Sail Far Live Free

Thursday (Oct. 8) was the day I dread every year...the day the boat is hoisted from the water and put on the hard for half the year. But that's the trade-off for boating in the beautfiul and abundant waters of the Great Lakes. Island Bound was hoisted with North Shore's travel lift, powerwashed and set snuggly on her storage cradle for the long winter hibernation. I went back out on Saturday and winterized the engine (hopefully!), the freshwater system and the head. I also removed the sails and secured all lines and halyards for the winter. All she needs now is her cozy shrink-wrap blanket!

Now that fall has officially arrived here in the Great Lakes, I thought I'd make a quick post to review our first season aboard s/v Island Bound . Incredibly to us, we actually spent significantly more nights aboard IB than we did on Hannabel. On average, we were living on the boat 5 out 7 nights per week. And once again, the dock life and community was amazing. We became close friends with several other boaters on our dock and look forward to continued friendship through the off-season. After several daysails and another run at the 8+8 rally with IB to get to know her a bit, we first headed south back to Eldean Shipyard in Holland for two nights in late June. The trip back was a blast with 25+ kt winds, 6'+ waves and a small craft advisory! Island Bound handled the quartering seas wonderfully and cruised us back to Grand Haven on a fast (6+ kts) broad reach. My mom and dad picked up the girls in Holland and drove them home via automobile just to be safe. In July we head...