Jazzy Lady's 2019/20 Cruising Adventure

BLOG POST # 2

(Note: this entry was written yesterday)

Day 3 of our 'grand adventure'. After deciding, months ago, on our official departure date no one was more surprised than me that we were only one day off our target! We've been juggling a lot, leading up to launch day; Mark just finished training on a new airplane so he's been on overdrive with work AND preparing the boat. We only found a tenant to rent our house on Labour Day so we had all kinds of last-minute work, preparing the house for the new occupants. Lastly, Jazzy Lady took a hit in a storm 5 days before our projected launch date. After her mast was brought down for our passage through the 12 locks of Champlain Canal, she was put in a different slip from her usual home and that placed her on the outer perimeter of the marina. 50 knot winds came through on Friday night and, with little protection, she was sent rocking to the point where the mast fell off the support braces. In turn, the bow pulpit was half torn off, spreaders cracked and bimini/dodger each ripped along frames.
Thank goodness we have a DEDICATED support team of family and friends who were DETERMINED to keep us on track. By Tues Sept 19th we felt 3 days would suffice for our final pep days, HOWEVER, mariners' superstition prevailed...'bad luck to set sail for a long voyage on a Friday'. We did not want to wait 4 days so we had no choice but to leave in TWO days!!! (Gotta love Mark's determination)
Anyone who knows us well would tell you, in the best of time, we are a bit scattered. So you might imagine how frazzled we felt rushing to push off, come hell or high water, sometime on Thursday Sept 19th. We waved goodbye to Mark's parents at 3 pm that afternoon, tears in the eyes of all 6 of us. Our blissful vision of this moment we had been dreaming of for years was VERY different from the picture we'd had in our idealistic heads. Instead of feeling triumphant and elated, we were exhausted, stressed and overcome with the emotions brought by leaving loved ones behind....two of the biggest cheerleaders for our sailing dream.
We motored away with no words between the four of us for 30 minutes, trekked along for several hours and dropped the anchor in Spoon Bay for the night. Uncle Allen and Aunt Bev, our inspiration for the route we're taking, were at the same anchorage for the night. Perfect way to spend our first evening of the trip. A couple of drinks with familiar faces and a good pep talk to push us along with confidence. Fri morning we were up at 6:30. Big day ahead, the goal being to get to the first of 11 locks heading down Champlain Canal. 70 nautical miles and 12 hours later we arrived at Whitehall, New York, Lock # 12...first of 11 (go figure) going south. Because kids released very little energy ALL day, they were REVVED up and super excited to hop off the boat. So, even though it was their bed time, we tied up to the lock wall and did some Friday night exploring of the 3000 population town. Found an old-School video arcade with pinball and Pac-Man. Wandered past the Ticonderoga, a beautiful remnant of a vessel from the battle of 1812.
This morning we were up again at 6:30, hoping to get through 9 out of 11 locks before they close at 5 pm. As I type we are between locks 11 and 9 (as indicated above, 10 does not exist).
Kids have been amazing...bird watching, reading, knitting, making zip lines, playing cards, etc.
Organization has a ways to go, in terms of storing all our gear and belongings in a ship-shape fashion but hey, it's only day 3!