Celebrating Christmas - 2015 A Challenging Year

I retired! Yup, I did it! I left my job of over 15 years to work on the final plans for us to leave our current life to live aboard Mystic next year. My official retirement date was October 15th but I left the job at the end of September and never looked back. It was the right thing to do.

I had a plan. It was a good plan too, but life stepped in and all bets were shot to hell. More than once, I reminded myself that living aboard could work out very much the same way, which is - NOT AS PLANNED! This mindset helped me keep perspective over the next 2 months.

We started my retirement by running the Wineglass marathon in Corning NY. It was my first marathon since I broke my heel. In a way it was a test of perseverance and stamina. Dave and I ran a bit slow but we both finished with a smile! We had a great time with friends and family from across the US who gathered for this gorgeous run through the Finger Lakes region of New York. It will always be one of my favorite marathons because of the memories we created.

Chance meeting with Paul & Chris

At the starting line with our friend Yolanda Moody

At the finish with a smile

My new friend Garrett from VA.

With Anita Kaiser, celebrating a good day on the run!

Upon our return to Minnesota, I learned that a family member in Connecticut was ill; I needed to go, right away. When I headed East I had no idea that I would be gone from Minnesota for as long as I was. I often find it interesting how life unfolds, in it's own way. The reality is that if I had not retired when I did, I would not have been able to spend so much time with my family during this emergency. Once again, it seems like I'm being reminded of what matters most. Health and family top the list!

When I got back to Minnesota in December, I was NOT in the holiday spirit. I was stuck between my life in Connecticut and my life in the Midwest. My first task was creating a Christmas card. I went through our 2015 photos and found the perfect picture, one I took at Siskiwit Bay Marina in August.
 

I had propped my camera on a picnic table, set the timer, then hopped aboard Mystic before the shutter clicked. The photo made me smile and reminded me how lucky we are to have a dream that is coming to fruition! We had a fabulous time in Corney! It was a trip filled with the unexpected. Our Cornucopia experience is documented in my blog post called 'It's the Little Things'.

http://cruising-teamrogers.blogspot.com/2015/08/its-little-things.html

Next on my list was shopping. As I began to peruse my Christmas list, I was overwhelmed with the idea of bringing more stuff into our home. We have been downsizing this past year; or at least we've tried. It seems like yesterday we were starting out together with very little possessions, newly married with a Christmas baby under the tree. Now, we are at a point in life where we are very aware that we have more than we need. Our new mantra is, 'You can't take it with you'. Knowing that storage space aboard Mystic will be limited, I just couldn't fathom spending a ton of money on more STUFF! Just the idea of it stressed me out. In the end, we decided to buy each other snowboard pants. After all, it is snowboard season. Our old pants are 15 years old and stained from oil dripping off the ski lift onto our laps. It's a splurge, but one that seems practical and useful. It's a gift that will last a long time. Dave in his infinite wisdom, did mention that we could use them aboard Mystic on cold Lake Superior sails. Gotta love a sailor's perspective!

Our Brielle - Christmas 1987

There are things we still need to purchase for the Mystic voyage. A dodger, solar panels, a rain shower kit and everything else on Dave's mental list. We'll be doing the rest of our Christmas shopping in the spring; we're excited to make those final purchases. If life cooperates, our big gift will be launching Mystic for the epic voyage. The real gift is TIME and the journey which we will fill with experiences and memories to last us the rest of our lives.

Places to anchor ~ Bluff Point Coastal Preserve ~ Groton, CT

I went hiking with my Aunt Dotty McLaughlin today. We walked almost 9 miles at one of my favorite places in the world, Bluff Point Coastal Preserve in Groton, CT.

Dotty knows all the back trails well and even though the path was littered with fallen leaves, we found our way easily with her lead. I love walking with Dot. She's fast and light on her feet and we share the BEST conversations.

Beth & Dotty

Bluff Point ~ Poquonnock Blue

The winding, rutty mountain bike trails are quite the workout but so worth the beautiful views. As we crested the bluff above the beach, we stopped to admire the landscape. Dotty pointed out six lighthouses within view from this vantage point. The sea air smells so sweet, the sky is a beautiful cloudless blue and the sun is dazzling off the calm water. As we stood there enjoying the moment, I thought to myself what a wonderful place to anchor our Alberg 35, Mystic.

View of Ledge Light from Bluff Point

Bluff Point Anchorage

Haley Farm

Bridge over train tracks

Bluff Point Cove

Haul Out 2015

We stayed overnight aboard Mystic on September 28. She's on the hard early, even by Minnesota standards. One of the best things about Knife River in the fall is that it's quiet and peaceful. The marina is empty. We are alone, tucked away in a quiet corner with a nice view of the lake. Dave tried to get a hotel but there was nothing available so we prepared to spend the night tucked into our cozy cabin together. It is cold. The temperature dropped to about 36F overnight. The main cabin settee was decked out with a heating blanket and two quilts along with an electric heater. It took over 200 feet of extension cord to make that happen.

View of Lake Superior from Mystic

Unloading Mystic boat gear for the winter

Comfortable perch

October is a time of change. The fall colors turn from golden yellow and brown to bright red and orange on our drive North. Once we made it past Duluth, the leaves were gone. It was breathtaking, literally, to see that fall had passed and Knife River was headed straight for winter.

Minnesota fall colors

Fall Lake View

Fall colors on the trails

Change is hard. Whether it be a move, or a job change or the end of summer. Change brings both positive and negative emotions. I had my own major personal change when I left my job recently. I'd held this position for 13 years and poured my heart and soul into it. Like summer turning to autumn, it was simply time to move on. As we prepared Mystic for her long winter rest, I thought a lot about the change we will face soon. I realized I have mixed feelings about our journey to cruise for a year. We will be leaving our home and family behind. I wondered how we'd feel about this when it's time to shove off. We will pack up a small array of our possessions and head across Lake Superior on a journey to live a lifelong dream. But our routine will no longer exist. Our habits will change. I'm excited about the idea of this adventure so when I begin to worry about all the things that I can think of to worry about, I realize that my feelings are normal. Change is hard, even when it's exciting and something you really want.

Custom mast supports made by Dave

Aft mast support.

For the winter, we have stuff to do. Dave will replace old mast lights with LEDs. I'll sand and varnish the wooden spreaders and we'll work on our big plan of building a new dodger for Mystic. Dave will research solar panels and I'll be looking for a sun shower (a live-aboard gal has to have a nice warm shower now and then). We'll dream all winter and we'll plan and work on the change that is ahead. When it involves Mystic, it's pretty easy.

Wrapping Mystic

Dave under the winter wrap

Mystic wrapped for winter

   

It's the little things!

Every adventure has a story. We could not have imagined the great story our adventure to the Sea Caves in Cornucopia, Wisconsin would bring.

We planned to cruise the Apostle Islands the first week of August but we just didn't have the time. Lake Superior has so much to offer so we decided to visit the sea caves near Cornucopia, Wisconsin instead. The sail across Lake Superior from Knife River to Meyers Beach is about 35 miles. We headed east under blue skies on a perfect clear morning. It took about five hours to make the crossing. Anchored as close to the caves as we felt safe, we lowered the kayaks and joined dozens of other adventure seekers exploring the caves.

Mystic anchored at Meyers Beach, Cornucopia, Wisconsin

The sea caves are a blast. The red rocks and clear water are beautiful. We were lucky to have great weather and calm seas. This is not a place you would wish to be under rough conditions. We took our time, wandering in and out of all the caves; braving a passage called the Mouse Hole, just big enough for a kayak to fit through. Passage required laying across our kayaks and pulling ourselves through with our hands on the rocks above. We have visited here several times during the winter months, hiking across frozen Lake Superior to view the gorgeous ice formations, stalactites and crystals. The caves are a magical place. 

Following Dave through the Mouse Hole

Precarious Perch

Lake Superior Diamonds

Sea Cave Colors

Dave inside a cave

Tour boat shows Dave the entrance to the Mouse Hole

Amazing rock formations

Admiring the natural beauty

After our voyage, we made dinner. It is always lovely to relax at the end of a long day with a good meal and a bottle of wine aboard Mystic. Dave turned on the weather forecast. The prediction included thunderstorms for the rest of the week. We made the decision to head back to Knife River in the morning.

Relaxing aboard Mystic

We were up early to find an overcast sky and fog on the lake. With a hot cup of coffee in our hands, we motored west about five miles when Dave noticed that the engine oil light was on. This had never happened before. Dave shut the engine down and checked the oil but found nothing wrong. Thinking it was just a quirk, he tried to restart the engine which would turn over but would not start. This was one of those 'uh oh' moments. I looked at Dave and asked, "What are we going to do?" Without hesitating, he replied, "We are in a sailboat so we are going to sail."

It took us five hours to make our way back to Cornucopia, which was closer than Knife River at this point. We moved slowly at 2.4 knots in very light wind. It took all of those five hours for Dave to convince me that we could sail Mystic into the dock at Siskiwit Bay Marina. Dave brought us to the dock gently, tucking us up to the face with perfection as though he'd done it a million times before. 

http://www.siskiwitbay.com/

Ironically, the Siskiwit Bay Marina is owned by a couple named Beth and Dave Tillmans. Dave Tillmans approached us and asked if we needed help from his mechanic Stefan, a small engine repairman from Washburn, Wisconsin. Stefan was quiet and attentive. He listened to our description of losing our engine. He asked us questions and patiently answered ours. He told us that he had never worked on a nani-deisel Kabota engine before but that he'd worked on many tractor engines and they all worked virtually the same. He explained his approach to problem solving, he'd go through all the obvious things then hit the internet to research what he didn't already know. It turned out that a tiny spring had broken in our injector pump and locked the fuel shut off valve in the closed position. Stefan was able to find the exact replacement spring at a friend's farm nearby.

Mystic tucked in at Siskiwit Bay Marina

Later that evening, I published a post about our Lake Superior adventure on my Facebook status. Almost immediately, I saw a private message in my inbox. I was surprised to see it was from a high school friend, Jerri Mitchell. She had read my post and responded with, "Stefan is my husband!" 

Jerri and I had not seen each other since our l0th high school reunion in 1988. We were both so excited about this chance encounter. She graciously drove up to Cornucopia to have dinner with us. We couldn't stop grinning at the idea that life is full of wonderful surprises. It is all about timing and people and feelings and moments. When we tell the story of kayaking the sea caves, we will always include the part about meeting Stefan which led to seeing Jerri. It's a great story about bad luck, good luck, friendships and fate; all because of that one tiny little broken spring.

Beth & Jerri at Siskiwit Bay Marina

Sunset off Meyers Beach, Cornucopia, WI

Into the Myst

We launched on May 23rd, excited to splash our Alberg 35 and get on with a summer on Lake Superior. Myst, our 1966 Pearson Dinghy #283 had been stored in the grass, near her mothership Mystic and the Marina launch all winter. I kept reminding Dave to fetch her and bring her over to our slip. Finally, we sauntered over where we'd left her last fall, only to find that SHE WAS GONE!!!

Myst, tucked into the bow of Mystic

There were a total of 3 dinghy's resting in this spot when we launched in May. The DNR had added a water fill pipe for the local fire station to fill their tanks with lake water this spring. It was possible that the dinghy's were in the way and had been moved. Dave visited the marina office to ask about it. He was told that the 3 dinghy's were moved but no one seemed to know where. He was told we could ask the marine mechanic.

Two Harbors Fire Truck testing pumps at Knife River Marina

Well, it took a month, but we finally ran into the mechanic and asked if he knew where our dinghy was. Looking sheepish, he said that he needed a dinghy and didn't know who owned Myst so he had been using her. He showed us where she had been tied up since she'd gone missing. We had walked by her every day for almost two months and not noticed her. He kept apologizing so I smiled at him and said, "We don't mind that you borrowed our dinghy, but we do want it back!" What I held my tongue from saying is..."Borrowing our dinghy means you have it temporarily. Keeping our dinghy means you stole it!"

"Borrowed" Dinghy

Dave says he's learned a lesson. Don't leave your stuff laying around at the Marina. The $4,000 fee we pay each year does not allow us to assume that our property won't be considered fair game to anyone who finds it unattended. All's well that end's well. Myst is tucked under Mystic's bow once again. We plan to keep them together. 

Is it Spring yet?

We had another long cold winter in the Midwest this year. It was not so much snowy, but bitter cold; the kind of cold that freezes your nose hairs and stops engines from running properly. We made a trek up to Knife River Marina on New Year's Day to check on our fall winter wrap job of Mystic, our Alberg 35. She was fine, tucked in between all the other boats, waiting on the arrival of spring and launch day. She was covered tightly with the tarps, held down with shrink wrap we'd painstakingly applied in October.

Knife River was quiet. Lake Superior was frozen over, smooth as glass. There was a magical scene of ice houses, ice skaters and frolicking families along the North Shore.

Winter has always been exciting and fun-filled for us. In spite of the cold, there is always something to do; snowboarding, x-country skiing, endless winter festivals. It was the Ice Project which brought us back up to Knife River to check on Mystic again at the end of February. Roger Hanson brought joy and delight to everyone who visited Barker's Island Marina for the light show and fireworks celebrating his latest ice sculpture.

The-Ice-Project Facebook Page

Spring surprised us with warm temps in April. By May, we had already experienced lovely days in the 80's. Excited to get the season started, we scheduled Mystic's launch for May 21st; early for Lake Superior waters. The launch went smoothly but Dave was worried about the engine starting. It took a few cranks and we were on our way to slip #68.

Once we were settled, Dave noticed that the water just wasn't flowing correctly out of the exhaust port. The first thing he checked was the raw water strainer to see if it needed to be cleaned. It was fine, so the next step was the water pump impeller.

Dave replaced the impeller but still no water flow. It was apparent that several blades off the impeller were missing and now somewhere in our engine. After a lot of research and a day of pulling hoses and checking for blockages, he back-flushed the heat exchanger and found the missing impeller blades. Lesson learned, replace that impeller annually, before starting the engine. were back in business and ready to start our 2015 season.