CAPTAIN'S LOG

Mary Lou blogged a summary of our trip. It was a great trip, and we can hardly believe it is over. We still wake up in the night thinking about where we will be going today and if the windows are closed since it is raining....and all it has done is rain since we arrived in Findlay. We stumble around in the night trying to find the bathroom and we have not gotten use to our king size bed.
We had some great days and we also had some trying days; but on a whole it was a great trip. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else but my first mate of 47 years. It was tough for her to be away from friends and family for a year, and at times I know she questioned why she had signed on for this crazy year-long adventure, but she did and I know she is proud of our accomplishment.
I remember going up the Hudson River past Troy and the turnoff to the Erie canal , and I know she was thinking we could be home in less than 10 days if we turn left. Instead we proceeded north for another 6 weeks. I think I saw a tear! Having the children join us the last couple of weeks of our trip saved my skin.
We met a lot of great couples, but not a lot of fellow loopers. We started later from Florida then most and our route to Montreal is one not traveled by many. We did meet a lot of boaters and everyone was wanting to discuss our adventure, let us use their car, or give us any help we might need.
The boat, Cruiser 455, performed beautifully and made a great home and guest house on the water. It was amazing how you can live comfortably in 400 square feet for a year. You begin to question the need for the big house we live in and our closets full of clothes. Direct TV kept us in touch with the world and the computer kept us in touch with many of you. We are still getting NYC channels on the TV so we watched CBS,NBC, FOX and ABC for most of the trip. Reading was confined to chart books, Waterway Guides, Skipper Bob books, etc as we plotted our course. I don't know where the time went!
For the skippers out there, Mary Lou and I have tried to pull the technical details together for the trip;

DETAILS....................SOUTH...................NORTH....................TOTAL
Miles Cruised.............. 2598....................... 3255..........................5854

Engine Hours.............. 154.......................... 234.............................388
Days on the boat.......... 63.......................... 107.............................170
Days at sea................... 31............................ 57...............................88
Ave. mph................... 16.8........................ 13.9.......................... 15.08
Ave. miles/day......... 83.8........................ 57.1.......................... 67.29
Ave. eng.hours/day... 5.0......................... 4.1............................. 4.6

Ports visited.............. 31........................... 59............................... 90
States.............................................................................................. 19
Countries..US & Canada................................................................. 2
Locks....................... 24............................. 87............................... 111

FUEL
Diesel gallons......... 3457................... 5004............................. 8461
Costs.................... $9744............... $15,523........................ $25,276
Cost/gallon......... $2.819................ $3.102.......................... $2.987
Miles/gallon........... .752..................... .650.............................. .692
Gallons/mile.........1.33...................... 1.54.............................. 1.44
Fuel cost/mile.....3.75.................... $4.76 .............................$4.32

MECHNICAL
Replace fresh water pump
Replace forward shower pump
Replace generator impeller
Replace fan in rear cabin air conditioner, and drain and recharge unit
Cruiser repair leak in cabin caused by improper installation of the window shield.
Regular oil and filter changes, plus new zincs in Atlantic City

LOST/REPLACED
2 welcome mats...usually left on the dock
1 fender...came off as we were cruising
1 pc. of canvas...captain didn't zip it in one evening
Special note...we did not loose a docking pole, although Stephanie let one take a swim in a lock

AGROUND/PROPS
We went aground in our slip in Canyon Club Marina in Cape May. We were told no boats had used the slip for some time and it silted in. It was low tide and once the tide came in we floated off. We left on a rising tide two days later with no damage.
We damaged both props while backing into our assigned slip at Aylings Marina in Merrickville, Ontario on the Rideau River. The marina took no responsibility; but three days later we noticed an orange container floating where we hit the rock. Repair costs $4800 and three days. This was one of my biggest disappointments, since my objective was to do this trip without hitting a prop. Even though I don't feel it was my fault...the captain is responsible for the ship.

MAJOR CITIES VISITED
Chicago, St. Louis, Miami, Baltimore, NYC, Montreal, Ottawa

SUMMARY
During my business career I have visited every state and most major cities, but seeing them over the bow of our boat was a totally different experience. To pull into the New York Harbor and pass Lady Liberty, as many immigrents did, was a thrill I will never forget. ML must of taken 30 or 40 pictures.
To watch fireworks on a quiet evening, or enjoy one of 50 or 60 great sunsets from the boat, makes you wish for more tomorrows.
To get to know our neighbors to the north and their history pointed up a real weakness in our education system. A lot of their early development was undertaken to defend themselves from their southern neighbor.
To have people stop you and want to know how did you get from Ohio to here was almost a daily happening...ML can even explain how we got there.
To spend time with people on a 104 foot boat and others on 27 foot boat, and find they all have the same love of the sea and adventure no matter what the size or type of boat they are on.
To meet an individual who is traveling 14,000 miles on a jet ski, by himself, so as to reach his dream to reclaim the world record, makes our accomplish seem small at best.
We have boated Lake Champlain and the Chesapeake, and they cannot hold a candle to the Great Lakes and the North Channel...not so sure about Lake Erie.
It is great to be in our home port with friends and family...but I must say I miss waking up to a new sunrise and a new adventure of the day.