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We were underway at dawn.  Cold, clear and crisp weather.  The Marseilles Lock is about an hour downstream.

Unfortunately the two mile diversion to the lock from the main channel was frozen up.  We  made it about half way in before it turned completely solid.  So we waited for a tow to come through.  And waited.  It’s now past dark and there hasn’t been any traffic.

I wasn’t keen on spending the night in an icy main channel, so we retreated back to the fuel dock mid-afternoon.  We’re now plugged in and settled in for the night, and the dogs have been out.  The plan is to get underway tomorrow when we see traffic.

All is good aboard.  Dean has been prepping great food, mostly on the small charcoal cabin heater.  When it warms up a bit we’ll get the big grill mounted outside.  The dogs seem content.  They are German short haired pointers, mother and daughter, and they’ve been Dean’s constant companions.  Very well trained, capable and smart dogs.

I was a bit bummed sitting around all day, but we’re not in a big rush, and have a plan.  Looking ahead I don’t see any insurmountable challenges.  The icing is (I think) local to this lock.  It’s staying cold for two more days, then above freezing for two days.

We got underway at 0800 in wet snow, and stopped at dusk at Spring Brook Marina, where we are tied to the fuel dock.   39 miles and 3 locks, with a 2 hour wait at Dresden Lock. 

It got above freezing long enough to clear the decks of snow, which is good because now the temperature is going down.  Tonight’s low is forecast to be -12C, with cold clear weather for the next couple of days.

We’re eating well, and are staying warm.  All good.  Hoping we don’t encounter ice in the coming days, but warmer weather is due later in the week.

All is good.  We’re tied to a rough wall just above Lockport Dam.  Generator is running on shore, and the boat is toasty warm and cozy.  Dogs have had a run.

Today was the usual last minute scramble.  We couldn’t find the engine key, and when we found it the engine wouldn’t run properly.  After adding fuel and conditioner and bleeding it started up, and has been running perfectly since. 

The next challenge was ice.  Coming out of the O’Brien lock we hit heavy ice, and spent a couple of hours crunching through it at about 2 knots.  A tug had been through earlier, so it was broken up, but still tough going.  Big chunks about 2″ thick. 

I checked the ice reports for the waterway, and that was the only area mentioned, so we pressed on.  The ice disappeared after a few miles, and it’s been clear since.  Phew!  Fingers crossed that we don’t hit more later this week, as it’s forecast to cool down.  But after tomorrow we’ll have a more relaxed schedule after getting through locks that are closing soon. 

Tomorrow we continue at first light.

Thanks to Rick Haislip for the photos.

We launched this afternoon.  The yard guys have been amused.  First launch of 2025.

Dean has been on a sprint to get some mods done like the big arch and swim platform.  Tonight will be his first night sleeping on the boat.  He has two dogs as well.   This is their new home.

For heat we have 3000w of electric powered by a 3500w gas generator, and a solid fuel Dickinson heater.  And two biggish dogs 🙂  Lots of fuel.  Things got up to temperature quite nicely today.

Tomorrow we leave. 

Happy New Year!

To ring in 2025 I’ve agreed to go on a river trip, taking the boat above from Chicago to Nashville with the owner.  We’re leaving this weekend.

Why now?  There is a lock closure starting next week, and the Illinois Waterway will be closed to through traffic for a couple of months.  The owner is keen to go south by water rather than trucking the boat. 

I think it’s doable but cold.  Having second thoughts just writing this post, but the prep list and plan seems OK.  Dean the owner does cold weather motorcycling and has a heated suit. 

More to come…

Escapade is in the shed in Chicago.  The sailboats are put to bed in Guelph. 

It’s a big shed, obviously.  You can see the pilothouse in the second picture.

I’ve been home since the end of October.  It’s nice to reconnect with family and friends, and I’ve been doing lots of choral singing and tackling some other small projects.

My next boating adventure is coming into view.  Susan and I have booked a narrowboat in England for a month starting mid-March.  This has been high on my list since my reconnaissance trip two years ago.  We’re both  looking forward to that trip. 

No other winter boating plans, but definitely some plotting and scheming about 2025 and beyond.  Watch this space!

I had a pleasant and uneventful trip back.  Four long days, with overnight stops at Mackinac Island, Frankfort and Muskegon and a lunch/fuel stop in Manistee.

Escapade is tied up at Crowley’s for the rest of the season, and I’ll be hauling the boat for the winter here in early November.

We came in here yesterday, and Susan left this morning to fly home to Toronto and I’ve done some provisioning and maintenance today.

It’s been lovely relaxed cruising the last few days.  I’m hoping that Susan will post more pics once she sorts through them. 

I’m beelining back to Chicago from here.  Weather continues to be spectacularly nice – sunny and calm – so it looks like no issues getting down the lake.  I’ll take the MI side down.  Tomorrow I’ll head out early. 

Here are the few pics I took since leaving two weeks ago.  Mostly boats.  That’s an old C&C Redline.  Saw lots of Ensigns around Cedarville.

Government Bay, MI, USA

It’s Susan writing again. It’s Tuesday night, and Jeff and I are anchored here in a quiet spot, looking forward to watching the presidential debate tonight.

It’s been a couple of days since my last guest post. Here’s my update on #boatlife on Escapade.

If the Calumet River was all about the herons (great blues and egrets abound), then these past few days travelling from Sturgeon Bay have been all about the Great Lake lighthouses. They are quite beautiful but are also a visceral reminder of how treacherous these waters can and have been.

Although I have an illness that causes anxiety, I have been remarkably relaxed. Part of it is the sheer joy I have gotten from watching the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets every day, but really, it’s because of Jeff.

First of all, Jeff has logged more than 30,000 km on Escapade. Secondly he has years of experience studying winds and waves. Most importantly he has been checking in with me to make sure I’m good on a regular basis.

So we safely navigated Lake Michigan and crossed the Straits of Mackinac yesterday. We anchored last night off Mackinac island, a quaint car free island. This morning we went ashore to explore the island. We climbed the stairs to have an amazing vista of the lake including the bridge, and see the Grand Hotel. After lunch and a very brief dip into cold water, we made our way here.

We’re heading for Canada tomorrow and will noodle our way to the Sault….

It’s Friday night and we are in Sturgeon Bay, having arrived about 5:30 yesterday. From the outset, we planned to stay here two nights due to unfavourable winds (an excellent call).

We watched 2 club races last night – courtesy of the Sturgeon Bay Thursday night sailing club – from a great vantage point at anchor.

As might be expected, I took lots of photos, and made a point during one race to capture each of the 7 boats as they rounded the second mark.

One of the boats was a gorgeous wooden Dragon whose lines appealed to me. It turns out this particular boat was built in 1958 in Norway. How do I know this? While Jeff and I were out earlier today, the Dragon racers left a note asking us to share our photos of them. They even provided freshly made ‘Door County’ scones. I had already sent 25 photos to the yacht club’s FB page, but sent them 4 shots of them racing as requested.

The windlass failed as we were leaving Manitowoc. Jeff manually retrieved the anchor and subsequently took the windlass apart. He successfully diagnosed the problem and fortunately a local machine shop was able to provide the new part today.

The weather looks good for our departure tomorrow as planned. We head for Bailey’s Bay, although we may go further if inclined.

Here’s some pics from the last 2 days. Lots and lots of amazing low lying clouds…

Susan