November, 1994        

Aboard 'JABBERWOCKY', Kentucky Lake

Now that the first 1,000 miles has passed beneath our keel, we thought it was time to collect our thoughts and reflect on where we have been.

Belinda and I launched JABBERWOCKY on Labor Day (appropriately) in the eastern Upper Peninsula village of Hessel.  Sans children, we enjoyed a few days together, stowing things away, shaking down some of the new on-board systems I had installed and taking in the fall colors from the lake's perspective. The crowds usually encountered at Mackinac Island and Beaver Island were gone and we enjoyed their respective charm in sweatshirts rather than T-shirts.

The following week we sailed straight south from St. James Harbor on Beaver Island on our way to the south end of Grand Traverse's East Bay.  Venturing out this late in the season almost assures brisk sailing winds and we were not disappointed.  Running dead downwind under main and spinnaker the 70 miles fell behind us.  It was one of those days of sailing which will be long remembered.

With things left to attend to in Mt. Pleasant, Belinda headed home from Traverse City.  Bringing the boat down the west coast of Michigan from T.C. was done with alternating crews and a few days of single-handing. Of special note was the few days that my friend and former co-worker Bob Gustin spent on board which included a day of hiking on South Manitou Island.  In addition, my dad, my son Sean and myself did some three - generation voyaging bringing the boat from Ludington down to Benton Harbor (St. Joseph harbor).

While waiting at St. Joseph to make the crossing to Chicago, we met Cathy and Dan.  A couple in their 40's, they had left Traverse City a few weeks earlier in their vintage Chrysler 26 and were headed south with generally the same itinerary.  Since two small boats traveling together offer each other a margin of safety, we decided to make the 60-mile trek to Illinois together.

Belinda and I were up at 4:30 a.m. on the morning of October 13. With the children still sleeping, we motored slowly down the river and past the breakwall into Lake Michigan. Under starlit skies and southerly winds JABBERWOCKY lifted her bow to the waves.  It's interesting how attuned our senses can become.   Away from the lights of the city, our night vision was incredibly good.  And we knew when we were north of Gary, Indiana by the smell, rather than by our chart calculations.

Shortly after lunch the skyline of Chicago became visible and by 3:00 p.m. we had our sails on deck and were motoring into Calumet Harbor. Typically, sailboats transit Chicago with their masts down because of low fixed bridges.   Although we had planned to stay in Calumet Harbor that night and lower our mast, we cautiously entered the Calumet River looking for someplace calm. to tie to.  To make a long story short, we followed a barge under an opening bridge which closed behind us. Several miles and several bridges later, we tied to a dock of a business that pulls boats out of the water for storage.  A few hours later we had transformed our sailboat into a motorboat and lashed the mast on to the rails and cabin top in preparation of our pending river travel.

Early the next morning we left and locked through Calumet lock at dawn.  The next 540 miles or so would be all downstream.  The hustle and bustle and business of the Chicago area slowly gave way to farm fields and sleepy river towns.  Being in no particular hurry, we stopped at many of the towns on the Illinois River, usually dropping the anchor so that we were out of the barge channel and taking the dinghy to shore.  Each town has its own story to tell about the flood of 1993.  Many of the stores, banks, etc. have left a mark or have drawn a line on their walls (usually near the ceiling) showing the high water level.

By now Cathy and Dan have become good friends and we have rafted our two boats together on several nights and have done our own miniature potluck, eating supper in the cockpit of one of the boats, watching the migrating birds and enjoying the serenity offered.  Traveling with them is their dog, Malenki, a Samoyed.  Obviously, he is a big hit with Maggie.  They have also brought their mountain bikes and Dan and Sean sometimes ride the two-tracks while Cathy and Belinda crew their boat, the WESAK.

328 miles from our start in Chicago we motored from the easy flow of the Illinois River into the furious current of the Mississippi. There are few facilities on the rivers for recreational boaters. Most shore side stations cater to the big 'pushers', that push the barges.  A large pusher, loaded, can burn 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per day and can hold 100,000 to 120,000 gallons.  Filling up one of these boats every 9 or 10 days is much more lucrative than selling me 8 gallons of gas for the outboard.  Because of the lack of facilities, we are careful not to get caught out on the river with no place to go.   Usually, by asking people with local knowledge1 we are able to find a barge to tie to or pull into a small river that has enough water that we won't run aground.

While on the Mississippi we stopped at Kimmswick (in time for their Apple Butter Festival) and went to St. Louis for a couple of days to visit Belinda's uncle and aunt.  While at Kimmswick we also transformed our motorboats back into sailboats, raising our masts and bending on the sails.  Yes, river sailing is not only possible, but also very pleasant.  Before we got to the Ohio River, we lowered the sails, turned off the motor and drifted for a few miles.  It is difficult not to appreciate this timeless river.   only a few generations ago our ancestors traveled this 'liquid expressway' on sternwheelers and rafts.  It was the primary inspiration for the writing of Samuel Clemens, best known for his works under the name of Mark Twain.  As we neared Cairo, Illinois and the confluence of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers we must have been as excited as Tom Sawyer and Jim on their journey downriver to Jim's freedom.

After 218 miles on "Big Muddy", we started upstream on the Ohio on November 4.  Before we left Mt. Pleasant, there were a few people, the naysayers, who 'warned' us about trying to beat upstream with an outboard powered sailboat.  Even though the Ohio was just over normal pool stage, our 9.9 horse motor pushed the loaded JABBERWOCKY upstream at about 5mph (down from our usual 6 to 7 mph).  Two days later we had covered the 48 miles of the Ohio and the 24 miles of the Tennessee River to arrive at Kentucky Lake. This lake is actually a wide part of the Tennessee River, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority via a system of locks and dams to provide for stable water levels, hydroelectric power generation and to provide a water oriented tourist business.  It's nice to be in a marina where they like small boat traffic.  Since we've been here we have been able to restock our dwindling supplies and do some work on our motor.

I'm sorry that no newsletter you will ever receive will allow you to truly experience, vicariously, this cruising life.  I simply cannot put into words the thrill of seeing bald eagles at close range, the warmth of the people who live in small southern towns, hearing the squawks of the great blue herons as they migrate south and feeling the vibrations of the river beneath the deck.

Sean is doing great and I feel that he and I have had a re-acquaintance experience.  His schoolwork, under Belinda's tutoring continues.  He is not good about doing his homework (boatwork), but, then, he never has been.  He does have a natural sea 'sense' and is a good helmsman.  He is learning algebra and navigation. Science and tuning an internal combustion engine.  He is doing a man's job one minute and he can play 'Barbie' with Maggie the next.

Maggie, our little trooper, has a wonderful set of 'sea legs'. She does not see her size nor age as a detriment in any way.  She wants to steer, row the dinghy, handle lines and be my little helper. She can tell you the difference between a Bruce and a Danforth anchor and tie a dock line to a cleat (the correct way!).  "I can do it by MYSELF!", is a commonly heard expression. And she usually can.

Belinda and I are enjoying not working.  Not that our work before was something we didn't enjoy doing, but we are truly enjoying each other, the children, the traveling, our new found friends and soaking up the simple pleasures of life everyday.  We wish that you were here with us (but you'll have to bring your own boat.').

Headin' south, the crew of JABBERWOCKY;

Mike, Belinda, Sean and Maggie

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