Sail Far Live Free

The name Pere Marquette is more than just a great salmon fishing river in Northern Michigan. The name itself comes from Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan’s first European settlement in Sault Ste. Marie and later also founded St. Ignace in the Straits of Mackinac. Jacques Marquette is now more commonly referred to as “Pere Marquette”. He was a very successful and influential missionary to the First Nation's people of Quebec and Native Americans in Michigan. Apparently there is some debate about where Father Marquette died, but many historians believe it was here along the banks of the river near a hill in Frankfort. I came upon a historical sign telling a bit of his story while walking to the lake shore on Friday morning. Although he was buried in St. Ignace, Father Marquette may likely have died here in Frankfort.

Dad left Island Bound on Wednesday in Ludington, so now it was my turn to try some solo cruising for a couple of days to see how far north I could get the boat before my wife and kids joined me for the rest of the journey. I woke up around 5:30am on Thursday morning and left the dock at about 6am. Winds were 10-12 knots from the northwest, so I was forced to motor around Big Point Sable. As I rounded the point, I put the sails up since my course would now be more northerly and I should be able to sail close hauled. I put a single reef in the main because the NOAA forecast called for some wind gusts to 20 knots and I wanted to be prepared for the conditions before they arrived. Island Bound didn’t seem to mind the reef because she made between 5 and 6 knots, even while sailing so close to the wind. Even though I’m single-handing this portion of the cruise, I’m not the only crew member. “Otto” our autopilot (Autohelm ST1000) does his job very well. He never complains, he never gets ti...

Our journey has officially begun. Island Bound departed North Shore Marina in Grand Haven on Monday, June 7th at approximately 6am and headed north. Onboard were myself (Kevin) and my dad. My dad was coming along as crew for the first day or two, then I plan to single-handedly cruise for a couple days and then s/v Island Bound will pick up her permanent crew (Erin, Hannah, Isabel) and the four of us will continue on. The weather on Monday was sunny with winds building throughout the day to around 10-12 knots out of the northwest. Waves were calm early, but built to 2-3 feet by mid afternoon. My dad and I motored north of Grand Haven at about 5 knots since the wind was too light for sailing. We had out a fishing pole with a North Port Nailer and Dipsy Diver, but didn’t catch a thing. The air temp was in the 50’s and we were both wearing sweatshirts, wind jackets and beanie caps. Dad at the helm After motoring for about 2-3 hours and 12 nautical miles, the engine bogged down ...

With most of our pre-cruise work completed on Island Bound , it was time to more thoroughly inspect the rig.  This of course means going up the stick if the mast is stepped.  If you're a sailor, sooner or later you'll need to make a trip to the top of the mast, either for inspections or repairs.  Our (first) time is now! The goal of the ascent was to retape the speader boots, install a portside flagline and inspect the shrouds, stays and sail track.  We used our climbing harness (Black Diamond Alpine BOD) instead of a bosun's chair. The main halyard was used as the primary uplift and one of our two wire-to-rope headsail halyards was the back-up.  A bowline knot was used to secure the main halyard to the harness, instead of using the shackle.  The shackle was also connected as a precaution. We had to use the shackle on the back-up (genoa halyard) because it's wire-to-rope and can not be knott...

Our long list of pre-season tasks is nearly complete and s/v Island Bound  is back in the water where she belongs.  This spring, we completed the following: - Added stainless steel anchor locker pipe to bow - Added anchor locker latch in v-berth - Replaced spinnaker pole topping lift - Added a turning block to the bow for the pole downhaul - Re-stitched the bimini top - Sanded, cleaned and applied Cetol to exterior teak - Cleaned and oiled interior teak - Refinished the tiller with Cetol - Added a primary automatic bilge pump - Replaced cockpit scupper drain hoses - Installed new Uniden depth sounder/transducer - Refastened the shroud caps - Acid washed, polished and waxed the hull - Repainted the yellow cove stripe - Add new license numbers - Applied new VC-17 bottom paint - Replumbed the holding tank - Added sternrail outboard motor storage bracket - Added hailing port to the transom - Added a radar reflector - Added a second flagline to the p...

Spring has been busy thus far.  Among a growing list of among about 45 tasks to be completed prior to launch, refinishing the bottom of s/v Island Bound was the first to be completed.  She has been historically bottom-painted with VC17m from Interlux, so I decided to keep things consistant and used the same paint.  VC is a bit unique among bottom paints in that it's not ablative, like so many are.  VC comes in quart sized cans with a bag of copper powder (copporous oxide) in the cap that needs to be mixed with the liquid contents of the can before application.  VC is a very thin, smooth paint and therefore does not need to be sanded down and removed before applying a new coat.  You only need to spot-sand patches that are peeling or showing through.  VC also dries extemely quickly, so you don't want the can sitting open very long and you don't want to leave paint in the roller tray.  As an alternative to a...

Sailing is addictive.  There's something about riding the wind and the waves that makes the destination matter very little, but the journey matter a whole lot.  Maybe it has something to do with the way sailing makes you slow down and breath in the world around you.  Out there on the blue there's no internet, no cell phones, no bad reality television, no dramatic news headlines, no hands racing around the numbers on some clock on the wall.  There's only the wind, waves and your dreams. Two of my favorite songs lament history's progression from wind driven vessels to steamships...and now more exotic power like gasoline, diesel and nuclear energy.  Jimmy Buffett sings "Watched the men who rode you switch from sails to steam..." in A Pirate Looks at Forty. Michael Snell echoes Jimmy with his lyric "the steamers have whistled her days to an end..." in The Last of the Leelanau Schooners. The answer is obvious to the question of why p...

I went over to check on our boat yesterday, making sure the cover was still secure and that all was well with the cradle. After my quick inspection, I took a walk to the Lake Michigan shoreline and out the north pier at Grand Haven.  As much as I despise the snow and cold, there are times when I find myself in awe of the Earth's beauty during the long Great Lakes' winters.  Walking down the pier had me feeling like I was in Neil Armstrong's shoes as I stepped and tripped over strange shaped ice boulders while wearing the spacesuit most of us in Michigan call winter attire.  Even with water temperatures barely above freezing and icebergs bobbing about, Lake Michigan still beckons my adventurous spirit.  My mind drifted as I imagined 19th century wooden schooners making lumber runs up and down the lake in weather just like this. I thought I should post a few photos just so all of you sailors living in smaller latitudes than I don't take it for gra...

The North Channel is a sailor's paradise on Lake Huron in the Canadian province of Ontario.  The channel is overflowing with picturesque islands, crystal clear blue waters and superb wilderness.  This cruising area should be on every Great Lakes sailor's short list of top destination.  We originally considered the North Channel as a destination when we hatched our plan for a 3 month summer cruise in 2010, but ruled it out because of the distance and isolation.  Distance and isolation in and of themselves make the North Channel appealing in many ways.  However, for us, having a 28 foot boat and two young daughters (ages 4 & 7) made the distance and isolation serious considerations.  After doing some research and speaking/emailing with several fellow cruisers and a few staunch North Channel advocates (thanks Rolland !), we've decided to again consider the North Channel for our 2010 itinerary. In addition to the previously mentioned research and conve...

We currently carry a 13lbs fluke (Danforth/Fortress style) as our primary anchor and an 8lbs fluke as our backup anchor. Here in Lake Michigan, we typically anchor in sand, mud, and weedy bottoms (in that order). We have 20' of chain (not sure the size) attached to our 100' rope rode. We also carry an 8lbs mushroom to send down the rode as a messenger for extra weight if needed. We've always done just fine with the 13lbs fluke anchoring for a couple hours or the occasional overnighter in good weather. However, during our 3 month cruise this coming summer we hope to anchor out at least half the time. I expect many of the bottom types to be as above (sand/mud/weeds) but know of a few anchorages where rocks/boulders will be prominent, particularly around Garden Island. I'm considering picking up either a 22lbs or 33lbs claw/Bruce-type (Lewmar Horizon) anchor to act as our primary anchor. Will this be adequate for a good night's rest and peace of ...

As I sit down and gaze at the nautical charts, GPS maps, and guide books for various ports I am warmed by thoughts of exploration for the summer of 2010.  Even though my body is in our home office on this cold January day, my spirit is sailing throughout the blue waters of northern Lake Michigan.  Who says you've got to head south to get to the islands?  We've got North and South Manitou, North and South Fox, Beaver, Garden, Hog, High, Gull, Washington, St. Martin, Horseshoe, Poverty, Summer, St. Helena and Mackinac Islands all plugged into the waypoint list on our GPS.  It's a special feeling for an islomaniac (one who has an irresistible attraction to islands) to know that s/ v Island Bound will be living up to her name in the near future. We've found a couple of websites that have been very useful in the charting/planning stages of our Lake Michigan cruise.  1) OpenCPN  - Awesome fre...

Having grown up boating and enjoying the waters of Lake Michigan, I can truly say that the great lake has played a major role in shaping who I am. I thought it would be appropriate to give the lake some press here in my blog and introduce her to those who aren't familiar.  What follows is my brief background of Lake Michigan. Around 18,000 years ago, the Laurentide glacier dominated the lanscape of northern North America, covering most of Canada and a good portion of the United States.  The glacier was 2.5 miles thick at some points.  As the Earth's atmosphere began to warm, the Laurentide glacier started to melt and retreat northward.  The Earth's surface was scraped and scarred from the glacial movements, carving out the Great Lakes basin.  The meltwater from the retreating glacier slowly filled in the lakes.  Perhaps the first people to enjoy the intrinsic values of Lake Michigan were the Hopwell Indians....

Winter in the Great Lakes always brings plenty of time for self-reflection and deep thought.  I've been spending a lot of time contemplating our probable sailing voyage through upper Lake Michigan that is planned for the summer of 2010.  Of course, thinking of spending so much time on the boat cruising and all of the prep and planning that goes into such a cruise makes me also think about longer future voyages. A lot of my winter thoughts are inspired by the many photos, paintings and quotes that adorn my home office in the basement.  I'd like to share a somewhat lengthy quote I have hanging above my desk.  The words go right to the heart of any wannabe cruiser (or should I say voyager? - read on).  The quote is from Sterling Hayden's autobiography titled " Wanderer ". Here's the quote: "To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest.  Otherwise, you are doomed ...

I just realized that we never formally introduced our dinghy.  We actually purchased her in 2008 back when we had our first sailboat, s/v Hannabel.  She's a Sandpiper 8 rowing dinghy made of a plastic polymer.  The girls quickly christened her "Lil' Coconut", for what reason we do not know.  However, now that she serves as the tender for s/v Island Bound, the name somehow seems appropriate. Lil' Coconut is small and tippy.  She barely has room for two adults, though we've rowed her with two adults and both kids aboard.  She looks a lot like a bathtub and quickly fills with rainwater.  However, she makes up for her faults with her snooty sheerline and shippy looks.  And she does row pretty well. We haven't decided if Lil' Coconut will come with us on the summer cruise for 2010.  As mentioned above, she's a little too small for the four of us, particularly when we plan to be anchoring out the majority of the time and will likely need the...

We just finished a long week and weekend of snowy weather.  The kids didn't complain, as they had 3 days of cancelled school piggy-backed onto a weekend.  However, the first big snow event of the year left me yearning for some Great Lakes sailing.  What did I do to warm my soul?  I watched this:

Now that the Great Lakes sailing season has come to an end, we've been spending some time geocaching as a family.  If you don't know what geocaching is, read on.  If you do know what geocaching is, read on to find out how it's useful for sailors. Geocaching is quite simply a world-wide treasure hunt using a handheld GPS unit to located treasures (caches) that random people have placed in hidden locations all over the earth.  You simply log in to the geocaching website  and find the coordinates for caches that are near your location or near a location you plan to visit.  Then you plug the coordinates into your GPS and away you go!  The GPS will only get you so close.  You'll need the inquisitive mind of a child to find many of the treasures.  Sometimes they are buried, sometimes they're in a tree, sometimes they're disguised.  Most are held in watertight containers and have a logbook.  The general rule is that you should leave something...

s/v Island Bound is now cozy and snug in her blue shrink wrap for the long winter in the Great Lakes. We simply used the boom for a tent from over the after section and the spinnaker pole (attached to the mast and bow pulpit) for a tent over the foredeck. I wish the marina would have made a couple of vents in the wrap for airflow, but I can always add them next time I'm over at the marina. Now that she's wrapped, the winter boating season has officially begun for the crew of Island Bound. We'll now commence with the dreaming, scheming and and planning for next year's cruising in the Great Lakes.

Nothing is carved in stone yet, but we're very seriously contemplating a 2 or 3 month cruise of northern Lake Michigan and the Mackinac Straits for the summer of 2010.  Such a Great Lakes cruise would be a great way to "test the waters" and see how well our family adapts to living-aboard for an extended period while cruising. At this point in the planning/contemplating stages, the itinerary is wide open, but here's a sample of how the route could look: Grand Haven - White Lake - Pentwater - Ludington - Lake Crossing - Manitowoc - Two Rivers - Door County (multiple ports) - Washington Island - Fayette - Manistique - Beaver Island Archipeligo (Beaver/High/Garden Islands) - St. Helena Island - Mackinac City - Mackinac Island - Harbor Springs - Petoskey - Charlevoix (1+ week layover in Horton Bay) - Grand Traverse Bay (multiple ports) - Leland - Manitou Islands - Frankfort - Portage Lake - Pentwater - White Lake - Grand Haven. Wow...that's a lot o...

Have you ever been out for a lazy sail and wished you could step below for moment to grab a cold drink or perhaps a pair of sunglasses but you couldn't leave the tiller unattended? Davis Marine makes a product they call a " Tiller Tamer " that might help in such a situation. The Tiller Tamer is essentially a clamping device for a tiller control line. It is constructed of durable, hard plastic with stainless steel hardware (screw/hex nut). The Tiller Tamer mounts directly on top of the forward end of the tiller handle. If your tiller is made of anything other than wood, you may need to fabricate mounting hardware or forego the Tiller Tamer all together. The device is mounted via two wood screws. The control line (1/4" diameter provided) is then run from the stern corners of the cockpit to the Tiller Tamer. I personally used jam cleats mounted directly in the fiberglass of the cockpit's stern to anchor the control line. You could also use cam cleats or other me...

Now that the sailboat is out of the water and hibernating until spring, my mind has started to wander and wonder.  One of my passions is adventuring, which seems to have manifested itself in my life in the form of sailing and backpacking.  So I started to wonder, other than adventure, what the common theme is between sailing and backpacking.  Erin & I approaching the summit of Mt. Shasta Both activities require and reward self-sufficiency.  Cruising many miles from land on a sailboat, you have nothing except the wind, the waves and that which you brought oboard.  So it is with backpacking in the wilderness.  All you have is the trails, the trees and that which you have in your pack. Good offshore, bluewater sailors know that they must be competent in many skills.  On a long passage you need to be your own mechanic, navigator, doctor, chef and any number of other professions.  Again, when you're on a long wilderness ...

Just thought I'd make a quick post to share the stormy fall season on the Great Lakes and specifically Lake Michigan. Back on September 28, 2009 we had a major storm come ashore in Grand Haven. The NOAA forecast called for a storm warning with 50kt+ winds and 15-20 foot waves. I don't know the actual wave heights or the wind speeds that day, but I can say that I've never seen more wind or bigger waves on Lake Michigan than I did that day. Check these videos for a better description than words can provide: And lastly, 20 degrees of heel in the slip:

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...

Ok, so it's been waaayyyyyyy too long since I've made a blog entry. But hey, I've got a good excuse: We've been busy enjoying our new boat. That's right, we reluctantly sold our beloved Hannabel and moved up to a Caribbean themed Irwin 28 MkIV named "Island Bound". Let me introduce you to our new girl. Here are her vitals... LOA: 28'5" LWL: 23' Beam: 9' Draft: 4'6" Displacement: 7,800 lbs Ballast: 3,000 lbs She's got everything we want in our "next boat". The list includes straight shaft inboard, furling headsail, standing headroom, plumbed head, functional galley, plenty of storage and a bit more speed. So far we've cruised from Muskegon to Grand Haven, raced in the Grand River Sailing Club's 8+8 Rally, cruised to Holland and enjoyed numerous day sails and wonderful nights at the marina. Stay tuned for more frequent updates!

Are we halfway through another winter in the Great Lakes? Close enough by my calendar. As February quickly approaches, spring task lists start to float to the top of a sailor's brain. I'm sitting here in my office daydreaming about oiling teak handrails, applying bottom paint to my hull, cleaning my sails and a dozen other activities that would seem like chores were it any other time of year. The middle of winter has a strange way of making me appreciate summer. To paraphrase John Denver's "Relatively Speaking": The sunshine needs the shadows of the night. Contrast makes it go. And so, summer needs the depth of winter.