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FLORIDA BAY

FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

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EVERGLADES

EVERGLADES

Shark River

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RENDEZVOUS

RENDEZVOUS

Palm Island, Florida

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LOVERS LEAP

LOVERS LEAP

San Juan Islands – Stewart Island, WA

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SOUTH SOUND

SOUTH SOUND

Tacoma, Washington

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BLAKE ISLAND

BLAKE ISLAND

Puget Sound, Washington

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FLORIDA BAY

FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

Lakefield

Lakefield Lock Wall Was a Dreamy Stop – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Lakefield Lock 26 was one of the most picturesque stops on the Trent Severn Waterway The historic little town of Lakefield resides in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. After transiting five locks, Lakefield was our planned stop for the day. The approach to the lock was a long, narrow, twisty, rock and tree-lined canal. We were the only boat there when we arrived, later joined by a young couple on a speedboat who camped, in a tent on land, by their boat. We tied up on the lock wall before the lock (the upside of the lock). Although, at first…

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Bobcaygeon

We May Never Leave Bobcaygeon – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Stopping in Bobcaygeon was a Highlight of our Trent Severn Waterway Cruise! – Jim and I have been talking about Bobcaygeon for some time now, especially when we made plans to cruise the Trent Severn Waterway again. We missed stopping in Bobcaygeon last time, on our first "Loop" trip in 2006. So, for us, it was always the place on the Trent Severn that we regretted not stopping at. In 2006, after we locked through to the upper side, there weren’t any spots available, either below or above. So we pushed on through. It was mid-June, and the height of…

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Fenelon Falls

Locking Up and Down to Fenelon Falls – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

It was a cloudy, windy day on our cruise to Fenelon Falls – The overcast day was unfortunate since we were to transit Kirkfield Lift Lock 36 on that day before we docked at Fenelon Falls. Located in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, the hydraulic lift lock would be the highlight of our day on the water. I wanted to get a few good photos of the trip. We remember it as being a very scenic ride up in the “tub” when we came through the Trent Severn during our Great Loop trip in 2006. The channel leading to the lock is…

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Talbot Lock

Locking Through – Trent Severn Waterway – Ontario, Canada

Trent Severn Waterway – Canada’s Renowned Inland Passageway – Jim and I cruised the Trent Severn Waterway once before, it was on our first Great Loop trip, in 2005/06. That time we did the whole waterway, this time we will only do the stretch from Lake Simcoe, south to Trenton. No Big Chute for us this time. It will be interesting to do this waterway from north to south. Last time, we were traveling home to complete our “Loop” in Charlevoix, Michigan, so we went from Trenton to Severn, ending up in Georgian Bay. Our end-of-summer trip plans start with the Trent Severn Waterway…

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Rendezvous Day Three

2018 Great Lakes Rendezvous Day Three

Rendezvous Day Three – Started Off on the Docks with a Big Pot of Coffee and the Best Butter Tarts we’ve ever had – Baked fresh at Wilkes Bakery, in downtown Orillia, that morning. These tarts are so fresh and buttery,  if you eat one it’s hard to stop! After mingling on the docks with our "sweets," we reconvened at the Royal Canadian Legion for John and Laurie Gray's presentation on the Great Loop. The presentation was followed by lunch. There was a huge interest in this presentation by the attendees. Many would like to do the "Loop" on their tugs. We spent…

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Rendezvous Day Two

2018 Great Lakes Rendezvous Day Two

Yesterday Was Fun, But the Rendezvous Day Two Was Action Packed! – The scheduled meals and presentations, of the rendezvous on day two, were easily accessible, located across the street from Port of Orillia, at the Royal Canadian Legion, which worked out well. The RCL folks were easy and delightful to work with, they made us feel like members. After breakfast Ranger Tugs Customer Service Rep Tim Bates conducted a Q & A for everyone, which continued on the docks with one-on-one sessions on attendees' boats. Much appreciated by all. We left open a 3-hour window for "free time." Attendees could…

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Pot Luck

2018 Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – Day One – Potluck Dinner on the Dock

DAY ONE – 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – We all came for this! A gathering of TugNuts and Tugettes. We love our boats, and there's nothing like a rendezvous to bring this happy group of boaters together to have a good time. We started the festivities before the actual event began, with the BBQ dinner at Lefroy Harbour Resorts, on Thursday night. On Friday more boats arrived at Port of Orillia, by Happy Hour Ranger Tugs littered the docks, every shape, size, and color, and one Cutwater Boat. Several people came but didn't bring their…

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Orillia

Kismet Arriving for the Rendezvous in Orillia – Ontario’s “Sunshine City”

Orillia, Ontario – Location of the 2018 Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous – Our friend, Mark Renshaw is the one who suggested Orillia as the location for this year's rendezvous. Mark is a Ranger Tug owner, and he's from Orillia. Jim was looking for a location on the Trent-Severn Waterway because it is one of our favorite canal systems. Boaters could cruise the beautiful Trent-Severn after the event. Fifty-five percent of attendees were Canadian, 45% Americans It was a surprise to us how many local Ranger Tug owners signed up for the rendezvous. Due to Lefroy Harbor selling…

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Lefroy

Lefroy Harbour Resorts Rendezvous BBQ & Seafood Boil Feast!

Lefroy Harbour Resorts is Also a Ranger Tug dealer – Lefroy Harbour Resorts is located in Lefroy, Ontario, on Simcoe Lake. They have been a sponsor of our Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats Great Lakes Area Rendezvous’ since we started the first one in 2014. During the initial planning stages, last spring, Ryan Stovold offered to host a pre-rendezvous reception at Lefroy for the participants, Thursday evening, the night before our event started in Orillia. The friendly staff at Lefroy welcomed everyone as if we were all long-time friends. Just as when we arrived at Lefroy a few days ago…

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Charlevoix

Round Lake Retreat in Charlevoix the Beautiful – Our “Forever” Homeport

Escaping to Charlevoix for a Three-Week Vacation! – When we arrive home after being away for the winter, we typically have a slew of chores to do at home. That's after we put the boat away for a couple of months. Well, we got through the list and soon our thoughts turned to scheduling summer cruising time in the Great Lakes. Jim and I used to have a slip in Charlevoix, Michigan on Round Lake. It was our home port for many years before we retired and started long-distance cruising. Charlevoix is a second home for Jim and me. We still know…

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Trailering

Trailering Kismet North for Summer Cruising in Northern Michigan

On the Road Again! – We were dubious about trailering Kismet back home; it was already mid-April. The temperature should be okay, right? We kept a close eye on the weather as there were serious low digits on the horizon for our hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. Ideally, we'd like to not have to winterize the boat when leaving Florida. Not looking too good as our departure day inched closer. We even stayed a couple more days, hoping not to do this chore. However, as serious blizzard conditions headed for Traverse City, our outlook seemed glum. We couldn't wait much longer as we…

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Loading

Time to Go Home – Loading Kismet in Fort Lauderdale

Think we have the hang of loading the boat now! After six years of trailering our Ranger Tugs R27, we guessed that loading the bigger boat onto the trailer would be harder. The only other time we trailered the boat was in the Pacific Northwest last fall. We took delivery of her in August and cruised for several weeks before loading her again. The boatyard lifted the boat out of the water by a travel lift and placed it on the trailer. That's a good thing because we were a little intimidated by the whole OVERSIZE LOAD requirements, rules and regulations. We wondered how…

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Fort Lauderdale

New River Rendezvous with Family – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale – One of my favorite stops on the water! I love the boating activity on the New River, and the River Walk for an early morning stroll, or late afternoon explorations up and into Las Olas. I suppose the most fun we have is watching tug boats tow mega-yachts past the cockpit of our boat. We'll sip cocktails and dream of all the places we could go in those big yachts. But, then we'll say, "With that bigger yacht, first of all, you'll need a bigger crew to get around, to clean and maintain. Secondly, loss of privacy…

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Miami

Passing Miami’s Shoreline on Our Way to Lake Sylvia, Florida

A sunny day on Biscayne Bay for the crew of Kismet as we left Boca Chita. We cruised straight toward Miami, then veering to the east of the towering urban area. Our destination to anchor tonight was Lake Sylvia. After spending a month in the laid-back Florida Keys, Miami's tall buildings stood off in the distance as a stark contrast to our adjusted, and now mellow, attitudes. Our two days on the island provided closure as we prepared to leave the Keys to transition back into city life. We’ve anchored at Lake Sylvia before. It's minutes from Fort Lauderdale where we had reservations…

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Boca Chita Key

Boca Chita Key – Miami’s Playground!

Within sight of Miami’s towering shoreline sits Boca Chita Key – This breezy manicured isle is the northernmost island in the Florida Keys. Once a mangrove-covered island, it soon became a hot spot for affluent industrialists. Mark Honeywell created the current structures on the island in the early 1900s. Wealthy boaters frequented the boating paradise as a balmy retreat from the fast-growing city life of Miami and Miami Beach. Boca Chita Key, now frequented by day boaters looking for a Bahama-style picnic retreat, can be a busy place. People may come by a small ferryboat, it shuttles people back and forth for…

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Linderman Creek

Linderman Creek – Adding This Anchorage to Our “Favorites” List!

Linderman Creek Has Our Attention! Linderman Creek is located in the northernmost islands of the Florida Keys. North of Key Largo Florida, not too far south of Boca Chita and Biscayne Bay. Card Sound is a grouping of smaller islands separating the Sound from the ocean. Linderman Creek is a very picturesque anchorage. Another chance to commune in silence with nature before we return to the big city activity of Miami and eventually our destination of Fort Lauderdale. We were looking for a good, well-protected anchorage and had never anchored in this area before. What we found was an idyllic…

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Key West

In the Heart of Key West – Key West Bight Marina

Key West is always a delight to visit. We cruised down, after our month-long visit to Marathon, for a two-night stay at Key West Bight Marina, in the heart of Key West's harbor. Time to get some of our favorite almond paste croissants, visit with friends, take a walk in the morning for exercise, and again at night to see what was going on with the nightlife in Key West. After all that, time to hit our favorite happy hour spots. Our drill the two days we were in Key West Bight. When we left here, we began our slow ascent…

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snowboaters

Snowboaters Paradise – Kismet Featured in Southern Boating Magazine!

Call us Snowboaters or Boaterhomers – Using Our Boat On Land And Water! – We're certain you've heard of the term "Snow Birds." Southern Boating just coined a new boating-related term for what the crew of Kismet has been doing for over seven years. "Snowboaters!" We also like to reference our over-land adventures by saying we are "Boaterhomers." Whatever the term you use to describe what we do regularly, as a lifestyle choice, it's working for us in a big way. Using our trailerable boat as both a land vehicle and a water vessel provides us with some amazing flexibility in…

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The Boat Galley

The Boat Galley – Blogger to Blogger

The Boat Galley Provides Valuable Tips and Tricks for Boaters! – Occasionally you'll come across someone who will inspire you. A few years ago I started to follow The Boat Galley, a popular boating blog created by a talented woman, Carolyn Shearlock, a full-time cruiser. Being a fellow blogger, I can appreciate the valuable content she shares with boaters. The depth of her skills, as a writer and marketer with tech-savvy computer skills, is impressive. Carolyn is a popular force in the boating community. It’s easy to see why—she loves to learn and is eager to share that knowledge with…

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Blackfin Marina

Finding Our People at Blackfin Marina – Marathon, Florida

Blackfin Marina has a Laid-back, Friendly Atmosphere If you had a doubt about how much fun cruisers enjoy while boating, let’s put that notion to rest. Spending a month at Blackfin Marina and Resort in Marathon (Florida Keys), provides many social activities. Kismet has migrated to this hot spot during winter while escaping the frigid cold of Northern Michigan. We come here to hang out with other boaters who share a love of the Keys. Sometimes we tow our boat south to Marathon and put her in at the public boat launch on the Florida Bay side of the island.…

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Marathon

Old Florida Appeal at Blackfin Marina and Resort – Marathon, Florida

Zooming down the Overseas Highway, through the town of Marathon, you might be at a loss to understand the attraction some people feel toward this small, laid-back, community. Marathon sits on a group of 13 islands in the mid to lower half of the Florida Keys. Many of you have probably seen a movie or TV show depicting life in the Keys as lethargic, perhaps even a little unrefined. Things move at a slower pace here, Folks don't get wound up about things so much. Life is simpler in the Keys – especially in Marathon. Marathon has an "Old Florida" appeal. The…

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Everglades

Skirting the Everglades National Park – On Our Way to the Keys

We Anchored Twice in the Everglades This Trip – Russell Pass and Snake River – We have cruised this stretch of the Everglades several times during our boating adventures. The remoteness of this part of southern Florida appeals to our nature-seeking personalities. Anchoring in remote locations will give a boater an opportunity to experience wildlife in its most secluded habitats. After settling into an anchorage here, we try to put everything aside for a while. We turn the music off, get binoculars out and sit quietly outside in the cockpit as long as we can before the bugs come out at dusk.…

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Marco Island Goodland Anchorages

Marco Island – Goodland Anchorages – Southwest Florida

Leaving the shelter of Florida's well-protected Gulf Coast ICW, we made two stops before we hit the Everglades – Marco Island - Goodland Anchorages. I don't know what it is about transiting this part of Florida. It's pretty thrilling to slowly leave civilization behind, knowing that we are about to head out into the vast expanse of hot and steamy wilderness that is Florida's Everglades. The first stop was Factory Bay – An anchorage Off Marco Island We usually don't have a problem setting the anchor, and not sure if it was the wind whipping us around or the somewhat crowded…

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