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
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]
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