Bon Voyage in style

Last weekend @ CC&P's cottage on MBI, we met some of Cheryl's new friends: Mo & Em. We can see why Cheryl has adopted them; they are sweet & fun. They are celebrities too, working for one of the local TV news stations. When Mo saw our boat & heard our plans for the summer she wanted to report our story. We eventually agreed to let her interview us because we respect & trust her. Mo did not disappoint us, she aired a nice piece about our upcoming adventure. This is the link to our video interview. It will only be available for a couple of weeks. It was aired on WTOL, Toledo Fox News, May 29. 

http://www.toledonewsnow.com/story/22453123/local-couple-spends-4-months-on-superior?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8939421

To review: I'm (jan) retired, Doug is on a four month unpaid leave, our boat's name is Day Dreams. We will be traveling with Garry, who was retired & now does consulting from the boat & Jacque who just started her 4 month leave of absence on Friday, their boat is a sister ship to ours & her name is Waterford. So we both are traveling in Kadey Krogen 39 Trawlers. Our dinghy covers are different color so you don't confuse us; we have the navy canvas & Waterford has tan.

We moved to the boat on Thursday; after weeks of having lists of items to take care of, it felt really weird to be all done and ready to go. There is not an empty spot on the boat, oh wait, yes there is; Doug's engine room has some floor space left, but he refuses to let me put any of my "stuff" in his engine room. Doug had a few chores to complete on the boat, but he still had time to nap. Of course he had to make one last trip to West Marine. They are going to miss he & Garry. 

To see us off, our wonderful friends planned a fun Bon Voyage party right @ our Marina. Party planners were: Jeri, Patty & Cheryl along with their muscle: Jerry, Ray & Craig.  We have the best friends anyone could ever imagine. We had a tent with sides for rain or shine and even a great DJ; Preston (Patty & Ray's son) and Paul (Cheryl & Craig's son), Jessie & Kendall as his assistants, they played all of "our" favorite party music (oldies but goodies). Luckily they  refused to play The Edmund Fitzgerald song, but Gilligan's Island had some air time.  If you ever need a great DJ, Preston is available for hire, he has all the cool electronics. We were presented with a bed sheet with many of our dear friends pictures emblazoned on it. There was alot of talk about everyones positions on the sheet according to who would be lying where-hmmmm. Will we use it as a top sheet or bottom one? We'll never tell! There was tons of food, really good food. There was dancing, singing & even a conga line with noise makers. It's a dangerous thing to give the girls a microphone. Over 50 friends attended to wish us calm seas & a safe voyage. We're sorry to have missed those that were unable to attend. Thank you for a great time & more wonderful memories.  

The best friends a gal can have

We will miss you, You will miss us!

 

DJ Preston & assistants

Our wonderful cooks

Some of Doug's great family

Jan. Paul Douglas & Doug

After all the good-bye hugs & kisses mixed with a few tears (i know, we're only going for the summer), the next morning we left the dock @ 8:00 AM. Air temp was 65 degrees, water temp 67, winds  blowing 22 knots out of the southwest. Experienced our first mayfly sighting this morning. We're leaving at the right time, sure won't miss those smelly, crackly bugs. Waterford lead the way out of the Marina. We had a nice ride, we stayed in the pilot house,even though it warmed up to 71 degrees outside. 

Detroit Harbor Light

Niagara on the Detroit River

Niagara in front of Renaissance Center

Windsor Caesar's Casino

Jefferson Beach Marina

 We arrived @ Jefferson Beach Marina around 4:30, stopping @ the fuel dock.  We traveled 55 nautical miles, averaging 6.5 knots speed, slower than normal because we were against the current. You all can bike faster than that. We tied up in two of their transient docks & already got a taste of the low water issue. Doug was maneuvering into the well slowly when the boat stopped suddenly on its own because the front of the keel hit mud. No problems, no damage but we weren't even all the way into the dock. So that's where we stayed, our tail end hanging out a bit from the end of the dock!  By then it was 5:00, cocktail hour. Garry & Jacque joined us & we toasted to our first day of our adventure. We walked up to the Marina's restaurant; the Tin Fish, nice big place, even has a night club & a great outdoor patio. Enjoyed a good dinner and a early night to bed maybe due to too much partying the night before. 

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Sent from Jan's iPad