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jack
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Group: Forum Members
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Ahoy!
I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023.
So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me.
Fair winds,
Jack Callahan
Ocean Adventure
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Dick
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 965,
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+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways.
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jack
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 7,
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+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack
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Dick
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 965,
Visits: 1.3K
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+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick
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jack
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 7,
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+x+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick
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jack
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 7,
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+x+x+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick Dick, again, many thanks. I'll be calling you sometime during the week. I loved: we know the cast of characters." I attended an OCC meeting in Kinsale, Ireland in 2019. So I understand the Any names of members who have transited the Seaway would be great. What trucking company did you use to transport your boat to Harbor Spgs? The transport from Newfoundland to Michigan suggests many moving parts. Stay healthy & happy. Jack
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Dick
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Group: Forum Members
Posts: 965,
Visits: 1.3K
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+x+x+x+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick Dick, again, many thanks. I'll be calling you sometime during the week. I loved: we know the cast of characters." I attended an OCC meeting in Kinsale, Ireland in 2019. So I understand the Any names of members who have transited the Seaway would be great. What trucking company did you use to transport your boat to Harbor Spgs? The transport from Newfoundland to Michigan suggests many moving parts. Stay healthy & happy. Jack Hi Jack, We loved our few times sailing into Kinsale: a wonderful sailing destination. I used Andrews Trucking, a Canada trucking firm (Niagara-on-the-Lake, CA) who I found reliable and responsive from the home base staff (who set everything in motion and fielded a multitude of calls) to the driver who I met at delivery. No damage: boat and mast packed and secured well and all the necessary paperwork completed by the driver necessary for going from CA to the US (because of covid, I was unable to get to the boat as it was in CA and I am US, so others prepared the boat). Someone with experience on the proposed trip will be in touch or I will link you together with regards to the trip to salt water. My best, Dick
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Mike.Evans
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Group: Forum Members
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Hi Jack & you too Dick! We have done the trip from Lake Ontario down the St Lawrence to Newfoundland and Labrador, also to Nova Scotia & New England. There are some notes on our web site and we have some videos on YouTube, links below, http://gonesailing.finnevans.ca/try searching for keywords, Nova Scotia or St Lawrence, https://www.youtube.com/user/GoneSailingCA/search?query=St%20LawrenceHave you read Cheryl Barr's "Down East Circle" cruising guide ? It's the best ! https://www.nauticalmind.com/64747/complete-cruising-guide-to-the-down-east-circle-route/Good sailing, Mike
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jack
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Group: Forum Members
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+x+x+x+x+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick Dick, again, many thanks. I'll be calling you sometime during the week. I loved: we know the cast of characters." I attended an OCC meeting in Kinsale, Ireland in 2019. So I understand the Any names of members who have transited the Seaway would be great. What trucking company did you use to transport your boat to Harbor Spgs? The transport from Newfoundland to Michigan suggests many moving parts. Stay healthy & happy. Jack Hi Jack, We loved our few times sailing into Kinsale: a wonderful sailing destination. I used Andrews Trucking, a Canada trucking firm (Niagara-on-the-Lake, CA) who I found reliable and responsive from the home base staff (who set everything in motion and fielded a multitude of calls) to the driver who I met at delivery. No damage: boat and mast packed and secured well and all the necessary paperwork completed by the driver necessary for going from CA to the US (because of covid, I was unable to get to the boat as it was in CA and I am US, so others prepared the boat). Someone with experience on the proposed trip will be in touch or I will link you together with regards to the trip to salt water. My best, Dick
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jack
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Group: Forum Members
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+x+x+x+x+x+x+x+xAhoy! I'm a 60ft Ocean schooner, draft 8.5ft, beam 15ft, currently lying northern Lake Michigan. I plan on a 2 (3?) year voyage to the Caribbean beginning with passage to Nova Scotia where I will winter 2022-23, continuing on (maybe) in the spring of 2023. So I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, suggestions, dos & don't's that anyone who has made the trip, full or partial, is willing to share with me. Fair winds, Jack Callahan Ocean Adventure Hi Jack, Where in Lake Mich? My sailboat Alchemy is currently in Harbor Springs, MI, after being stuck in Newfoundland for ~~2 years because of covid. We were coming Great Lakes way anyway and decided to have the boat trucked to LM when it looked like we were going to miss a whole other season (and thereby missed coming on her own bottom and all the wonderful places along the way). Except for the passage to salt water from the GLs, I have sailed the waters where you are headed. You will have a great time. There is too much to say to just respond blindly. Come back with questions. If planning to cruise Newfoundland, I, with a group, have been working on the CCA guides, both the book and the online updates, but I am unsure of the publication schedule, so you might wait a bit for purchase. I have the following guides (below), some of which might be useful and which you could borrow. Also, as you likely know, the Great Lakes Cruising Club has very thorough piloting/port information for the route down the river which syncs with CCA material on the east end by plan. My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy PS., I will say, and I agree, that many who have done similar trips often say that they wished they had spent more time on the east coast of the US: that the smell of tropical breezes and sand beaches got in their nostrils and drew them south and they missed a great deal. Arctic & Northern waters CCA guides to Newfoundland & one for Labrador Guide to Gulf of St. Lawrence Guide to SL River and the Quebec waterways. Dick, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I bought the boat in the BVI from the original owner in 1995 and sailed the her in the Caribbean, with an occasional summer voyage to New York until 2001 when I got trashed in hurricane "something or other" in the Chickahomeny river in Virginia. After 2 years of struggle getting it repaired there I decided (not a good decision in retrospect) to bring the boat to Lake Michigan to have work done by Torresen Marine in Muskegon. (I also have a Catalina 38 and have kept it in Torresen's in Muskegon for 30+ years.) I sailed it from Va to NY and brought her to the GL via the Erie Canal ( cute but ugh!) and have been in Lake Michigan since then. I've had a slip in Frankfort, MI for the last 7 years and loved the boat as a floating summer home. However, now is the time to move an and since it's apparently going to sell in the GL area I want to take it back to the Caribbean and either get rid of it or keep it as a floating winter home. Thus my looking for all the info I can get from folks who have made the trip up/down the St. LAwrence and can advise on the dos & don'ts. I've been a member of the GLCC for many years. (Always felt I was the only sailboat in the organization.) Their harbor reports are great and I've been using them for years but I've never been active socially. Is "Alchemy" at Irish Yard in Harbor Springs? It's a great harbor although I have a real fondness for Charlavoix. Your trucking experience from Newfoundland, for heaven's sake, has to have a story which has given me something to consider. Question: are you going to the OCC AGM in Annapolis in April? Could we exchange tel#s and have a conversation about all this "stuff"? Are you going to put your boat in the water this summer and if so is Harbor Spgs "home"? Cheers, Jack Hi Jack, Yes, I am at Irish in Harbor Springs. Irish in Charlevois was the arrival point for Alchemy after trucking and had a nice experience there and loved the lake, but they do not do painting and I needed a bit of touch up work done, so HSs for the winter. We plan a few years in the area: unclear how long. I suspect we will not be at the AGM: we are still shying away from social stuff unless very limited and we know the cast of characters. I can probably put you in touch with cruisers who have done the river exit to salt water a few times from Toronto. Please feel free to call: # should be in the Handbook. My best, Dick Dick, again, many thanks. I'll be calling you sometime during the week. I loved: we know the cast of characters." I attended an OCC meeting in Kinsale, Ireland in 2019. So I understand the Any names of members who have transited the Seaway would be great. What trucking company did you use to transport your boat to Harbor Spgs? The transport from Newfoundland to Michigan suggests many moving parts. Stay healthy & happy. Jack Hi Jack, We loved our few times sailing into Kinsale: a wonderful sailing destination. I used Andrews Trucking, a Canada trucking firm (Niagara-on-the-Lake, CA) who I found reliable and responsive from the home base staff (who set everything in motion and fielded a multitude of calls) to the driver who I met at delivery. No damage: boat and mast packed and secured well and all the necessary paperwork completed by the driver necessary for going from CA to the US (because of covid, I was unable to get to the boat as it was in CA and I am US, so others prepared the boat). Someone with experience on the proposed trip will be in touch or I will link you together with regards to the trip to salt water. My best, Dick Dick, Thanks again. for the help. I've asked the Torresen yard to look into the problem(s) around dropping my keel, otherwise it's to high to transport. I had the keel bolts inspected and new nuts put on about 10 years ago so they know or should know what to consider. Problem immediate is trying to extract a decently prompt reply. Seems as how they (and all the yards I've heard about) are hung up by inadequate good technical help. Even in the best of times, he who screams and hollers gets the attention. Unfortunately not my style so I'm often way back in line and moving in the wrong direction. (Hmmm! Sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself. Must be the Covid!!) Cheers, Jack
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