Posted on June 16, 2016
On “heading out”
We get asked this a bunch. “When are you heading out?” Sometimes, it’s just someone who wants to know when we’re leaving a slip, but I think most people mean it in the grand sense: “When are you heading out on this amazing life adventure?”
Uhm. We’re there.
I know quite a few people who had envisioned us sailing off the dock, across Lake Michigan, at the end of our party on Sunday. I get that some folks are able to prep for departure from their home marina, and when they leave their home base, it’s a big deal. For our family, leaving our house was our “heading out” moment. The rest of what’s happening right now is, I think, just cruising. We are certainly still in prep mode, but I imagine that a big hunk of the next several years will look a lot like today: stowing and unearthing gear, fixing broken things, waiting on a weather window. This is it, people–the glamorous life of cruising.
We are certainly looking forward to things being a bit more settled, though. Right now, the cello is in the saloon, and the kids still have Rubbermaid bins stowed at their feet. We just got the genoa bent on yesterday. The wind’s against us to cross the lake; we could maybe go tonight, but I’m not sure the boat will be quite ready, and that’s fine. This is really just our home now, and we aren’t feeling pressed for any grand gestures. Maybe we’ll head north on all this east wind, and cross from Port Washington or Sheboygan. We’ve got time.
Last night, we enjoyed harbor seats for a Lumineers concert, and this afternoon we’ll be meeting our fiend Nick as he sets up for an art fair steps from our harbor. We can’t quite keep moving at our pace from last week; we need to take it slower, not lose our minds, enjoy the calm.
On a related note, when people ask us where we’re headed lately, we tell them the North Channel of Lake Huron. It saves a lot of questions, and maybe it’ll uncover some good anchorage recommendations.
“Chafe gear” sold by West Marine–pretty much 1 1/2-inch tubular webbing–versus the chafe gear we plan to use. Thanks for the fire hose, Schroeder!
We got a whole 50 feet of fire hose from a California station–they were going to toss it. Great shape and good stuff. We use it regularly.
Oh my gosh, that’s the same Vista King from Duluth? My grandparents lived in Superior and I went on both the Vista King and Vista Queen with them. So glad you mentioned that, brought back great, almost-forgotten memories!