We spent a wonderful winter holiday season back on the West Coast with family and friends returning to Florida the end of February. Spent the next 3 months getting a few things done around the Florida house as well as a lot of traveling to see East Coast friends; boaters and otherwise.

We left Florida on Tuesday May 9th and headed north to the boat. After a few stops with other family and friends, and a couple of visits with rental properties and managers along the way, we made it to Macatawa, Michigan on May 17.

THIS is what as she sat in the heated barn all winter

Packed in tight

While she was in the barn over the winter we got a few maintenance items done. One was replacing the leaking port (left) engine water pump. For some reason, one that no one is able to figure out, the mechanic drained the engine of coolant, which was not necessary before the water pump was replaced. The real pain is that he drained some of the coolant into the bottom of the boat and just left it there on the engine room floor. Michael pumped out about 2 gallons of it off the floor. After two trips into Grand Rapids to Michigan Cat for 4 more gallons of coolant (5 total replaced) it seems as though we may have finally gotten her full. BUT! while working on that Michael discovered an oil leak coming from the newly replaced water pump. With further review, it seemed as though the gasket was put on backwards when it was installed. To the office we go…Another mechanic showed up, a guy who has a boat here but does some jobs for the marina for fun (go figure). We just happened to have picked up a new gasket while at MI Cat, and with the new one put on correctly, no more oil leak. Yay.

One of the big projects was replacing the old refrigerator. The old one only cooled to 43 degrees and I could not keep things usable for very long. We had ordered a new one which was delivered to the boat before we got here, but the maintenance guys were unable to get it in the boat because it wouldn’t fit through any of the doors so it was left sitting on the back deck. Michael removed the back door so the frig could fit, the problem there was it weighed way too much for us carry down the four steps into the salon, so we had to wait until they could get a crew together to get it into the salon.

But alas, there’s more…

Upon further inspection we found that the port (left) battery was left connected during some of the other work we had done over the winter, so it was completely dead. So dead that it would not recharge. Great, we had to get another one. The marina was supposed to have made sure the batteries were disconnected, so this was on them. Back to the office…They would have paid something to get the battery replaced, but in the interest of time, as this all happened the day before we were to get put back in the water, Michael worked a deal with them. We will buy and get the battery if they did not charge us their excessive labor costs to have the old battery and old refrigerator taken off the boat and the new battery (which is about the size of a 100 quart ice chest and weight 150ish pounds) and new refrigerator (also about 150 pounds) carried down the steps and into the engine room and the salon. Four maintenance guys with a forklift turned up an hour before the barns closed for the day and accomplished all the necessary tasks in less than 30 minutes. Michael and I got the new frig into place and hooked up and working (cools to the 30s) just in time for launching the next day. Phew, that’s all done.

We returned to the marina the next morning at 8am sharp and they were already working on getting her out of the barn, across the street, to the travel lift and into the water. She sat for a while to be sure she didn’t sink (interestingly the marina has had a large number of boats this year that did not start and even some that sank once put in the water!) She started right up and had no problems getting into the slip.

THIS is what floating in the slip

On top of all that, Michael was coming down the stairs into the salon and the top step broke causing him to fall onto his back in the doorway hitting his upper back on the door jam and his hip on the step. After some medical triage and body system check I determined luckily nothing was broken, but he is very sore and stiff. I was freaked as his life passed before my eyes. Thought the season was over even before we started. Thankfully that step did not break the previous day while the guys were carrying the battery and frig up and down the stairs.

Ouchie. He did switch from water to beer later

Now it seems as though we have a problem with the main salon AC/heater! Jeez, can we get a break!!

Well, we’re happy to be back onboard. It feels like floating and moving with the wind and currant is normal and goes unnoticed for the most part. Our journey this season will take up north up into Lake Superior for about a month where Leslie and Vince, my sister and husband, will join us for about a week out of Duluth. Then back down into Lake Michigan and into Green Bay where friends Kevin and Susan will join us for a couple weeks around Green Bay and down the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan to Milwaukee. From there we will head to Chicago where we will go through Chicago and about 7 locks out of the lake system into the river system. There will be plenty of stops along the way, so keep checking back for our latest adventures. Love to all, Mike and Gina