In Sitka

By on June 13, 2015 in M/V Alpenglow

We’re currently in Sitka after having stopped in Wrangell, made a feint towards Craig then shifting our destination to Sitka.

In Wrangell, we had a great visit with our friends, Dorothy & Dave Nagle, owners of the Seahorse Marine Diesel Duck DavidEllis. They’ve been in a boatyard in Wrangell since last fall recoating their boat.  I use the term “coat” because “paint” does not do justice to the multiple layers of protectants than go into keeping the corrosive effects of sea water, oxygen and sun from turning a boat (especially a steel boat) into a piece of scrap.  Journalist Jonathan Waldman released a book this year, Rust, describing the ongoing struggle of humankind to protect its constructs against corrosion.

2015-06-001xDorothy and Dave hope to be back in the water and ready to cruise shortly after the July 4th holiday.  We got a sneak preview of the glossy finish they’ll have when everything is complete.  We’ll be jealous.

While in Wrangell, the blocking high that brought the sunny weather to SE Alaska in May decided to leave and we ended up staying an extra day while a bit of wind and rain passed through.

From Wrangell, we decide to head over to Craig on the west side of Prince of Wales (PoW) Island. Sea conditions were generally favorable so we made it a long day, heading across the top of PoW, down to Shakan Bay and hit Dry Pass in El Capitan Passage just about high tide.  We anchored the night in Devilfish Bay about 6 miles south of the El Capitan caves.

The next day we headed to Salt Lake Bay, about 30 miles away.  We had enjoyed our visit there in 2014 and wanted to visit again.  By the time we reached Salt Lake Bay, the rain began to fall.  We set our anchor in the rain and retrieved it in the rain next morning.  In the mean time, we concluded that fishing would probably be better near Sitka so we retraced our path from the previous day to Devilfish Bay.

2015-06-029xThe next morning we went back through Dry Pass in El Capitan Passage.  It gets narrow in certain spots and we had to wait for the small cruise ship Wilderness Discoverer to pass through one section before proceeding.

Once back in Sumner Passage, we headed towards Keku Strait and the south entrance to Rocky Pass.  We dropped the anchor and took an early dinner break waiting for high tide in the pass.  At 5:30 pm we restarted the engine, pulled the anchor and covered the remaining 14 miles to our anchorage for night in Stedman Cove.

2015-06-060xFrom Stedman Cove we went to the always scenic Red Bluff Bay on Baranof Island for the night.  The day was quite stunning with calm winds and lots of sun.  Along the way we passed the Holland America cruise ship Amsterdam.  Chatham Channel being a bit wider than 2015-06-061xDry Pass, we didn’t have to wait our turn, although I did alter our route to keep the passing more than 3/4 mile.

The weather turned decidedly cooler and wetter than next two days as we first went to Douglass Bay in Hoonah Sound than on to Sitka the next.  High temperatures struggling to get above 50 degrees and frequent rain showers.

The current plan is to do some fishing in the Sitka area before returning to Sitka to start our way to Juneau.

St. Augustine, FL to Brunswick,GA 2015

By on June 13, 2015 in Idyll Time

Day 1: St. Augustine to Fernandina: The Conch House Marina in St. Augustine, Fl. has been our home for the past month. Jeff’s Mom underwent knee replacement, so we have been helping out with the family chores while she recovers. Now that she is on the mend, we are anxious to get back out on […]

Hoonah to Sitka – The Fishing Begins

By on June 9, 2015 in Spirit

May 28 – Hoonah


We decided to spend an extra day in Hoonah and try halibut fishing from the Grady White.  We had no luck!  Jon Liljegren had arranged to have Seafood Chowder prepared at the Office Pub, so we all went there for chowder and beer.

May 29 – Hoonah to Tenakee Springs

Departing Hoonah at 0800 we followed Steel Tiger east in Icy Strait and the south down Chatham Strait.  The skies were clear, but with a brisk NW wind.  At 1410 we docked in Tenakee Springs just behind Steel Tiger.  The crab pots were set in Kadashan Bay and some of us enjoyed the hot springs.

The store has been refurbished inside and is really nice.  There is free wifi at the bakery!

May 30 – Tenakee Springs to Takatz


There were NO crab in our pots the next morning!  Departing Tenakee Springs at 0910  we immediately ran into fog in Chatham Strait, which dissipated as we headed south.  We dropped off prawn pots in Kasnyku Bay and then anchored in Takatz Bay.  Most everyone boarded the tenders and we headed several miles further south to Warm Springs Bay where we hiked to the upper hot springs for a refreshing soak.  The tubs at the docks are new since the last time we used them, and the water is hot!  We carried the martinis up the boardwalk to the upper pools.

Part of the boardwalk at Warm Springs Bay

Enjoying the hot springs and martinis alongside the river
May 31 – Takatz to Rodman Bay

Timing our departure to pick up the prawn pots in Kasnyku Bay and still make high slack tide at a halibut fishing location on the way to Rodman Bay, we found only 9 prawns in the pots.  The fishing was more productive, with Jon Liljegren hooking into a 77 pound halibut, followed by a 10 pounder and a large quillback rockfish.  By 1815 we were anchored in a windy Rodman Bay (sustained winds of 25 knots) and were all invited to an impromptu dinner on Maximo.  Crab pots were set.

Jon Liljegren’s 54 inch 77 pound halibut
Jon and Suzanne enjoying the prawns from Kasnyku Bay
June 1 – Rodman to Kalinin Bay

At 0835 we left Rodman Bay with 14 nice Dungeness crabs and continued west in Peril Strait through Sergius Narrows and on to Kalinin Bay.  After anchoring, we took the Grady White fishing and came back with a king salmon caught in one of the usual places, (Yes, the places are local knowledge, you have to come learn for yourself).

Patrick getting ready to clean the first king salmon of the season
June 2 – Kalinin Bay

We fished from the Grady White and captured 4 more King salmon and 1 Quillback.  The rain continued all day.

Patrick & Jon with the next four king salmon
June 3 – Kalinin to Sitka

Departing from Kalinin Bay at 0700 in the rain, we docked without incidence at Sitka at 1050.  Our oldest son Cameron arrived on time from Helena, Montana on the 1310 flight.  Dinner was a group affair at the Channel Club.

June 4 – Sitka – Maintenance Day

After more than 1500 miles, it was time for oil changes on both the main engine and the generator.  Liljegren’s toured Sitka and Cameron helped with the oil changes.

June 5 – Fishing at Biorka Island


We let everyone sleep in, so the fishing began with a 0610 departure from Sitka, towing Teri’s Mink, the tender to Steel Tiger.  Swells were running 8-10 feet and the winds was steady at 20-22 knots.  The seas calmed in the lee of Biorka Island and both boats began fishing.  We lost 2 fish and finally returned to the dock at 1415.  The rain was heavy at times.

June 6 – Sitka

Patrick and Cameron fished in the Grady at Kalinin Bay without success, except for rockfish.  The rain continued all day.

June 7 – Sitka

Liljegren’s left just before noon, taking the halibut and three king salmon with them.  Patrick and Cameron then fished at Viskari Rocks, and then at Long Island.  Cameron caught his first King salmon.

Cameron with his first king salmon
June 8 – Sitka – Fishing with Big Blue Charters.


The seas offshore were too big for the Grady White, and Spirit would have rolled badly in the 5-10 foot seas, so Miriam, Patrick and Cameron went out on a charter boat from Big Blue Charters, bringing back 1 King and one small halibut, which became dinner.  There was enough halibut fillets to make four more meals, so they were vacuum packed and placed in the freezer.

We have collected 7 king salmon and 3 halibut so far from the combined efforts of Liljegrens and Gills.
June 9 – Sitka

Cameron departed shortly before noon, returning to Helena, Montana, taking home two king salmon.  The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, checking provisions and preparing to depart Sitka in the morning.  We will fish and crab before the commercial crab season begins on June 15, and then return to Sitka on June 17.  No new posts until then since we will be out of cell phone range.

6 June 2015 Mall of America, Minneapolis, MN

By on June 9, 2015 in Kindred Spirit III
Water Park

     What an overwhelmingly impressive experience for us two country bumpkins.  Neither of us are shoppers but we’d heard so much about the Mall of America in Minneapolis that we just had to go there.  If you’ve never been, you should put it on your bucket list.  We were there for hours and, believe it or not, walked out empty-handed.  It just look forever to try to take in all of it.  There are 4 levels housing shops, restaurants, IKEA, furniture stores, bars,  theatres, ice rink, 3 hotels, a water park Bass Pro, a dinner theatre, an aquarium, and a HUGE amusement park——definitely a sensory over load on all levels.  And, if that were not enough, it’s expanding!!!  If Nordsto

m isn’t within your budget, there’s a Dollar Tree, a Sears and JCP.

Ice Rink



     The MoA has over 42 million visitors annually, the most of any mall in the world, and employs over 11,000 year-round and 13,000 during peak seasons.  It’s located on the site of the former Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins played until the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened. A plaque in the amusement park commemorates the former location of home plate, and one seat from Met Stadium was placed in Mall of America at the exact location it occupied in the stadium.



     The Mall of America has a gross area of 4,870,000 square feet or 96.4 acres which is enough to fit seven Yankee Stadiums inside.The mall is  symmetric with a rectangular floor plan. Mayo has markers inside for walkers with designations for a mile, 5K, 10K, and 13.1 miles.  Beyond belief and overwhelming is our description of that day’s experience.


Bill and Laura
Loving our new adventure and in our 6th week.


26 May – 4 June 2015 Batavia, IL – Geneva, IL – Madison, WI

By on June 7, 2015 in Kindred Spirit III

     Long ago when we were new to living aboard our boat (although not new to boating) and had been full-time cruisers for about a month, we met a couple, Linda and Loy, with whom we immediately struck a bond.  They were long-time…

Pago Pago: Home Port

By on June 5, 2015 in Domino

PAGO PAGO: HOME PORT

DOMINO is home

May 30th, 2015
Pago Pago, American Samoa

Why in the world did we chose Pago Pago as our home port?  As a U.S.C.G. Documented vessel, we had our pick of any U.S. Port.  As we went down the list of choices, Pago Pago popped out.  Since we were in Paraguay at the time, we quipped, “Pago, Pago, y sigo pagando!” (I pay, I pay, and I keep on paying) or the equivalent of B.O.A.T. (Break Out Another Thousand.). Somehow, that seemed fitting.  One “Pago” for each hull of the catamaran.  But American Samoa looked like such an impossible destination.  Would we ever make it there?

Well, my friends, we’re happy to report that after 5 years, 35 countries and 29,000 nautical miles, DOMINO is securely tucked in her home port.

And what about the port?  Are all the nasty stories we heard true?

Is the port filthy?  Nope… The fisheries have long ceased to dump fish guts into the harbor and the EPA is keeping tight control on the Star Kist cannery and the Samoan fishery.  The tuna fleet is here, spanking shiny in navy blue, and what splendid ships they are, helicopters and all!

Just a sunday and the bay shimmers at sunrise

Does it stink?  Not all day long, but only when the canneries vent their fumes….  About an hour or two a day, and I was reminded of the sardine canneries in Portugal!

Is the bottom a trash pile?  It has not been our experience.  I questioned Port Authorities on this.  Divers have removed the various wrecks that were littering the bottom after the 2009 Tsunami and the 2011 hurricane.  For the most part, the bottom is clean… But there are coral heads to watch!  If the water is murky, it’s because of the constant rain.  But if there is no rain for a day, you can actually see the reef around the Harbor.

Is it noisy?  Absolutely!  The generators from the power plant on the north shore are on 24/7 and a total nuisance.  Anchor or grab a mooring as far as you can from this noise pollution.

Tuna fleet at the dock

What about land pollution?  If the streets were once littered with styrofoam containers and plastic trash, it is no longer the case.  The town is really clean, thanks to a massive campaign “I’m not your Mama, pick it up!”  Or “Leave no butts behind,” and trash cans  are everywhere.

Lush greenery, little busses to visit the island, and clean clean clean streets and homes

Tsunami devastation?  Oh, there are still a few telltales of the 2009 tsunami that caused some 50 deaths on the island, but there are many new buildings and an enormous effort in roadworks.

Mothers Day… sons and grandsons on the line and a rainbow overhead

All in all, Pago Pago is extremely convenient.  No problem arriving at night; excellent sheltering from bad weather; shopping shopping shopping; and, the main reason for cruisers, the U.S. Post office.

Postal Services –  The U.S. Post office is only a short walk from the harbor.  Every Friday evening, the flight from Honolulu brings all the Priority Mail From all over the USA.  On Saturday at noon, cruisers pick up their packages.    First Class mail enjoys an extra delivery on Wednesday.  This is U.S. Territory, no tax, no duty, just a customs inspection.  To get your goodies mailed to Pago Pago|

Big or small, the mail gets here

Your name
Your yacht’s name
General Delivery
U.S. Post office
Pago Pago, A.S. 96799

In most cases you can get all your stuff within a week if you time it well.

Shopping is easy and you can do it all by bus… Hop on any of the many small busses toward TAFUNA and tell the driver where you want to go… He’ll get you there for $1…  Here are our favorite stops on the line:

– “The Mall”.   At the Blue Sky building you can purchase your internet and phone cards.  $25 for a week of unlimited Wifi access… That’s 7 x 24 hours, so if you disconnect from the Blue Zone network between your sessions, these 7 days easily turn into a month!  We found the Blue Sky Wifi signal from McDonald’s was very fast, especially with our WiriePro wifi booster! There is also a Blue Sky kiosk next to the market, a stone’s throw from the dock.
– The mall is also home to a great grocery store with specialty items (bread flour) and beautiful SAMOAN shirts.

MacDonald’s yellow building… fries and Wifi

Further up the TAFUNA Road, another great stop: TMO… The hardware store made JP super happy as he found the selection greater and less expensive than ACE.  Around the corner is TMO beverages, THE place in American Samoa to purchase your liquor.  After 18 months in French Polynesia where the booze is, basically, out of reach ($60 for a bottle of Pastis) we found it refreshing to find rum at $18/liter… And indulged!  If you spend $500, TMO will deliver to the dock! Round up a couple yachts its and that’s not hard to do.

New tool toy for the boss… a Puller… go figure!

Back on the TAFUNA bus, continue to the NA.. PA store.  Some yachts found their happiness there… And who doesn’t like to browse the hardware store?

Hop on the TAFUNA bus again… Off to the Cost U Less warehouse shopping.  This is the place for yacht provisioning, but the booze is a bit more expensive than TMO.  We topped off our provision supplies.  Again, great service to the yachties: spend $300 and you get a free ride home.  Easy!

When in A.S. gotta have SPAM… lite for less fat…

In one day we were able to complete all our shopping and get it all delivered at the dock.  This has been the best!

If it had not rained constantly for 2 weeks, we would easily have stayed.  The bay itself is quite pretty in the sunlight.  Thursday Taco Tuesday at the Mexican place in Pago Pago, at the bottom of the bay, is THE cruisers rendez vous and we bumped into old friends…. ELYSEUM who had watched us get zapped in the San Blas; RAVEN who had sided by us in Portobello; SILVER LINING, our neighbor in Tahiti, en route to FIJI and Thailand… There are only about 3,000 yachts that circumnavigate and we are bound to bump into each other.  In fact, KAYA’S SONG, currently in FIJI, requested some supplies from ELYSEUM who delivered coffee and dill pickles to our boarding platform, goodies now secured in Domino’s hold, scouring FIJI in search of Kaya…. That’s how we shop!

One of the more gorgeous fabrics I found in A.S.

Sick of the rain and with a forecast for no wind, we raised anchor for our FIJI passage.  WAIT!!!  Pago Pago Harbor was not willing to let DOMINO leave, yet.  The chain would not come up.  Maneuvering right, left, more chain, less chain, nothing helped.  JP donned his emergency dive tank…. Uh oh… We might have to abandon chain!  The ½” links had been swallowed by the bommie that bloomed 2 meters above the mud-and-gravel bottom.  Twenty minutes and a tank later, JP asked for the hookah.  It took him 2 more hours of diving into mud and feeling his way through the bommie’s crevices before he yelled “raise the anchor, quick!”  Cut, bloody, exhausted, JP hopped back into the cockpit while I cancelled the professional diver who had just arrived on the dock to save us!  We owe Howard a beer for being so responsive on a Saturday afternoon… If you see him, please buy him a round of beer, we’ll pay you back when we bump into you!

This one will make a nice quilt

FYI – Pago Pago harbor

Good anchorage at 14*16.343 S – 170*41.6806 W – good mud
Bad bommie at 14*16.414 S – 170*41.674 W
Moorings on a 1st come 1st serve basis.  The port services assured me that divers inspect them regularly.  Some appear to be newer than others.  A your own risk!

Divers : Sean Gregg – 688-7722
               Howard – 733- 4167

Formalities –
• Port Captain Cpt. Silila is THE CHIEF.  Whatever you do, report to him first and last.  He also operates the tug, so he’s quite busy.  He’s a sweetheart, really, get to know  him!
• Health will want to fumigate your boat.  Having a fumigation certification on hand will clear you and save you $$$.
• Agriculture will want to see you too!
• Port operations, downstairs at the port building, will log you in and out
• Port operations, upstairs, will prepare your bill
• Cashier, downstairs, will take your money ($25 x 2 plus $2/day on a mooring or at anchor)
• Customs, downstairs at the port building, will stamp you clear ($50 x 2)
• Immigration is downtown, a 10 minute walk away.  They are willing to stamp you in and out at the same time if you only stay a few days, especially if you want to leave on a weekend.
• Cruise ship in town?  You’re not supposed to access the port when cruise ships are docked.  I did since it was a Friday and didn’t want to wait till Monday to leave.

Always a sad sight… boat on the reef

It’s only with a 3-hour delay, under pouring rain and a 29 Kt wind hitting us at the headland that we left Pago Pago, keeping an eye on the reef where the Taiwanese long liner #68 had crashed a few days before, spewing some of its 40 tons of fish into the waters… fish that the locals were trying to salvage, to the horror of the EPA and EMC tactical unit.

Too much rain, not enough sun…. time to go west!

Past the south point of American Samoa, we found the sun, at last, no wind, calm seas, and turned DOMINO WSW, towards FIJI 620 miles on the horizon, and enjoyed one of he most placid crossings ever.

Till next tale…
Dominomarie

Travels of YOUNG AMERICA 2015-06-03 12:28:00

By on June 3, 2015 in Young America
St. Petersburg to Charleston, SC 

First, the davits got done.  Now it is, at least theoretically, possible for Chucky to ride behind the boat and be lowered into the water in a heartbeat.

Once the davits were installed, we left St. Pete   It has now been two weeks and we’ve gone  864 miles. 
That’s over 60 miles a day. 
Considering that one day we went a total of 10 miles, it isn’t bad.

We were two weeks later than
planned leaving St. Pete, so a bit of anxiety was hanging over us.  The worst thing to have when you are boating
is a date sensitive destination!  June 16
(the day the Great Harbour Trawlers Association meeting begins on the Potomac
River in Chesapeake Bay) seemed a whole lot closer then than it does now.  So we will just keep doing what we are
doing—which, I might add, is very much unlike us.  We’ve been underway between 6:30 and 7:00 AM
almost every single day!  Not the way we
cruised for much of our 8 years, but very effective for this trip.

Have had fun times along
the way.  We finally stopped at Marina
Jack in Sarasota.  It’s been a bucket
list item for awhile.  Check.

Kayak rentals, condos, pool—what’s not to like?

South of that, on Captiva Island, we happened
onto T’ween Waters, a neat marina/resort—reminiscent of Banana Bay in the
Keys —with pools and hot tubs and boaters who return and return because they
love the place.  And we may do that, too…

To get from the west coast of
Florida to the east coast involves riding along the Caloosahatchee River (have to
mention it just because I love the name!) crossing Lake Okachobee,  (a shallow lake that can kick up like crazy,
but for our crossing it was a mill pond), and then transiting the St. Lucie
canal to Stuart, FL. Water levels in this waterway are balanced by 5 locks,
and I can’t figure out how they do it.  
About a month ago, we wouldn’t have been allowed into the waterway
because water in Lake Okechobee was too low to maintain a 9 foot depth.  When we passed through, we were taken up a
mere 1 ft. to 1-1/2 foot in each of the first three locks.  Crossed the lake and the lock at Ft. Mayaca
was wide open at both ends.  We simply
drove through with 17 feet of water under the boat.  Then, 25 miles later, we locked down 12 feet
to get back to sea level.   Dunno, but it worked.

We were sad to discover that the  davit on the port side of the boat drooped; it would not hold in the up position, and had to be tied in place.  Plus,

we stopped for the night in a marina that had dockage space for a 37′ boat, but not for the 44′ boat we have become. To resolve both issues, we put Chucky back on top of the boat.  A temporary fix, to be sure.  More to follow.

Memorial Day Weekend signals
the beginning of summer and of the boating season.  Typically, we prefer to be tied up somewhere
when enthusiastic boaters who seem to have more horsepower than common sense
take to the waterways.  

It was too windy for our big holiday flag, so the little flag flew
 at 1/2 staff till noon on Memorial Day to honor our fallen heroes.

From the St.
Lucie lock to Stuart, FL was that place for us this year.  Uffda. 
Big boats, little boats, jetskis, water skiers, small children being
towed in tubs and YOUNG AMERICA, a big lump of fiberglass plodding along in the
channel, being tossed hither and yon by wakes. 
Not pretty.  That was
Saturday.  On Sunday and Monday, we left
our dock at 6:30 am, well before the pleasure boaters came out to play.  Somehow we missed their morning travel, and we
moseyed along happily while they basked in the sun.  By 3 in the afternoon, when it was time for
them all to go home (and more than a few were, no doubt, full of beer) we were
snugly secured in a marina. 

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Ft. Pierce, Cocoa Village, Daytona, JAX Beach, Jeckyll Island—zoom zoom.  That is a tad of humor.  At 8 miles an hour we could hardly be said to ‘zoom’ along…Everything is relative, no?  Hey, sometimes the current pushed us up to TEN miles an hour!!!

YOUNG AMERICA and WHO KNEW tied up at
Kilkenny Creek Marina

At Kilkenny Creek we decided to pass up the anchorage in favor of the Marina there.  Glad we did.  Got to relax in the rocking chairs provided and watch the fishing boats (they caught flounder and big trout!) be lifted out of the water  to their trailers, instead of backing the truck and trailer down a ramp into the water.  Neat.  WHO KNEW came in behind us, and we spent a very pleasant evening with Ted and Amy having dinner at the Marker 107 Restaurant—really, really busy on a Thursday evening.  Who knew?


Speaking of fishermen, one caught our line when the line was holding the boat tied to a dock.  Evidently he tried to haul us in as the line broke off and we ended up with his lure!  At the Charleston Meretime Center, where we docked, a couple of gentlemen caught a 5′ shark.  They kept it alive with a hose while deciding its’ fate.  An hour later, we saw that dinner outweighed tossing him back.




 On the way to Charleston, we ran out of day 5 miles  before we got to the City. The water was aswarm with locals enjoying the balmy weather and we just wanted to stop.  Came across Ross Marine–not a marina, a boatyard, but with a long face dock.  (Non-boaters, a face dock has only water beside it, no pilings to break it up into sections (slips), so no need to worry about how wide the boat is. ) We moseyed in, it looked good, and we spent the night.  Called the next morning to offer to pay, and were told it wasn’t necessary.  That is one set of nice folks we encountered.

Tied up in front of  the sailboat DESIDERATA (a family favorite)
at Ross Marine, 5 miles west of Charleston, SC.

  Another is the young couple driving a runabout out of the Ashapoo-Cooksaw Cutoff–a skinny channel connecting two Rivers with great names!  On our VHF radio, we could hear the two big boats ahead of us decide that the water was too shallow for them, and make other arrangements.  I flagged down the runabout and asked how much water was in the cutoff.  “How much do you need?” was the reply.  When I said 3 feet, the couple in the boat—BLING THANG—very nicely led us through, weaving from side to side to find the deeper water.


2 hours each way from Sumter.  Thanks, Paula!
It was easy to get into Charleston Meretime Center early in the day, and I walked to Harris-Teeter for some fresh foods.  That afternoon, my high school buddy, Paula Howell, drove over from Sumter, SC with her friend Patsy.  Had a lovely dinner at Blossom before sending them home with big big hugs.


On Monday we motored to Butler Island, where Liz and Steve aboard SHINGEBISS  rafted to the side of YOUNG AMERICA so we could have dinner together.  They are friends from the

Loop in 2009 who became our Minneapolis/St.Paul mentors when we went up the Mississippi.   They now have rented out their St. Paul home, and are full time cruisers.  What a treat to spend an evening together.  And Liz taught me how to use my iPad to gather navigating information while cruising!  Kicking and screaming I’m being dragged into the 21st Century!

Steve and Liz relax aboard the ‘new’ SHINGEBISS



So onward, and upward.  We shall mosey along, and be in touch once again.  I’ve now learned to put photos on Facebook–it is actually easier than the blog, but we’ve made this blog a photo journal of our Travels, and so will continue to muddle along with it.  Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to reunite the photos that got separated from text when Google revamped blogspot.  If anyone has a clue, I’d love to hear about it!


Be well, remember to breathe and we’ll talk again!



Travels of YOUNG AMERICA 2015-06-03 11:28:00

By on June 3, 2015 in Young America
St. Petersburg to Charleston, SC 

First, the davits got done.  Now it is, at least theoretically, possible for Chucky to ride behind the boat and be lowered into the water in a heartbeat.

Once the davits were installed, we left St. Pete   It has now been two weeks and we’ve gone  864 miles. 
That’s over 60 miles a day. 
Considering that one day we went a total of 10 miles, it isn’t bad.

We were two weeks later than
planned leaving St. Pete, so a bit of anxiety was hanging over us.  The worst thing to have when you are boating
is a date sensitive destination!  June 16
(the day the Great Harbour Trawlers Association meeting begins on the Potomac
River in Chesapeake Bay) seemed a whole lot closer then than it does now.  So we will just keep doing what we are
doing—which, I might add, is very much unlike us.  We’ve been underway between 6:30 and 7:00 AM
almost every single day!  Not the way we
cruised for much of our 8 years, but very effective for this trip.

Have had fun times along
the way.  We finally stopped at Marina
Jack in Sarasota.  It’s been a bucket
list item for awhile.  Check.

Kayak rentals, condos, pool—what’s not to like?

South of that, on Captiva Island, we happened
onto T’ween Waters, a neat marina/resort—reminiscent of Banana Bay in the
Keys —with pools and hot tubs and boaters who return and return because they
love the place.  And we may do that, too…

To get from the west coast of
Florida to the east coast involves riding along the Caloosahatchee River (have to
mention it just because I love the name!) crossing Lake Okachobee,  (a shallow lake that can kick up like crazy,
but for our crossing it was a mill pond), and then transiting the St. Lucie
canal to Stuart, FL. Water levels in this waterway are balanced by 5 locks,
and I can’t figure out how they do it.  
About a month ago, we wouldn’t have been allowed into the waterway
because water in Lake Okechobee was too low to maintain a 9 foot depth.  When we passed through, we were taken up a
mere 1 ft. to 1-1/2 foot in each of the first three locks.  Crossed the lake and the lock at Ft. Mayaca
was wide open at both ends.  We simply
drove through with 17 feet of water under the boat.  Then, 25 miles later, we locked down 12 feet
to get back to sea level.   Dunno, but it worked.

We were sad to discover that the  davit on the port side of the boat drooped; it would not hold in the up position, and had to be tied in place.  Plus,

we stopped for the night in a marina that had dockage space for a 37′ boat, but not for the 44′ boat we have become. To resolve both issues, we put Chucky back on top of the boat.  A temporary fix, to be sure.  More to follow.

Memorial Day Weekend signals
the beginning of summer and of the boating season.  Typically, we prefer to be tied up somewhere
when enthusiastic boaters who seem to have more horsepower than common sense
take to the waterways.  

It was too windy for our big holiday flag, so the little flag flew
 at 1/2 staff till noon on Memorial Day to honor our fallen heroes.

From the St.
Lucie lock to Stuart, FL was that place for us this year.  Uffda. 
Big boats, little boats, jetskis, water skiers, small children being
towed in tubs and YOUNG AMERICA, a big lump of fiberglass plodding along in the
channel, being tossed hither and yon by wakes. 
Not pretty.  That was
Saturday.  On Sunday and Monday, we left
our dock at 6:30 am, well before the pleasure boaters came out to play.  Somehow we missed their morning travel, and we
moseyed along happily while they basked in the sun.  By 3 in the afternoon, when it was time for
them all to go home (and more than a few were, no doubt, full of beer) we were
snugly secured in a marina. 

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Ft. Pierce, Cocoa Village, Daytona, JAX Beach, Jeckyll Island—zoom zoom.  That is a tad of humor.  At 8 miles an hour we could hardly be said to ‘zoom’ along…Everything is relative, no?  Hey, sometimes the current pushed us up to TEN miles an hour!!!

YOUNG AMERICA and WHO KNEW tied up at
Kilkenny Creek Marina

At Kilkenny Creek we decided to pass up the anchorage in favor of the Marina there.  Glad we did.  Got to relax in the rocking chairs provided and watch the fishing boats (they caught flounder and big trout!) be lifted out of the water  to their trailers, instead of backing the truck and trailer down a ramp into the water.  Neat.  WHO KNEW came in behind us, and we spent a very pleasant evening with Ted and Amy having dinner at the Marker 107 Restaurant—really, really busy on a Thursday evening.  Who knew?


Speaking of fishermen, one caught our line when the line was holding the boat tied to a dock.  Evidently he tried to haul us in as the line broke off and we ended up with his lure!  At the Charleston Meretime Center, where we docked, a couple of gentlemen caught a 5′ shark.  They kept it alive with a hose while deciding its’ fate.  An hour later, we saw that dinner outweighed tossing him back.




 On the way to Charleston, we ran out of day 5 miles  before we got to the City. The water was aswarm with locals enjoying the balmy weather and we just wanted to stop.  Came across Ross Marine–not a marina, a boatyard, but with a long face dock.  (Non-boaters, a face dock has only water beside it, no pilings to break it up into sections (slips), so no need to worry about how wide the boat is. ) We moseyed in, it looked good, and we spent the night.  Called the next morning to offer to pay, and were told it wasn’t necessary.  That is one set of nice folks we encountered.

Tied up in front of  the sailboat DESIDERATA (a family favorite)
at Ross Marine, 5 miles west of Charleston, SC.

  Another is the young couple driving a runabout out of the Ashapoo-Cooksaw Cutoff–a skinny channel connecting two Rivers with great names!  On our VHF radio, we could hear the two big boats ahead of us decide that the water was too shallow for them, and make other arrangements.  I flagged down the runabout and asked how much water was in the cutoff.  “How much do you need?” was the reply.  When I said 3 feet, the couple in the boat—BLING THANG—very nicely led us through, weaving from side to side to find the deeper water.


2 hours each way from Sumter.  Thanks, Paula!
It was easy to get into Charleston Meretime Center early in the day, and I walked to Harris-Teeter for some fresh foods.  That afternoon, my high school buddy, Paula Howell, drove over from Sumter, SC with her friend Patsy.  Had a lovely dinner at Blossom before sending them home with big big hugs.


On Monday we motored to Butler Island, where Liz and Steve aboard SHINGEBISS  rafted to the side of YOUNG AMERICA so we could have dinner together.  They are friends from the

Loop in 2009 who became our Minneapolis/St.Paul mentors when we went up the Mississippi.   They now have rented out their St. Paul home, and are full time cruisers.  What a treat to spend an evening together.  And Liz taught me how to use my iPad to gather navigating information while cruising!  Kicking and screaming I’m being dragged into the 21st Century!

Steve and Liz relax aboard the ‘new’ SHINGEBISS



So onward, and upward.  We shall mosey along, and be in touch once again.  I’ve now learned to put photos on Facebook–it is actually easier than the blog, but we’ve made this blog a photo journal of our Travels, and so will continue to muddle along with it.  Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to reunite the photos that got separated from text when Google revamped blogspot.  If anyone has a clue, I’d love to hear about it!


Be well, remember to breathe and we’ll talk again!



25 -27 May 2015 Shipshawana, IN – Chesterton, IN – Chicago, IL

By on June 2, 2015 in Kindred Spirit III
30 May 2015 Update
     Recently, my worlds of water and land cruising collided!  When it happened, I laughed hysterically and Bill just kinda cut his eyes over at me probably once again, questioning my good sense.  Hopefully this tale will at least elicit a grin from you—-more than I got from my hubby.  Aboard Kindred Spirit, we use our auto pilot while underway making cruising a hands-free venture.  Bill was driving our coach—both hands on the wheel and I asked why he wasn’t using cruise control.  He answered, “I am.”  So then I asked (and as soon as it was out of my mouth, I realized what I’d said and burst out laughing) “So why are your hands on the steering wheel?”  Sometimes I just crack myself up!!
     I’ve satisfied some of my curiosity regarding the interesting habits of the Mennonites and Amish which aren’t the same but similar.  Both are an outgrowth of the Anabaptist movement in Europe from the 16th century.  Anabaptist was the name given to the religious group who don’t believe in infant baptism and believe a person should wait until they could declare their own personal beliefs. They also reject mandatory military service.  Centuries ago, they crossed the Alleghenies by covered wagon and settled in this area of the midwest.  Today their descendants constitute the largest community of Amish in the world.
     There are close to a dozen variations and sects among the Amish and Mennonites ranging in degrees of conservatism.  The most conservative is the Swartzentruber sect who live as did people in the 19th century Europe. They are forbidden to use power tools or hire a driver to go to a job site.  We saw a team of 4 horses pulling a plow with a man walking behind it.  They won’t pose for photos nor are they ‘allowed’ to own a camera. No place for rebels among that group!  They’d have booted me out from the get-go. They won’t ride in vehicles that have rubber tires (can’t count on them to contribute to our Michelin pension!) so they either work at home or near enough to travel by horse.  The largest group, the “Old Order”, travel by buggy and, as a whole, do without modern conveniences and technologies.  The “New Order” don’t drive cars but can have electricity and phones.
     The Amish don’t believe in the value of education beyond the 8th grade and this group is exempt  from the state’s compulsory attendance laws beyond the 8th grade.  Guess you don’t need to know too much to live as in days of yore.
     The set of rules governing all aspects of Amish life is the “Ordnung”. In general, they avoid new technologies that they believe will erode the family structure or create inequalities or divisions in their community.
     Amish clothing is plain and simple, free from adornment; a peasant-type garb reflecting humility and commitment to their Anabaptist heritage.  The men grow beards but without a mustache.  They believe that women should always have their heads covered signifying their acceptance of God’s order of authority in the home.  This is a thin organdy cap with strings either tied or untied.  We never saw any that were tied.  The hard black bonnet worn in public by girls and women is worn over their little organdy cap.  Some women have bare legs and wear flip flops while others wear thick black hose and clunky black shoes.  I’ve not uncovered an answer for that but imagine it has to do with their sect.
     I’m making what seems to be a futile attempt to write this while we travel…have I mentioned how absolutely horrible Ohio and Indiana roads are——even their interstates?  Hopeful this isn’t indicative of their public schools.  On the news the other night, a reporter did a piece on the sad state of roads and highways and are planning to convert them all to gravel because they can’t afford to maintain them.  What a despairing state of affairs!
     Ya’ know, when I married a man, 6 years my junior, I thought I could grow him up like I wanted him but that didn’t work out too well for me.  Instead, I’ve had to keep up with his physical stamina.  However, our exploration of Chicago full speed ahead with all the stops out, might’ve resulted in a bit of fatigue for him.  I’ve never heard him complain about anything EVER but the next day he was a bit lacking in his usual liveliness.  Hate it for him but a good thing for me.  Now I can quit fueling with Red Bull intravenously! 

     Chicago was on my bucket list and even though Bill has been there several times, his last time was about 10 years ago and he was amazed at how many changes have been made and how much cleaner the city is than he remembered.  I love that city and would be content to stay there for weeks to see and do everything that peaks my interest—-and those things are legion.

     Indiana Dunes National Seashore was a respite for us for a few days.  It has great bike paths, board walks; is great for bird watching, fishing, kayaking—any outside activity that you had a craving for is available there.  The park has over 15,000 acres of dunes, oak savannas, bogs, swamps, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests.  There’s also 15 miles of Lake Michigan’s shoreline for water or beach use.  I was psyched to swim in the fresh water but couldn’t even get ankle deep.  The water’s a 58 frigid degrees and swim buddy’s in England, Australia and other parts of our planet not blessed with warm tropi-waters find 58 to be quite refreshing.  I guess I’m just a warm water wennie!
     As we topped the hill on our bikes headed now to the beach, Lake Michigan and the dunes just seemed to explode out of nowhere into our line of sight.  I’d never seen this lake before and it was just a breath-taking sight. The undulations of the landscape are the result of the last great continental glacier some 14,000 years ago. The sand dunes rise to almost 200 feet in a series of ridges, blowouts, and valleys. Conservationists are careful in their efforts to preserve this remnant of a once distinctive and unique environment.

Lovin’ life and RV-ing!
Bill and Laura

17 – 24 May 2015 Goshen, IN – South Bend, IN – Mishawaka, IN – Elkhart, IN

By on June 1, 2015 in Kindred Spirit III
  This past Sunday,17 May, marked our 3rd week as RV-ers; 2 of which were spent in a “controlled environment” among other motor coach owners, most of whom were very seasoned. Now we’ve been launched and are on our own.  We’ve learned so very much but when you know nothing, any sniglet of knowledge is a milestone.
     My apologies for speaking disparagingly of Ohio’s and Indiana’s highways but the only positive thing I can attribute to them is that they’re excellent for the alignment and tire industry.  If they are tooth-rattling on our Michelins, I can’t imagine what brain trauma one would sustain if they are riding on cheap tires.
     Our first week out we attended what is called the “6 Day Maintenance Session” in Goshen, IN.  We couldn’t fathom what so many days would encompass and thought we could probably build one from the Michelins up in that period of time. That was the best thing we could’ve ever done and most especially since we were just beginning this new adventure.  There were vendors there representing any and everything anyone could possibly have on their coach and either for a fee or NO fee, they’d come aboard and check our the system that they support and for which they provide maintenance. Those 6 days proved to be so excellent for us, not only in the information provided but also regarding things needing attention that we didn’t even know were ‘accoutrements’ that necessitated an inspection.
     We’re spending some time in South Bend and surrounding areas learning that South Bend isn’t the metropolis that we thought it was but just a smallish mid-western town.  Who’d have thought  Mishawaka, IN, would be a semi-metropolis——big enough to rate an Apple Store??!!  Since being in this area for several days, we’ve become quite fond of Mishawaka!  Three of those days have found us in their Apple store—-broadening our horizons. 
     Both of us were eager to see Notre Dame’s campus and, by some fluke we arrived just at the end of their graduation ceremony.  We got a thrill out of the pride showing on the faces of parents and the expressions of relief, excitement, and anticipation on the countenance of the cap and gown clad young leaders of our future.  We saw many honor cords.  Entrance requirements for undergrad is stringent.  Last year there were 18,000 applicants and only 2,000 enrolled for their freshman year.  54% of those ranked in the top 2% of their high school graduating class and 98% ranked in the top 10%.  
      The campus is magnificently beautiful and perfectly manicured with a Duke’s mixture of architecture ranging from historically old to nondescript tasteless modern.  There were countless people at the Grotto and the lighted candles cast such a warm and hopeful glow.  Photos don’t portray the real beauty of the gold dome nor the interior of the basilica.
     High on Bill’s Bucket List was to go to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend.  He painstakingly covered all 3 floors and can’t cease his raves about it.
     We spent this past weekend at beautiful Potato Creek State Park, IN.  This was our first camping experience in a real campground.  There  were parents with their young children camping in tents, pop-ups, 5th wheels, and motor coaches. We enjoyed sitting outdoors watching kids running around, riding bikes, playing ball, and just being children doing what kids did 40-50 years ago.       The sounds of their laughter and watching as they reveled in an unused spring day was such a refreshment and a soothing break from all of us being so immersed in our techy age.  Each campsite had a fire ring and everyone around us was using theirs from the time they arose until bedtime—so we didn’t need to be hunters and gatherers to suck in the wonderful aroma of wood smoke.
     This weekend was reminiscent for us when our families were young.  The sights, sounds, and the bouquet of pine needles, meals cooked over charcoal, and laughter around camp fires brought back memories of when we pitched tents with our little children and later graduated to pop-up campers.  Now that our years have increased and we have past experiences with vivid recall of air mattresses springing a leak in the middle of the night landing the sleeper upon the cold ground sprinkled with rocks; an unpredicted wind and rain storm causing the tent to cave in baptizing us with cold rain water and waking crying and frightened children; wild horses snooping around the slumbering campsite, sniffing the posies “arranged” in a jelly jar and adorning the picnic table, tipping over the ‘vase’ so the next morning there was a puddle of ice with the flowers frozen in it; and if you’ve ever camped, you can recite your own similar tales.  Bill once heard me mumble (I had no idea he was within earshot) during one of those “tent experiences”, that “camping sucks!” Our motor coach has indeed elevated our experience of “camping” to a whole new level!  Love it and inhaling others’ campfires without having to build our own, intensifies the joie de vivre and relaxation of it.
     The park is expansive and immersed us in nature with breath-taking spring wildflower displays, wildlife including songbirds, raccoons, foxes, coyotes and turkeys.  We spotted a beaver sitting in the middle of the road having his dinner and I spied my first ever Baltimore Oriole whose color was  dazzling.  The park boasts hardwood forests, wetland marshes, and beaver ponds.  This was a restful break from city life and endless traffic.
     There are approximately 11 miles of hiking trails; 2 bicycle trails—1 of them being solely for mountain bikes.  Cross-country skiing trails are available but thankfully there was none of that white stuff this time of year.  The park’s lake is stocked with bluegill, bass, etc. for fishing enthusiasts. There are horse trails for those who are horsey.  The park employs a full-time naturalist for interpretive programs enjoyed by the summer campers.
     Sunday was coming to close and folks were gathering kids, bikes, skate boards, and all their trappings to return home and prepare to resume another work and school week.  And it’s time for us to leave nature’s solitude and go back to the din of the city.  
     When we departed Potato Creek Sunday, we went to Mishawaka, IN, to the Cummins Diesel Service Center to be ready for them at 7 AM on Monday morning.  Service was great and now our engine has a clean bill of health.  We left there Monday afternoon and drove to Elkhart, IN, to have our washer either repaired or replaced on Tuesday.  While we await the diagnosis, we went to Mishawaka’s Apple Store for an iCloud workshop.  We’ve never been able to get an “understandable” explanation from anyone on what that nebulous Cloud actually is so hopefully this evening we’ll know the washer’s life expectancy AND be able to explain THE CLOUD to inquiring minds.
     Again, we’re loving the RV life, the things we’re seeing and the people we’re meeting.
Till next time….
Bill and Laura Bender
Elkhart, IN