As I said last week, I didn’t wear a coonskin cap or carry a musket, but I easily imagined myself on a keel boat while cruising down the Illinois River during the Great Loop trip in 2015.  We’d be on this river for 273 miles of relatively flat water on the eastern edge of middle … Read more

We stayed in Chicago for three days, not enough time to do much sightseeing. But I remember some excellent dining, a visit to a three-story grocery store that had lots fine wine and gourmet items, and finding another cruising partner. We’d met Jorge and Barbara and their two dogs in Saugatuck and had cruised together … Read more

When our trawler’s engine recovered from its adrenaline spurts (it wasn’t quite done), we continued our 2015 adventure, leaving Harbor Springs and continuing our voyage down the east coast of Lake Michigan. Bypassing Charlevoix, we headed for Leland with its quaint restored fishing village right next to a marina. We stayed an extra day for … Read more

The 2015 Great Loop cruise, while big on adventures, had surprisingly few mechanical problems. But when we left Drummond Island on our way to Lake Michigan, our engine began to have weird episodes of revving up on its own, even though the speed didn’t increase. Still, it was troubling and needed to be looked at … Read more

I’m borrowing the title of a current film for this blogpost to talk about one of the best parts of cruising: the people you meet. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable—I can’t think of a negative word because those we met fit the first description. While circling through wooded waterways, pink rock formations, and scenic islands we spent … Read more