John's Notes:

This will be my last post for a few days. Tommy and I had dinner and a couple of beers at the Hurricane (how appropriate). Then went back to the boat and did a few more chores and put more stuff away.

This morning we were fortunate enough to get a ride to the airport. A couple who have a boat just down from us flew their own plane in to prep their boat for the storms. I think they are from Columbus, OH. I know the husband plays golf. Have to find out if he knows Cragen. Anyway, we rent the car and then off to West Marine. I must be the only knuckle head that thinks that they might have supplies left. Fortunately, they do have the shackles that I need but unfortunately the only dock lines they have left are 25' 3-strand nylon. I like braided myself and wanted 35 footers. Had to take what I could get for now. Back to the boat and installed the new hardware and additional lines. I would have taken pictures of what the boat looked like before we left but unfortunately it was a torrential downpour so I didn't even try.

A note to my sailing friends in Bayfield. When it comes to navigational concerns, our most challenging decision usually regards how deep the water is where we decided to anchor and do we have enough swing room. Everything else is pretty much line of sight. Navigation on the east coast is a totally different story. There is shallow water everywhere and hazards are all over the place. Maybe we were just plain lucky but MapTech worked perfectly. It's a little touchy and I still need to refine my skills. My father would have had at least a smile on his face. Like he always said, "If you don't trust your instruments, throw the damn things overboard." If your depth sounder fails, you could be in real trouble. In that event, your waypoints better be EXACT. My advice, work on navigation. Get a book that describes every symbol on a chart. There are things I'm still not sure of.

One final note. The best day of the trip; anchoring at Kelly's Island on Lake Erie. The next best stop; our last night out anchored in a tiny little spot enjoying a couple of beers and a steak with Tommy.
Most memorable event? Well there were two really. Cheryl going overboard at 0300 in Buffalo and her going up the mast to fix the anemometer..

The greatest thing about this life? Cheryl! Talk about your Irish luck. We are going to have many more adventures, together. Probably even more misadventures. We'll keep reporting them as long as anyone is interested.