Let Andy, Dave, and Tim know what you would like to see in pictures!

Okay, there's a limit to the amount of shoreline one can look at in pictures. Beautiful, sure.  But boring??  You bet!


Here is a list of possible pictures that I have suggested for the guys to take:
Need more pictures of:

Andy eating ice cream.

Dave watching movies on his computer.

Picking up Tim.

Talking to the locals.

Buildings, like where you got cold stone.

Doing dishes.

How much dirty laundry you have.

How long Dave has been wearing the same clothes.

Cute chicks.

Morning hair.

Cleaning the heads.

Eating at the local restaurants.

The chart plotter.

The spinnaker. 

Lots of pics of buffalo. And Buffalo.

Every lock you enter and exit.  When it's low and when it's high.  Tying up.  etc.

Local historic landmarks.

Come on you guys.  your pictures are boring.  Jazz it up!  make some faces for heaven sakes!!

Let's let the guys know what you would like to see!  Give them some suggestions by leaving them some comments!!

Thanks!  And let's see some excitement around here!

Deb

The Latest 8-30-11, Dunkirk NY

Andy's latest Facebook update from this afternoon:


Sailing, under spinnaker, toward Dinkirk, N . Y . Life is good. :)


Tonight's update:

Andrew Mattingly

Short day today. Got into Dunkirk, NY about 3:45 and tied up to the Municipal Pier, FOR FREE! What a deal and its a great location too, just a short walk to services, like COLD STONE, which I just got back from. :) Dave had Tim Horton coffee.
Off for Buffalo at 8:00 to pick up my friend Tim, who will be crewing for about 2.5 weeks, through all the canals, and the Hudson, to NYC. Thank you Tim!

 ·  · 12 minutes ago · Privacy:

Click on the slideshow to enlarge:



From Deb:
Went back to work for the school year today.  Can't even count how many people asked about Andy, where he was, how he was doing, and if the hurricane was affecting the trip.


It's hard to sleep for the entire night.  I get tired, go to bed, read awhile, go to sleep for 2 or 3 hours, then I'm wide awake.  This doesn't help when I have to get up early in the morning to go to work!


I'm looking forward to the weekend, to get together with family and friends.  But it will be so strange not to have Andy here with me, and that we will not be taking our friends out on Island Time.  


Big adjustment period.  Don't sweat the small stuff, right Andy??  :)

B.O.A.T. means "Break out another thousand...."

Andrew Mattingly latest update on Facebook:

Just got anchored in Erie, PA, about 8:00 pm. Very late start today because of problem with my inverter. Appears it is shot, thus the acronym B.O.A.T.: "Break out another thousand." :(
Trying to find a unit that we can get shipped ahead somewhere. Oh well....
Off to Dunkirk, NY, tomorrow.

From Deb:  This is the definition of an inverter:
An inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC)^[1]; the converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits. via Wikipedia


Click on the slideshow to make it bigger:

FOG HORN ACTIVATION CHANGING: FROM GLCC

Horn Activation Changing

dweller - 29 August 2011

 From the Ninth-District weekly notice to mariners:

"The U. S. Coast Guard will be changing the radio frequency to turn on radio-controlled fog signals to channel 83A (157.175 MHz) by 01 July 2012.

"During this transition period, mariners should use both channel 79 (156.975 MHz) and channel 83A (157.175 MHz) to energize the fog signal."

Notice that it's VHF channel 83A, not 83B, which is the Canadian weather channel.

James Acheson
Fleet Captain, GLCC

Web Cam, Ashtabula, OH

Hi Friends,
I was looking for a web cam this morning to see if I could see Andy and Dave, and I found this one:

http://www.ashtabulamarinemuseum.org/cam.html

You have to use it in internet explorer.  It may ask you to download and activex control.  Then you will have to enter a password and user name, both are user1

It will take a few minutes, but it's worth the wait!  It's in realtime.

Here's a photo I captured.  I think that's Island Time over the bridge, on the left.

Have a great day!

Andy's Latest Facebook Update 8-28-11, 5:30 PM

Andrew Mattingly

Decided to forgo the 15-20 kt. winds and 5 ft. seas and stayed in Ashtabula, today. Got a slip 

in a marina and went to the walleye festival. Dave and I split a "PILE OF WALLEYE". It was

 great. Had to come back to the boat and take a nap. Only got about 3 hours sleep last night. 

with all the blowing and rolling. Island Time did great though. Had her in 12.5' of water with 

70' of chain out. Didn't budge all night.

Off in the morning for Erie. Only 39 miles. Easy day. :)

Slideshow of Miscellaneous Photos from Last Week (Toledo to Ashtabula OH)

Click on the slideshow to make it bigger.

Upate from Andy this Morning, 8/28/11, 9:30 AM EST

Our plan is that we will be headed into the Welland Canal on 9/1. We currently have a day to burn in our schedule, which is good, because we are currently anchored in Ashtabula, OH, outer harbor. Was great when we anchored, looked like it would be a great place to spend the night. We took the dinghy to town. When we headed back to the boat the winds had started to pick up and have now been sustained at 15-20 MPH, since about 1:00 am, making it quite uncomfortable on the boat, with constant rolling. Very little sleep last night. I don't think this has anything to do with the E. coast storm. We are trying to decide whether to head on to our next stop, only 39 miles, or stay here for the day. Will decide in the next couple of hours.
Either way, we will need to meet Tim in Buffalo sometime  on 8/31.

OK, Kool. Thats what I thought. When ever you get there that day is fine, as we will be leaving for the Welland on 9/1. We currently have a day to burn in our schedule, which is good, because we are currently anchored in Ashtabula, Oh., outer harbor. Was great when we anchored, looked like it would be a great place to spend the night. We took the dinghy to town and went to an AA meeting last night. When we headed back to the boat the wins had started to pick up and have now been sustained at 15-20 MPH, since about 1:00, making it quite uncomfortable on the boat, with constant rolling. Very little sleep last night. I don't think this has anything to do with the E. coats storm. We are trying to decide whether to head on to our next stop, only 39 miles, or stay here for the day. Will decide in the next couple of hours.
Either way, we will see you sometime 9/31.

North Winds in Port Sanilac, Crashing Waves This Morning

High winds out of the north on Lake Huron has caused canceling of scuba charters at Blue Heaven Scuba...
Go here to see the water crashing over the breakwall.
Port Sanilac Web Cam

Ashtabula OH Walleye and Wine Festival This Weekend

Big festival going on here tonight! Oh boy! Ice cream tonight!

Andy and Dave are in Ashtabula, OH

Andrew Mattingly

Anchored in Ashtabula, Ohio.nice and quiet, with the acception of the occasional jet ski or 

fishing boat. No one else here by us.

Freighter leaving Fairport Harbor, OH

Nuclear Plant near North Perry, OH

Ow.ly - image uploaded by @WeatherBug

Latest wind reports from Weatherbug.

Ow.ly - image uploaded by @WeatherBug:

'via Blog this'

Andy's Latest Facebook Update

Andrew Mattingly

Headed for Ashtabula, Ohio. No wind, motoring @ 8 kts

41.611812,-81.570332(Andrew Mattingly's location@10:35am,8/27) - Google Maps

m.google.com

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps

Muskegon to Cleveland OH, 8-11-11 to 8-26-11: Here's the Map!!

Take a look at this map!!  There was no way to save it and print it out, so this is as good as it gets until I figure out another way.

704 miles, and counting!!
Link to Google Map of Andy's Trip as of 8-26-11

BOAT BLESSED BY A CATHOLIC PRIEST??

Message from Andy at 8:30 Friday night, from Cleveland, Ohio:

"The boat was just blessed by a catholic priest, so we are good to go!"


I want to see some pictures of that.  How about you??
Also, my mom will be so proud to hear this!!  hehe!

Facebook Post From Andy, Addressing the Hurricane Situation

Andrew Mattingly

In case you are wondering about me and my sailing adventure, with regard to the storm, here is what I get 2-3 times a day. Based on current NOAA/Boat US info, the storm will be long past by the time we get to the area.

BoatUS.com Storm Advisories

smtp.boatus.net

TCPAT4 BULLETIN HURRICANE IRENE ADVISORY NUMBER 25 NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL092011 1100 AM EDT FRI AUG 26 2011 ...OUTER RAIN BANDS OF LARGE HURRICANE IRENE NEARING THE COAST OF THE CAROLINAS.... SUMMARY OF 1100 AM EDT...1500 UTC...INFORMATION --------------------------...

5 hours ago ·  ·  · Share

Andy and Dave's pictures, 8-24-11

Sorry, I have no descriptions for these.  If you have questions, please let Andy know.

Sailing Trip 8/24/11

Port Sanilac 8-21-11, Andy and Dave to Port Huron, 8-22-11

Port Sanilac 8-21-11, Andy and Dave to Port Huron, 8-22-11

8-17-11 Rogers City to Port Sanilac, overnight

8-16-11 Mackinaw City to Rogers City

8-16-11 Mackinaw City to Rogers City

A Woman Has a Right to Change Her Mind

Monday:  We had a great {motor} from Beaver Island to Mackinaw City. It's always a thrill going under the bridge.  Also, looking up that mast at any stationary bridge, you have that little pea of doubt, (are we really going to make it??).  But of course, we did.  It's the perspective of looking up at it.  We arrived in Mackinaw City at the DNR docks.  New marina, really fantastic facility. You do have to push the button in the shower to get water every minute or so, which made me feel a little like I was in prison.  But still, lots of hot water.  They power the place with wind.  There weren't many boats, and it was quiet for the most part.  The sunset was one of the best I've seen, and the sunrise was beautiful too!

Tuesday:  Left Mackinaw City for Rogers City.  I had never been between Round Island and the mainland, or Bois Blanc Island and the mainland.  Really pretty.  {Motoring} once again because there was no wind.  I got some tanning in and some naps.  Ahh, the life of a cruiser with two cabin boys, can't be beat!  We arrived in Rogers City at 3:00 and Andy got fuel.  Very nice marina here also.  The staff was very helpful and very friendly.  We walked uptown to the Chinese-Thai restaurant and had a good meal.  Just enough walking to walk it off to get back to the boat.  Another quiet night.

Wednesday:  Left Rogers City for Alpena, and we finally got a chance to SAIL!!  It was beautiful.  Quiet.  Sunny.  Just the right amount of wind, if there is such a thing.

So, then I had a great idea:  Let's sail all the way to Port Sanilac!  No, not in a couple of days, TONIGHT!  Yes, overnight.  We were going to do this on Lake Michigan, but didn't get the opportunity.  AND it's on my bucket list!  Sail overnight on Lake Huron.

The guys said, OKAY, and off we went.  The wind was out of the south-southwest, so we had to tack out into the lake.  About 20 miles.  Then, it got rough.  Water over the bow.  When we tacked back, we hadn't made much forward progress.  So we decided if we were going to get anywhere, we had to {motor}.  Ugh.

Great sunset.  The moon came out.  It was glorious, but very rough.  Wind gusts up to 25K.  Lots of water over the bow.  And we've been having some problems with leaky windows.  Not serious, just need to replace some gaskets and things.  We took shifts napping, but I couldn't sleep much.  Lots of freighters.  On one of Andy's watches, he had the radar set to alarm if anything came into a zone right in front of us.  Then he happened to look behind the boat, and there was a ginormous freighter coming up from behind passing us!!  He woke me up to see that one.  Huge, lots of lights.  Pretty sight.

At 2:00 AM on Thursday we spotted the Port Austin light.  The sun came up as predicted, and by 9:00 am and 160 miles later, we were in a slip in my beloved Port Sanilac.  Same Harbormaster, Dave.  Such a nice guy.  We secured the boat, then marched up to Mary's Diner for breakfast.  Delicious as ever.  Back to the boat, in my jammies, and we all took a snooze.  Laundry, showers, dinner at Mary's, a walk around town, and a beautiful night.

Today, as the guys do some research into the halyard (which is another whole story in and of itself), and the windows, and other odds and ends they need to repair before they continue on, I can sit and ponder, and enjoy the silence and the peace.  So far we've traveled about 450 miles since leaving Muskegon.  I get off here, but not before a few more days of rest and relaxation!  I'll be posting some pictures!
Deb

Sailing Trip, Day 5 Beaver Island to Mackinaw City, MI - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip, Day 5 Beaver Island to Mackinaw City, MI - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip, Day 4, Leland to Beaver Island, MI - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip, Day 4, Leland to Beaver Island, MI - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip Day 3, 8-13-11 - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip Day 3, 8-13-11 - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip Day 2, 8-12-11 - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

Sailing Trip Day 2, 8-12-11 - Debra Mattingly - Picasa Web Albums

8/13/11, Saturday, and a lovely Saturday it is!

8/13/11 Okay, so I slept like a baby.  Until 4:30 AM.  Then I was up.  Couldn't sleep.  But it didn't matter.  I was reading and watching those crazy fishermen.  I think they know something we don't know...  about destressing.

We left Frankfort at 9:00.  Anchor up out of the mud.  Skies still overcast, with snippets of sun.  70 degrees, waves 2 to 4, wind 15K out of the NE.  Another motoring day.  Passed the Point Betsie Light at 9:44, south end of South Manitou Island (where we've anchored multiple times and love it) at 11:48, the Manitou Shoal Light at 1:00, and at 2:30 arrived at Leland Harbor.  We have never been to Leland Harbor, and I am so glad we had the opportunity to see it.  What a cute little fishing town!  They had a slip for us and we didn't have to raft up behind boats like some people did.  The marina is brand spanking new, with floating docks, and a lovely main building.

After I cooked dinner I went out walking and spent a good amount of time on the beach.  Just sitting, watching the water.  And the seagulls.  Have you even seen seagulls walking the beach looking for goodies?  The first one I saw seemed to be a loner.  On his own, his little speckled body moving down the beach, head down.  The first thing I realized is that birds have backwards knees.  I named this bird "Knobby Knees."  Why I had never noticed that birds have backwards knees before, I don't know.

Then the rest of the seagulls came walking by, several minutes later.  Knobby Knees seemed to be an overachiever, and was about ¼ mile ahead of the rest of the game.  I love how they all stopped on their way by, just for a second, turned their little head like birds do, and looked at me first from one eye, and then the other.  I said “hi” to each one, and they moved along.  They had work to do and needed to be on their way.

It got pretty cold sitting there on the beach, so I went back to the boat, did the dishes, and got ready for bed.  The sunset was spectacular, but no pictures because I didn’t feel like running out to the street in my PJ’s.  Dave and Andy went into town to get coffee and Andy got “the best ice cream that he’d ever had in his life.”  There must be something with the northern air that makes you feel that way about things up here.

The Days are Getting AwAy from Me!!

Wow, time flies when you're having fun!  I have covered the first day, but that's it so far!  (But maybe I shouldn't be mentioning the word FLIES....shhhhh!)

8/12/11, Friday, our second day out.  We left Ludington Municipal Marina at 9:15 am.  70 degrees, overcast sky, waves 1 to 3'.  The wind was on our nose again, so we motored.  The great thing:  NO FLIES!  What an experience with those damn flies!  We passed Hamlin Light at 10:30, Manistee at 12:15.  Andy and Dave were talking engine and decided to run our Yanmar diesel engine at full throttle for a little while to see how she handled it.  Lots of noise and a big headache 10 minutes later, they decided she handled it just fine.  Yeah. I guess.  It's a guy thing.

1:00 we passed Portage Lake, 2:15 Arcadia, and by 3:30 we anchored in Betsie Lake in Frankfort.

I love Frankfort.  It's a cute, quiet little town.  Except when there is a fishing tournament.  We were anchored near the boat ramps, and there must have been 5,000 fishing boats going in and out of there, for most of the night.  We had a STORM that night, and it didn't phase them one single bit.  Wow, imagine what the world would be like, if everyone had the perseverance of those fishermen.

Andy and Dave took the dingy into town to get a coffee, and for something to do.  Live entertainment:  Hannah Rae Beale.  Dave was so smitten with her voice that he bought her CD.  It was good, I have to admit!

It was a beautiful night with a full moon.  There's something good about taking a shower when you're anchored out, putting on your PJ's, and sitting on the boat with a hot cup of coffee.  Just something, peaceful. No worries.  Lots of calm.  No stress here.  With the rain that night, I slept like a baby, with the boat gently rocking.  Heaven.

Updated Itinerary as of 8-12-11

Our itinerary has changed a bit.  Here is an updated version:

 Thursday 8/11/2011 Muskegon to Ludington

 Friday 8/12/2011 Ludington to Frankfort

 Saturday 8/13/2011 Frankfort to Leland 

 Sunday 8/14/2011 Leland to Beaver Island

 Monday 8/15/2011 Beaver Island to Mackinac City

 Tuesday 8/16/2011 Mackinac City, to Rogers City, MI

 Wednesday 8/17/2011 Rogers City, MI to Alpena, MI

 Thursday 8/18/2011 Alpena, MI to E. Tawas, MI

 Friday 8/19/2011 E. Tawas, MI to Harbor Beach, MI

 Saturday 8/20/2011 Harbor Beach, MI to Port Sanilac, MI

 Sunday 8/21/2011 Port Sanilac, MI

A Very Exciting First Day (to say the least)

A beautiful morning when we left Muskegon in the morning on our first day away.  Beautiful sunshine, cool temperatures, kind of a mist rising off the water in the still pond.  

We were promised by the weatherman that we would have winds out of the southwest.  HA!  I can count on one hand how many times he has correctly forecast the weather on the lakes.  The wind was out of the northeast, and we were going directly into it.  It slowly shifted to the west. 

The flies started congregating on deck, mainly in the cockpit, shortly after leaving Muskegon.  By the time we got a few miles out, they were horrendous!  They were the biting kind.  Staying on deck in the breeze helped a bit, but we were constantly swatting.  The flies must have attracted the two bats that showed up shortly after.  They flew around the boat and sometimes lit on the sails.  Then one flew into the cockpit, and directly into one of the line bags.  He probably would have still been in there but Andy shooshed him out.  I stayed down below each time the bats came swooping by to visit us again!

The wind changed enough to put up the spinnaker sail.  Andy was at the bow getting it all organized (we sometimes call this sail "The Beast," aptly named by a couple we met who also had one), while I was in the cockpit manning the lines.  Then, as sometimes happens when I'm in a rush, listening to Andy, trying to maintain my footing and my mind: BRAIN FREEZE.  Rule: always put the line on the winch in a clockwise direction.  I forgot that rule, and by the time I realized it and tried to fix it, Andy had launched the spinnaker.  My hands both got tangled in the line and got pulled through the winch.  Just some bruises and a little cut, no broken bones, thank goodness.  Line gloves save my life, fo sho!!

So I went below with ice, and the guys were in the cockpit enjoying the sail with the spinnaker.  Then, a loud POP!  And Andy shouted "OH NO!!"  and the spinnaker was in the water.  Our halyard failed.  Deja vu, because it did the same thing, almost in the same place on the Lake, two years ago!!  So we hauled it on deck.  Ugh!! 

By this time, the flies had commandeered the boat.  We were washing the dead ones down with the cockpit sprayer.  You guys should thank us.  I think we eliminated half the flies in the State of Michigan.

We had planned to go to Leland overnight.  But with all the excitement, we decided to put in in Ludington.  I cooked up some comfort food, BACON and lots of it, and ham, and sauerkraut, and more BACON.  I went to bed early.  What a day!

Our Last Weekend in Muskegon

We spent our last weekend in Muskegon, anchored between the arms, with our friends, Howard and Sandy.  We had a steak dinner with all the trimmings.  Andy can cook a mean ribeye on that little grill of ours!  When we first decided to put the boat in at Muskegon, I was a little skeptical.  But after 4 years, I will now miss Muskegon tons!  There are beautiful beaches, lovely parks, great marinas, and lots of great people to get to know.  I hope we can keep in touch with all of our Muskegon friends!

A New Adventure!

This Thursday, August 11, we will be setting sail for a new journey.  Our jumping off point is Muskegon, MI.  Andy's destination will be Stuart, FL.

Here is the first twelve days of the itinerary:
 Thursday 8/11/2011 Muskegon to Leland, MI
 Friday 8/12/2011 Leland, MI
 Saturday 8/13/2011 Leland to Beaver Island, MI (St. James Harbor)
 Sunday 8/14/2011 Beaver Island to Mackinac Island, MI
 Monday 8/15/2011 Mackinac Island
 Tuesday 8/16/2011 Mackinac Island, MI, to Rogers City, MI
 Wednesday 8/17/2011 Rogers City, MI to Alpena, MI
 Thursday 8/18/2011 Alpena, MI to E. Tawas, MI
 Friday 8/19/2011 E. Tawas, MI to Harbor Beach, MI
 Saturday 8/20/2011 Harbor Beach, MI to Port Sanilac, MI
 Sunday 8/21/2011 Port Sanilac, MI

I'll be getting off at Port Sanilac.  Andy and his friend, Dave, will continue on:

 Monday 8/22/2011 Port Sanilac, MI to Port Huron, St. Clair River, Harsen's Island
 Tuesday 8/23/2011 Lake St.Clair to Detroit River to Lake Erie to Toledo (or before)
 Wednesday 8/24/2011 Toledo to Huron, Ohio
 Thursday 8/25/2011 Huron, Ohio to Chagrin River, Ohio
 Friday 8/26/2011 Chagrin River to Ashtabula
 Saturday 8/27/2011 Ashtabula to Erie
 Sunday 8/28/2011 Erie to Dunkirk
 Monday 8/29/2011 Dunkirk to Buffalo to Welland Canal

From the Welland Canal, they will go into Lake Ontario, to the Erie Canal, through the Erie Canal to the Hudson River, New York, the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, Intercoastal Waterway, Atlantic Ocean to Stuart, FL.

I will keep you updated each step of the way!  Also, Andy is looking for crew.  You can join him at any port, and get off where ever port you want.

Anchors Aweigh!!

Deb