We are in the thick of winter here in the Midwest. Far Niente sits in heated storage at the Eldean Shipyard, Macatawa, MI

Far Niente had some major surgery in the last month; she got a BOW THRUSTER! I have not yet seen the installation. I did not dare watch the procedure as the professionals drilled a 9" hole through her perfectly good hull. Friends who visit their new Catalina tell us the installation looks fabulous. We will venture up North in a few weeks to inspect said installation. We also need to take a load of "boat stuff" up and charge the batteries.

I have a whole list of items we need to acquire before we set sail in June. The list is long and keeps growing!

Here's the game plan at this stage:

1. Depart Holland/Macatawa in early June.
2. Up the West coast of Michigan stopping at key spots along the way, e.g. Pentwater to see Don (Marjorie's Dad) and Joan.
3. Around the Lelanau Peninsula to Grand Traverse Bay. We'll spend several days in and around Traverse City catching up with Marjorie's friends. We plan to be there for Cherry Festival (oh joy) and then head up to Mackinaw for the Great Lakes Cruising Club rendezvous.
4. For most of July and some of August we plan on cruising the North Channel. Look for many photos of some of the top anchorages in the world.
5. Early August we need to begin our trek down Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario where we will enter the Oswego Rvier and then Erie Canal. The trip down the Erie to the Hudson will require our mast down. I am already working on locating the riggers at both ends of the trip to unstep and restep the mast. I also strongly prefer to truck the mast down to the Hudson rather than carry it on a cradle on the deck. Lots of sailors do it, but having it waiting for us when we arrive sounds much safer and very appealing. If anyone can recommend marinas/riggers at either end or a mast transport service send me an email. Thanks.
6. Once we are in the Hudson, we'll make our way to NY Harbor. I really want to anchor out in front of the Statue of Liberty and take a few photos of Far Niente with Lady Liberty in the background.
7. Down the coast of Jersey to the Delaware River and then through the C&D canal to the Chesapeake.
8. We'll stop in the north Chesapeake and have a water maker installed. Then down the bay to Hampton, VA.
9. Once in Hampton we'll begin preparation for the November 2010 Caribbean 1500. By mid-November we should be in the BVI.


Lyle Lovett's song keeps running through my head...."KMA I bought a boat I am going out to sea." Listen/watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-_W18CWypE