Flying Scots and The Florida District

Flying Scots enjoy the steady breeze at DIYC

2009-11-15T22:00:00.011-05:00

I know what you are saying "There's no such thing as steady breeze at Davis Island" which is true 99% of the time. We just did the 1% day! The breeze was both steady in velocity and direction.

Here's proof for the non-believers

One thing about the chart; the yellow directional arrows were off a bit, maybe more than a bit, more like about 100 degrees. We started at 2 pm in a westerly, maybe 270 - 280 (but we left our compass at home) and just enough for some micro-whitecaps. The W/L course was short with only about 20 minutes needed to finish the 4 leg races. I think we did 6 races but it might have been 7, hard to keep track. I do remember we started with a last (we decided it was time to practice sailing over the spin sheet) and finished with a first.

It was a little strange to be sailing again at DI, seems like a really long time since we did. This is our home fleet but it seems there have been a variety of very excellent reasons why we have't been able to sail. Hard to beleive but it may be like 6 months or so...

Here is Andy's official report;

Saturdays practice had 10 teams on the premises and 8 out on the line. Dave and Kim Thinel # 812, Mark Taylor with Dean Bell #4321, Jeff and Amy Linton #4925, Al Thompson and Cameron Salmon # 504, Andy and Lisa Hayward #38, Paul Silvernail and Leslie Fisher # 5026, Dave Bell and Susan Cintron # 4156, Chris Morgan and Crew # 2052, Keith Lockey and Darren sailed # 3185 near us but did not race, and Bill Adikes # 3998, never got it wet.

The weather was the best I can remember, if not perfect, a full hike, vang on Westerly with fairly smooth water. (Although the studs on #4321 did not appear to be hiking!)

Big thanks to Dave Clement and Andrew Fuddy for some super Race Committee! Here is the blow by blow from them;

Race #1

Pack bunched up at the pin for the first start of the day. Amazingly, there was not one boat called OCS. Was this a practice race? A left shift helped the boats on the left get ahead and #4925 rounded first and never looked back, winning the race. They were followed by #2052 and #4321.

Race #2

All clear with #38 winning the start. Nice start! It appeared there was a port starboard issue between #4925 and #4321. You must have a plan in case the other boat does not respond to a ‘tack or cross’ request. It appeared 5026 or 4321 rounded first. At this point there are two packs with tight racing in each. #38 is working low on the run and is looking good until Thomas the train showed up to steal ALL of the breeze. #4321 and #4925 managed to escape the chaos (an understatement) at the leeward mark. #4925 was able to sail a little higher and eventually lee bow #4321 and take the lead which would last till the finish.

Race #3

General recall after RC calling the line stated, “There all over!”.

Second start was clean except for #4321 who was OCS.

We think #504 rounded first, but 5026 definitely had the chute flying first and lead the pack to the leeward mark. Somehow #4925 passed #5026 at the rounding and led the fleet up the second beat. The finish was #4925, #5026 and #38.

Race #4

All clear with Al and Cameron really, really, really close. Nice start! Three boats take the left side and 4 to the right. #38 is the first to the mark from the left hand side. Then #504 and #4321. There is some separation to the next pack. #504 rounds the leeward mark in first. Up the beat, there is better breeze on the left hand side. #4321 is smoking the fleet up the beat and extends the lead. Get the chute up!!!!!!!!! A good gybe coming into the finish and while crossing the line, the skipper hails, “I GOT YA!!!”

Race #5

Clean start, but just barely. Either a very aggressive fleet or better yet, “It was the current pushing us over.” –Al Thompson #4925 rounded first and held on the lead for the win. #504 decided to move the weather mark a little to the left. Thanks guys!

Race #6

There is much debate over whether or not this race counted due to the horrible line and windward mark placement. I guess the RC can’t get it right every time. There are some rumors that the two boats near the pin end of the line were over, but no flags were flown. #812 had a nice beat and were first to the windward mark followed closely by the pack. With blistering speed, #5026 passed #4925 downwind and rounded in third behind #812 and #504. #812 won the race with #504 in second.

Back to Andy; The shorter courses and a practice format kept the racing tight, and brought out the aggressive side of some teams (Guilty!) But we all got in some badly needed reps to help us prepare for the Thanksgiving Regatta.

The Lintons did their thing, but Mark and Deano got them in a race, did someone else get them? and I think most of the teams lead a race or was close to leading.

R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Tot

#4925- 1 1 1 2 1 5 =11

#5026- 5 3 2 6 3 3 =22

#812- 8 5 4 5 2 1 =25

#504- 4 6 5 4 6 2 =27

#2052- 2 4 6 7 5 4 =28

#4321- 3 2 ocs 8 1 dnf 8 dns 7 =29

#38- 6 7 3 raf 8 raf 8 dns 7 =39

#4156- 7 8 dns 7 dns 7 dns 7 dns 7 =43

The gang hit Tates but alas, the Dominoes stayed in the box, next time!

So far it's only the Lintons and the Haywards present on the online registration list for the DIYC Thanksgiving Regatta, it's November 28th and 29th register now!

This is the most words ever for a fleet race, thanks Dave C.!

Sarasota Smash!

2009-11-08T22:17:00.012-05:00

Remember when you and your sisters and brothers were little and mom wasn't home and you took turns in the Maytag on 'full wash' ? It was like that.

The wind graph for Saturday in Sarasota

The hurricane Ida edition of the Fl series took place this past weekend at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Attendance was off this year as sailors fell into 4 categories...

-Those that showed up and sailed

-Those that showed up, left their boats on the trailer, and jumped on someone else’s boat (to break it)

-Those that showed up and decided better of it once they saw the breeze on the bay

-and lastly those (including our district gov) that looked at the weather on the web and stayed home with the 20 knot flu!!

The fleet was down to nine boats that made the quick sail to the race course in ~20 knots of building breeze. The prestart took its toll with Mike Smith dropping his mast in Sarasota bay without doing any significant boat damage (hey, kind of like BMW Oracle). With breakdowns taking a second boat before the start, 7 boats made it through the start line. Jim Egan, sailing with Richard and John, hit the line with speed for 90 seconds of glory before the familiar sound on a boom going pop. It appears that Jim had sucked down an energy gel just before the start and had not observed the mandatory waiting period before putting his hands on the vang line.. After that it was a long sail back to the club under jib only (upwind).

The story for the rest of race one (and the weekend) was Robbie Brown and Billy Icely. They took off upwind, separated, from the fleet and were never challenged. Marshall and Chuck were the only chute spotted on the run and demonstrated that sailing the without a pole was the order for these conditions.

Race 2 was much like the first with Robbie & Billy putting on a clinic, some fast downwind legs, and Jim and crew trying to get to the club under jib. Fred and crew had a nice run as they were the first boat of the day to take their spinnaker pole out of hiding.

The decision to have a 3rd race was met with mixed reactions from some. The well rested crew on the Egan boat (new boom in hand) saw the opportunity to hike hard and take advantage of the crews that had been working hard all day. Jumping out to an early lead they looked as they would be able to take it easy only to break the jib sheets twice, sending crew John Domagala in the water with the second break. Jim and Richard managed to fish him out in time to jury rig the sheet and round the mark just ahead of Ron Pletsch who was riding a nice lift out of the left corner (surprise to see him out there, NOT!!). The downwind leg was close enough to be quite exciting with Jim and company holding on to the lead ahead of the Marshall and Robbie who were showing the leg of the course where they were happy to be 2 up. Fred Strammer and crew took a knockdown in the 3rd race that ended their day a bit early, but in good spirits.

The Sat Dinner was excellent but the beating everyone took on the water ensured that most crews were either in bed or the Jacuzzi by 9PM.

Race committee extraordinaire Alan Broadribb made it clear Sunday AM that the races would start on time Sunday due to the forecast build. It worked out quite well as they were able to get everyone out to the course and actually start the race early, before the 30 knot puffs filled in.

The breeze picked up a little on Sunday

The race started out much like the prior race with Jim and crew coming off the line fast with Robbie and Billy not far behind. Jim let Robbie split tacks to the right where he found a right shift and a lead he would not give back. Jim and crew held in there for 2nd with Marshall winning the battle for 3rd. Fred & crew played it safe Sunday (already having earned the swim badges for the weekend) but after seeing Chris Morgan and Jed Lee on the Linton boat pass them on the 1st run with the chute up, they got the last laugh sailing by them on the 2nd run after a flamboyant capsize under spinnaker. No, Jeff and Amy didn’t make it this weekend, but the story tells better when you talk about planning by the death rolled Linton boat on the way to the finish.

Death Roll fall out

With the breeze continuing to build and Robbie and Billy untouchable, Alan and company called it a day. The hardest sail of the weekend was upwind back to the squadron in 25-30 knot puffs. The fleet limped there under sounds only a sailmaker could love, heavily flogging sails.

Thanks to everyone who helped, Alan and his crew for RC, Lainie for arranging the fine dinner on Sat and Lunch Sun. Thanks to Jim Egan for painting the trophies and Lastly, thanks to Nigel Vick for not only helping with crash boat but providing the Great Photos

Fall 48 Wrap Up

2009-11-02T19:36:00.005-05:00

We are back home with FS 4901 and a pile of soaked sails to dry out. The drive home was uneventful which is good. We stopped for dinner Sunday and got a room without using Priceline which seemed a little wasteful with the good luck we've had. We arrived home early afternoon today to sunny weather and an expected high of 82 degrees, quite a change from Lake Norman.

Weather aside, we loved the club and could add that area to our ever growing list of summer getaway spots! We plan to return there again next fall for the FSSA Wife/Husband Regatta scheduled for October 9 and 10, 2010.

If you would like to see a little video clip from Sunday's race, here you go. It was taken from the clubhouse so it is a little far off but well worth watching.

One observation from being there and watching the video is Allan Terhune's (FS5761) technique is great in all conditions. This regatta really was a battle for second, third, etc, the winner was never in question.

The "Oops" boat in the video was our new boat which was being sailed by Hans Nordanus and John Wake. Hans was kind enough to bring the boat from Annapolis to LNYC where I could pick it up and take it back home to FL. It was good to see them going fast, hopefully I'll be able to do the same. Sadly, we discovered the mast was bent from the capsize, it is a gradual bend just below the topping lift tang. Harry Carpenter has a reputation for being an expert "mast straightener" so we will be calling on him in the near future. I am fairly certain it can be made good as new.

A limerick (inspired by Amy Miller) in honor of it all...

Scot racing at Lake Norman was grand
On Sunday it got out of hand
John and Hans went for a swim
From a boat owned by Dave and Kim
At least the mast didn't get stuck in the sand.

We don't need a bow bag!

2009-11-01T20:37:00.005-05:00

Before we get to the racing business the Pricline/Fairfield deal was most excellent dude. I almost felt a little guilty about paying so little for a nice scene, Nah. Not really...

So Sunday morning is a little chilly and still very grey, the Weather Channel reports the local temp at 51 and wind NNW 13. Too be honest, it did not seem that cold when we left the hotel, maybe we have been hot too long, not sure. We are sure about a 9:30 warning signal being too freaking early. Things happen, or they should, but they take some time and 9:30 is not enough. The starting line is mostly downwind from the club, a good thing for us, as we sail toward the line we cannot decide if the class flag is up or not. On our way we see pass several boats returning to the club, cold and wet is the word. The prep flag is obvious, and though we are some distance away we are moving well and looking good for making the start. We arrive at the start line to a hale from our pal Mike Miller "minute 30" were are good to go. The breeze is up and the the start is clean. The only nagging thing is Kim heard the sound of something metal landing on the foredeck and looking quickly, thinks it may have been a clevis pin falling over the side. Hmmmmm, we have started and are on Staboard tack, that clevis pin is good. She asks me if I heard it and I really didn't, I'm hoping it is just the sound of a different boat. Time to tack to port and I hold my breath a little, tack finished and the rig is up so we are safe. We make our way up the beat and a after taking a few heavy puffs decide to head for the club which is easy since it means staying on starboard and sailing right into the cove. Days like this make sailing a borrowed boat a little nerve racking, definently the kind of day when a mishap can cause serious damage.

Several of our friends did very well today, and were pleased with their finishes. We watched some of the race and saw Joe and Stacey flying their chute after rounding the windard mark in second place, and Hans and John were kicking butt in our "new" boat FS4901 (they had towed it to Lake Norman for us, interestingly, Chris Smith, the previous owner, was crewing for Alan Terhune - they were in first, of course). We were busy putting the boat away, so we stopped spectating. Turns out, Hans and John were to be busy soon, too. The race was cut short, after the second upwind leg, so we met the folks coming in. There was a comment or 2 about H & J giving us a nice, clean boat. I first thought they were talking about the waves and spray, and the fresh water...then I heard they were probably cold, and someone said something about John getting his swim in for the morning. All of these comments were leading to a conclusion that I really did not want to think about. We can now confirm the lake is at least 25 feet deep, it's true, they were chilly, and had been towed in, and the boat was much cleaner than when we saw it on Sat. am when Hans had said the fateful words that would prove to haunt him..."Naw, we won't need a bow bag."

Go here for results

Fall 48 at Lake Norman YC

2009-10-31T21:43:00.004-04:00

We just got back to the room following a good day of racing. This is our first time visiting here, we had heard it was really nice but we were still impressed, what an awesome club/venue.

Here is one of the club docks from the porch

A view of the cove which is wrapped by club property

The weather was decidedly grey with some early fog/mist which became rain about the time we returned to the club. Three five leg windward leeward races were completed in about 8 to 12 knots of breeze. Allan Terhune with Kris Smith crewing have a commanding lead. We faile to visit the scoreboard before leaving the club so we don't know the actual results. Great reporting eh?!

We had two threes and maybe a 12, Hans had a couple of twos and maybe a six, Mike Miller is up there too so we see tomorrow.

Being Halloween there were some festive ones at the dinner I took some photos but the light was bad so they werent so good;

Here is our oldest skipper recieving an award

Stacey Brake the mermaid collecting and enjoying her prize

We will try to get an update up tomorrow before we hit the road for home.

Flying Scots give it a go on Lake Eustis

2009-10-28T23:13:00.003-04:00

We raced only on Saturday this past weekend (October 24 and 25), since that was the only day the breeze cooperated – and even then it cooperated somewhat grudgingly.

Eight Scots turned out on Saturday: Dave and Jay Asaibene in 5179, Ray Laguna and Charles Devereau in 5770, Pete Smith and Mary Anne Bennett in 715, Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato in 3387, Chuck Smith and Tony Tussing in 5125, Francois Simon and Dean Grimes in 3362, Ron Baerwitz, sailing solo in 3360, and me with Nick Chorley in 5810.

Ron in 3360 was the big winner for the day. He placed first in both races, with never a serious challenge from anyone. His success was due, no doubt, to outstanding crew work, even if his crew did lead him over the line early in the first race. Nick and I in 5810 managed second in each race, but only because we caught some lucky breaks. In the first race, we split from the fleet and managed to hold off Ray and Charles in 5770, who finished third. In the second race, Francois and Dean in 3362 were ahead of us the entire final windward leg to an upwind finish, when a magic lift pointed us straight for the stern of the Committee Boat and a second place finish, leaving Francois and Dean in third, no doubt wondering whether there is justice in the world.

On Sunday, although we again had a good turnout of Scots, the Race Committee abandoned racing after about half a windward leg. No races were completed.

Complete results are posted on the Lake Eustis Fleet website. Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend.

This past weekend ended our Keenan Series, and I’ll get series results out shortly. Our next series – the Hartge Series – begins on November 6 and 7.

Reminder: Sarasota District Regatta; November 6 and 7 are also the dates of the Sarasota District Regatta. Dave Thinel has previously distributed the Notice of Race, but I’ll attach another copy to this e mail. I plan to attend (with Nick Chorley’s help), and I know Ray Laguna has been thinking about going as well. I’d love for us to have a good turnout from Fleet 150. Sarasota Bay is a wonderful place to sail, and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron are outstanding hosts.

Thanks to all. George

Flying Scot Regattas are On Sale! Now!

2009-10-26T13:14:00.004-04:00

What's this you say? You already knew the Miami regatta had no entry fee, plus it happened already. The other Florida District regattas are only $50 to $60 or so, how much less could they be?

I may be a little late to this party but I just scored another Hotel deal from Priceline. So the regattas themselves may not be on sale but the most expensive part of traveling is hotel rooms and there are some deals to be had.

I just did my first "name your price" deal on Priceline a couple weeks ago. We snagged a room at the Doubletree in Naples for $45, check that, it was a suite. Not one, but two nice flat screen TV's, marble countertops, WiFi, very nice pool, a really nice bed and best of all; free warm chocolate chip cookies at the front desk when you check in! I don't know what they thought of old Pig Pen lounging around in their parking lot but nobody said a word.

So this weekend we are going to Lake Norman NC to do the Fall 48 and we could camp or get a room. Hmmmmmmm, camp or room. Checking the weather and seeing nightly low temps forecasted to be mid forties, and camping is quickly losing it's rustic appeal. So, I decided to check out Priceline again, I chose 2 1/2 stars and the small area near the lake, and for good karma, tried $45 again. After entering the offer a red pop-up appears informing me that my low bid has little chance of being accepted. So I paused a moment and remembered about the tent being plan B and hit the submit button. A minute or two of suspense later and poof my bid was accepted! Nice. This time they booked us in a Fairfield Inn which was the highest rated hotel in that area, sounds good so far. Curious about the "normal rate" I checked online and saw that room available for $89. Cool.

The only real drawback I see to this method is the rooms are not refundable, I can live with that.

So maybe you are on the fence about attending the Florida District Sarasota Regatta Nov. 7 and 8.Ok, you will have to race against these two guys...
and Susan and John might kick your butt...

Maybe the lure of the aqua blue water, perfect sea-breeze, some free drinks, a pile of good food and great Scot racing wasn't enough to nudge you along....What if the Hotels were On Sale Now?!

Get Busy!

The Heat Is On

2009-10-13T22:13:00.004-04:00

The Lake Eustis and Tampa fleets both faced the summer heat, check that, the October heat that seems like July. WTF. Here is the blow by blow;

Light wind this weekend at Lake Eustis, but at least it was miserably hot.

It’s easy to understand intellectually that the heat will break soon, but it’s sure hard to believe it!

Saturday, six Scots raced: Ray Laguna and Glenda Libby in 5770, Dave and Jay Asaibene in 5179, Ann Ireland and Joe McConkey in 5366, Francois Simon, ably assisted by Francois Simon, in 3362 (but confusingly sporting sails with 770 on them), Jack Bazner and Joe Lobato in 3387, and me with Dean Grimes in 5810.

Both races were sailed in light but not minimal air. There was enough breeze to sit on the rail at times, but not so much that anyone was overpowered. Each race was two laps to a downwind finish.

In the first race, Ray and Glenda led the whole way in 5770, although Dean and I did our best to make them nervous, especially downwind. Ray, though, did a terrific job of keeping to the inside on the downwinds and we were unable to get past them. Ray and Glenda crossed the finish line first in 5770, Dean and I followed in 5810, and Jack and Joe were third in 3387.

In the second race, Dean and I were over early and had to round the pin end to restart (my fault entirely). We continued on port and caught a nice breeze on the right side. Thus, we switched roles with Ray and Glenda, and managed to lead the whole race, with nervous moments both upwind and down as Ray and Glenda came on fast. Dean and I held on for first in 5810, with Ray and Glenda second in 5770 and Francois Simon, working both ends of his boat, third in 3362.

All in all, in spite of a depressingly light forecast, Saturday produced some nice sailing.

On Sunday, though, another depressingly light forecast proved depressingly accurate. A number of sailors showed up at the club and launched their boats, but most were intimidated by the shifty one or two knot breeze and did not sail. That and the 90+ degree heat and humidity.

In the first race, there were just two Scots on the water – Chuck Smith and Tony Tussing in 5125 and Dean and me in 5810. The race was a reach-fest, as the wind went left and stayed there the whole time. Dean and I finished first and Chuck and Tony came across second.

The second race on Sunday was much the same, with port tack strongly favored, but at least Francois joined us on the water. Annoyingly so, because he sailed fast and finished first, followed by Dean and me in 5810 and Chuck and Tony in 5125.

David Leather of the MC fleet pinch-hit for Dave Williams on the Committee boat this weekend, and did a great job. Many thanks to David.

Lake Eustis. The next fleet racing at Lake Eustis will be in two weeks – October 24 and 25. We’re supposed to get cooler temperatures later this week. Let’s all hope for some cool weather and steady breezes in two weeks!

Florida Districts. The next Florida District regatta is in Sarasota on Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. I’m seriously thinking about attending, and it would be great to have a good turnout from our fleet (even though that regatta conflicts with a club racing weekend). The Sarasota Sailing Squadron make wonderful hosts, and Sarasota Bay is a shockingly beautiful place to sail. The regatta ought to be a great deal of fun. I’ll e mail everyone a link to the NOR as soon as I can, and if you’re thinking of going let’s coordinate by e mail..

Thanks to all who braved the heat this weekend. I’ll look forward to seeing everyone in two weeks.

George

Here is the scoop from Tampa;

It's October, it's the Fall, a chill is in the air, NOT! Fortunately for the six teams that came out on Saturday the 8-12k Southwesterly did keep us moving.

Big thanks to Dave Bell, Susan Cintron, Keith Lockley and Mark Taylor for running the 5 nice races, well done!

The racing was very tight, the breeze was shifty enough that no lead was safe, and I think that every finish had multiple overlapped boats at the downwind finish. No team dominated but in the end Dave Clement and new crew Andrew prevailed with the most consistent score line. The breeze built as the day progressed
and Al and Cameron got faster, winning the last race and the tiebreaker for second with Paul and Leslie.

Results:

Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Tot

Dave Clement / Andrew # 4925 1 3 2 1 2 9
Al Thompson / Cameron Salmon # 504 4 4 1 2 1 12
Paul Silvernail / Leslie Fisher # 5026 2 1 3 3 3 12
Dean Bell / Lisa Hayward # 5477 3 5 4 4 4 20
Drew and Andy Hayward # 38 5 2 5 5 dns 7 24
Matt Dalton / Dawn Naramore # 2262 6 6 6 6 dns 7 31

Our next practice is Sat November 7th @ 1400. Jay Tyson has volunteered to be Race Committee, BIG thanks Jay! And the next biggie is the DIYC Thanksgiving Regatta Nov 28, 29th that is always a great turnout and a fun time!

Andy

Kim and I attended neither of the above, instead we had committed to running races for handicapped kids in Clearwater. I know,I know, they wanted handicapped people to run the reces, blah blah blah, I get that.

In the morning we had little breeze and big current so I spent a good part of the time towing the sailors upcurrent before they got sucked under the Clearwater Pass bridge and out to the gulf. There were, fortunently, no incidents. The southerly sea breeze kicked in right after lunch so the kids on the afternoon shift had a good time of it. I had lots of practice with the Boston Whaler.

Make plans now for Sarasota Nov 7 and 8!

Piggy's Last Stand

2009-10-05T18:37:00.007-04:00

We were talking about the competition assembling for the Miami Regatta, the first in the FL State Series, and we wondered if we would be using it as our throw out.

Robby Brown, with Nate V crewing, Mark and Tom Taylor would be tough, Ron P with Chuck –a dangerous team—it wasn't going to be easy, especially if it blew! We also thought the Pardeys were coming, a last minute injury to Marshall kept them away. Eleven boats in all, it was great to see some new faces!

On Saturday morning, the race committee did a great job being patient, and waiting for the breeze to arrive. Several of us went swimming during the postponement – the heat was beastly. We made the serious miscalculation of bringing too little to drink, note to self, fix that for Sunday. We ended up getting in three races on Saturday – light air of like 5 to 10, unless you are Mark Taylor, then it was much less! Good conditions for us lightweights and we somehow managed to get 3 bullets. Quite exciting and very surprising.

It was nice to get back to the dock to a waiting keg and out of the blazing sun. Maybe it was just me but I was really hot, a little dehydrated and somewhat lightheaded. After spending some time near the keg and in the shade I was feeling a little more normal. Our host, Larry Whipple, directed us to "The Grove" and the Barracuda Bar where we had some excellent food, would have liked to explore more, but the sun had done an effective job of zapping our energy. Next time!

Sunday morning, on our way out, we observed that it was 9:30 and already quite warm. The wind filled in, the race committee chased it, and got in 2 more races. It didn't seem as hot as saturday since there was a little more cloud cover and maybe a tad more wind, we'll call it 5 to 10 again.

Holy crap, we won those, too! What the hell!? The full results are on the Florida District website

Some of you may know that we have been discussing the idea of getting a newer boat since old Pig Pen is old and overweight. This probably foolish idea has been under our consideration on and off for a year or more but more seriously since the NAC. In fact, recently we decide to purchase another boat but we don't actually have possession yet. The plan is we will try the new boat for a while and see if we miraculously become better sailors! After this scientific evaluation period we will sell one of the boats.

Obviously, Pig Pen overheard the rumors that a new boat is on the horizon, and the Pig is making a last ditch effort to avoid being replaced. Afterall, who could sell a boat that just one five out of five? Hmmm....

Limericks! What the heck is going on here!!

2009-08-17T09:50:00.005-04:00

Limericks from the (Ephraim NAC) Limerick Party assisted by a four hour on water postponement for lack of wind. Submitted by Amy Miller, Kim Thinel, Len Gunther and Tom Lawton (it's a good thing I procrastinate, or we would have missed the late entries!) The things people will do to get on this Blog!

To get you into the flow we'll start with;

There once was a man from Nantucket
Wisconsin was not in the budget
He wishes he were here
For brats, corn and beer
On the boat, he would pee in a bucket

Honoring our Wisconsin Venue, NACs in general, and the locals;

We came to Wisconsin, you betcha'
To race we would all try to catch ya'
From cherries and cheese
To ice cream and breeze
Oh, Ephraim, we'll never forget cha'

Planned vacation to Ephraim, so glad
Oh, what a time we have had
From big gusts and waves
Our sails made the save
Don't just get even, Get Mad!

In Ephraim, we all are here
We'll have fun and drink lots of beer
We'll eat brats and cheese
Or drink scotch if you please
It's a week filled with joy and good cheer!

A week filled with fun and merriment
At this Flying Scot National Tournament
I'll give it my all
I will try not to fall
And I might see what Greg Fisher meant

I've done nothing, but think about jib trim
In preparation for our trip to Ephraim
On the boat, Skipper's boss
And if the words are cross
I'll just fill my scotch glass to the brim

We are staying at the Beatle and Poker
A pig will be cooked in a smoker
We'll eat fattening brats
And make fun of the snots
The weather'll be great says Al Roker

They love their rum and tonic
It's much better than a high colonic
Wisconsin's so cool
Beats the Fishing Bay pool
It all will make us go super sonic

On Thursday, there wasn't much breeze
The morning zephyr had just been a tease
Kids swimming and singing
The rigging was pinging
Just a little more wind, if you please

NACs are over, and they were a hoot
Time on the water, well worth the commute
July, known for it's toil
Our yield came in beer, greasy brats and fish boil
2010's our next shot at the (pickle dish) loot

To Ephraim we drove with our toys
For a few days' fun with girls and boys
Fair skies we were given
Eagle Harbor sailing –really livin'
Now it's back home to our toils

Honoring some of the competitors…

When my car quit I thought we were done
The schedule had us under the gun
With John Wake as crew
Not sailing wouldn't do
So he drove from Virgina to "Wisconsun"

There is a sailor named Hans
He's Holland's modern day Fonz
His crew's and English Dame
Who hollers, "Pull that main!"
So his medal will be better than bronze

There is a boat so green
It looks so sleek and so clean
The name is Wind Dancer
On the waves, she's a prancer
Barb and Len think she's nifty and keen

There's a van pulling sailboat, Pig Pen
It is sailed by the masters of Zen
If on board you find Missy
No one will throw a hissy
And they're sure to finish in the top ten

John Wake is a dude, so cool
On sailing, he'll take you to school
If he's near a mark
You may hear him bark
And with boat transport, he sure does rule

Day 20 The Wrap Up

2009-08-10T20:39:00.006-04:00

You know you are back in FL when two trips from the Hotel room to the car at 8 am, equals sweating.

Today's travel was easy, we had to go from Tallahassee to home (Tampa Bay) the majority of which was traveled on US 19 through rural areas. There is a town on this route called Perry FL, it isn't much as towns go, as you will see from the pics.
The odd thing is there are signs where we live that reference this nothing of a place. We live in Pinellas County which has about 1 million population and road signs that show 3 miles to this, 6 miles to that, 10 miles to the other and 168 miles to Perry! As if anyone would ever care or much less go there. The only reason to go to Perry is to get to whatever is on the other side.

Around 12:30 we decide to pull of in Homasassa to get some lunch. The Homasassa river is really cool, very secluded and as much like old FL as you will find that still has some restaurants. No luck though since no dogs were allowed and it may have been too hot to enjoy anyway.

We arrive home a little after 2 pm, the trip home was about 27 hours and 1597 miles. In total we traveled about 4277 miles with Pig Pen in tow. We had no breakdowns on the road and got about 17 MPG, less than the last NAC trip when we got about 19 MPG.

To confirm the foolishness of this trip we received the award for traveling the furthest to the regatta!

We had an awesome trip and owe thanks to Harry and Karen Carpenter for putting us up in Deep Creek. Deep Creek is a great place to get away so if you ever get the chance go see it. Likewise thanks to Ryan Malmgren for sharing his cabin near Ephraim YC, it was great to get to know Ryan, Carrie, Frank and Maryann Gerry.

Back to reality;

The AC in the house cannot get the temperature below 83 f, called the AC repair guy.

The icemaker isn't working.

The washing machine washes but won't spin/drain whatever the heck, the appliance repair guy should be here tomorrow am.

The grass and bushes are huge, I guess it rained while we were gone.

It was also really nice to go 3 weeks w/o really seeing any news and politics.

Thanks to all of you who have been checking in with us and for the comments and emails. The End.

Day 19 and MORE DRIVING!

2009-08-09T23:03:00.004-04:00

Unlike yesterday we got going a little earlier, something like 745 am. My (Dave) back could not stay in bed any longer so up and at em.

As we were pulling out of Effingham Illinois, I noted the name of the street; Avenue of Middle America. True enough but I'm glad I don't have that address to fill out all the time, it would never fit in the space provided.

Not a mile down I-57 we notice this huge cross at the side of the interstate.
Being Sunday morning and all I consider this a church service of sorts, something we have fallen behind with recently.

We did a little texting with Hans and Rikki who are in Ohio in route to VA. No Hans we still are not "there yet" !

The drive today was uneventful which is good and long which isn't. We passed close by Kentucky Lake and were tempted to make a side trip but thought better of it. The GPS discouraged us with its continous display of the miles remaining and time to Home. UGH! Some people pick cute names for their GPS units, not us, ours has been named "bitch". She was dead set on getting us to pass through Atlanta, we were dead set against it, we won that one.

We did pass through Nashville around 12:30 which had Kim reminiscing about her college days at Vanderbuilt. We briefly considered a stop for lunch at San Antonio Taco Co. but instead decide to press on. Bitch.

Around 4pm were are rolling through Alabama and thinking about how good that first Hotel beer is going to be, however our cooler is empty so we will need to restock. While gassing up in some crap place in Shelby County Kim is informed that there will be no beer sales on Sunday. This is serious. We had eyeballed a stop in a little town called Dotham AL which supposedly has some redeeming qualities but not the most important one; beer sales on Sunday. We bag that place in spite of a nice choice of newish looking hotels. We decide to press on to FL where we know beer sales are no problem, yeah right. Upon crossing the FL state line the road imediatly becomes a perfect smooth blanket of asphalt complete with the little reflecters marking the lines/lanes.
Here we enter FL following a rain shower and the steam of summer. Ahhhh!

AL roads are better than MI but not by much, the van has a shimmy at highwya speeds which it didnt have yesterday, I suspect a tire issue.

Super 8 Hotels are pet friendly so we decide to stop there just into FL. While trying to check in I am told of a $20 dog surcharge, no beer sales in this county, a dirtyish lobby and darkish parking lot. The hotel proprieter also got under my skin a little so back on the highway we went. I figured we would head for Tallahasee and the home of FL State U. Lots of dabauchery available there, so about 945 pm (losin an hour for the Eastern Time Zone)we are tucked into a LaQuinta in with ALL the necessities covered.

I think we did 800 some miles today and have another 250 or so tomorrow.

Day 18 Starting the trip Home

2009-08-08T22:48:00.005-04:00

Last night we attended a traditional Door County Fish Boil. Must-do when in the area. It never sounded very appetizing, (we're more familiar with the Southern-influenced Shrimp Boil) but there's safety in numbers, and about 25 of us listened to Earl the Boilmaster present the history and making of the boil.
Interesting stuff and some jokes, too (ask us why a mermaid wears seashells!) and we were all pleasantly surprised. More Lake Michigan whitefish - yum!

Today is the day we have been trying not to think about too much; starting the drive home. Not being too anxiuos to get underway we hang around the cabin with Carrie and Ryan till about 11 am. Missy had vigorous playtime and a long walk with Alfie to prepare for the car ride. We have had a great week staying with them but there was always so much going on we did not get enough time to just hang out. Nice chatting over breakfast. We will have to get them to visit us in FL this winter.

We dropped by the club to grab the boat and finish some final tie downs and packing. By about 11:30 we were leaving the club in heavy overcast and fog but no rain. It was sad to leave Door County and we wished we had more time to sight-see and enjoy the area. Before leaving, however, we stopped at a local store to purchase a Cheese-head for Green Bay Packer fan neighbor whose dog ate his previous one. Mission accomplished and we're on the road, again.

Curiosity: As we leave Egg Harbor, we notice a sign for the Cape Cod Hotel.

To avoid Milwaukee, Chicago, Indaianapoilis and Atlanta we decide to swing a little more to the west to Madison then south from there. It is slightly longer but we were hoping it would be less congested and more pleasant.

At 2:00, we're a long way from Madison, but we're still in WI, this state must be as long as FL! At 3:50, we arrive to IL, poor roads, traffic (seriously?) AND a toll? Good Grief. $1.00 for car, and $2.85 for the Piggy trailer? That's just wrong plus the road really sucks and is nothing more than a giiant contruction zone. It should have been free.

Funny item: License plate: ODYSEA on a Toyota Van.

Unfortunate sighting: slow traffic outside of Rockford, IL. Cop at roadside, Bow of Laser and trailer in the trunk of a car on the side of the road. OOPS, not quick enough with the camera.

Fun fact: Arcola, IL - Largest Amish Settlement in IL. They have quite a bit of Amish commerce in the area.

There is an exit named Tonica

where Kim breaks into the lyrics of Adam Sandlers Hanukkah song "Happy Hanukkah....drink your Gin and Tonica".... Ok it is almost time to look for a Hotel.

Driving surprise: we passed a van towing a powerboat (there have been quite a few on the road, not unusual). The vehicle passes us, and we notice Carrie Berger waving happily in the passenger seat!! Hi folks!! Wishing you safe return to Louisiana.

We did a little over 600 miles before stopping at another Super 8 Hotel (Missy the dog friendly!) in a little town called Effingham Illinois. Not much more than one of those littel towns that form at the junction of two interstates, I-57 and I-70. I think we have a little under 1100 miles left to go.

Day 17 August 7 NAC Final Day

2009-08-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

Ouch!

Little tougher day for us today is certainly an understatement. Shifty offshore breeze that was a little overpowering along with some chop and bad decisions and that is all she wrote.

It was a little aggravating that the breeze picked up a little before the first race and lightened up on the sail back to the club after the second race but that’s sailing. It is unrealistic to expect to do well at these type of events if you can only go good in light air.

I could never get going in either race on port tack, and don't know why. I also chose the left side for flatter water and that’s where the puffs came but to no avail. The right side was lumpier and had more breeze but we were overpowered so we wanted know more breeze so to me the left was really the only option.

Our score in the second race was pretty surprising; I thought we would be mid pack. All in all finishing 11 was pretty good for us and matches our finish in the 2007 NAC in Fishing Bay. If someone had said we would finish 11 before we left FL I would say "I'll take it" but having the day we had is certainly disappointing considering our chances to do better were so good.

On the bright side we decided to stay another day before beginning the trip home. Tonite we are going to a "fish boil" which is a local thing. It sounds a little iffy to me but the locals say it is good, so we will give it a shot. After that we are heading to a little party at Mike and Amy Millers rented condo. The party has a limiric theme and Kim is loaded and ready to go what with all the free time we had drifting yesterday. She even made me another "Piggy To Do" list. I just finished the last one!

PS This was the best run and organized regatta I have ever attended and nothing else has come close!

Day 16, Thursday NAC cont.

2009-08-06T19:05:00.002-04:00

Last evening, we were a little late to the Pig Pen, I mean Pig Roast at the Sauter's house. Dave was involved in a redress meeting, and we were a bit late, but right on time to see one of the most beautiful sunsets yet, from a beautiful venue. After the results of the hearing, we were in 4th place overall after scoring 6s in both races yesterday (consistency is good, we're told). Pretty exciting for the old Piggy. We seem to be the oldest boat, but not without scars, we noticed that there was water coming from the screws holding the rudder piece in place. The nuts were still on the bolts, and Dave screwed them on tighter, but today, a little more water came in. Looks like we need a bit of caulk.

Today, two races were scheduled and the race committee really tried to find enough steady wind, but alas, to no avail. We made productive use of our time, though, preparing for the limerick party, making to do lists, working on our tans…

After a valiant attempt to start a race, the RC made the right decision and abandoned for the day. NOt for lack of trying, the postponement signal went up at 11 am and we waited and waited anwaited, after abandoning we hit the dock at almost 4 pm.

Tonight is the Annual Meeting and dinner with everyone, some awards will be given out tonight, but the biggies will be awarded tomorrow after racing. We'll start an hour earlier in attempt to take advantage of the morning breeze. We need 3 races total to constitute a regatta, we'll keep our fingers crossed for good stuff tomorrow. Another night worrying and no sleep for us, probably.

A taste of things to come at the limerick party:

On Thursday, there wasn't much breeze,
The morning zephyr had been just a tease.
Kids swimming and singing,
Ping, ping went the rigging.
Just a little more wind, if you please.

Maybe we overdid the 5 gusting to 6 prayer a little we ended up with 2 gusting to 3. Oh well we back it off a little.

Day 15 5 Gusting to 6

2009-08-05T18:21:00.003-04:00

That's our prayer and we are sticking to it.

It seemed like a carbon copy of yesterday, woke up in the night and heard the crashing waves out side Ryan's cabin, Crap! Too dark to get a visual but it sounded bad.

Got to the Club and it wasn't bad at all so we had hope. Left the dock in about 10 from the NW and it faded a little from there but the chop held on.

The first race started on time in 5 to 8 knots so we were psyched. A good pin end start had us in the top ten up the first beat. We rounded in good shape but had a poor run to lose some ground but in the end we got some back for a fifth place finish. We were obviously thrilled to good off to a good start and we love 4 leg races rather than 5.

Our happiness was quickly replaced with dread since we started next to Al and Katie Terhune who won the race but got no horn, OCS. Crap!

Second race was testy due to a crap start which is well documented by a bunch of photos. Look for Bow 62 in the 200 th row! Found a decent port tack lane and made up some ground to get to the top mark around tenth (I think) and improve a little from there to get a sixth. Too cool! Nothing like a nice dig-out to lift your spirits.

There are some pending protest and redress for OCS scores so we will see what happens but as it is noe we are third and hoping for more 5 gusting to 6. See ya!

Day 14 Second Day of Qualifying

2009-08-04T14:49:00.002-04:00

Has it really been 14 days since we started this?

Eprhraim is totally cool so are the adjacent villages of Fish Creek and Sister Bay.

Woke up during the night to breaking waves outside Ryan's cabin and rustling of the leaves. A sure sign of a northerly. Once the sun was up we had confirmation, NW wind mid teens and gusty with plenty of whitecaps. Easy call on sail selection, we were going with the rags. It was really nice to have a good day yesterday so we could totally coast today and not sweat having to get a good finish to qualify. Our housemates, Frank and Maryann Garry made a similar call. No sense in wasting our best sails when they are already too worn compared to many boats here.

WOOO HOOO the spnnnaker runs were way fun! Beats not so much. The swell was nice to catch and plane off for a while. There were three capsizes that we know about but no major bumper boats, so all is good. Only one race today, per the schedule, the rescue squad was a little busy with a couple of boats. Dave had to attend a meeting of the Bigwigs after the race. He came prepared with his laptop, movie, magazine, beer.

Haven't seen results yet, but we weren't steller but it was a blast. More later tonite.

Day 13 First Day of Qualifiers

2009-08-03T10:11:00.004-04:00

Forecast is bleak 15 to 25 with storms set to arrive between 11:00am and noon. We go first in the round robin qualifier so hoping to sneak one in before big breeze. Currently a light westerly of 3 to 4 but the western horizon is darkening.

The Ephraim YC is supposed to be posting progress reports at the mark roundings via twitter, You don't need a twitter account to view it just go to http://www.eyc.org/fsnac/

I could not find the link but it should be added to that page as we get underway.

I have not heard an exact final boat tally but the rumor is high 70's.

My cell phone is unhappy to be in Ephraim, cannot access voice mail at all so if you left a message I don't have it. Phone calls are hit or miss and we lost Kim's charger so hers is dead

Our regatta goal at this point is simple; QUALIFY! Time to go set up the boat.

Monday night update: Obviously the weather report was way off, if you have seen the results. The first race was light and second was light to medium so we got what we needed for breeze. The link above has results. We had the boat in the water early, and the Competitor's Meeting (aka Jay's "Where not to park in Ephraim" powerpoint presentation)was finished in good time. Out to the race course we go! Clouds and light air met us, but we were anxious that the more time that passed before and between races, the more opportunity the wind would have to increase. The Race Committee had technical difficulties initially- Finish Boat overheated and the shiftiness created challenges in setting a square course and of course, there were the late arrivers. So ~noon we started the first race!! The race committee needed to alter and shorten course for the first race, then further change the course prior to the second race. The twittering (tweeting?) may not have been as effective since the boat that overheated was the one with the capacity to twitter (tweet?) Maybe tomorrow.

After cleanup and a dog run, it was off to Beer and Brats (officially, the Brat, Burger, and Corn Roast -my, what a spread!! really good!!)
Thank you to Bill and Rosie Klein for opening their home and fabulous set up!

Shout out to Davis Island - Keep up the good work, we read Andy's email and we agree- Go Fleet racing this weekend!!

Day 12 More Ephraim Action - Juniors/Womens

2009-08-02T13:19:00.006-04:00

Day 12 Sunday August 2

Woke up again to whitecaps and crashing waves at the cottage but bright blue sky and really sunny. It gets light FAR too early here, 6:15 AM and the sun is shining through the window. Missy doesn't mind.

The Women and Junior's Championships were today, and it was BLOWIN' in Sister Bay. It seemed a little less in Ephraim, the racing started at 1:00, and by 2-2:30 the wind lightened considerably (hope it stays that way for tomorrow, we have received conflicting weather reports).

We had a nice lunch, enjoying the outdoors with Al and Katie Terhune. The four of us have all the answers for everything Scot Class related! Lots of good socializing on the dock, another beautiful vacation day for us.

Ryan finished up his measurement duties today, Carrie was racing with Melanie Dunham and Carrie Berger, a reunion of an(in)famous team.
Several folks went out for a sail since it was such a nice day.

Greta Mittman, Heidi Gough and Natalie Mauney won the Women's National Championships and Stewart Draheim with crew, Bill won the Junior National Championships.

Fun Fact for the day: Harry Carpenter with Donna Scattergood won the challenger division in the North American Championships in 1978 in Riverside Yacht Club in Long Island, NY. They will be sailing together this year again and hope for some great results.

Also, in Dave and Kim's best and worst of the trip so far... Best Crew Award goes to John Wake of Deltaville, VA. He is crewing for Tom Lawton and when Tom's car broke down at the last minute in Ashville, NC, John drove from Deltaville 6 hours to pick up Tom and the boat and the two of them headed north to WI. (John forfeited a round trip plane ticket in the process). THAT'S dedication.

No pics yoday. Hoping for less wind tomorrow than they are discussing, 15 to 20 is not our thing.

Day 11 Ephraim and Measuring in

2009-08-01T15:41:00.007-04:00

Day 11, Saturday, August 1, 2009

Door County
Up early for a walk with Missy, good thing, since it started raining as soon as we returned home and the Lake is pretty solid whitecaps. Ryan and Carrie were also out walking Alfie! They needed to organize some equipment and ready the troops for measurement. We rested and hoped for the rain to stop. Registration started at 10:00 and we arrived at the school soon after that. It's now sunny and breezy!!

11:00 done measuring! How cool is that to be done in 1 hour. The volunteer crew is top notch and has everything running smoothly at this area and at the boat storing areas (Ephraim YC and the local boat ramp).

1:15 done setting up at the Club! (we think!) Per a lottery system, we procured prime real estate for the Pig at EYC. It was really great to catch up with folks we haven't seen in a while.

On a more serious note, we learned this morning from Linda Danilek that Jeff Penfield had an episode of decreased heart rate and is hospitalized at Dartmouth Hospital in VT. We spoke and he says he'll be "getting an updated electrical system" (aka, pacemaker)on Monday. Linda sent a care package and flowers and signed from us all at the NAC.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him, and the family. He said it was ok to let everyone know, as we're sure they appreciate everyone's support. He is feeling fine now, his heart rate is normal, and he's frustrated and a little bored with the thought of being in the hospital over the weekend. "At least it's a foggy day and I'm not missing too much!"

Registration and measurement continues to go smoothly and rumor has it we may hit the 80 boat limit.

The backyard of the cottage!

Day 10 Mackinaw City to Ephraim WI, Finally!!

2009-08-01T15:00:00.008-04:00

Omigosh! We have finally made it to Wisconsin. Sorry the blog has been more traveling than sailing but thats the way the schedule works out. We have said many times that sailing has taken us to many places we would never have been so that's a good thing.

We shove off at about 930 to cross the Mackinac Bridge and begin the last leg of our trip to NAC. The upper peninsula will be about 200 miles of 2 lane road and not much in the way of civilization. This is a mostly forgettable stretch, tons of For Sale signs, abandoned businesses and houses etc.

Typical roadside scenery...

Resort cottages from another era...

Scenic view of Lake Michigan...

From Escanaba west it is better, as it begins take on the shore cottage thing again.

Crossing into Marinette, WI, Joe's Cheese Shop welcomes us. Mileage: 83880 Who knew it would take 2200 mi to reach WI?

Fun note: beer is sold in 30 packs in many of the states we have bene in since FL, We feel that we should be able to get especially good prices on The Beast since it IS Milwaukee's Best and practically runs out of the faucet here, we're told (except in Ephraim, where it's a dry city).

2:20 crossing the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge into Green Bay (Sopranos in WI?). Much of what we see can be described as industrial wilderness.

3:00 Sturgeon Bay--We're almost there!!

4:00 Oil change and gas up, then beering up at a microbrewery in Egg Harbor at The Shipwrecked Pub. Hmmm we will be paying them another visit for sure.

5:20 Gibralter High School - where the measuring will occur in the am. Bye, for now, Piggy. Hang with folks arriving at EYC. Ephraim is one in a series of very cool little villages on the north side of Door County. It would not be too hard to spend the summer up here.

7:20 Errands with Ryan, in search of flatbed trailer for cradle used to examine boats and centerboards during measurement.

Final mileage: 84022
Dinner at JJ's, quite the Friday night hot spot. Later, we arrive at Ryan's cottage where we finally see Carrie and Alfie (Yorkshire Terrier pup. Carrie had to work late and was delayed by traffic on the way. Nice sleeping to the sound of waves hitting the rocks on the shore.

Sorry for no photos but I could not get the uploader to work.

Day 9 Mackinac Island, MI

2009-07-30T21:48:00.005-04:00

Day 9 Thursday, July 30, 2009

Our Mackinac Island Adventure

The weather was supposed to be iffy. After monitoring the morning news stations for the radar and forecast, we decided to brave the trip with the promise that the rain wouldn't start till this afternoon.

The Shepler's Ferry Folks were eager to place us on the 9:30 am ferry. It's only a few blocks from the hotel, and Missy enjoyed (?, perhaps, tolerated is a better word) her 2nd powerboat ride and as many days. She acts as though it's no big deal, she lays at our feet and demonstrates superb manners throughout.
Smooth ride, calm seas. Nice.

Approximately 20 min. later, we arrived at the Island. A great place to explore!

Dave took 192 pictures. We walked for several miles on pretty trails, had a nice lunch with chocolate lab, Hershey, (and owner) at The Mustang Saloon.

Almost on cue, it began to sprinkle as we finished eating, but we had one more tourist-y task yet to complete (after purchasing the obligatory postcards). A visit to the Grand Hotel. We got as close to the entrance as we could without paying the ridiculous fee ($10.00) to walk along the driveway in front of the hotel (whatever). The pictures turned out nicely anyway, and, it's a must-see if you've traveled all the way here…

On the return trip, the water was not as smooth, the weather came in….

Tomorrow morning we are off to Ephraim, WI

Day 8 Northern Michigan

2009-07-29T22:43:00.005-04:00

Day 8 Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Another vacation day from sailing.
Missy has been such a good hotel and travel dog!!
10:40 a low key start to our travel today, leaving West Branch, MI, heading slightly NW toward Houghton Lake (Dave reminisces about good times camping), then N on I 75.

Curiously, we travel through 2 cities with names close to our hearts: Vanderbilt and Wolverine. Not kidding! Look at a map!

Travel note: MI wins The Worst Road Condition Award. Aside from some nice renovation areas near Flint, "deep texture" is the theme for much of the highway.
Thinking back, we encountered a few large abrasions in the cement roadway in SC also, some holes were quite large, and conveniently right in the line of the tires (expected). At least they were few and far between.

Fun Fact: Gaylord, MI – exactly ½ way between the North Pole and the Equator.

12:15 Exit 313. Now for a FS shout out. Mike Miller, from Fishing Bay, VA is visiting his parents in Indian River, MI.

They have a lovely lake house on Mullet Lake. He was working on his trailer earlier today, and we stopped by to say hello. It was a beautiful day for a power boat ride on the lake (Missy's first!) and sitting outside, visiting with Mike and his parents.
We appreciate the wonderful lunch complete with Michigan cherries, fresh raspberries, home made cookies, conversation, and offer to stay the night in the guest house. What a great get-away!

4:45 pm We decide to press on to Mackinaw City for the night so we can catch an early ferry to the Island Thursday.

5:10 pm Rolling into MC, it's a tight squeeze pulling a Scot, but the city is cute and we're ready to find a hotel and dinner!
Fortunately, there are 52 hotels in the area and a few restaurants ready to serve us the highly recommended fresh whitefish.

Sadly, Missy wasn't allowed at Audie's, where Mike's dad said we should go, but she was welcome in downtown at The Depot, instead, and it was all good!

Day 7 Deep Creek to Michigan

2009-07-28T22:43:00.005-04:00

Day 7 Thursday, July 28 leaving Deep Creek

We've made the last minute decision to go through Michigan to see Mackinac Island and across the UP and down to Green Bay.

Last night, Harry, Karen and Bill and Melanie gave us a tour of the Wisp Resort Area, Golf Club and Ski Area at the top of the mountain at the north end of Deep Creek.
They also have a World and National competition level man-made white water rafting venue. Pretty cool.

Yummy flatbread pizza and beer at the Mountain State Brewery

(I know you're shocked we found a brewery on our trip).
A nice sunset from the Brewery patio

The original restaurant started in Morgantown, WV, and they expanded to this area.

This morning, we did a little provisioning at the Arrowhead Deli/Store for supplies and we're off ~10:00 am. On the road again.

10:23 into WV (again), backtracking a bit to highway 79, the middle corner of the state.

11:00 into PA north to 70 West, which will take us to Columbus. We decided not to go N through Pitts, Youngstown, Cleveland. It looks a bit congested on the map and our history with the PA and OH turnpikes is not great, either. We'll only be in the bottom W corner of the state. So far the trip has included the states of FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, WV, MD, PA, OH and MI. The hands down winner for the ugliest state is Ohio!
It's a beautiful day, sunshiney and warm.
Leading the "Nicest rest stop" competition so far is the I-79 Welcome Center in Kirby, PA. Lovely, grassy area for the Missy to rest, and clean, well-maintained facilities for the humans. The stop was made complete with greetings from some Amish folk.

We make the turn to Hwy 70 W, just south of Pitts. (Hi Tom and Chrissy. Amy, John, Colin and Buster!) and the GPS is in a TIZZY! This takes us back into WV at noon, for a minute or two, then into OH by 12:15. We are getting ever closer to, dare I say it, Columbus. At least the highway circles around it and we do not have to actually enter it.

Curiosity:
-Melinda's mom, self-proclaimed MSU, GVSU, and UM fan, who is from MI said she planted a buckeye tree in her yard (maybe I had too many margeritas to really understand this correctly)

- we passed Upper Sandusky and noticed it is SOUTH and west of Sandusky.

We have no idea what this might be!

4:30 Phew! Finally getting close to the OH/MI line. Ugh, of course, we couldn't leave OH without a little traffic snafu. 2 miles of slowness.
To counteract the effects of Columbus and the Ohio Experience in general, we press on!

North to Ann Arbor!! 4:40 Ahhh, in MI. We are a little distressed by the condition of the road surfaces, however.

We receive good advise from the Michigan travel advisory board: Prisoner area. Do NOT pick up hitchhikers. Good tip. Will make a note of that one.

7:40 and a few detours and a good hour after Daves back was done with the driving thing we find exit (212) that has 2 of the precious few chain motels goin'. Quality Inn- no dogs allowed (cue music from Peanuts cartoons re: Snoopy)
Super 8- yay, we can stay!
Dinner at the nicest attached-to-a-hotel-restaurant The Lumberjack Food and Spirits (2 of my favorite words at this point).

We did 616 miles today in about 9 1/2 hours so progress was good with mostly light traffic. Still having problems with the image uploader so we will try to add them tomorrow.

Nitey nite!

Day 6 A Little Housekeeping

2009-07-27T17:39:00.005-04:00

Ahhhhh, nice to sleep in, the trees keep things nice and dark and cool. Just perfect in the mornings, about 63-64 degrees at wake up time. On the Missy walk this morning, there was evidence of night creatures and their nocturnal activities. Residents of Deep Creek have special creature-proof structures for their refuse. Apparently bears are not discouraged by dumpster lids and some residences and DCYC –Deerhaven had some clean up to do!

After morning rituals, coffee, etc. It was off to the FS factory to pay our bill and visit with Harry, Karen and Buffet.

Missy and Buffet had a grand time chasing tennis balls together! We had a boat to take out of the water and prepare for travel, so back to DCYC-Turkey Neck for a little work.

and with that done, we were able to relax this afternoon on the porch (and catch up on correspondence) at the cabin.

We hope to get some nice pictures tonight as we'll gather for pizza and exploring at some higher elevations on the other side of the Lake. Tomorrow we travel!

Still trouble with uploading images so we will try it again soon.