2023 Cruising Season start

 June 18, 2023

Well, here we are in a new cruising season! Haven’t done any cruising, but we are getting lots of work done on the boat. We will be making a late start for traveling on the boat this year.

So far, we have spent quite a bit of time on the boat at Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina, where we feel at home. We bought the boat here in 2017 and have returned quite a few times in the years since. This year, we stopped by on our way home from Key West. We lived in the camper while we (mostly Dan) accomplished some needed tasks.

We headed home with the camper in mid April. Gena wanted to spend some ‘normal’ time there before we started on what promised to be a crazy time. Gena’s two oldest grandchildren and one of Dan’s grandsons were graduating from high school – in three states over a period of a month! First up was Rylan, in Dahlonega, Georgia. This happened the Thursday before Memorial Day. We drove down in Gena’s car, stayed in a hotel for a few days. Laura, Rylan’s mom and Gena’s daughter, had divorced her husband several months before, so the dynamics of the visit were different (MUCH better, easier!). We enjoyed the visit, and left on Sunday of the holiday weekend to get back home.

Back home in Michigan, we went into full prep mode, since Gena had volunteered us to have a joint graduation party at our house the following Sunday! Declan, Travis and Lisa’s son, graduated on Saturday, June 3. Laura and her two sons, Rylan and Brody, came from Georgia for a jam packed few days. Laura grew up in Michigan and rarely gets to visit, so all her best friends and Michigan family were eager to see her and her sons.

The party, on Sunday, went off without a hitch. We had rented a tent, table, and chairs. Gena prepared a taco bar, Travis and Lisa brought the cake, finger sandwiches, beer, and ice. About 50 family and friends came. The party was to be an open house, from noon to 4:00 p.m. Most of the folks who came enjoyed seeing everyone, and stayed through the whole time. There was plenty of food and drink. There was a group of friends from church, family from all over southeast Michigan, my niece and her daughter from Massachusetts, and, of course, Laura’s friends. Gena had hired a young woman to handle the kitchen, replenishing, cleaning, and serving, which worked great. Laura and the boys had to leave the next morning. Gena and Dan had to hit the road on Tuesday, to head to Virginia.

flowering plants everywhere in our back yard!

time to make the garden look its best - LOTS of mulch!

mulch ready to be spread

lovely flowering almond from Dan's mom's house

the trio, Laura and her two son's, Brody (15) and Rylan (18)

cool sculpture depicting history of the town of Dahlonega, GA

The graduate and his mom and brother

Grandma Gena, Mr. Dan and Rylanb

I just enjoyed my yard's flowers - usually not home to see them!

Alium and a cool lawn sculpture

peonies!

Graduate #2, Declan, with his brother, Isaac, and Sister, Ella

Declan with proud mom and dad

time to party!

Dan and Gena with all five of her grandchildren!

cousins!  Kelly, Scott, Heather, Travis, and Laura

Laura and her boys in Michigan

First up, in Virginia, we had a few days at the boat to get some projects underway. We actually went on a very minor cruise to take the boat to Tiffany Yachts in Burgess, Va. for some scheduled work. We headed to Chesapeake, Virginia, where Dan’s grandson Jared graduated. We stayed in a cute Airbnb, and had some time with each of those grandsons before the graduation. Great visit.  We attended grandson Jared's graduation, did a little touristing.

Mom, Annie, Jared, Dad, Chuck, and Eric

Eric and Jared, brothers

Annie with her two boys, Jared and Eric

Jared with mom, Annie

Jared with Dan, Gena, and Grandma Dee

Jared with Gena and Dan

Jared, the happy graduate

scene from Olverson's Marina

Grandson, Eric, was moved to salute!

cool sculpture in downtown Norfolk

flora in Jamestown

monument in Jamestown

church in Jamestown

Park Ranger in Jamestown

view of the river from Jamestown

excavating site at the dig in Jamestown

period model of the farm in Jamestown

statue of John Smith, founder of Jamestown

scale model of the farm

lovely old treed area

"Dinghy Butler" installed

our dinghy on the Dinghy Butler

Then, done with all family events for a while, we were free to get back to the boat. Many of the tasks had been at least started, all had been scoped out. Fortunately, we were able to live on the boat for the remaining time at Tiffany.

Here’s what we had done:

1. The water tank, located under the bed, had been leaking for quite a while. We weren’t sure if it was the tank itself or the connections. Turns out it was the connector, which is probably easier to fix. Another issue was that the tank ‘senders’ have never worked. These tell us how much water is in the tank. Additionally, Mark, technician from Tiffany, fixed an issue that had plagued us from the beginning. Bayliner had ‘cheaped out’ and only installed one vent with a T connector for both tanks. All is now fixed and functioning properly!

2. We had bought and shipped to Tiffany a “Dinghy Butler”, a stainless steel structure with an electric motor. It was installed on our swim platform and holds the dinghy. This is a real life improvement – prior to this, the dinghy sat on top of the boat with a crane to lift it and put it in the water. It was really difficult to get it down and put it back. Consequently, we almost never used it. Now, with the push of a button, the dinghy goes into the water and back up very easily. Can’t wait to put it into use this summer!

3. One of our toilets was not working right. Mark, the same tech that fixed the plumbing with the water tanks, was able to make some simple adjustments to get it working again. Dan plans to rebuild the innards this winter, but, in the meantime, it will work fine.

So, while we are ‘chomping at the bit’ to get underway for our traveling this year, these fixes and enhancements will greatly enhance our boating life!

We have adjusted our plans for cruising for this year. With a couple of weeks less time, we will still have plenty of time to do a large portion of our long awaited Canadian exploration. Plus, we settled on a plan for putting the Kittiwake away for the winter. Rather than try to return her to a location where we can leave her in the water for the winter (MUCH cheaper), we will store her at Winter Harbor, a marina located on the Erie Canal. There, she’ll be in heated indoor storage. Next spring, once the Erie Canal opens and the expected debris is cleared, we will be close to where we want to start our journey for the 2024 cruising season.

Here’s our cruising plans for 2023. We will continue from here, up the Chesapeake Bay, down the Delaware Bay, up the east coast to New York City. Continuing through NY Harbor, past the Statue of Liberty, up the Hudson River for several days to Lake Champlain. From Lake Champlain, we’ll go to Ottawa and to Montreal, two cities that should be really fun and interesting to see. From there, we’ll go down the Rideau Canal, which other folks who have done this trip say that the Rideau was their favorite part of the entire Loop and Canada. The southern end of the Rideau is at Lake Ontario. Across Lake Ontario to the Oswego Canal, which takes us to the Erie Canal and to Kittiwake’s winter home.

So, there you have it. Once we can leave Tiffany Yachts (work is done, but looks like weather will keep us here at least one extra day), we’ll return to Olverson’s. There we will install some batteries that are waiting there, store the car, and FINALLY get going on our trip! Stay tuned for pictures and stories of our travels. I promise to do better than I did last year at posting pictures and narratives timely!

August 8, 2022- cruise to Olverson's Marina in Lottsburg, Kittiwake's winter home

 We cruised the two hours to Olverson's Lodge Creek Marina on August 8.  This is what feels like our home marina.  We bought Kittiwake there in the Fall of 2017, spent a few weeks getting some things done, adding our own dishes, linens, other things that make it our home away from home.  We also winterized all the water lines, since she would be sitting in the water all winter.  They do get some cold weather, but usually it is only short lived, a few days. 

I left Dan working on the boat and traveled to San Diego to visit with a dear friend, Laura Gogola, who had Stage 4 cancer.  She had moved there from Michigan to be near her daughter.  I'm so happy I had the opportunity to make that visit - Laura passed away just a few weeks later.

My return trip from San Diego to Reagan Airport in D.C. was interrupted in Denver, when my connecting flight was cancelled.  That's ok, I know someone who lives in the area, my sister!  Unfortunately, she was not at home, but my brother in law was there and welcomed me.

Dan and I rented a car and traveled home to arrive before Labor Day.  We had a big outdoor dinner for my whole Michigan family on Labor Day.  We do enjoy traveling, but it's always good to come home, too!

Later that month, my good friend, Peggy, and I traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan for an event called "Art Prize".  Art work is displayed across the city, mostly downtown, from people all over the globe.  Amazing works!

The rest of the Fall was spent at home, nesting, reading, planning our next cruising season!

August 7 to 8, Reedville, Virginia

 After a two hour cruise, we arrived in Reedville, Virginia, on Virginia's "Northern Neck".  We were able to dock at Crazy Crab, a very nice restaurant.  We had a nice dinner, had the opportunity to visit with the owner.  They are now only open three days a week.  According to the owner, he is doing better financially only being open three days a week, than when he was open for seven days!

The town has some beautiful old homes, and a very good ice cream place,  Chitterchats.  Of course, we had to sample the ice cream!

August 6 to 7, Tangier Island

 We first visited Tangier Island on our initial cruising time, 2019.  A truly unique place with interesting people and history.  Mr. Parks was the owner and operator of the 'marina'.  Charming man, in his late 80's at the time.  It turned out to be a sad occasion for us, because our beloved American bulldog, Max, had had an almost drowning event in Crisfield, Maryland before we came to Tangier Island.  We had to leave Tangier in a hurry to get him back to Crisfield and to a veterinary hospital, where he died a few days later.

Anyway, this time at Tangier Island was a totally different experience.  Mr. Parks, sadly, had died the previous year.  Apparently a younger relative is running the marina now, but there was only a box where you are to place your dock fee.  The docks are in terrible shape.  There was very few spots where our boat could fit, and someone on a small fishing boat had blocked access to the best spot.  We opted for a shaky dock, where we had to pull in bow first - makes it difficult to get on and off the boat.  Electrical connection seemed to work.

The island has not been prospering in recent years.  I'm sure Covid had a huge toll.  The one grocery store was closed.  The two restaurants near the docks were closed.  We did go to the more 'fast food' place and had a bite to eat and some ice cream.  We biked around the main part of town, but, having seen it all the last time, we decided we didn't need to spend any more time there.  If we come back, we will probably not bring the boat, but leave it in the very nice marina in Crisfield and ferry over to the island.

I feel for the folks that live there, some for generations.  Until they started allowing tourists to come, only a few decades ago, the livelihood of the residents was fishing.  The island is literally washing away, losing land every year.  It may not be here at all in 50 years.  

From Tangier Island, we cruised 3 hours to Reedville, Va. on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay, on Virginia's 'Northern Neck'. 

August 4 to 6, Onancock, Va.

 After about a 4 hour cruise, we arrived in Onancock.  We enjoyed this cute little town for 2 nights and a full day.  As is our habit, we explored the town by bike, then had a meal or two to sample their restaurants. 

On Saturday, August 6, we cruised to Tangier Island.

August 3 - 4, Cape Charles, Virginia

 We finally got underway after being stopped in Norfolk, Cobbs Marina and Morningstar Marina, getting the Kittiwake all spiffed up and ready to cruise again.  While at Morningstar, we got to see our friends from earlier in the cruise, Tony and Donna Lagera on the Tranquility Eh!  We always enjoy their company!

Cape Charles is one of those charming small towns on the Chesapeake Bay, this one and the next stop, Onancock, on the eastern shore.  We explored the town on our bikes, had a couple of meals, viewed some nice artwork by a local artist.  Our time in this marina was marked by the only time in the entire ownership of the Kittiwake that I fell into the water!  Not hurt at all, just had a Laurel and Hardy moment when I went to go from boat to wet dock - boat went one way, I went into the water!  Climbed out, a little embarrassed, changed clothes and went about our merry way!

Next stop, Onancock (love the name!).

June 20 thru end July, Norfolk and trip by air to Colorado and Oakland

From July 4 thru end of July….Family time! Also, more time at Cobb’s  Marina with boat on the hard.

(Anyone not in my family or having any particular interest in our big family event in Colorado or our trip to California may just skip the next ten paragraphs!)

 We took a very early flight out of Norfolk to Denver, Colorado, arriving  around 9:30 in the morning (I did say we left Norfolk really early!).  My sister and her husband, Janice and Craig, were having a big, fancy party on July 8^th to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.  It was a great excuse to get all our kids and their kids in one place for a few days…The last time that happened was for my dad’s memorial service in 2012!

Dan and I rented a house in Evergreen, Colorado, about 25 minutes and 2,000 feet in elevation away from Janice and Craig’s Morrison home. The house was perfect, with beds and enough privacy for our three families.  My four grandsons had a bedroom in the basement with 4 single beds, including one bunk bed set.  My 6’3” grandson, Rylan, really didn’t fit on these beds, but he seemed fine with a comforter on the floor in front of the TV in the game room!  The game room was a popular place, with pool, air hockey, darts, and TV.  My daughter, Laura, had a queen bedroom on the lower level too.  We gave Travis and Lisa the master suite, and we had another king bedroom with ensuite bath on the upper level.  My granddaughter, Ella, decided to sleep on the sofa in the living room – only problem there was the big windows and skylight that couldn’t be covered in the mornings!

We had a great time, with Travis taking on the chef’s role, with me, the mom, the sous chef!  We cooked a couple of breakfasts and one dinner for just our family.

With two minivans for our families, we managed to have some time with Janice’s son, Daniel, and his three ‘littles’ (wife, Meehan had appointments).  We went to a park in Golden, then to eat in downtown Golden.  The best times for spending time with my offspring and with Janice and Craig’s (22 of us!) was a couple of evenings in their house and yard.  Janice and Craig ordered dinner for us all there at their home.  With Christy and Lewis (Janice and Craig’s daughter and SIL) only able to be there for a couple of days before the soiree, having that time in the evenings gave us much better opportunities to just be together.

The long awaited event came off beautifully!  Open bar, beautiful venue, dinner, and dancing – All us women came wearing fancy dresses, and the men all had jackets and ties.  Janice and Craig had worked with an instructor and had practiced their dance to a special song they had chosen.  The whole evening was spectacular.

Beautiful rainbow to cap off the evening!

My son, Travis, his wife, Lisa, and my daughter, Laura

Following the big event, we had just one more day together.  We enjoyed it, and then said so long to both my kids and families on the 10^th.

From Denver, we flew to Oakland, California – Dan has a grandson, Alistor, who is turning 1 on July 31.  This is our first time in meeting him and also David’s girlfriend, Tori.  We arrived in Oakland on Tuesday, and had decided to spend 3 days in San Francisco, reserving the three day weekend coming up. 

Dan is a member of the Marine Reserve Association, which means we can stay at their San Francisco hotel!  The facilities are top notch, and include a 3 hour Happy Hour (free drinks) and very nice breakfast (both free) every day!  Our room was spectacular!  When we arrived, our room was upgraded to a suite at no further charge.  I’ve never stayed in a nicer room!  Very high ceilings, 4 person dining table, leather chairs and couch, smaller easy chair and light for reading in the corner.  The bed was on a raised platform.  The bathroom was very nice.  I wanted to stay there forever!

We enjoyed doing some touristy things in the city, took a jump on/jump off tour, which introduced us to areas of the city that were new to us.  We spent some time on Fisherman’s Wharf, took the ferry to and from Sausalito, and toured the cable car museum.  We rode the cable cars several times.  It’s an amazing system, and the only working system of cable cars in the world!

After our three days, we moved to a hotel in Oakland close to David and Tori’s apartment.  After a brief bit of awkwardness with Mr. Alistor (5 minutes), he decided I was ok.  He’s a happy, healthy little boy with lots of personality!  We did some “touristing” with the young family both days we were there, had a couple of nice dinners.  Mostly, we just enjoyed that little boy!

OK!  Resuming the narrative about our sojourn in Norfolk!

We returned to Norfolk on July 18, hoping that work on the boat had progressed.  We really hoped to be able to put the boat in the water on the 19^th, have the carpet cleaned on the 20^th, and move out of the hotel on the 21^st.  Well, not so fast, Dan and Gena!

The good news: the bottom paint (2 coats of primer and 2 of hard paint) was complete.  Looks wonderful!  The new swim platform and new brackets were received from the manufacturer right after we got back.  Then, the next week nothing really was done to work on the swim platform.  It was beastly hot every day – Dan and I would go to the boat, climb the 10 foot ladder, spend a couple of the ‘cooler’ morning hours doing tasks on the boat.  I mostly was the gofer and the holder – Dan is the power house worker. 

Then, the old swim platform was taken off – Great!  Now the new brackets can be mounted!  Not so fast!  It took several days for the guys to measure and drill the holes in the brackets.  Finally finally, after spending all week and all weekend mostly twiddling our thumbs, they started mounting the brackets on Monday.  We really really hope to move out of this hotel room on Friday, the 29^th. 

Before we can put the boat in the water, they have to be finished with the swim platform.  Plus, the props for the boat were removed and reworked.  They’re ready to be put back on.  We also bought a new propeller for the aft thruster – that has to be put on. 

So, as of today, Monday, July 25, 2022, that’s where we are.  Living in a single room, where we have cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.  We go out every night for dinner.  Friends Tony and Donna, on Tranquility Eh!, were close by, and we picked them up and took them to dinner a couple of nights.  We visited friends here in town.  We went down to Chix Beach, one of Dan’s old hangouts for dinner and people watching.  Mostly, we’re doing what we can on the boat until the heat gets to us, go back to the room for relaxing (Gena) and nap (Dan), then out to dinner and early bed.  Cannot wait to get back to our home away from home, the Kittiwake.

Finally got the boat back in the water on July 30.  Propellers reworked, bottom painted, new swim platform, repaired a bent portion of the rub rail, some fiber glass repair.  Our first 'cruise' was about 100 yards to the Morningstar Marina!