The Final Piece of the Puzzle

Back in 2010 when we first purchased Seapickle II, we took one look and thought there was no way we would ever tow a boat of this size. Now starting our 3rd season with our boat we have realized how much we want to explore new destinations, and purchasing a trailer for our boat is the only way this would be possible. Once we factor in the annual storage savings and the ability to find gas cheaper than marina prices, the idea of having a trailer makes a lot of sense and should pay for itself over time.

We started our search earlier this year looking at new and used trailers. When we couldn't find the right used trailer, we decided to go with a new custom built Loadmaster trailer. Days before I sent in my deposit for the new trailer, I received a message from our friend Cap'n Morgan on the Four Winns owners forum who had found the exact same trailer we were getting ready to purchase used for HALF the price! I couldn't believe what a rare find he had found and the good news the owner was willing to drive to meet us part way in Toledo, Ohio instead of going all the way to Cleveland, which saved us over 4 hours of total drive time!

Driving home with our new trailer!

Back at the boat yard

Ready for action

Introducing Lil' Pickle

We were searching for a dinghy to use on our up coming North Channel trip this summer, but couldn't find one small enough to stow. Our boat just doesn't have the room to comfortably stow a dinghy, gas can, and outboard motor so we needed something we could paddle easily, be rugged, and be able to inflate/deflate quickly. We decided on a Sea Eagle 420 Explorer inflatable kayak and, as luck would have it, found one posted locally on Craigslist at 1/3 the price of new!  It inflates in less than 10 minutes, fits in a custom carrying bag, and has a 900 lb capacity!

Dana picking her spot and practicing her paddling technique 

Unloaded and inflated in just a few minutes!

It may be January and the water only 35 degrees, but we couldn't wait til spring to sea-trial our new inflatable kayak. We stopped at two lakes prior to the marina to test our new toy only to find they were frozen! The marina has a switching current that keeps it from freezing a little later than other bodies of water.

While paddling around our marina we saw our friends from D dock Ron and Kelly, as well as Greg from B dock! This really came as no surprise to us considering we often take walks throughout the winter at the marina. I guess we do whatever we can to fight off this depressing time in a boater's life called winter.

The kayak tracks straight, paddles with ease, and feels unbelievably stable. We look forward to many hours of enjoyment from our Lil' Pickle.

Links:
Sea Eagle Inflatables

Planning Our Next Big Adventure

We are hoping 2012 will bring us another great summer and our next big adventure. We have decided to broaden our cruising destinations with the addition of a trailer for our boat! Although Lake Michigan still has a lot of places we have yet to explore there is a place that has peaked our interest for some time....The North Channel of Lake Huron! At first I was a little apprehensive about this trip because of the complete lack of civilization, detailed/current maps, and of course all those rocks to smack the prop on, but the more images and information we found on this destination the more intrigued we became by it's natural beauty and isolation from the outside world. The North Channel is considered by many to be some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world!

For Christmas we received a copy of what many consider The North Channel's cruising bible, Well-Favored Passage, from Ben's parents Bill and Kathy! We had met the author Ralph Folsom at the Strictly Sail show in 2011, but didn't purchase his book then simply because we didn't think we would ever make it that far north. Ben's dad held onto Ralph's contact info and surprised us with a personalized copy of the new 37th anniversary edition of this legendary cruising guide! We are looking forward to meeting the Ralph and Pixie at their cruising the north Channel seminar at Chicago's Strictly Sail Show next weekend!

 A copy of Well-Favored Passage signed by Ralph Folsom and Pixie Haughwout.

 Planning a big trip like this is a lot of fun especially in the middle of winter!


We plan to stay at anchor the majority of the time, only going to a marina when needed to restock provisions and recharge the batteries. This is completely opposite of the type of boating we have done in the past were we would spent every night tied safely to the dock in a marina. Changes will also have to be made in the way we use our boat, and especially the way we cook. Instead of using our electric cook top and fired up our electric Mr Coffee pot in the morning we will be switching to using propane to cook everything in order to conserve our battery bank. We may also need to replace some of our halogen lights over to more energy efficient led bulbs.

The possibility of seeing the Northern Lights in person along with the chance to see a bear in it's natural habitat has us so excited. We plan to add a new photo gallery to this blog to help share all the pictures we plan to take on this trip. Of course we will keep you posted as details about this trip unfold!

Links:
Well-Favored Passage
Lakeland Boating Lake Huron Cruising Guide
A great blog with a lot of North Channel info

Hey we recognize that picture!!

We were pleasantly surprised recently when we were contacted by Christy Baughs from Lakeland Boating magazine in regards to a picture we had posted on this blog. She informed us they were looking for a picture to put in their Calender of Events section for the upcoming boat shows and loved the picture we had posted of our friends Bill and Mina. 

 See the original post here

 Shortly after the January 2012 issue came out we received an extra copy of Lakeland Boating with a personalized note from Christy thanking us for use of the photo! It is a real honor for us that someone from Lakeland boating found our blog. Can you believe we are actually listed as a contributor in the front of the magazine! We didn't tell Bill and Mina about the picture until we went to their house for dinner, so we placed this years boat show tickets inside the magazine and handed it to them. The look on their faces was priceless when they noticed their picture. Thank you Christy!

Saying Goodbye to Summer...Part 1

This weekend is going to be our last on the big lake till next season since Seapickle is scheduled to be pulled out of the water for winter storage this Thursday. Flat calm days on Lake Michigan are hard to come by, but to have three consecutive days of glass flat water is really rare! Three perfect days is exactly what we had, and we made the best of them!

Friday

Meeting Pier Pressure at the beac

Shortly after we raft up with Ron, Debbie and Jacob on Pier Pressure, Greg and friends on Not Now arrive for a port side raft up!

Rafting up with Not Now and Pier Pressure

This sure beats going in the cold water to get from boat to boat

 With everyone here it is time to start our nightly potluck style dinners at the beach!

Ben fires up the grill for some steaks

Dana heating the pulled pork for sandwiches

Beautiful sunset

Can you believe we had three days like this

Hey Greg are those Milano cookies in your hand?

 Saturday

I was not always a morning person, but when we stay at the beach I am up with the sun! It's hard to not be a morning person when you are greeted with a sun rise like this. Dana on the other hand still likes to sleep as long as she can.

Also up with the sun was the Pier Pressure crew who had a quick cup of coffee and then departed to take Jacob to band camp

Early morning departure

After Pier Pressure left we had a quick breakfast and decided to check out some of the trails that wind through the dunes behind our camp. We spent the next couple of hours hiking through some beautiful nature trails, and even came across a snake sunning itself in the middle of a path! 

We decided it would be a nice day to visit Ben's cousin Mike and his family aprox. 20 miles down the shore in Long Beach Indiana. Pier Pressure returned just in time to help us shove off.

Save our spot for us!

 We had a great leisurely cruise down the shore to Long Beach! We slowed down around Michigan City to watch a sailboat regatta for a few minutes, then continued on to meet Mike and Nora on the beach.

Ben's cousin Mike, Wife Nora, Daughter Ella, and Baby Evan

Ella taking a time out from playing to have a snack

Ben and Mike kicking back and enjoying a great day!

Back to boaters to catch another great sunset

and moon rise!

Saying Goodbye to Summer..part 2

The best feeling in the world is waking up to a perfect, calm lake, beautiful sunrise and your friends rafted up on the boat next to you. We lounged around on the boat all morning... made coffee, picked on Jacob, ate breakfast, waved hello to Captain Ron... and waited for the rest of the boater's beach gang to arrive.

Jacob on Pier Pressure

Captain Ron checking out the beach

Slowly but surely other boats began to arrive. A little earlier than usual, perhaps because everyone knew that this may be our last opportunity of the season to all spend the day together. Everyone who arrived brought some sort of food or drink, plus friends and pets, to add to our beach party. We got the grill going early and didn't stop all day. Pizzas, veggies, italian beef, hot dogs (that fell in the sand), all kinds of snacks... we were feeling a little spoiled that day!

Just hanging out on the beach

Relaxing day on the beach

The whole crew

Jacob getting "toughened up"

Dana taking a break from sun bathing and napping

Ron and Kelly from D dock. You guys need to come stay on G dock!

It was so sunny and warm that day it was hard to believe it was really October and our last day out on Seapickle for the year. No one wanted the day to end, but eventually as the sun began to set and the evening grew cool, we had to give in and start thinking about heading back. Even after 3 full days on the beach, we still weren't ready... especially Dana who refused to get off her beach blanket, even while shivering in a sweatshirt and pants in the cool October air. Finally the last of us decided to pack up for the final voyage back to Marina Shores of 2011.

Dana was cold, but unwilling to leave "her beach."

Packing up for the final time

Goodbye Boaters Beach..we look forward to seeing you in the spring!

One last look at the sunset as we turn into the channel

We had the most amazing summer and wouldn't trade any of our memories for anything! Many of those memories due to our boat "family" and great friends Ron, Debbie & Jacob from Pier Pressure... we look forward to many more summers together!

G dock family

As we bid farewell to Seapickle that night we were definitely sad, but also just so grateful for the amazing 6 months of the year that we really live life to the fullest. There were times we stayed up all night, we may have overindulged on a "few" occasions, some of us didn't cut our grass for months, we neglected house projects, and obsessively checked the marine forecast while at work... but we can definitely say we soaked up every bit of sun we could and enjoyed every moment to the fullest.

October is still good for boating!

We've been having an AMAZING summer and have been spending wonderful days boating and on the beach... here's pics from this past weekend, and we will be updating with the rest of the summer news & pics soon! Sorry about the lack of posts... too much time on the water!