Our first stop in the Keys this year was John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Time for another Keys Eco-Tours. This was a new stop for us and we’re glad we had the opportunity to check it out. We left Boca Chita while it was still quite windy, but manageable. When we got to where the waterway narrowed down a bit, we passed under the Jew Fish Creek Inlet and Bridge, in Key Largo, Florida, and passed the Anchorage Resort and Marina. We’ve stayed there in 2010 when we helped the new owner of our Fathom 40 take the boat north from Key West to Palm Coast.

Shortly after we emerged from Jew Fish Creek into Blackwater Sound we headed toward the man-made cut, Marvin D Adams Waterway (mile-market, 103.6), it would take us into Largo Sound and shortly after our destination, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The “Cut,” created in the late 1950s and completed in 1961, was interesting because it is an exception to the many natural passageways available to boaters, it is a very narrow shortcut, and it reduces the distance by half, to the other side of the Keys. The man-made, one-and-a-half mile, the cut has 15-foot high vertical chiseled walls, and sports a 25-foot depth, is cut through solid coral. Many homes now line the waterway with boat access and patios cut out of the remaining wall.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, established in 1963 and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean waters, is home to the first undersea park in the United States. Covering 70 nautical square miles, the park offers a unique Florida experience with mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, and tropical hammocks, but it is the coral reefs and the bountiful marine life that brings most visitors to this park. Many activities are offered and available for visitors including rentals of kayaks and canoes, also several tour boats, some with glass bottoms, are available for scuba diving or snorkeling. There also is a small marina and campground on the park grounds.

The park is named for the late John D. Pennekamp who teamed up with Dr. Gilbert L. Voss, to lead a fight together to protect the reefs from further damage. The Florida Keys and the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast are the only living coral reef formations in the continental United States.

Shortly after we arrived at our assigned slip at the marina, we got a call from Ranger Tug owners Tom and Pam, on Evolve, (above) they were nearby and wanted to know if there was room at the marina for another boat if so they would call and make a reservation. It’s funny because their “new to them” tug was the first Ranger Tug we ever saw. At the time Laurie Ann was owned by John and Laurie Gray, who later became friends of ours after we bought our tug, in 2011, Kismet. It’s a small world!

We had to wait a few days for the wind in Largo Sound to subside a little so we could take our small dinghy out for a long tour around Key Largo. After transiting through South Sound Creek, we’d be exposed to the openness of the ocean so we had to pick the right day and we did. After a long trek through the mangrove swamps, we exited and quickly headed toward the protected canals where we had lunch at Sharkey’s Bar and Grill.

Look what we spotted just before we tied up for lunch at Sharkey’s, the boat (above and below) is the original African Queen from the 1950s movie of the same name, starring Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. The iconic vessel is still afloat in Key Largo.

Just an idea of what the mangrove swamps look like at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

Whenever we are in Key Largo, we have to look up our friend Captain Sterling, Everglades Eco-Tours. We met the captain while doing our second Great Loop boat trip, he was also the first person to buy our book on the Great Loop, When the Water Calls… We Follow.

Our first encounter was arranged ahead of time and when we were heading south through Key Largo, Captain Sterling met us at our boat which was anchored nearby Key Largo to take us for a tour through the mangrove swamp. This encounter, while staying at John Pennekamp’s marina, he and his partner, Jill met us in their pontoon boat and took us for an incredible cruise through the waters of Key Largo, including back through the “Cut,” with a stop at their new house on a nearby canal. It’s always fun to run into Captain Sterling and Jill.

We get to have our own personal Keys Eco-Tours with Captain Sterling and Jill.

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One of the reasons we love to boat is that we are more prone to make new friends while we’re cruising, Visiting friends in Palm City, Florida, was no exception.

We briefly met Alyn & Diane in our hometown, Traverse City, they also live there part of the year, and we share a passion for boating. One day they stopped by to look at our Ranger Tug, which Jim often works on while it is parked in our driveway. It’s as simple as that and before we knew it (well, actually a few months later) we were visiting them at their home in Palm City, Florida. They found us a dock nearby to tie up to for the night and insisted we join them for an overnight at their home. We had a nice tour of Palm City, shared happy hour and pizza with them and another couple, and slept in a very cozy king-size bed. It was fun, we shared boating stories and laughed a lot.

Diane is a very talented artist, I enjoyed her artwork displayed all over the house. As an artist myself, it was inspirational.

The Bells had a nice dock for Kismet to tie up to during our visit. We used Their golf cart to get back and forth, from their house to the boat.

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Mike Rizzo had organized a post-rendezvous flotilla to Cayo Costa State Park for a one-night group anchor event, about a dozen boats participated. First, after anchoring, most of us dinghied to shore and the entrance of the park where we caught a buggy ride to the beach – we all seemed to be on a hunt for shark teeth. Later that evening everyone was invited to Heart Tug for happy hour. Now, this seemed to concern a few of us because, although Heart Tug is one of the bigger tugs, a 31, we were just wondering how everyone was going to fit on the boat at one time and not sink it. To our best recollection, there were 22 or 23 people at the happy hour. We had to be careful of how we moved around and certainly we couldn’t all go to one side of the boat to get a better look at something in the water. I am happy to report we pulled it off and consequently think Heart Tug now holds the all-time record for how many people are on a Ranger tug at the same time.

We lined up to get on the shuttle to the beach at Cayo Costa State Park.

Birds of a Feather Flock Together. . .
 That was us today as we all “flocked together” at the Cayo Costa anchorage enjoying happy hour on Heart Tug. Those who had dinghies shuttled those who did not over to the party. It was a bit hard to maneuver around the tug, but we managed to do it very carefully. It was also mentioned that we should not all go to one side of the boat, at the same time, to look at something, that would have been a disaster.

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Kismet is hustling to get to Palm Island Marina – Cape Haze

We are attending the 2014 Ranger Tug Winter Rendezvous. Over the four years we’ve own our Ranger Tug, we’ve met lots of other owners, some we’ll see again at this rendezvous and we looked forward to making new friends during the rendezvous. The event was hosted by fellow tug owners, Ted and Carol Whittier and Mike and Jess Rizzo. Many thanks to all of them for a well-organized and fun Ranger Tug Rendezvous!

A Ranger Tug rendezvous is a good place to ask for information about other tug owners. Everyone wants to help if there is a problem. One owner had a hard-to-diagnose situation in his engine room and look how many boaters stopped to give their two cents or to lend a helping hand.

We had already briefly met Frank and Salma (above), on Tortuguilla, during our night on the hook in Pass-A-Grille, Florida, in fact, we had told them about this rendezvous and they signed up to come. One morning they invited us over for a traditional Venezuelan breakfast. They served arepas, a dish we had never eaten and it was delicious.

There was an impromptu happy hour the day before the rendezvous started, it was a good chance to start meeting other tug owners and share tug information and cruising routes and stories.

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Lots of sights to see on the water today
as we made our way to Pass-A-Grille.

We anchored in a big well in Pass-A-Grille, just behind the beautiful Don Cesar hotel (above). It was a quiet anchorage, well-protected from the elements, and had a little boat launch and dock where we could tie our dinghy up.

We passed two “Rangers” today. The one above looked like an interesting yacht. During our night at anchor, we met the crew on Tortuga, the Ranger Tug below, while they circled the anchorage during an evening cruise. Frank and Salma had just recently bought their tug and we would meet them later at the Ranger Tug rendezvous in Palm Island.

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Two Ranger Tugs on the Rocks – North Channel, Canada

Coffee tasted extra good high up on the granite rocks this morning. Jim and I discussed how long we should stay in this spot at South Benjamin Island before we headed to the Ranger Tugs Rendezvous in Little Current – we both agreed, it might be one of those long three-day stays. We only have five days before we need to be in Little Current for the rendezvous and sometimes it’s just not as relaxing to move every day or two to cram several spots in. We figured it doesn’t get much better than this and we should stay put.

We are anticipating the arrival of another Ranger Tug, Illusions. We have been corresponding with friends Mike and Jess for several months planning where we’d meet while we were both in the North Channel for the rendezvous. It’s a good thing we agreed on South Benjamin on August 2nd ahead of time by email because we had no phone reception and could not raise the crew of Illusions on the radio. Soon there will be two Ranger Tugs at South Benjamin Island.

Finally, Jim was able to get Mike on the radio this morning and we heard they were just a few miles away. We hopped in the dinghy and went outside the channel to greet them.

Jim guided Illusions into a spot right next to Kismet with the dinghy and helped them secure their lines. It was funny because during the process a crowd of people showed up from over the rock near their boat, they all hopped into the water and swam between our boats to the rock behind us. We had to remind ourselves about the Canadian Civic Holiday is in full swing and it would probably just get busier.

The first order of business was to dinghy, along with Mike and Jess, over to the island across the channel for a view of our boats tied up below.

The equivalent of our Coast Guard is outfitted in all black and while we were on top of the island across the way they cruised through the channel checking to see that everyone was staying safe and had the required number of life jackets etc.

Mike and Jess cooked dinner on their grill for all of us the second night they were there. It was fantastic.

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Downtown Seattle is within close proximity to everything we could possibly need during our stay.

As we approached the final weeks of our PNW cruising adventure, I asked Lisa if there was one place she wanted to visit before our trip came to a close. Unsurprisingly she said, “Downtown Seattle of course.” That’s why we positioned ourselves at the Bainbridge Island anchorage. We stayed for two nights there waiting for an available slip at Bell Harbor Marina, before we made the short 8-mile trip across Puget Sound into Elliott Bay and finally to the Port of Seattle’s Bell Harbor Marina. The reason we like docking in downtown Seattle is that everything we could possibly need is within 10 blocks or so of the marina. This proximity provides us with an endless amount of activities. Our favorite is the Pike Place Market.. of course.

While waiting for our slip to open up at the marina, we cruised around the harbor and happened upon two-year-old Serene, one of the world’s largest private super-yachts.

Jim was amazed at the variety of beer selections at the World Market during our first walk into town.

On top of our list, when visiting Seattle, is the famous Pike Place Market. With everything from fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs, brightly colored bouquets of flowers, homemade pastries, pasta, and mountains of freshly caught seafood, Pike Place Market is the “bomb.” Opened in 1907 and holding the distinction as the oldest continuously operated public farmers market in the country, this attraction is a must-see when visiting Seattle. Our love for the market formed years ago – first when Lisa lived on Queen Anne Hill, (just north of the downtown area during the 1970s), and again when we, together, spent a winter, in 2007/2008, renting a room in a B&B on Capitol Hill. We were waiting for our Fathom 40 to be built. During that time we’d visit the market once a week to procure produce, fresh fish, and assorted accouterments. We’d return to the B&B to put together a feast from our finds – we like to revive that ritual whenever we visit downtown Seattle.

This was our first taste of Jack’s smoked salmon candy. Wow, delicious!

The Bubble Gum Wall, a local landmark in downtown Seattle, is located in Post Alley under the Pike Place Market by the box office for the Market Theater. The old brick wall, 15 feet high and 50 feet long, is covered several inches thick with used bubble gum. The tradition continues after theatre workers twice scraped the gum away only to have it reappear. The growing gum wall was finally left to grow on its own and was declared a tourist attraction around 1999.

Pastries for breakfast and freshly baked bread is always procured at our favorite, Three Girls Bakery (above).

We bought halibut for our dinner that night. It was fun deciding where and what to buy.

The next day we walked down to Pioneer Square, close to where the Seattle Seahawks CenturyLink Field and Seattle Mariner’s Safeco Stadium are located. That afternoon, unbeknownst to us, the Seahawks had a home game. This was not to be any home game as sometime during the game they were going to try to set a record for the “Loudest Outdoor Sports Stadium.” As we sat in the cockpit of our boat later in the day the roar of the crowd was loud and we were a good mile away. They did end up getting a 136.6 decibel sound record at that game and Seattle went on to win the game and become SuperBowl Champions.

Years ago, during our stay at the B&B, we discovered Uwajimaya, the 35,000 sq. ft. Asian market located in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. Similar to our experience at the Pike Place Market, visiting Uwajimaya is a visual treat. With an abundance of interesting produce, unusual seafood, and all things Asian, this Asian market is more like visiting a living cultural museum.

Another walk to Pioneer Square brought us to an old-time favorite, the Glasshouse Studio. Founded by good friends back in the 70s, under new ownership it survives the ups and downs of today’s economy. We thought the window display looked like a richly blooming garden with bright and colorful, organically crafted glass.

Lots of driftwood piling up at the marina… daily. If you don’t want it banging on the hull of your boat you just drag it out of the water and set it on the dock.

When we spent the winter in Seattle several years ago, our favorite happy hour spot was Ray’s Boathouse, a waterfront restaurant we are totally hooked on.

Earlier in the week, we made arrangements to visit Ranger Tug owners Bruce and Vickie at their downtown Seattle condo. Upon entering their lovely home, the stunning views from their picture windows captured our attention. Elliot Bay, downtown Seattle and off in the distance, the majestic Olympic Mountains presented themselves for our viewing pleasure. After meeting their two beautiful Bengal cats, our conversation quickly turned to boating. We discussed our cruises up to British Columbia (we both traveled with the 2013 Ranger Tugs Desolation Sound Cruise), and future boating plans. After romancing one of Bruce’s artfully prepared martinis, we all walked back down toward Pike Place Market to one of Bruce and Vickie’s favorite restaurants for dinner. After dinner, we said our goodbyes  – the next day we waved goodbye to Seattle as we left Bell Harbor for the trip to Anacortes where we would prepare Kismet to come out of the water.

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Leaving the calm of Pender Harbour behind us, we headed out toward the Malaspina Straight, pointed southwest towards the Gulf Islands. We were aware of the storm that was to arrive later in the day and, based on the weather reports, we thought if we left early enough in the morning we’d miss the high winds, as it’s only about 36 miles across to Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, our planned, end of the day, destination.

No such luck!

Not long after we left the calmness of the protected harbor, the waves we encountered were steadily increasing in height and uncomfortableness. You know things get rough when Lisa is not taking photos, but instead is holding on in anticipation of each roller coaster ride-type wave. In turn, Lisa really knows we’re in trouble when the captain looks worried, it hasn’t happened often, this was really only our second scary crossing in all our eight years of long-distance cruising. We’re fairly comfortable cruising with four or five-footers in our Ranger Tug, we’d rather not, but when caught off guard, we feel confident in our boat’s ability to ride things out. On this day the four or five-footers soon turned into six to eight and then upwards of twelve feet and things were getting ugly fast and we had yet to stick our nose out fully into the Strait of Georgia. Twelve miles into our crossing, we had to make a mutual decision to either continue our course, backtrack or ditch our plans for a full crossing and duck in somewhere. As luck would have it the crossing is divided by a group of smaller islands scattered northwest near the bigger Texada Island. With eight to twelve-footers hitting our port bow’s front quarter, we had a clear view of Jedediah Island, a B.C. Marine Park, a few miles off to our starboard, we quickly decided to head for shelter. Next, we had to decide exactly how to do that safely.

We could not just turn to starboard at any old time, the waves were too big, and being broached was a huge concern of ours. With Jim’s hand on the throttle he waited until he saw the calmest spot appear and, as a 12-footer rolled under the hull, he laid the throttle wide open and made a turn to starboard as we both held our breaths. With Kismet’s bow now fully turned toward Jedediah Island we had a strong following sea pushing us towards land, we were breathing easier the closer we got to the channel between Jedediah and Bull Islands.

It’s said that a boat can handle much more than we think it can and definitely more than we humans can, both being very true to form in this, the second of our two roughest cruising experiences ever.

(See our Favors Great Loop Blog for the First Harrowing Crossing at Whale Pass in the Abaco Islands in 2008)

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By our third night on the dock we were really starting to feel at home as we helped departing boaters leave the dock and newcomers tie up. This exchange of boats happens twice daily at Chatterbox Falls. Seaplanes came and went and after the second slack tide of the day, the dock was full again. The beauty we saw and the atmosphere we felt during our time at the falls was almost indescribable.

Hope the photos help to share our experience.

Three-day Docking – Chatterbox Falls

How could we not enjoy our time at the falls with Absolute and Tonic sharing the dock with us along with a little Santana to ease nature’s daily ritual as she transformed the day’s blue skies at the head of Princess Louisa Inlet into absolute darkness (above and below)?

Dinner on this night was centered around some salmon we bought and froze earlier, it was accompanied by some boiled potatoes and kale with hot peppers and bacon. All this fresh air is making us hungry.

We spent the early evening helping boats leave the dock (above) as they left to catch the second slack tide of the day and greet boats that came to the falls during the same tidal event. This evening we welcomed 10 Pound Hammer, a red-hulled Ranger Tug just like ours.

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Anchoring in Walsh Cove while waiting to get dock space at Toba Wildernest.

One of the beauties of cruising in Desolation Sound is that when you leave one place you have plenty of spots to consider for your next day’s docking or anchorage. We left Laura Cove after the three-day holiday weekend and headed northeast up Homfray Channel. We passed Homfray Lodge, a stop recommended by some friends, but we decided to pass on it and continue cruising as we were hoping for a black bear sighting. We had heard bears were often sighted along the shoreline of the channel, however, after striking out on the bear sighting, we cruised up to Wildernest Lodge and radioed in to reserve a spot on their dock for the next day and night, we then proceeded on our way to Pryce Channel, down into Waddington Channel and finally into Walsh Cove where we decided to anchor for the night – all this within a two-hour, trawler paced, cruise. The snow-capped mountains and picturesque fjord-like channels more than made up for the lack of a bear sighting earlier in the day.

 Look how much different that rock island looks at high tide. Jim is just returning to the boat (above) after setting the stern line to shore at Walsh Cove. The photo below shows our line barely visible on the top of that rock.

Shortly after our anchor was set and stern lines were taken ashore, who should show up but some friends, fellow Tugnuts (folks who own or have owned a Ranger Tug), Willie’s Tug, Last Call, and Moondance, cruised into the cove and rafted off each other on the far side of Walsh Cove. After spending a week or so without much outside social interaction we were looking forward to visiting with them after dinner to catch up on our mutual Desolation Sound cruising adventures. Don’t get me wrong Lisa and I get along just fine, but when you’re on a boat 24/7 together, it’s nice to bump into some friends on the water.

After dinner we dinghied over to the three boats, the girls settled into the salon inside, and the guys in the cockpit of Last Call. I’m not too sure what the girls talked about but they sure laughed a lot, we guys talked about anchorages, fuel filters, boat registration, and such. Herb and Willie, on Willie’s Tug, Bruce and Vickie, on Moondance, and Patrick and Gail, on Last Call, had been cruising together since they left Gorge and came up with a group name… Willie’s Last Dance.

When we bumped into Bruce and Vickie later we learned how close we were to a whale sighting, apparently, when they arrived at the cove (we were already settled in) they saw some orcas making their way through the channel outside Walsh Cove. Our view of them was blocked by the huge rock we had tied up to.

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Teakerne Arm – A Waterfall and Hike to a Fresh Water Lake

Leaving Grace Harbour, we had a short cruise to Lewis Channel before we made a turn up into Teakerne Arm and another anchorage in the British Columbia wilderness. In the open waters I kept seeing a distinctive peak off in the distance, it seemed to appear from behind and above the waterside hills, fjords, and mountains as if it was following us as we worked our way around Desolation Sound. With a little research, I found Mount Denman (the pointy-tipped mountain in the middle of the photo below – taken from just outside Melanie Cove) to be 6,299 feet high, it rests at the end of Desolation Sound and is considered Canada’s Matterhorn.

At the head of Teakerne Arm, one is greeted by a cascading waterfall spilling into the saltwater away from Cassel Lake, a freshwater lake just above the falls. We continued past the falls and found a small cove to anchor in stern tied to the shore, there were only five boats anchored there that night. The next morning all the other boats left and we had the entire cove to ourselves.

Waterfall (above) at Teakerne Arm

We found a nice spot to anchor and stern tie in Teakerne Arm, only one other boat shared the small cove with us.

The apparatus above is called a “donkey,” it sits here rusted along with many heavy-duty cables, remnants of the logging that took place in this area.

The trail we hiked led us to this smooth rock on the lake’s southern shore, it angled deep into the lake. Someone had fashioned a haul-out rope with knots to make it easier for people to get in and out of the water as the rock is very slippery. We brought aqua socks though and that helped a lot. The water was refreshing and surprisingly warm.

As we were walking back from our hike we saw a blue Ranger Tug (above) hovering in front of the falls probably taking photos like we did (which were just below us to the left in the photo above).

The territory of Desolation Sound was pretty dry during our time there and we saw many of these signs posted (above).

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“If you liked Lake Powell, you should consider cruising the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.”

Shortly after we cruised Lake Powell in 2011, we started to hear about a place called the Flaming Gorge Reservoir from other boaters. They said, “If you liked Lake Powell, you should consider cruising the Flaming Gorge.” With a little research, we found out that the reservoir was formed upon the completion of the Flaming Gorge Dam, in 1964. That was the year the Beatles first toured the U.S. Flaming Gorge Reservoir is located in southern Wyoming and northeast Utah on 91 miles of the 730-mile-long Green River. The dam was built to create hydroelectricity. Today the Reservoir is a fishing and water recreation paradise. Our cruise concentrated on the 26-mile stretch from Lucerne Valley Marina, in Utah, through the canyon area all the way down to the dam.

With only 26 miles between the marina and the dam, and a bright and clear sunny day at hand, we decided to cruise the entire distance on our first day out. We made our way into the majestic canyons, while occasionally ducking into the side creeks and canyons scouting out potential anchorages for our three-day cruise. We like the unknown and unexpected when it comes to cruising destinations and shortly after we headed into the gorge, as we approached the three-mile-long Horseshoe Canyon, we knew we would not be disappointed. With canyon walls 400 feet tall and water beneath us 160 feet deep, we enjoyed a slow pace through the glass-like water. We repeatedly cocked our heads up and around to take in all of the spectacular rock formations.

We continued into Kingfisher Canyon, past Hideout Boat Camp, Hideout Canyon, and up into Carter Creek. Hideout Creek runs about 3/4 of a mile south of the main canyon route and increasingly narrows the further back you go. In the end, we found a sandy beach with a mountain stream running into the creek. The water was 10 feet deep almost up to shore and very suitable for beach anchoring. We made a note of it for our return trip. Exiting Carter Creek we continued through Red Canyon, 11 miles of serpentine canyon. I’m sure the canyon got its name from the red hues that are very pronounced when the sun’s rays reflect off of the rock walls. Along the way, we ducked into a few more small creeks, including Trail Creek. We found the east arm of Trail Creek to be very inviting and returned a couple of hours later to beach anchor for the night.

After investigating Trail Creek and selecting it for our first night’s stay we headed the final four miles to the dam. We cruised slowly past Cedar Springs Marina, the Flaming Gorge Dam, and up into Dutch John Draw. We took in visual delights that can only truly be appreciated from the vantage point of a boat in the water. We returned to Trail Creek, happy to see we had the entire creek to ourselves for the night.

Back to Trail Head Creek to anchor for the night. A beautiful, pristine spot with just enough sandy beach for us to nose our bow up onto to beach anchor Lake Powell style – bow on the beach with anchor buried farther up on shore and our backup stern anchor buried in the sand off the starboard side with a line tied to a rock off of the port side.

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We couldn’t help but notice the desert-like environment we found ourselves in as we approached Lucerne Valley Marina on the edge of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

After three full days of driving across the country and camping at RV parks along the way, we arrived at Lucerne Valley Marina early afternoon on the fourth day. We were more than ready to test out the waters of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. As we drove from Green River, in Wyoming, south along the western side of the Gorge we couldn’t help but notice the desert-like environment. After making the turn and driving the 4-miles to the marina we crossed the state line into Utah, we could see the change in the landscape off into the south, the area we’d eventually be cruising in.

Kismet had to clear Utah inspection which was situated right at the boat ramp. The inspection process was made easier for us by having the boat inspected when we crossed into Wyoming the day before (the decontamination unit shown above was not needed for Kismet since we passed inspection in Wyoming). Once cleared by the inspection person, we could snip the inspection tag (shown below) from the trailer stanchion. We proceeded to prep Kismet from cross-country trailering mode to cruising mode. The bimini canvas was put up, and fenders and lines were unpacked. “Don’t forget the plug,” Lisa stated. Stern anchor and line were readied along with a host of other things. Like Lake Powell, the launch ramp at Lucerne Valley was wide and long but on a smaller scale. We drove down the ramp, made a U-turn and backed Kismet into the crystal clear waters of “the Gorge,” and made our way to our assigned slip.

I feel it always feels better cruising in a clean boat. After three-plus days on the road, I had to give our little red tug a much-needed bath. Shortly after we got settled into our slip and the boat got its bath, boaters Perry and Denise stopped by for a visit, along with their friends Larry and Sarah, we had made plans to meet at the marina a few months prior by email. Perry and Denise have been boating on the Gorge for about 30 years and wanted to see our Ranger Tug firsthand. They shared some local knowledge of must-see places on the Gorge with us, which we greatly appreciated as we’ll only be in the Gorge waters for three days and want to hit the high spots while we can.

After 1,560 road miles it felt wonderful to be sleeping on our boat as she gently floated in our slip, her lines tethered to the dock seemingly as anxious to get out onto the water early the next morning as we were.

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Thomas James – Visit with an Exchange of Boat Tours!

While cruising through the Killarney Channel, on our way to Collins Inlet, we received a call on our VHF. After switching to channel 68, Bill, the guy hailing us, told us that, as he was standing on the balcony of his channel-side home, he noticed our red Ranger Tug slowly cruising by. He said he was so excited to see the “cute tug” he’d love to have a tour and chat with us about it as he had never seen one in person before.

As we were trying to figure out his location, we spotted him, with the binoculars, on his balcony taking photos of our boat as Lisa (unknowingly) was, at the very same time, taking photos of his Thomas James schooner docked in front of his house. We made soft plans to meet the next day on our return from Georgian Bay as we’ll need to pass by Killarney again to get to our next destination, Baie Fine.

After our short trek to Collins Inlet, we returned to Killarney the next day for a much-needed pump out at the Killarney Mountain Lodge before we headed over to Bill, and his wife, Kathy’s, dock to meet them in person, give them a tour of our Kismet in exchange for one on the Thomas James. Bill explained that they’ve been thinking of purchasing a small trawler like ours to cruise the North Channel, Georgian Bay, Trent Severn, and Erie Canal. They were happy for the opportunity to see our Ranger Tug up close and get our thoughts on how, and why, the boat worked for us.

After our visit to the Thomas James and as we’re heading towards Baie Fine, I thought of all the wonderful experiences we’ve had meeting people all over the world while boating around the United States. We could tell immediately that Bill and Kathy (above), are true adventurers all the way around. While at their dock, we felt the excitement and richness of their experiences and left, after a nice visit, taking that feeling with us. Thanks, Bill and Kathy!

Kismet (below) is shoving off the dock the Thomas James calls home.

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South Benjamin Island, a Rocky Delight!

Topping off our great anchorage find is the incredible view from the top of this South Benjamin Island. This is where Jim found all those yummy blueberries and where we went to stretch our legs and enjoy the view when we felt cramped on the boat. Great weather during our stay here, hot temps with unseasonably warm water for swimming. Life is good for the crew of Kismet tied up to this little South Benjamin Island.

We took a long hike on the island that sits in front of the Benjamin’s, it protects the whole rocky channel that separates the islands and protects our boat sitting just below in a little rocky cove.

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South Benjamin – It is often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

I reference this because we recently spent time at the Benjamins, South Benjamin specifically, and it is our contention that the rocks on this island are gorgeous, Not to mention the blue beauties Jim found on those rocks.

We recently cruised Lake Powell, in Utah/Arizona, the landscape there is ALL rock and water. Both are beautiful, however, the difference between the two locations is dramatic. Lake Powell has very large, rock buttes, plateaus, and mountains, and not much greenery except for Navaho Mountain, whereas the rock formations on these North Channel islands are more intimate and, dare I say sensual. We love the beauty of them both.

Have you been to one or both places? If not, take a look at both locations on our blog and let us know what you think.

We like to talk about the beautiful blueberries we found on South Benjamin Island when we got there. Enough for several bowls of sweet yumminess. Just like the blackberries we find wild in the Pacific Northwest, it’s a real treat when finding wild berries when cruising. To find anything wild and fresh during hikes while anchoring out for long periods is an amazing treat.

More beauties are found on the rocks. These must have been the last of the yummy blueberries because we never found any more bushes with berries the rest of our trip. Jim was fairly proud of himself, risking bear and mosquito attacks to procure those berries.

Our neighbors. Looks like they’ve settled in here for a while. During their long stay, they get friends to visit and bring provisions with them.

The channel at one end of South Benjamin looks south/southeast towards Clapperton Island.

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South Benjamin Island Cove – Time to Relax!

It’s amazing how we can spend a few days on the hook and not get bored. At South Benjamin Island cove, we both had chores to do, organizing our belongings on the boat, we swam in the unseasonably warm water, played games, read books, cooked, ate, and just plain relaxed. This is our big trip of the summer, we’re taking it well ahead of our son’s wedding in September. Things will be crazy when we get home, so we are enjoying the restful calm right now. Can you think of a better place than South Benjamin Island anchor?

Going to shore to walk around on the smooth rock formations then hike up the hill for photographs and the amazing view.

It was hot during the day so we used our towels to make some shade over the cockpit area.

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S Benjamin Islands – Mooring Cove Available for Kismet.

We had one of those magically calm cruising days for the short 12-mile run (approx.) to our first scheduled anchorage at South Benjamin where we hoped to find a well-protected spot snuggled up to a boulder or two. It sounds strange, but a river has formed between the boulders/islands in S Benjamin Islands where natural mooring coves have formed. We’ve always wanted to tie up in this area, but all our previous boats have had too deep of a draft for the spots available in that channel. As luck would have it there was one prime spot available this morning when we arrived at South Benjamin, and our Ranger Tug, Kismet, fit very nicely into it. Time to relax and enjoy the start of our North Channel adventure. But first, we need to secure the boat to those rocks.

The last time we used our long stern anchor line was when we cruised Lake Powell. Some of that red Arizona dirt is still clinging to that line as we get it ready to use.

Tying to shore was a little bit of a project in this cove. First, we dropped anchor at the mouth of the cove, drew back, then tied both starboard and port sides to shore with our stern tie line.

Once settled… a panoramic view of our anchorage tonight (above).

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In light of some of our road trips recently, the one we took today was relatively short. We started by heading north along the scenic route of northwest Michigan. We drove Kismet across the Mackinaw Bridge, through the Upper Peninsula, across the border into Canada, and finally, 260 miles later, we launched her in Spanish, Ontario – right in the heart of the North Channel. We stayed one night at Spanish Marina getting things organized and prepped for our two-week North Channel boating fix, it had been five years since our last visit to this magical Canadian wonderland, way too long for Lisa and me.

Spanish Marina is a good central location to launch a trailered boat into the North Channel.

Spanish is a great spot to launch a trailerable boat. Great facilities and everyone is friendly and helpful. The boat ramp is one of the steepest we’ve encountered (see below) but it all worked out once we got it rolling. It seems every ramp is different, I always do a walk around, at a new-to-us ramp, come up with a plan of attack and convey it to Lisa, so we’re both on the same page, before we start the process.

We arrived in Spanish late in the afternoon, around 4:00, and still had lots to do to get ready to leave in the morning. The biggest job was getting the dinghy and motor down to the boat from the truck, inflating it, and mounting the motor. (We are still investigating the right dinghy mount for the boat, so in the meantime, we deflate it and stow it in the bed of the truck while we’re towing the boat over land)

Soon after dark, we went to bed secure in knowing we were absolutely ready to begin our exploration of the North Channel.

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Torch Lake has lots of fond memories for Lisa and me. We each boated here before we were married and began our boating adventures together on this lake. We used to trailer our 21-foot Four Winns Sundowner to Torch Lake to spend long weekends on the hook, but since our mode of boating has changed over the last fifteen years it’s been a long time since we’ve been able to bring one of our boats to any inland lake. We kind of like the flexibility we are now enjoying with our Ranger Tug, Kismet.

Torch Lake is named, not for its shape, but for the practice of local native Americas, from the Ojibwa Tribe, who used torches at night to attract fish

Torch Lake, Michigan – A Boating Paradise

After we squeaked under the Torch River Bridge and entered the lake we did a slow cruise around the lower perimeter of the lake passing by our friend Gene’s house on the east side of the lake not far from Clam River. We called ahead of time to see if he was home and since he doesn’t have a dock, we said we’d just buzz by so that he could have a glimpse of the new Kismet.

After seeing Gene we headed back across the lake to the west shoreline where we used to anchor many years ago. There used to be a little point adjacent to a large farm and we remembered how it stretched out along the water and made the perfect secluded place for us to anchor. It was just as we remembered, but now has more cottages lining the shoreline. We threw the hook out and settled in for a peaceful night on perfectly still water.

We’ve boated in a lot of water, all over the United States, Canada, and even the Bahamas, but the crystal clear water in Torch Lake continues to amaze us to this day. There aren’t many anchorages where you can actually see your anchor stuck into the lakebed under your boat.

The next morning we were like little kids on Christmas morning getting up early to have coffee on the back deck to enjoy our million-dollar view. Our friends, Jim and Cindy were out for a boat ride and knowing we were anchored out here this weekend found us and stopped to say hi and to also extend an invitation for dinner at their cottage that night.

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Bottom paints are like opinions; there is plenty of each. There are several brands we could have chosen but in the end, I decided on Pettit Vivid for the bottom paint and their corresponding Pettit Skip Sand Primer. The primer is described as a “pre-treatment primer designed to adhere tenaciously to an un-sanded fiberglass gel coat.” We lightly sanded the hull anyway, so the primer should stick well. I applied one coat of the gray primer, then two coats of the Pettit Vivid (three coats at the water line).

It’s very satisfying to see the final result of all my hard work. Now we can rest easy and not be concerned with what is going on underneath the boat.

The nasty, but very necessary, job of bottom painting was completed within 48 hours. We stayed on the hard one more night to let the paint dry and we were back in the water 68 hours after our haul out.

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We never addressed the issue of bottom painting our Ranger Tug until one day, while taking our boat out of the water in Ft Myers Beach; we were surprised by the excessive growth of barnacles on the hull of Kismet. We recognized the problem and we wanted to take care of it ASAP. After arranging to have our boat hauled by 3D, a self-service boat yard in Key West, I began researching how to clean the hull and what to apply to help the process along and what kind of paint we might need. Because we use our boat in salt and fresh water, trailer it and, at times, it will sit out of the water, we found we needed to have a hard ablative paint for our particular usage.

After leaving Marathon and arriving in Key West, we launched our boat on Stock Island and cruised the short distance to the 3D Boat Yard to have Kismet hauled out by a travel lift for the first time. After a thorough power washing and initial scraping, the boat was settled onto jack stands and wood blocks for three days of bottom prep and painting “fun.”

This was our “home” for three days while I worked on this nasty chore and the sea breeze and the water view helped ease the pain a little during our stay.

Our first dilemma? How I was going to clean the remaining stubborn barnacle scales from the entire underneath the hull of the boat? It was a mess and seemed almost a daunting task. Lisa did some online research and finally found a product called On & Off and boy what a time-saver it turned out to be. After being brushed on the hull the product instantly goes to work and dissolves, the barnacle residue. I applied the On & Off solution by brush, let it work a bit, then I scraped a little and rinsed. I did this two times on the entire hull, three times in a few tough spots.

The bottom line is, it’s really better to take care of the bottom painting chore before this happens and, in our case, we should have done it a lot sooner.

Lisa kept me drinking lots of water (above – here I am asking for more) and reminded me to wear my mask and gloves to keep all the chemicals and fumes off my body and out of my lungs. I had prepared ahead of time by procuring old clothes from the local Goodwill store; I will throw them away in a few days.

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It was a crazy night of Mah Jongg, we played until well after the guys retired and we each won at least one game.

Mah Jongg is a fascinating rummy-like game played with tiles rather than cards. The game originated in China, dating back to the time of Confucius. It was originally played solely by the ruling classes; the Mandarins refused to permit other inhabitants of the country to enjoy the pleasure of this aristocratic pastime. Mah Jongg remains the most popular game in the Orient. Interestingly, the rules in North China differ from those in South China. There are several versions of Mah Jongg, but each fall under two broad categories: American Mah Jongg and Chinese Mah Jongg. – NATIONAL MAH JONGG LEAGUE.

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Just a few days before our week-long visit at the Harbour Cay Club in Marathon came to an end, Mike and Jess (below-middle), on Illusions (shown above) and Rich and Cheryll (below-right), on Roam (both couples own Ranger Tugs) joined us and before we knew it, we were having a mini Ranger Tug Rendezvous in Marathon. We had all recently met in Fort Myers Beach during the First Annual Ranger Tug Southern Rendezvous. We communicated often as we were traveling different routes down to the Keys with the hope a get-together would be possible – at least for a few days. As luck would have it both boats arrived at the marina on Saturday – we quickly caught up on all of our travels over an impromptu dinner at the marina.

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