Throw Off The Bowlines

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Time to Leave Bayfield

After successful shakedown trips with grandsons, it was getting time to leave Bayfield for our destination of the North Channel.   Many of our cruising friends consider The North Channel their favorite cruising grounds.  It’s been on our list of places we want to cruise for several years.  The excitement was mounting to throw off the bowlines and explore another area!

Bayfield As Our Spring and Summer “Home”

But leaving Bayfield after making it our home for the past 4 months was bittersweet.  We had spent a month in a cabin while working on Meraki’s refit during April (a cold April). Then from May to July we primarily lived aboard Meraki at Port Superior Marina.  Whether visiting with friends on the docks, shopping in town, enjoying open mic night at Backstage, or using the local library, it all contributed to the feeling of “home”. Now it was time to shove off and head to the North Channel. We knew this time would come, but it was still hard. 

Motorcyclists Visit Meraki

Wait!  But first, let’s have a few more family visitors on Meraki.  Our three sons and one of our sons-in-law take an annual motorcycle camping trip.  This year’s trip was to Herbster, WI which is close to Bayfield.  The cyclists stopped by to see Meraki and what we’ve been up to the past few months with her refit.  They all agreed that Meraki is more spacious and comfortable for daily living compared with our past boats. 

Jordan’s Visit

Our son Jordan didn’t need to return to the cities as soon as the others. After the group broke camp and the others headed home, Jordan joined us for a little sailing time on Meraki.    

The weather cooperated to go for an afternoon sail together. 

At the dock, some friends stopped by to meet Jordan.  One asked, “Have you been sailing long?”  “Since I came (at age six), I’ve been sailing with my parents”. 

Tony then told one of our favorite stories about Jordan just a few months after arriving from Haiti.  He was still learning English while living on our boat in the FL Keys for the summer.  We went snorkeling and Jordan was very excited to tell me about the “people fish” (scuba divers) he saw! 

Speaking of childhood sailing memories, I handed Jordan a well-loved cat’s cradle string to see if he remembered how to make Jacob’s ladder and other string figures.  Playing cat’s cradle was a favorite activity onboard when our kids were younger.  With a quick refresher from the book, he did!        

Jordan had hoped to stay the whole weekend, but with a forecast for rain and storms, he headed home earlier than planned to ride in good weather conditions.  As sailors, we frequently check and adjust plans due to the weather.  Doing the same for cycling is smart.  We’re glad our guys prioritize safety and riding smart!  That doesn’t discount the idea of “once a mom, always a mom”.  I asked Jordan to text me once he was home. He was a sweetheart and kept us updated on his ride. 

It’s Almost August

With successful shakedown trips completed and no more visitors planned, it was time to depart.  We already had extended our stay at our slip for a month.  If we didn’t leave soon, we probably wouldn’t go this summer. 

One More Shakedown

We thought it prudent to take one more brief shake-down trip in the Apostle Islands to ensure all systems were good to go.  During our couple of days of motoring, sailing, and anchoring in the islands, we believed everything was working well.  We checked the weather for our upcoming route along the south shore of Lake Superior and prepared to go. Anchored at Big Bay on Madeleine Island, we were staged for an early morning departure. 

Oh My! It’s All Black!

We took a swim (cruising mode language for we took a bath), charted our route for tomorrow, cleaned the cabin, and stowed all the loose items.  Before heading to bed, Tony checked the engine room.  I heard “Oh My! It’s all black”.  It’s never good to hear “Oh my!” from the engine room. 

“What’s all black?  Is it supposed to be black?”  He shined a light on the floor below the engine. I saw it was “all black”.  It was oil, a lot of oil.   

Tony cleaned it up and then we used a phone to take a picture of the underside of the engine to see what was there.  Then there was talk of an oil leak, tools, and not sure about this type of fitting.  I gathered from this conversation that we would not be leaving for the North Channel in the morning. 

Back To The Marina

Being so close to the marina, it made sense to return and figure out the repair there. “Should we arrange for a tow back?” “Or, can we sail as far as possible and then use the motor very gingerly to get into our slip?” 

We watched the gauges diligently and were prepared to shut the engine off quickly and manage the situation if needed.  Our trip back went smoothly. We rounded the point by red buoy #4, watched the birds hover over a returning fishing boat, and then docked in our old slip without incident.

We’re Back! 

Back in our recently vacated slip (thank you Ragtime for letting us use it again), we asked if any marina mechanics were available. They were busy which makes sense with it being the end of July.  

We talked to some of our marina friends about our situation. What a happy coincidence that Jim “Ohio”, knew exactly what we explained because he had the same thing happen on one of his previous boats.  Between his help, a run to the hardware store, and another boater lending us a specialized tool, Tony was able to accomplish the repair in one day.  Don’t you love it when things come together so nicely?!       

The next morning, we waved goodbye to our dock neighbors as we backed out of our slip. This was our “take 2” for leaving the marina.

Big Bay Anchorage, Again.

Anchored at Big Bay, we went through our ritual for the night before leaving on a long passage.  We took a swim (which serves as getting showered), talked through our passage plan, checked the weather, stowed things down below, put hot water in the thermos for coffee in the morning, and set our alarm for an early, early morning wake-up.  And we checked the engine room – this time it looked good! 

We’re ready to go! Goodnight. 

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