Taas on mahdollista lainata internettia erikois WIFI antennini avulla.

8/15/2013 olin Pentwater MI:ssa ankurissa, 8/16 Port Sheldon MI:ssa ankurissa ja nyt olen ankurissa Old Buffalo MI:n ja Michigan City:n valilla. Avain kivenheiton paassa on jallen yksi atomivoimalan nakoinen laitos. Jees, kylla vahan pelottaa.

Tasta voisi periaatteessa ajella jo Chicagon ensimmaiselle sululle mutta kun en halua lahtea joelle tayttamatta seka vesi-, diesel- etta bensatankit ja tyhjentamatta holding tankkia on poikettava yhdeksi yoksi johonkin marinaan. Chicagossa diesel on taalan kalliimpaa kuin naissa Michiganin satamissa. Satama on tarpeen myos siksi, etta ihan Illinois joen alussa on pari rautatiesiltaa, joita ei enaan avata. Matalin on 17 jalkaa ja seuraava 19 jalkaa. On laskettava masto, etta mahdun alta. Onneksi vesi on pari jalkaa alempana joten pitaisi selvita alta.

Vahan jannittaa nuo sulut kun vene on niissa kiinnitettava seka keulasta etta perasta lakeutuvaan/nousevaan pollariin. Yhden miehen miehistolle voi tulla kiire.

Again it is possible to borrow Internet using my special Wi-Fi antenna.  
8/15/2013 I was anchored in Pentwater, MI, 8/16 Port Sheldon, MI anchored, and now I am anchored between Old Buffalo and Michigan City.  Only the stone's throw is again something that looks like a nuclear power station; yes, I feel a little bit scared.  

In principle from here you could already sail to Chicago's first lock but I don't want to go to the River without filling my water, diesel, and gasoline tanks, and without emptying my holding tank.  I have to stay one night in some marina.  In Chicago diesel is $1/gal than these Michigan harbors.  Harbor is needed also because in the beginning of Illinois River there are two railway bridges that are not open any more.  The lowest is 17' and the next 19'.  I have to lower the mast that I have to go under the bridges.  Luckily the water is 2' lower so I shall be able to go under the bridges.  

I'm a little bit excited about those locks because the boat has to be fastened both bow and stern to the cleat that goes up or down.  One man crew.

Tanaan oli mahtava paiva ajella. Tuulta noin 11 solmua ja aallot alle 3 jalkaa. Tuuli tuli styyrpuurista ja takaa. Laiva keikkui kuin... mutta vauhti nousi 1650 rpm:lla melkein 8 solmuun! Kaikkiaan tein matkaa n. 60 mailia.
Olen nyt Pentwater MI:ssa ankkurissa. On vahan syvaa ja ulkona on vain 120 jalkaa ketjua ja naurua. Toivottavasti anchor alarm herattaa jos laiva lahtee liikkeelle.
Huomena on kovempi keli mutta halajan Chicagon lapi niin akkia kun miellyttavasti paasee. Koko ajan puhutaan, etta sulkevat kanavan kun asian carp aikoo vallata suuret jarvet.

Today was a magnificent day.  Wind was about 11 knots and waves under 3 feet.  The wind came from the starboard and behind.  The boat was rocking like…  but was speed was almost 8 knots when running 1650 rpms!  Altogether I traveled about 60 miles.

I am now in Pentwater, MI anchored.  It’s a little bit deep and I have out 120 feet out of chain and rope.  Hopefully the anchor alarm wakes me if the boat starts to move.  Tomorrow  will be rough weather but I want to get to Chicago as soon as possible to be able to drive without  suffering.  All the time there are rumors that the channel will be closed because the Asian Carp will conquer the Great Lakes. 

Taman blogin yllapito nailla nettiyhteyksilla tuntuu tuskallisen turhauttavalta.

Olen nyt toista paivaa Franfort MI 'ssa. Pohjoistuulen sanottiin yltavan 22 solmuun ja aallonkorkeuden 10 jalkaan. Ei huvittanut lahtea kun NOOA viela uhkasi, etta vesi tornadot ovat mahdollisia. Olisihan se ollut hauska nahda mutta ei kantti kestanyt.
Huomenna aion tankata joka ikisen tankin tayteen kun taalla nafta on noin 4 taalaa gallona ja Chicagossa 5.20. Kaikkiaan minulla on silloin 340 gallonaa laivalla. Alle 2 gallonan tunnissa kulutuksella pitaisi paasta melko pitkalle.
Ei kun terkkuja kaikille tutuille. Laittakaa blogin osoitetta henkiloille joiden uskotte olevan kiinnostuneita. Jos nettiyhteydet etelammassa paranee yritan saada kuviakin mukaan.

To update the blog with these internet connections feels painfully frustrating.

I am now for the second day in Frankfort, MI .  They warned that north wind will reach 22 knots and waves to 10 feet.  I wasn’t very eager to leave because NOOA warned that water spouts are possible.  Well, it might have been nice to actually see one but I didn’t have enough guts.  Tomorrow I will feel every single tank up because diesel is about $4 a gallon and in Chicago it is $5.20.  Altogether I have 340 gallons of diesel on board and when using under 2 gallons an hour I should be able to travel pretty far.  Nothing else but regards to everybody.  Please share the blog’s address to everyone you think may be interested.  Comments are welcome.  If I have  better internet connections when I am further south I will upload more pictures.  

Ho! Ho! and up she rises... and brother Mike drills holes for the new stern thruster

Lasse is leaving right now to go to Sixteen Tons to make sure she is secured.  Hurricane Sandy has just made landfall and Lake Erie's waves are well...incredible.  Reports are that some waves are as high as 20 feet.  These photos are only of Lake Erie in the Cleveland area.  All along the East Coast near catastrophic conditions are being reported but .... Lake Erie - wow.






 

The first journey we took turned out to be very short; a good thing since the hydraulic fluid in the rudder had run out and we had no steering.  We called it the "mini-loop" because we traveled through the marina to the waste disposal pump, turned around, and fought our way back to our slip.  It was actually quite an adventure  as we weren't sure how it all would end.  However, the next best thing to having a working rudder is a brand new bow thruster!

But here she is back in her home slip and resting peacefully with a clean holding tank.

Lake Erie seems to have an ongoing problem with the water level.  While the marina was at 4', the channel to the lake itself was not deep enough for us to get out for a day cruise anyway.  Patience, patience.

There are things you learn while living on a small boat.  One of the foremost being that there isn't a lot of space and organization is key.  Everything has a place and must be in its place in order for things to flow smoothly.  This is critical while working on the engine because one must be up and down, in and out, with and without tools in hand all the while moving things from port to starboard and from bow to stern.  

Thankfully Mike "the seller" left us a a really great pair of duplex hearing protective headsets.  This gift was great while we worked together on installing a new throttle cable.  One had to be on the fly bridge, or should I say crawling around inside the fly bridge while one fed the cable from the inside helm.  "No need to yell," she said, "I hear you just fine."  Working together with this one great communication tool made all the difference.

Today a couple of calls were put in to Brian at American Diesel - wow, what a great help he was.  The engine is a Ford Lehman 120 hp that is 32 years old with only 622 original hours.  It's had very good maintenance over the years, if little use, but before a real voyage can begin some updates need to be made.

A copper oil cooler and transmission cooler were ordered today along with hoses; we expect them by early next week.

If anyone is looking for help with a Ford Lehman boat engine, we were well advised to contact Brian or Bob Smith at American Diesel at 804-435-3107.  They are so helpful and explain thoroughly that it is a wonder they have time to handle their business.