We already limit our time based on my husband J's work schedule. He sings regular shows each Sunday and Wednesday night, so this year we are driving down to Lake Erie on Monday and coming back on Wednesday. We have a couple of longer stays planned, but this is the routine for much of the summer.
This year, J joined the Board of his neighborhood association, so we have to miss one week in June and July so he can attend the meetings.
Last week, I was helping produce the annual awards ceremony at the local theatre where I serve on the Board and volunteer at everything from performing to selling tickets, to writing grants, etc. J was singing and DJing at a wedding the same night, so we went our separate ways. We are not good at that - still newlyweds, at heart - hopefully forever.
Then J took a couple of guy friends down to the boat for a few days, returning after I had left for a few days up North with the ladies from my USTA tennis team. He says I misled him about when I was going, but I think he just was not listening when we discussed it. Now, after a weekend getting reacquainted, except when he left to work on one of the rental houses, we are at the boat.
I was dreading it a little since J said the Mayflies arrived last week and were out in force while the men were here. They had to clean them out of the boat repeatedly and keep the
screen over the hatch.
I wanted to show you a picture and found a web site and Facebook page labeled The Mayflies of Lake Erie. This man is blowing dead mayflies off his deck on Pelee Island in Canada directly across Lake Erie from Port Clinton a few weeks ago.
We were pleasantly surprised to find things pretty clear at our yacht club - only a few bodies around to remind us of the swarms. Good timing for me!
The guys left without pumping out the "bladder" so J went to the marina to do that. Funny, before we bought Duchess, I never knew boats had bladders. At least it beats dumping the portable potty we had on the last boat! Going to the marina requires a trip through the drawbridge, which goes up every half hour, so some strategic timing is involved. You also have to watch out for the Jet - the ferry out to Put-In-Bay.
I was sending an email to my pet-care-giver since I discovered around Ann Arbor that I left my purse at home. Sounds Freudian, huh? Now I cannot drive, or pay for anything. Just hope I do not get carded trying to buy a drink...
When he gets backs, hopefully on the next half hour raising-of-the-drawbridge, we are sailing out to Kelley's Island. We love it there - fewer people than Put-in-Bay, but a great place to swim, hike, explore and kick back.
Summer has arrived in force with 90 degree temps expected for the next few days, only cooling into the low 70's at night. We have a new air conditioner which worked great when we checked it out in May. But using it requires us to be docked and onshore power. At Kelley's we like to anchor in the bay. Should be interesting.
(Pause here. I did not finish during the trip. Now I am back home.)
We made it to Kelley's Island right at sundown. We sailed most of the way, but had to turn on the engine for the last part to try to get in before it was completely dark. We had dinner on the way - green salad with tomatoes, avocado, green onions and grilled salmon. We eat very well if we plan ahead. Lots of fruit for snacking and dessert - apples, nectarines, bananas, watermelon and pineapple, all so fresh. Yum!
We watched the night sky and listened to the evening sounds. J commented on the noisy frogs - we did not remember them being here before. We fluffed our pillows, pulled light blankets over us and settled in to sleep in the cockpit under the stars!
I made it until about 3 in the morning when I felt rain drops. I retreated to the aft berth. J lasted longer but by morning he was inside too.
The morning sky was a little iffy so we checked the marine weather station. First thing we heard was "All vessels seek safe harbor!" A storm was headed our way from Detroit with lightning, hail and heavy winds. The warning was going to last for the next 2 hours. We hauled up the anchor and headed for the nearby 15 minute loading dock and tied up for safety.
There were four or five people fishing from the small cement dock and they were curious about our move. Imagine my surprise when we turned on the radio again to learn that the storm has dissipated and the warning was withdrawn. All in less than half an hour!
We had our coffee (J makes the best cappuccino ever with a stovetop pot on the propane stove each morning!) We hung out for a bit and decided to head back a day early since the weather report was iffy each day and J had to be back at work the next night. We sailed toward South Bass Island as long as we could, then turned directly into the wind and turned on the engine to make it back to our home port. As usual, J had a great time at the helm.
Being back at the dock felt secure and the yacht club has a great bar. We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner and watched a movie before calling it a night. Next morning we took our time with coffee and fruit for breakfast. Then we checked on the old boat which is being stored on shore nearby, and headed for home. Another fun, unpredictable trip. I cannot wait to come back!
