 6, 2009 We're back in Minneapolis as of July 25th. We didn't take the Amtrak back due to Canada 's train strike so we flew back instead.   Carl's back at work &  Joyce is enjoying a few more days until the STATE FAIR and then school starts. Tom & Rose & Jim & Ellie, the two sailing couples who lived in our home last month, left everything ship shape for our return.  Jim & Ellie are now back on their boat Meta Fog in Nova Scotia & Tom & Rose are now house sitting for Larry Carpenter & Judy  Taylor  who are sailing their boat in Lake Superior this month. Links to their sailing websites are listed above.

Running Free has been left in the hands of Francois Lemelin  and the Yacht Club de Quebec.  While in Quebec City we  benefited tremendously from the friendship of Joe Mainguy  and his wife, Joan Murphy,  who are bi-lingual and Quebec natives.  With Joe's help translating the French conversations in the Custom's office, and with Francois in attendance too, we were able to get our proper permits to leave the boat in Quebec over  the winter.

July 19, 2009 Quebec City is magical!  It is so historic and beautiful. We left Trois Rivieres on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and had a 80 mile motor down river to Quebec City .  We arrived at low tide (as suggested) at 10:30p.m.   We got into the Marina de Quebec's outer basin and within a few minutes the lockmaster opened the lock for us.  It was a strange, almost surreal, experience though as the city was showing a historical video which was projected all along the numerous grain elevators next to the marina. The weird music that went with the video added to the strangeness. There were people lined up along the lock and the whole length of the marina walls.  So, we're in the lock holding the boat steady as she rose up and our boating friend, Brian Beckwith, shouted to us from above the lock "ahoy, Running Free!"   It was music to our ears hearing his voice again. They got here a day ahead of us on their boat " Roving Seas ".  We were pretty exhausted after such a long day of motoring with the East winds getting stronger as we got closer to Quebec City .

We got out of the lock and it's DARK & we're coming into a place we've never been to.  Tons of people so close to us we could touch them as we slowly motored along the wall to the far end of the marina.  It was a good thing the dock boy had a flashlight that he motioned to us with. Bless him and “merci” for being there at our designated slip and catching our lines as by that time it had really started to blow.  We turned off our good old Perkins (very hot) engine and drank beers in celebration of getting to Quebec City , our last destination of the summer.  We will now work on getting the boat stored here for the winter & hope to take the train back to Minneapolis so that Carl can get back to work by August 3.  Au revoir!  Joyce & Carl

July 17th 2009 We've had an incredible time in Montreal .  The Port d'Escale Marina is right below the main tourist street, Jacques Cartier,  in old town, behind the Circusdu Soleil tents. The 2nd day there, after we finished a great lunch of mussels and were walking home,  we ran into our marina neighbors, Brian & Jan, walking down the street. We first met this couple in the Ogdensburg, NY, marina.  What other type of lifestyle allows this familiarity in unfamiliar places?  After three nights of action packed Montreal , we scooted 25 miles and stayed a calm night at anchor near a quaint village called Contrecoeur.  We are now in Trois-Rivieres and are  not looking forward to tomorrow  and our  ten hour day through the Richelieu Rapids to Quebec . City.  We have to time the tide and may get in well after dark.  The best time to get into Quebec City   is at low tide, but the marina we'll be staying at  has a lock that can only be entered at high tide.  That could mean a l o n g  wait before we'll finally be secure.  

The weather has been unusually cool and I've regretted not bringing my long underwear.  We seem to experience rain almost every day.    Our first run in with "French Canada" was anchoring at Valleyfield when they were holding the hydroplane races.  It rained all day and the races were called two hours early,  we were able to get into town because of this.  After returning to the boat, we looked across the channel to see hundreds of tents set up for the celebrations.  Right after sunset the thunderstorm hit, winds to 41 knots, lightning and lots of rain.  I sat anchor watch for an hour or so in the dark.  The next morning, we didn't see a single tent set up.  

We'll try to post some photos in the next couple of days, once we're secure in Quebec City .  Joyce will get her stitches out while there also.  Her hand is healing well after that nasty docking accident in Clayton , NY .  Au revoir!

July 9th 2009    spent all afternoon visiting Upper Canada Village , near Crysler Park   after clearing into Canada this noon .  This is a collection of buildings saved from the flooding of the St. Lawrence Seaway turned into a living village circa 1866.  Our passage from Oswego to Cape Vincent averaged 7.7 knots with 8 to 10 foot seas,  exciting but quite uncomfortable.  The 1,000 Islands reminded us of the North Channel with cabins, castles and homes all over the place.  The Antique Boat Museum was a special treat the day  after spending an afternoon getting Joyce's hand stitched up.  She caught it between a cleat and a mooring line and  it meant an ambulance trip 20 miles upriver to Alexandria Bay 's ER.   A tour of the Boldt Castle and Yachthouse later in Alex Bay was an interesting afternoon for us before leaving the 1,000 Islands for "The River".  

July 4, 2009   We're cruising again!  We left Sodus Bay on July 3, after hearing that they celebrate the 4th on the 3rd.  We wanted to see fireworks on the 4th so are now in Oswego NY only to find out they celebrate the 4th on the 5th.  We leave shortly for Cape Vincent NY and hope to see fireworks tonight.  

We arrived in Rochester on Saturday and were able to paint the bottom and get ready for launching on Monday.  The boat came through the winter fine down below, but was horribly mildewed on deck.  While installing our hot water heater I found the throttle cable was in shreds, and we delayed departure a day while a new one was ordered and then replaced.  Between rain showers we were able to motor to Sodus Bay and had a great Prime Rib dinner at Pappa Joes for $11.  Leaving Sodus Bay yesterday we flew at 7.2 knot average to Oswego in winds just over 20 knots.  We're currently tied to the quay there and after breakfast will leave in winds of 9 to11 gusting 18.

August 28, 2008   We're Home!!  Was it all a dream?  Actually, coming home to a broken water heater, a stack of mail 2 feet high, and a lawn and garden that are totally parched makes it all feel too real.  Running Free is on the hard in Rochester , NY .  We pulled the broken water heater out (it went about the same time as the one at home, go figure), un bent the sails, cleaned, packed and winterized before renting a Buick to drive home. 

 We spent our last days in Canada with our new Canadian friends.  Thank you, Bruce and Lila, for the great time you showed us at your house and the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga .  Thank you, Kim and Sandy, in Whitby , for the great meal at Kim's restaurant and the hospitality you showed us at your home.  

All in all it was a great summer.  The wind was behind us when it blew hard, we never had to beat into it the whole summer.  The worst negatives were the cold and fog in Lake Superior and the day we got hit by a fly hatch in Lake Huron .  We were covered in small fish flies!   The poor economy kept many boaters off the water, so we never had trouble finding a slip, or a good place to drop the hook.  Each lake showed a distinct personality which was fun to discover:  Superior =solitude, Huron=wilderness, Erie =parties, Ontario =yacht clubs and cosmopolitanism.  We are looking forward to learning about Quebec and the Maritimes next year.

August 9, 2008   We're in Toronto .  The sailings been great, the weather cool.  The sail from Port Dalhousie averaged 7.2 knots.  Port Dalhousie is where the next GLCC Rendezvous will be and it should be a dynamite location.  Our computer's USB drives are all acting funky, sometimes working and sometimes not.  This has been very frustrating, and will require some rethinking for next year.  We are enjoying our third stay at Hanlon's Point Marina in the Harbour Islands of Toronto .  We're meeting Sandy Nichol at The St. Lawrence Market.  We met Sandy 10 years ago on our Trinidad cruise and it will be interesting to hear about her later  adventures in China .

August 4, 2008   We've been moving fast.  We're in Dunkirk , NY , in Lake Erie .  Since leaving Prudy & Charlie's, we've stayed a night at the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, Put in Bay in the middle of western Lake Erie (I didn't see one drunk and don't know whether to be happy or disappointed),  Vermilion, Ohio the next day, followed by Cleveland, where we stayed one night at the Edgewater Yacht Club, and the next at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We were there when they opened, and they almost had to kick Joyce out at closing.  It's a fun place, once you realize it's not the artifacts, but the listening that makes it great.  Geneva on the Lake was the next stop.  It was a little bit like the twilight zone in it's '50's feel, small cabins for rent, shops & food stalls more like a Mexican town than Ohio. We arrived in Erie, PA,  just in time for the Annual Corn Roast at the Presque Isle Yacht Club and spent a couple of nights there seeing the sights.  Tonight we're in Dunkirk and will leave for Fort Colborne , Ontario , tomorrow.  The next day we should go through the Welland Canal which will take us down Niagara falls in eight easy stages (locks).  From there it's on to Toronto .  It's looking like we'll leave the boat in Lake Ontario for the winter.  Internet connectivity has become more of a problem so our updates haven't been as frequent as hoped.  Hope to have Lake Erie pictures posted soon. 

July 25, 2008   It's great to renew old friendships.  We are currently  tied up to Prudy and Charlie Billiu's dock in their backyard near Metro Beach just off Lake St. Clair .   Prudy showed Joyce how to bake a cake in a pressure cooker over an alcohol stove in Annapolis in 1977.  We stayed here on our 1998 trip as well, (see our Wisconsin to Maryland pictures).  We'll be hearing the Detroit Symphony tonight with them at Metro Beach and hope to leave on Sunday if our mail gets here tomorrow.  We've been pushing hard since leaving the GLCC rendezvous in Little Current.  A night in Killarney to eat the "best fish & chips in the world", watching a family of otters near our mooring and watching a bear swim across the "cut" right behind our stern was followed by a sail to Cove Island .  Cove Island had one of those perfect anchorages, where the writer of the cruising guide liked it so much they made it much scarier than it is to get in..  Thanks to the GLCC Harbor Reports for getting us in safely.  A short sail from there to Tobermory on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula saw our last day in Canada .  A long day's sail to Harrisville Harbor in MI had us being greeted by Billy and Diane Maier, s/v "Outlandish" who we met in the Chesapeake Bay in 1998.  Diane brought us dinner and the leftovers have served us well.  From Harrisville to Port Austin we motored and spent the night.  From Port Austin to Port Sanilac saw us average over 7.4 knots the whole way:  WE FLEW!!.  Sanilac to Port Huron saw us get the big staysail up and flying.  We actually had it up for over an hour before the wind headed us.  Today's journey from Port Huron was mostly motoring due to the currents and heavy  ship traffic in the St. Clair River.  We were lucky to get down it today as it will be closed periodically over the weekend for the "Offshore PowerBoat Races".  We have seen lots of fast, loud powerboats.  

July, 14, 2008 Life is good!!  It's hard to believe that we are actually doing this.  We've been blessed to have such support from friends, employers, colleagues and complete strangers.  We are currently docked in Little Current, Ontario , where Manitoulin Island 's only road connection to the mainland is.  The Great Lakes Cruising Club is holding its annual Rendezvous, and it's turning out to be a fine party.   After leaving the "Soo" we spent one night in Milford Haven, (whose only claim to fame, other than a protected anchorage, was the bigamist that built two houses in the bay for  the two sisters that were his wives).  From there we went to Bruce Mines and anchored overnight.  This is the spot where the Marquee of Queensbury lived and wrote his boxing rules.  Then on to Thessalon  where we were able to shop and check e-mail from the library using the marina's bikes.  The wilderness part of the cruise resumed with stops at Long Point Cove,  Oak Bay ,  Fox Island Harbour and Benjamin Bay (a great sail with 20+ knot winds).  After  hearing those high winds overnight in The Benjamins, we left the next morning for  Little Current where we had the 'pleasure' of paying over $6.00 a gallon for diesel.  We have a wi-fi connection here and  it has been great fun to do email on the boat and to talk via Skype to friends and family.  

The Rendezvous has 90+ yachts in attendance from 30-55  footers.   Events include dinner dances, seminars on cruising the area, volley ball contests, blindfolded dingy races, a pet show (yes, our birds will be there) and lots of socializing.  Our dock actually has two other Freedom Yachts on it-- we've never seen more than one at a time before.  We will be leaving on Wednesday and going to Killarney, Ont., before leaving the North Channel area and crossing to the tip of the Bruce peninsula (Tobermory)  prior to returning to the west side of Lake Huron (Michigan)  for a while where we will meet up with sailing friends from our previous Caribbean cruises

June 30, 2008   Moored in the Canadian side of Saulte Ste Marie.  We spent most of yesterday racing the 30 knot predicted winds and got tied up about an hour ahead of the the high winds.  The friendly marina crew convinced us to stay over for July 1st. (Canada Day), which has all the local party centered right on our marina.  and we plan on heading down the St Mary's River on Wednesday.   The water temperature in the marina here is a full 27 degrees warmer than Lake Superior and we are looking forward to packing away our long underwear. 

June 26, 2008, sees us leaving Michipicotan Island ( Quebec Harbour ) in a fog.  We arrived yesterday and entered in the fog as well.  Good old dead reckoning has been replaced by GPS Chart plotters and PC's.  It sure makes sailing easier.  While in Quebec Harbour we saw three woodland caribou, a black bear, a beaver swimming by our stern and many loons.  Some locals had put out a salt lick about 100 yards from where we were anchored (by an old fishery) and it provided much entertainment.  We also explored three wrecks partially submerged in the harbor.  We collected assorted agates on Agate Island in the harbor.  The previous day we spent exploring the Otter Head area, anchoring in Otter Cove and running the dingy up for lunch at Cascade Falls .  We later explored Old Dave's Harbour and the lighthouse on Otter Island .  We've seen only 2 small fishing boats so far.  Where are the other sailors?

May 12th sees Running Free in the water with hull polished and bottom paint touched up.  The new furnace turns out to overheat, so will take some time to get used to setting it on medium when we are cold.  Our home on City Dock is being renovated, so we are temporarily at the Apostle Islands Marina on D dock.  Cleaning and rigging are next on the agenda.

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