FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

EVERGLADES

Shark River

RENDEZVOUS

Palm Island, Florida

LOVERS LEAP

San Juan Islands – Stewart Island, WA

SOUTH SOUND

Tacoma, Washington

BLAKE ISLAND

Puget Sound, Washington

FLORIDA BAY

Marathon, Florida

First Time in Marianne Cove

Lots of Room in Marianne Cove Tonight! On our way up Baie Fine, we saw this marker on shore (above). It's a marking for the red buoy – the channel through this area is so narrow they had to mark it on the rock instead of a red buoy. On this day we chose to try a new anchorage (new to us) at Marianne Cove. We've anchored at the Pool (located at the furthest end of Baie Fine) before and enjoyed that area, but we've heard so much about how well-protected and beautiful Marianne Cove is, we decided to stop short of the Pool and…

Meeting Captain & Crew of the Thomas James

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…

Keyhole Island – A Little Peek Into the Northwest Side of Georgian Bay

Keyhole Island on the Northwest Side of Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is on our cruising bucket list, a trip like this deserves a dedicated stretch of time to explore properly. With that said, we decided to get our toes just a little wet. After we left Covered Portage Cove, we passed through the channel in Killarney for a short, one-day, cruise and anchor in the northwest side of Georgian Bay. Four miles or so east of Killarney is the western entrance to Collins Inlet and a 10-mile run to Mill Lake. It was Collins Inlet, a narrow channel, where we spent…

Dinghy Ride to Killarney from Covered Portage Cove

Around lunchtime, our second day, we joined Charlie and Linda in a dinghy ride over to Killarney to take advantage of the famous fish and chips at the Herbert Fisheries Red School Bus, located right on the channel in town. The fish and chips are very good, a little pricy but we enjoyed every last bite. SIDENOTE: A Visit to Killarney nowadays does not include a visit to the School Bus Fish And Chips stand. The bus is now gone a relic of the past. Shortly after lunch, we parted ways with Charlie and Linda. They wanted to dinghy back…

Doubling Our Pleasure in Covered Portage Cove

Rendezvous with Freedom's Turn in Covered Portage Cove! Doubling our pleasure comes to mind when we think of our visit to Covered Portage Cove in the North Channel. Not only was it our first time anchoring in this cove, but we also had the pleasure of rendezvousing with friends Charlie and Linda on Freedom's Turn (above). We met them in 2008 while doing our second Great Loop boat trip and cruised several times together, including a trip to Chattanooga and even the Bahamas. With a lot of shared cruising experiences in common, we were excited for the reunion in Covered Portage Cove. We…

Covered Portage Cove – The Perfect Anchorage

Covered Portage Cove anchorage – High rocky cliffs and near-perfect protection from the elements. From South Benjamin Island we made our way past Little Current, Strawberry, and Heywood Islands as we skirted south of Frazier Bay to enter Lansdowne Channel on the way to Covered Portage Cove, just west of Killarney, the old provincial outpost that separates Ontario's North Channel from Georgian Bay. We had only dinghied to Covered Portage Cove anchorage in 2007 when we had docked our boat for a few days in Killarney. We vowed then to put it on our list as a future anchorage spot. When I…

South Benjamin Island – View From The Top

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…

South Benjamin – Where’s the Beauty?

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…

South Benjamin Island Cove – Three Days of Peace and Quiet

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…

Tying Up to Boulders on S Benjamin Islands

We left Spanish early the next morning and made our way through Little Detroit, a channel so narrow it's customary to make a "Securité. Securité. Securité." call to announce your intentions so boaters, on the other side of the channel, can stand clear. You wouldn't want to be passed by a speeding boat and veer off the center of the channel onto those boulders lurking below the water. 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…

Road Trip… Canada Here We Come – Spanish Marina

July 12, 2012
Lisa Favors
•TRAILERING, CANADA-EAST, CRUISING, North Channel

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…

The Crew of Kismet is North Channel Bound

July 11, 2012
Lisa Favors
•TRAILERING, CANADA-EAST, CRUISING, North Channel

The North Channel is one of our favorite cruising destinations. There I said it! For those who have been, it is most likely one of your favorite destinations as well. If you haven't been, the following posts and photos, although very nice, can't possibly do justice to what Mother Nature provides the boating community. The North Channel is located in Ontario, Canada, and resides in a stretch of water 160 nautical miles long at the most northern point of Lake Huron. This body of water is bordered by Georgian Bay to the east, mainland Canada to the north, and the…

Winding Down Our Torch Lake Weekend

June 11, 2012
Lisa Favors
CRUISING, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan, Torch Lake

Kismet is heading back to the Torch Lake Bridge after a nice time at anchor during our Torch Lake weekend, we just barely squeaked under the bridge with only inches to spare (below). As we made our way through Torch River we were reminded once again how beautiful this stretch of water is. The river is fairly shallow with lots of dead-headed logs, so paying full attention while cruising through this area is well worth the effort. By the time we ended our Torch Lake weekend and reached Skegemog Lake the wind had picked up. We were fighting whitecaps as we approached the…

Dining with Friends On the Torch

June 10, 2012
Lisa Favors
CRUISING, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan, Torch Lake

On the Torch at Last! We enjoyed a relaxing day floating on the hook on Torch Lake, as the day unfolded, we had done a few boat chores, caught up on some reading and before we knew it we were getting ready to join our friends, Jim and Cindy, at their cottage for dinner. We brought up the anchor and had a nice cruise down the lake, back towards the bridge on the west side of the lake, right across from the famous sand bar which is always a big party scene. Although Jim and Cindy have a nice dock…

Torch Lake – Kismet Likes to Anchor Here

June 9, 2012
Jim Favors
CRUISING, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan, Torch Lake

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…

Have You Ever Been to Torch River?

June 9, 2012
Lisa Favors
CRUISING, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan, Torch Lake

We launched the boat at Whitewater Township Park in Skegemog Lake and quickly pointed the boat in the direction of Torch River. Jim and I started our boating adventures in the early 90s on a 21-foot Four Winns Sundowner. On many weekends during our short Michigan summers, we'd trailer it to Torch Lake for a relaxing few days on the hook. Jim was studying for tests at the time and I'd catch up on reading, we'd fill up a cooler of mostly finger food and we'd be happy campers for a long weekend away from the rat race. This weekend we…

Winding Down Memorial Day Weekend in Charlevoix

May 28, 2012
Lisa Favors
Charlevoix, CRUISING, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan

Boating activities in Charlevoix Michigan. Winding down Memorial Day Weekend in Charlevoix Michigan with a dinghy ride around the little island and an afternoon at anchor in Oyster Bay (below). These are just a few of our boating activities when visiting Charlevoix when it was our home port. We drove up to Petoskey to visit our friend, Martin. Lunch at Whitecaps and a visit to Martin's home. Monday started with a Memorial Day parade and presentation at the bandshell. Nothing quite brings home the meaning of this holiday weekend more than the five-gun salute to close the ceremonies. On our…

Charlevoix the Beautiful

May 27, 2012
Lisa Favors
Charlevoix, CRUISING, GREAT LAKES, INLAND LAKES-West

Just as the Chamber of Commerce slogan suggests... Charlevoix The Beautiful. Charlevoix was our homeport for many years so we consider it a home away from home. It seems this friendly little town exists in its own little bubble and embodies all that small-town America promises. With concerts and festivals in the downtown park during the summer and a high-tech fountain for the kids to play in... all found right on Round Lake. An idyllic and picturesque town if there ever was one, a people's place, for land lovers and boaters alike. Here's Kismet (above) very right next to her old slip,…

Our Biggest Fan in Charlevoix

May 26, 2012
Lisa Favors
Charlevoix, CRUISING, GREAT LAKES, INLAND LAKES-West, Michigan

Charlevoix is home to our biggest fan. Every time we see Rob, on Keri 'D' Away, we're reminded how often he reads our blog and seems to know what we're up to on our boat. On our recent visit to Charlevoix we ran into Rob, and his wife Keri, at the downtown marina; Rob was a little perturbed that the blog wasn't more up-to-date. (We were a little behind in catching up with our adventures in the Florida Keys this year. There was so much to write about it seemed to take forever to do the posts.) Rob will be…

Charlevoix Used to Be Our Homeport – Welcome Home Kismet!

May 24, 2012
Lisa Favors
•TRAILERING, Charlevoix, CRUISING, GREAT LAKES

Missing our old homeport! Today we trailered our boat up to Charlevoix and launched her at Ferry Avenue Lake Charlevoix Municipal Boat Ramp. This ramp is just outside of Round Lake, on Lake Charlevoix by Irish Marina. As you can see (below) we were operating in a cloud of bugs that were hanging out at the boat ramp. The most bugs we've had on our boat at one time EVER! We have all known people who possess what seems like a magnetic force of attraction because of their outgoing personalities, broad smiles, and positive demeanors. They are the type of…

West Arm Grand Traverse Bay – Kismet’s First Cruise in the Bay

New Tug's First Time Cruising the West Arm Grand Traverse Bay! The crew on board Kismet today were excited for the tug's inaugural cruise on West Arm Grand Traverse Bay. Skyler, Sarah, and friend David joined us for an afternoon trip to Power Island (also referred to as Marion Island). We put the boat in at Elmwood Township Marina, their facilities are exceptional. It was the perfect day for a cruise and lunch at the island. Power Island is a 202-acre property located in the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay. It's approximately nine miles west of Downtown Traverse City and…

Going Home to Traverse City for the Summer

Going Home for the Summer. When trailering a big boat, you don't have as many options for stopping at just any restaurant while traveling between cruising destinations. We often have to look around for a bit to find a good spot to eat, one that we can also park the rig easily. Sometimes the best thing is to find a restaurant close to a mall parking lot. Lots of room to park in those kinds of lots, usually way in the back, where there is less noise and traffic. Walmarts are usually a good places and is known to be…

MTOA Low Country Boil & Crazy Hat Beach Party

April 18, 2012
Lisa Favors
REN-MTOA, RENDEZVOUS

Lots of Crazy Fun at the MTOA Low Country Boil As you can see there were a lot of fun and creative hat constructions during the Crazy Hat Beach Party and MTOA Low Country Boil event on Wednesday night during the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous. MTOA members pulled out all the stops and showed up in some very colorful and creative hats. We'll let the photos speak for themselves – the MTOA Low Country Boil sure was a lot of fun. We think Robert, here with his wife Kaye, on C-Life, should have won first prize for his…

MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous – Amelia Island, Florida

April 17, 2012
Lisa Favors
REN-MTOA, RENDEZVOUS

Pirates Galore at the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous Since pirates played a major role in the settlement of Amelia Island the local gang helped kick off the start of the MTOA 2012 Southern Rendezvous, in Fernandina Beach, at the first-morning meeting. MTOA is only one of a couple of the boat clubs we belong to. The club is non-profit and member-operated – the yearly events are lots of fun. Every time you volunteer to contribute to the club or an event, you gain a turtle pin. It's not hard to see who the hard workers are as the turtle pins…

Our First Ever Shrimp Boil on the Docks

April 14, 2012
Lisa Favors
REN-MTOA, RENDEZVOUS

MTOA's Southern Boaters Put Together a Shrimp Boil Friends Ellen and her husband, Roy, on Our Turn, came up with the idea to have a simple, but festive, shrimp boil on the dock tonight and procured shrimp from these fishermen (above and below). This was only the first 150 lbs she bought, it was such a popular topic on the docks, people wanted to buy more the next day, so Ellen ended up purchasing the rest of the catch these guys had to sell, another 150 lbs. This all transpired the day before the rendezvous started, people were still arriving and…

Women On Ranger Tugs —Women Ranger Tugs Owners Discover Boating As A Rewarding Lifestyle Choice.
SEE MORE!

Upside Of Downsizing To A Trailerable Trawler —Learn about the inherent benefits of owning a trailerable trawler.
Flexibility, Mobility & Affordability!
SEE MORE!

Women On Board Cruising – Want to inspire your wife, girlfriend or partner to do the Loop with you? Have them read this book. Twenty-five veteran women boaters share the trials, tribulations, helpful tips and humor about their long-distance cruising adventures. SEE MORE!

When the Water Calls… We Follow – Reflections On the Great Loop Adventure. Read how these “Loopers” prepared for the trip, overcame obstacles, also see what they enjoyed and learned while undertaking their Great Loop adventures.
SEE MORE!