The last few weeks, I have been upgrading Earthling with a new navigation system, new battery bank of 500+ amp hours, new high output alternator kit & many other things. I also obtained four reserve 10 gallon diesel tanks, 5 reserve water tanks, a new folding Dahon Bicycle, Charts for Caribbean and Florida and the intercostal waterways and many other resource books. I still have many things on the list but this list is never ending. As soon as I check something off the list, a new thing has to be added on! Last week the power DC to AC inverter blow, I can’t run the refrigerator now so I had to get a new Inverter which is on the way in mail.
I have had a cross the lake trip planned for this summer before I go down the rivers and we did that last week. Rachael & I sailed across Lake Michigan to Saugatuck in Michigan and met up with my friends Robert, Hayley and her kids. I’m uncle George to Holden & Henry and it was nice to have them on Earthling before I set sail for a long voyage. Every time they come on the boat they hang out in the V-berth. It’s like a little play room for them!
The sail to Saugatuck was relatively smooth. The wind was south east 10 to 15, waves started with 3’ to 5’ and decreased to 1’ to 2’ after 6 hours into the trip, it was partly cloudy and around 70 degrees. We sailed for most of the passage, the distance was 80 Nautical miles and we did it in 16 hours.
From Saugatuck we sailed to South Haven, MI. In South Haven, Brant joined me back to Chicago. The passage from South Haven to Chicago was one of the nicest and fastest sails ever. We had a South East wind at 10 to 15 and average speed of 7. We recorded as high as 8.5 knots.
The time is coming closer and closer for departure from Chicago and Lake Michigan. On Wednesday 29th we will go down Chicago River to Canal Street Marina. Then I will have less than 3 days to unstep the mast, and get Earthling ready for river trip down to Mobile, Alabama. Hopefully if everything is in place, I should be departing on Sat Oct 2nd.
This weekend is the last weekend in Monroe Harbor. Earthling will be by shore Saturday and Sunday and friends will stop by to wish me good luck.
Hopefully from now on I should be updating this blog more periodically.
Thanks for reading
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