Boat Transport Date = June 14, 2012

We're set to have the boat trucked up from Lake City Marina (Minnesota) to Barkers Island Marina in Superior, Wisconsin (next to Duluth, MN).  This puts us on the western tip of the Great Lakes.  Our plan is to leave for the North Channel of Lake Huron via Lake Superior and the Soo during the last week of June, and hook up with the Trailer Sailors annual cruise by July 14.  ["Bound For", not "Going To".  Our mileage may vary...]

Let's do launch

Ihana is back in the water.  We launched today in winds gusting to 40 knots! Made it only to the Lake City Transient Dock; too wild to attempt the passage back to her slip in the other harbor.

Paperwork - an unbelievable amount to get ready for our trip

·      US Coast Guard Documentation for the boat (& cancel Minnesota title)

·      Permanent USCG Documentation numbers inside hull; and homeport displayed on outside of hull

·      Minnesota Boat Stickers (to show state tax paid, so we don't get stopped on the East Coast)

·      Boat Operator Competency Tests & Certificates (to operate boat in Canada for more than 44 days)

·      FCC Ship Station License (for international VHF and other broadcasting)

·      FCC Restricted Radio Operators License (ditto)

·      International MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) number – to program into VHF radio for DSC (Digital Selective Calling) for emergency rescue and ship-to-ship private conversations

·      EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) purchase and registration – for automatic sending ID & position to satellites for dire emergencies when out of VHF ship-to-shore range

·      AIS (Automatic Identification System) purchase, installation and registration – to send/receive position and identification to/from other ships

·      Satellite Phone – purchase; set up on-shore pre-paid minutes plan and e-mail VPN (Virtual Private Network) to send/receive/store/forward e-mail

·      GRIB (GRIdded-Binary) reader – for display of weather information (wind, wave, weather charts)

·      Weathernet subscription – source of GRIBs and other weather-related information

·      Marine Weather Center – to receive generic and custom weather forecasts

·      US, Canada, Bahamas – Customs and Immigration forms, advance registration (?) and procedures; country courtesy flags

·      Boat insurance – expand to cover areas beyond inland rivers

·      Boat towing – expand prepaid unlimited towing contract, to cover Great Lakes and oceans.

·      Join Great Lakes Cruising Club

·      Renew Seven Seas Cruising Association membership

·      HAM General Class License (probably will not)

·      US Coast Guard Captain's License (probably will not)

·      Drivers Licenses renewal (while out of state)

·      Prescriptions for medications for offshore medical emergencies (including seasickness)

·      Cell phones – extend calling plan to include Canada; other for Bahamas?

Homeport on Ihana

Homeport installed yesterday in howling Spring winds - now we are legal as a USCG documented vessel.

our story so far ---

4/7/2012

Crew location: 045 deg 02' N,  093 deg 08' W - Roseville, Minnesota 

Boat location: 044 deg 26.98' N,  092 deg 15.79' W - Lake City, Minnesota

4/5/2012 New bottom paint

We spent the day putting a fresh coat of VC-17 on Ihana's hull and keel.

3/26/2012 Bound for ... [the dream, so far]

       Very tentative sail plan:

Early June - boat hauled to Barker's Island Marina, Superior WI

Late June to mid August - Sail from Duluth/Superior to the Soo to North Channel of Lake Huron

Mid July to ? August - Sail North Channel & Georgian Bay

Late August to mid Sept - Trent-Severn Canal (Lake Huron to Lake Ontario)

Mid Sept - Cross Lake Ontario, Erie Canal

October - East Coast: NY, NJ, DE, Chesapeake Bay

October to November - IntraCoastal Waterway to Florida

December, January - Florida, esp. Keys

February to March - Cross Gulf Stream to Bahamas

March to May - @ Bahamas

Late May to Very Early June - cross back to Florida

June - TBD

  - Don't believe all of this. It's a plan, not a promise.

  - Your mileage may vary ...

3/26/2012 Stress

I'm cracking up, what with all I have to do to get ready for this big sailing adventure.  At least we have a hauling and launch date set, and a "must sail by" window date for late June (if we are going this year by the northern route).  At some point, we have to say "hell with it" and go anyway.  I'll be glad when we are finally underway and can't do all this stuff anymore - see previous posting for TO-DO list

3/26/2012 Work to do on the boat

   Got a few more things to do on the boat before we set sail:

            ----- In progress:

*install Forced-air diesel heater

*Bottom paint - strip off VC-17, put on new paint for salt-water; pay the Barnacle Bill ...

*Home Port decals for hull

*AIS [+ VHF antenna or splitter]

Assemble books and charts

Get Weather software: GRIB, readers, downloaders

Trent-Severn Canal webinar

            ----- To do - @ boat:

*USCG registration numbers on hull (epoxy)

* Home port decals on; MN numbers off

Fix Y-valve on holding tank so it's inoperable (epoxy)

Install Motor holder for dinghy

Install extra engine overheating alarm

*Buy Spare engine parts: oil & fuel filters, impellers, raw water screen, fan belt

{when mast is down} LED lights for masthead, running lights, head

{when mast is down} add cleats to bottom of mast

            ----- To do - @ home:

Cruising Lake Superior's South Shore webinar

Buy Diesel Fuel filter funnel

*Cell phone booster antenna

*Satellite phone & buy time

*Third reef in mainsail

*get 2nd folding bicycle

Charts & Cruising Guides - Great Lakes, Atlantic, Bahamas

Download GLCC Port Guides for Great Lakes

Make Cushion for seat at helm

Assemble all official travel documents; make copies

Buy Cases for books and travel documents

Change boat insurance for Great Lakes, Atlantic, Bahamas

Change BoatUS Towing to include oceans, offshore

Pelican case for MacBook Pro

*EPIRB

*New PFDs with harness, auto-inflating

*Tethers for PFDs

*Jacklines

*Fortress or other third anchor

Radar reflector

Sling for raising dinghy onto deck

Bahamian courtesy flag

Aft pole for U.S. flag

Stacking pot set

Get GLCC Burgee

            ----- Probably not:

SSB radio, antenna, tuner, counterpoise, PACTOR modem

Honda 2000 Watt generator

Big round fenders

Spinnaker

Ham Radio - General Class license

Sonar

XM radio & weather-subscription

            ----- Should but might not:

Storm jib & trysail

Drogue

Watermaker

Modify boat cover to accommodate radar pole

AED

Landing Loop - for catching Pelican Poles

Pelican hooks for fore lifelines

Sextant & Nautical Almanac

            ----- Done:

*Windlass

*Chartplotter

*Radar

*NMEA connections: VHF radio, chartplotter, [for AIS]

*USCG Certificate of Documentation

anchor chain & rodes

Additional 110 VAC outlets

Replace cabin lights with LEDs

Fan in aft stateroom

Look Bucket

Logbook

FCC Ship Station License & Restricted Radio Operator license

Join Great Lakes Cruising Club

Marine Weather book

Bonnie Dahl's Lake Superior Guide, 4th edition

2/28/2012 "If not now, when?"

Hillel was a famous Jewish scholar who lived from 30 BCE (BC) to 10 CE (AD).  He had the right idea ...

2/7/2012 s/v Ihana

Our new boat

2/7/2012 Planning the trip

We bought the s/v Ihana, new, in September 2009.  Since then, we've been planning, upgrading, learning, and particularly spending money to get ready for our long sailing trip to Florida and the Bahamas.  This is particularly involved since: a) the boat is in Minnesota; b) the boat needs to be equipped for extended inland and offshore cruising; and c) the crew needs to figure out what to do, where to go, and how to do it.

2/7/2012 Plan A - Great Lakes / East Coast Route

IF this option - leave home in June 2012.

Ship boat from Lake City MN by truck to either Superior or Marinette, Wisconsin.  Leaving Superior entails 350 miles crossing Lake Superior to the Soo.  Leaving Marinette entails 150 miles crossing Lake Michigan through the Straits of Mackinac.  Then North Channel of Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Trent-Severn Canal to Lake Ontario, cross to Oswego NY, Erie Canal, Hudson River, south on the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway to Florida, cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

2/7/2012 Plan B – Rivers to the Gulf

IF this option: Leave Lake City (MN) marina in late August 2012.

Motorsail south for 772 miles on the Mississippi River, up the Ohio River to the Tennessee (or Cumberland) River, sail Land Between the Lakes, TennTom waterway to Mobile AL.  Follow the Gulf Coast eastward across the Florida panhandle, cross the Big Bend to Florida's west coast, down to the Keys, cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

2/7/2012 Plan C – Ship the boat to the Gulf

IF this option, leave Minnesota in October 2012:

Send the boat ahead by truck to somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico. Follow the Gulf Coast eastward across the Florida panhandle, cross the Big Bend to Florida's west coast, down to the Keys, cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

2/7/2012 Plan D – Stay home

or forget it, stay home [or RV around the USA]