Pattie
06/29/2009, Cleveland, OH

After leaving Rochester, our next destination was Niagara-on-the-Lake, a delightful little village downstream from Niagara Falls on the Niagara River. This lovely place was bursting with flowers, interesting little galleries and shops, and also offered 8-10 theatrical productions to choose from. We were last here in 1992 when we bought the sailing watercolor that has graced our various boats over the years. Our theater choice was Sunday in the Park with George, a musical about George Seurat, who changed the history of art by introducing a style of painting with little dots of color; it led to Impressionism.

Our next stop was Port Weller where we met our crew, Kevin and Larry Lenahan, who helped us muscle our way up the turbulent waters of the Welland Canal. The Canal goes up the Niagara Escarpment, bypassing the Falls and permitting commercial as well as pleasure craft to pass from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. The freighters were huge and very, very close as they passed. We made the transit in about 13 hours and spent the night in Port Colbourne.

Then, on Saturday morning, we began our last passage of this trip - from Port Colborne to Cleveland, about 170 miles or 28 hours. The day was calm but required our motor, leading to a prolonged and fascinating sunset, beset with morphing clouds and colors that bounced off the metallic waters. When darkness finally settled in, a crescent moon scattered glitter on the lapping waves and laughed in the sky. The wind filled in at about 2 am, so Tim set sail and the motor was silenced. After daybreak, the Cleveland skyline grew larger and larger, and the sky wept as if acknowledging our sadness at the end of such an extraordinary journey. But after we docked, the sun drenched everything, drying the rain, and friends and loved ones stopped by to welcome us; this moment too became one to savor.

We are so, so deeply grateful. For everything. For the physical and mental capability of making this trip. For each other, and for putting up with each other in close quarters and sometimes under stress. And to you, our readers and friends, who have cared enough to track our progress or lack thereof, and who have posted with the encouragement that kept us going. Thank you so very much!

And suddenly, we are at a loss for words.......

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Pattie & Tim
06/21/2009, Rochester Yacht Club

The trip up the Hudson was beautiful, pastoral and richly lush with the surging energy that erupts in a northern spring. The smell of blooming flowers wafted past as various birds announced the utter importance of the day. Troy Lock was first; it snatched us up from brackish water salted by the tides, and thrust us into fresh, river water. After that there is a series of step locks. The transit of the canal system was absolutely lovely and pastoral; the peacefulness was occasionally punctuated by a big snapping turtle flopping off a log, or an excited fish jumping high enough to make a loud splash. Fate smiled on us between Locks 8 & 9. Within an hour after clearing Lock 8, a small plane carrying four people crashed into the canal. The system was shut down for 36 hours to complete recovery. Unfortunately, we learned the pilot and passengers perished.

It took about two and a half days to go through the 21 locks to the turn off for Oswego, and another day for the seven taking us down to Lake Ontario. In Oswego, our mast arrived right on time and unscathed, and for the next two days we worked to rig and step it. The weather did not favor us, and much of the work had to be done in a chilly drizzle. We rewarded ourselves with inexpensive Mexican and Chinese fare, specialties that were quite uncommon in the Caribbean.

We left Oswego yesterday for Rochester in the hopes of snagging a visit with Pattie's friend and colleague, Marge Gootnick. We set out in a drizzle, but about halfway to Rochester, the rain began falling more heavily, the temperature dropped significantly and then the fog set in. Pattie starting making jokes about penguins; Tim didn't think they were funny. Guess we're not quite used to Great Lakes weather yet.

It was a tremendous pleasure to visit with Marge. She has done quite a bit of sailing in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Perceptive as she is, she asked some of the tough questions about assimilating the experience of our trip. Though we've been too busy to get very contemplative, the realization that the trip is ending has begun to sink in. Images flash in our minds -- the sea shimmering in the light of a rising moon, porpoises bursting through the bow wake to play, sunsets palpably iridescent in unbelievable shades of purple and orange, the taste of salt in the air, trade winds blowing the same way they have for Columbus, pirates of old and ancient warships.... These images and many, many others will briefly interrupt our days to come, and somehow change everything.

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Pattie
06/11/2009, New York, NY

We left Cape Henlopen after waiting patiently for weather, and were able to make a straight shot to the Big Apple. We were even able to sail much of the way, though winds were light. We timed our arrival to coincide with the tide, and tied up to Newport Marina, where we stayed on the way down. Then Tim got on the phone to make plans for making our way through the New York canal system.

You may recall that these canals have bridges, so the mast has to come down. We had decided that since the mast is over 63' and the boat is only 44', it would be best to have the mast trucked rather than go through the locks with it sticking out so far from both ends. But when Tim contacted the trucking company, we found we could not schedule it to be trucked out of Catskill as planned. Instead, the trucker was dropping a boat off at Liberty Landing Marina, just down the way, on Friday. He would pick it up then.

Ever flexible, we took Tevai over to Liberty Landing Marina to be derigged and to prepare the mast for its trip to Lake Ontario. All went smoothly and we are now ready to make our way up the Hudson River and into the canal system.

Of course, the highlight of visiting NYC was catching up with TJ, who has truly learned his way around the city. He took us to a Belgian Beer Bar, then for dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant over near Greenwich Village. It is great fun to mingle with the nonchalant New Yorkers and savor the variety that city offers. Though we have to admit, we don't think anyone took us for natives.

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