tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355564822009-11-06T17:25:04.291-08:00The Mazurka is a Polish waltz in triple meter with a lively tempo and a heavy accent on the second or third beat, popular for ballroom dancing. Chopin composed 51 mazurkas for solo piano. Mazurka is also the name of a trawler sailing the waters surrounding Chicago, the honeymoon home of Mark and Felicia. The first year of marriage? Definitely a mazurka.Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-55757552589679414342009-07-04T08:34:00.000-07:002009-07-04T08:45:30.258-07:002009-07-04T08:45:30.258-07:00

One busted fuel intake.One overhauled head gasket.One U.S. Boat tow.Almost two weeks on the Great Lakes.A father, four sons, a couple friends.Mazurka arrived in the Twin Ports on Friday, July 3rd."Do you think you can step on it?" the bridge master asked the captain.

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-10961122458571085372009-06-29T08:13:00.000-07:002009-06-29T08:30:31.441-07:002009-06-29T08:30:31.441-07:00

Well, not really. The ship is just fine, nestled securely in a dock at Houghton, MI. The crew has disbanded - John and Ed return to work, Scott returns to his family, Ed and Bob are back in Lac La Belle, and Mark is driving across the UP to his wife in Duluth. I figured the next time I would see Mark, he would be waving to me from the helm of Mazurka, stopping Park Point traffic as the Aerial

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-60183994441217215342009-06-27T12:33:00.000-07:002009-06-27T12:51:59.721-07:002009-06-27T12:51:59.721-07:00

Mazurka has arrived in Houghton, MI, where it will stay for a couple days. Welcome to the Keweenaw, Copper County, home to Michigan Tech.The trip across half of Lake Superior was smooth, but now the wind is kicking up, with waves 5-7 feet, so the crew is going to use this time to regroup and make engine repairs. They're losing two valuable crew members (John and Ed) who have to return to work

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-20962888257070843192009-06-26T12:23:00.000-07:002009-06-26T12:33:30.574-07:002009-06-26T12:33:30.574-07:00

"Sometimes there is no right answer," Ed told Mark yesterday, regarding a blown head gasket on the engine.To go ahead or stay back? The crew debated all day, then went ahead up the St. Mary river, approaching the Soo Locks and the wide open expanse of Lake Superior. Last night they stayed at a harbor, hoping to find a machinist, who was no more. They had parts flown in by UPS. This morning

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-68073058400284647782009-06-25T15:39:00.000-07:002009-06-25T15:42:27.749-07:002009-06-25T15:42:27.749-07:00

It's never good when black smoke plumes out of your engine.Awaiting further updates...the crew is in the Soo, but stopped for more engine repairs. I've heard rumors of parts being flown in. This trip is probably going to cost a lot more than we thought.What do they say about a boat being a hole you pour money into?Perhaps my friend Tom was right - sell the boat, buy a canoe. Or a kayak.

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-53757905311250357252009-06-24T13:53:00.000-07:002009-06-24T17:10:13.867-07:002009-06-24T17:10:13.867-07:00

View Larger MapYesterday the captain called me around 3:30 p.m. to report that the engine was repaired and they were back on course. His brother Ed called two other MDOT mechanics who showed up and they all fixed the engine. When they put the key into the ignition, the starter wouldn't turn it over. A new disaster. John suggested, "Why don't you just tap the starter with a hammer?" They did;

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-40122134022573121702009-06-23T06:33:00.001-07:002009-06-23T06:50:40.633-07:002009-06-23T06:50:40.633-07:00

Opting out of the trip was suddenly made okay when Mark's brother Scott was able to get a last-minute plane ticket and arrived in Chicago at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, mere hours before Mazurka cruised out of Chi-town for the last time.So now the Schneiderhan complement is complete: Ed and his four sons, Mark, Scott, John and Ed, and his friend Bob. What a father's day gift.They cruised out of Navy

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-46728443129697270362009-06-20T10:39:00.000-07:002009-06-21T04:57:19.522-07:002009-06-21T04:57:19.522-07:00

A few years ago I went to Haiti on a medical mission. One evening, our team returned to the mission house after working a long day in a clinic with no electricity, no water, and patients lined up for days. No sooner had we entered the house and sat down than word came from the village: a baby was being born.Four team members grabbed their bags and loaded into the truck. I stayed sitting on the

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-34238983995426130592009-06-10T09:15:00.000-07:002009-06-10T09:38:47.817-07:002009-06-10T09:38:47.817-07:00

Our last time onboard Mazurka was 30 degrees in mid-November. I'm wondering if our upcoming trip on Lake Superior will be much different.In 12 days we set sail for Duluth. I'm in denial. There are too many details to figure out before we go. But what's really to figure out? Put the boat in the water, systems check, buy groceries. There's always the anticipation before going on a trip like

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-36983559704283040722009-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:002009-05-11T08:06:26.363-07:002009-05-11T08:06:26.363-07:00

A month to go before our grand tour...We visited Mazurka in its winter storage. She's ready to get back in the water. Ready for Lake Superior!

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-896599535587762432009-03-05T07:58:00.001-08:002009-03-05T11:51:58.307-08:002009-03-05T11:51:58.307-08:00

It's official - Mark found a slip on Park Point. In June, we're bringing Mazurka from Chicago up to Duluth, Minnesota. Under her own power.You may be wondering what this journey entails. We will be leaving from the southern tip of of Lake Michigan, traveling to the northern tip, traipsing through the Soo Locks, and along the southern coast of Lake Superior to the far western corner where her

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-7063509325363201342008-12-03T14:38:00.000-08:002008-12-08T11:06:07.347-08:002008-12-08T11:06:07.347-08:00

With all the views we've enjoyed of Chicago onboard Mazurka, this is our final view of the city from our temporary landlubber condo in the south loop. I am on the goodbye tour, making the rounds to see friends before I leave. I have been in this city for 16 years, since I was 18 years old - my entire adult life. This is no easy process.Tuesday I went to see my friend Denise Power in her condo

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-58539050555168992612008-11-22T15:01:00.001-08:002008-11-24T16:34:45.932-08:002008-11-24T16:34:45.932-08:00

Walking among boats in heated storage is like swimming underwater with ghosts. They are hoisted up high, so that you walk beneath the water line, their plastic covers rustling softly around you.The first thing Mark and I noticed when we climbed (and I mean climbed) onboard Mazurka Saturday afternoon was that she felt like she should be moving, even though she wasn't.It was a very strange, sad

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-27170161345508039812008-11-17T15:31:00.000-08:002008-11-18T09:17:41.960-08:002008-11-18T09:17:41.960-08:00

On Saturday night, after Mark and I had spent all day shuttling boxes from Mazurka to storage, I asked him, "Do you think someday we might look back on this and think we were crazy for living on a boat?""Someday might be tomorrow," he replied.Sunday morning we found a brief lull in the gale force winds and took Mazurka for her final voyage down the Chicago River. She now sits comfortably in a

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-87275204070968527282008-11-14T13:13:00.000-08:002008-11-14T14:02:31.802-08:002008-11-14T14:02:31.802-08:00

Although Belmont Harbor is supposed to keep its water on until November 15th, they decided to turn it off early this year. Maybe because temperatures got below freezing; who am I to judge. All I know is that in our few last days onboard Mazurka, we've had to resort to some creative ways of filling the water tanks. Even at the end, it's comical. Save those tears, you guys! (You might need them

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-6464755840165852282008-11-13T07:02:00.001-08:002008-11-13T09:07:08.448-08:002008-11-13T09:07:08.448-08:00

On Saturday night Life Aboard Mazurka made its final literary appearance before it sets sail for dry dock. Many thanks to Jenny Seay, my good friend and organizer of the Tamale Hut reading series, and Jaime, owner of the Tamale Hut, for giving me the opportunity to read one last time. And thanks to all the audience members who came out to listen on a very cold night.Here's an excerpt of the

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-50833954962599227322008-11-05T06:30:00.001-08:002008-11-05T06:31:01.195-08:002008-11-05T06:31:01.195-08:00

We may be leaving in six weeks, but in sixteen years of living in this town, last night had to be the best.

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-45678322246882691042008-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:002008-10-28T19:16:17.985-07:002008-10-28T19:16:17.985-07:00

It's been a quiet week in Belmont Harbor.The end of the season is near. Sailors sadly come to the docks now, hauling their last crates for the last trip of the season - bound for dry-dock.Mark and I are contemplating the end, too.Last week, Mark accepted a faculty position at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is set to start in January. And while Duluth sits right on lovely Lake Superior,

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-18661483585739017692008-10-06T15:21:00.001-07:002008-10-06T19:12:57.064-07:002008-10-06T19:12:57.064-07:00

Or gearing up for the Flatwater Classic?Early Sunday morning, we took Mazurka and the Lil Choppin for our annual volunteer work as safety boats in the canoe race down the Chicago River, run by Friends of The River.It's a fun event - if you think fun is getting up at 6 AM on a Sunday morning, heading to the heavy traffic areas of the Chicago River, and staying steady for nearly five hours while

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-80035038931443568902008-10-03T20:27:00.000-07:002008-10-03T20:58:23.623-07:002008-10-03T20:58:23.623-07:00

This evening, about twenty minutes before Mark and I are set to leave for opening night of the Chicago Art Open, I go on deck to look for Leo. He's only been out a few minutes. Leo is agile, strong, a good jumper, and can maneuver his way pretty well around the dock. And he always returns to the boat when I call him. When I go outside and call his name, he yowls in return. I call again; he

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-87647225209648233992008-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:002008-09-29T09:45:34.186-07:002008-09-29T09:45:34.186-07:00

The second time I met Mark was in August 2005, at a co-ed bridal shower for my best friend Jill, about to marry Scott. Mark was the groom’s oldest brother. He showed up on a 1988 Honda Goldwing, all 5’6 of him, and barreled through the back sliding doors, compact, wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt, propelled by burley arms and legs. He was, of course, a trawlerman, like Redmond O’Hanlon

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-32326819137679922352008-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:002008-09-17T11:06:19.332-07:002008-09-17T11:06:19.332-07:00

When you live aboard Noah's Ark, three days of rain - 8.54 inches - is nothing. We even found the source of the dripping water in the cabin (unexciting story) and spent the weekend floating happily as the water around us rose.According to Tom Skilling's blog, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers meteorologist Keith Kompoltowicz estimates as much as 877.5 billion additional gallons of water have now

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-52686439758833722202008-09-10T14:12:00.000-07:002008-09-10T14:22:55.929-07:002008-09-10T14:22:55.929-07:00

It's never too late to plant a garden.

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-78132808480321819982008-09-05T18:36:00.000-07:002008-09-05T19:09:56.652-07:002008-09-05T19:09:56.652-07:00

There are common questions in the liveaboard household, including:“What’s that smell?”“Where’s all this water coming from?”And my favorite, often asked by the captain on his way to the head first thing in the morning: “Do you think the pumpout’s full?”If these three happen simultaneously, you know you’re in trouble.Every captain is intimately familiar with the question, "Where's this water coming

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35556482.post-74744386912852731962008-08-26T09:02:00.000-07:002008-08-26T09:20:49.248-07:002008-08-26T09:20:49.248-07:00

A new friend - fellow writer, boater, and cat owner Denise Power - visited me onboard Mazurka. I introduced her to Hunter and Leo. "Oh!" she said, "They're that one breed that loves water!"I got these cats from the Anti-Cruelty Society, so who knows what kind of mutts they are. But later that day Denise emailed me with the name - Turkish Vans - and suggested I look them up online. I did a

Felicia Schneiderhanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06120340658816589486ch1girl@hotmail.com1