July, 1995        

Aboard 'JABBERWOCKY', Blind River, Ontario, Canada

Dear Family and Friends,

Yes, I know it's a long letter this time. But this is it, our final note to those of you who have followed our journey thus far.

Although we are not 'home' yet, this letter is being written in Little Current, Ontario. Little Current is situated at the northeastern end of Manitoulin Island (the world's largest freshwater island) at the junction of where the Georgian Bay arm of Lake Huron meets the Canadian North Channel. The North Channel is the body of water between Manitoulin Island and the Ontario mainland, 125 miles or so east to west by 25 miles north and south. It was here, in 1987, that Belinda and I started cruising and sampled the lifestyle that made us want to stay out longer, go farther, see more. So, even though we are not 'home', our return to the North Channel has marked, for us, a symbolic homecoming. But much has happened and we have put on many miles since our last letter.

On June 4 we left the relative close confines of the ICW and traveled through Norfolk, VA and into the vastness of the Chesapeake Bay. We were awed (and JABBERWOCKY was dwarfed) by the size and numbers of our military vessels berthed in Norfolk, from rows of submarines to aircraft carriers. Norfolk also marks the official beginning (the terminus for us) of the ICW at mile 0. Our first right on the Chesapeake we continued the centuries old tradition of 'crabbing'. To do so, a piece of raw chicken skin and fat is lowered on a string to the bottom and allowed to sit for a few minutes. Then the string is slowly retrieved, usually with a crab hungrily attached to the chicken. Near the surface, a net is carefully lowered into position and the crab captured. Several are required per person for a meal.

When a sufficient quantity had been obtained, Belinda filled our largest pot with water and seasonings, brought it to a boil, and we proceeded to eat, 'East Coast' style. Lacking proper crab eating tools, we used the side of a meat hammer and a pair of pliers from the toolbox to crack the claws. Cruising as we do, improvisation is a must.

As the dregs of Hurricane Allison pushed some weather fronts along the Atlantic seaboard, the next day we endeavored to put as many miles under us as possible so as to get deeper into the protection of the bay. Under reefed main and working jib we screamed along (relatively speaking, of course, as we were only doing about 7 mph) to Reedville, a small town on Cockrell Creek, put down the anchor and sat out the absolute deluge of that night and the next day.

The Chesapeake Bay is like the North Channel for many east coast sailors. It is truly a destination and a place to stay and explore. For us, it could not be that, or we would still be there. It was beautiful, but the prevalence of jellyfish discouraged us from swimming. We celebrated Belinda's birthday in Annapolis, eating at Armadillo's on the docks. On June 11 we arrived in Chesapeake City, located on the C & D Barge Canal.

The C & D Barge Canal is a man - made canal cut (about 20 miles long) that connects the Chesapeake Bay with the Delaware River and, subsequently, the Delaware Bay. The cruising world is small, indeed, and we spent one night in the Delaware rafted (tied together) with the SERENA, a 39 foot Alden designed yawl and crewed by a couple that we had met last November on the Tenn-Tom Waterway. From the Chicago area, Mike and Betsy had traveled a route similar to ours and, like us, were on the return trip home. Anxious to talk to somebody else other than our own shipmates, we pot-lucked our supper aboard the SERENA, shared our adventures and played charades late into the night.

We arrived at Cape May, N. J. on June 14 and got the news that JABBERWOCKY's draft of 4 feet would not allow her to go on the 'inside' waterway north to New York. This left us with 130 miles of open Atlantic to cover it an average 5 - 6 mph. Belinda never even flinched when she realized that there was going to be one more overnight passage. The following 2 - day weather forecast was favorable and we decided to go the next day in company with the SERENA.

We had an auspicious start. I awoke just before dawn on the 15th to find the tide out and us aground. After some jockeying around and by heeling the boat to one side (easy to do on a small boat!), we found the deep water in Cape May and motored through the Cape May inlet into the just breaking Sunrise.  Under main and genoa JABBERWOCKY moved in unison to the natural forces that urged her northward and the gentle cadence of the ocean swells made for a very comfortable ride.

The next morning, at dawn, we rounded Sandy Hook and entered New York Harbor. We waved our good-byes to the SERENA as Mike and Betsy were headed to Connecticut before returning to the Great Lakes. Since anchoring is fairly well restricted in the harbor, we found a small, laid - back marina in Brooklyn, just around the comer from Coney Island and slept for a few hours before we explored the few blocks around the marina area. Timing our departure from Brooklyn carefully to take advantage of the flood tide that forces its way up the Hudson River we traveled the next day past Ellis Island and the impressive Statue of Liberty. I have never been to NY by car but I can dl you that from the water's perspective NY city is pretty (as far as cities go) and, surprisingly, very green.

Over the next few days we continued to travel up the Hudson, motoring and motorsailing, gradually leaving behind the remnants of tidal currents and salt water. The Hudson River banks are, unquestionably, some of the greenest and picturesque that there is to be seen. The architecture, the home and the landscaping portray a picture of absolutely decadent wealth. In Albany, at the Albany Yacht Club docks, we laid the mast down and lashed it to the top in preparation for our entry into the Erie Canal. On June 20, we stopped in Troy, bought our canal transit permits and proceeded to go through 11 locks that day, stopping in Amsterdam, NY, for the night.

By now, most of you should be at least humming, if not singing out loud, "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal". As the Erie Canal wanders through beautiful areas of NY State, we stayed on deck continually watching the stunning scenery and Maggie spent most of her time looking for a mule (named Sal, of course!).

Belinda's parents, en route back to Florida, detoured through NY and met up with us. My mother-in-law, a retired elementary school teacher who taught about the Erie Canal traveled with us for an afternoon and through a couple of locks. How far? That's right, 15 miles!

Although the canal travels all the way to Buffalo, we left the Erie and took the Oswego Canal to Oswego, on the eastern side of Lake Ontario. The next day, on a glass smooth Lake Ontario, we motored north and west for 12 hours, arriving in Brighton, Ontario around 5:30 pm. After clearing customs, our trip had officially become an international journey.

Still just a powerboat with our mast down, we motored through the short Murray Canal and into Trenton, one of the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSWW). The TSWW is a series of interconnecting rivers, creeks, lakes and manmade canals that connect northern Lake Ontario with the Georgian Bay (at Port Severn) in Lake Huron. It is 240 miles long and has 41 conventional locks, 2 hydraulic lift locks and a marine railway. It is about 300 miles shorter than going through Lake Erie and meanders its way through some of the most scenic areas of Canada.

After gassing up and taking on water in Trenton, we had only gone about 114 mile past the marina when our 9.9 horse outboard (OB) quit pumping cooling water so we immediately pulled over and tied up to a concrete wall that borders the Trenton city park. I pulled the OB off and clamped it to a park bench and went to work on it. We had to order a few gaskets so I spent the next couple of days clearing out what water passages I could access and replacing water pump. Exhibiting behavior that we have found to be typical of the Canadian people, we were bombarded with offers of assistance by passers-by. On June 28 I re-assembled the OB and started it up. There now seemed to be adequate water flow and I patted myself on the back for keeping the old Johnson running. Or so I thought ....

On June 29 we began our trek through the TSWW in earnest after purchasing a 6-day pass. As with the Erie Canal, the TSWW was constructed to link towns along its route with an easily traveled thoroughfare. As such, our           pass along the canal system was always within easy walking distance of the small towns and villages. The days of lumber trade now being long over, most of these settlements now rely heavily on the tourist dollar and put their best foot forward in making the traveler feel welcome. ("Stay another day, won't you?")

On July 4, Sean was at the tiller as we left the lock at Port Severn. We proceeded under power to Midland where, protected from the strong northerlies that blew over the next couple of days, we spent our time re-provisioning and changing ourselves back in to a sailboat.

The morning of July 10 broke windless and we were motoring on gentle swells when the OB stuttered and stalled with a plume of smoke and the unmistakable smell of burning electrical insulation. An on-the-water-exam revealed that the cylinder head had seriously overheated and had melted through some of the wiring, mercifully shorting out the ignition before it damaged the aluminum engine components. After allowing for a cooling down period I removed the thermostat (it had self - destructed from the heat), separated the wires from one another and urged it back to life.

After limping in to Tobermory, over the next few days and a false start north, I pulled the cylinder head and found the reason for my intermittent overheating. The head gasket had blown between the bottom cylinder and the water jacket. Now running strong and cool we have traveled to Little Current where we have stopped, for the last time, to re-provision and write this letter.

With any endeavor that requires substantial investment, there comes a time for taking stock. At the end of our time, the end of our money and the end of our travels (and I am delighted that these three have come together at the same time), that time for reflection is now.

From Belinda; this has been a wonderful year! I've had time for myself to read and rest. Also, the opportunity to be close to my family. Together we've experienced a little adventure, discovered new things and met many super people. I've especially enjoyed the family conversations which went undisturbed by T.V. and ringing phones.

It has all come to an end too quickly. Even though I look forward to coming home, digging in the yard and visiting family and friends, I will forever remember our trip with the fondest thoughts of special places and special people.

As Sean declined to write to his own thoughts I offer on his behalf that he has missed his friends and the social gatherings that are important at his age. Nevertheless, his 'world view' has been greatly increased. Any future reference to American history, geology, sociology and environmental concerns will forever be influenced by this grass roots exposure. He has learned discipline to study, and has grown mentally, emotionally and physically.

Maggie has now spent 1/4 of her life calling the JABBERWOCKY her 'home". As comfortable on deck as she is on sidewalks, I marvel everyday at her growth and adaptation to this life. One day Belinda found dry lima beans in the winch sockets. It seems that the previous day they had read Jack and the Bean Stalk and Maggie, determined to have her own beanstalk and having no dirt, planted her own in the only likely place on board. We have colored volumes of coloring books (the rainy days are the tough ones) and have spent countless hours beachcombing for treasures'.

Those of you who know me well know that I am rarely at a loss for words. This is one of those times. I am unable, in a few lines, to crystallize and condense my feelings. I can only offer that there have been many lessons. Henry David Thoreau once wrote (during his Walden Pond days), "Shall we always study to obtain more of these things, and not sometimes to be content with less?"

It would be remiss of me not to comment on our trip logistics and choice of vehicle/dwelling. The log on our knot meter (rebuilt and zeroed before we left) reads 5,385 miles. Since it is paddlewheel driven the miles are, of course, approximate. We have used 11 gallons of 2-cycle oil and have fouled 13 sets (26) of spark plugs. Compared to our usual summer cruising, we have put more than 12 years of use on the boat and 20 years on the motor. We have traveled through between 80 and 90 locks and have passed through an even greater number of opening bridges.

Although the OB required some attention (not completely unexpected, considering JABBERWOCKY has exceeded our expectations. Although the Catalina 25 (ours is a 1978 model) was designed to be a weekend cruiser, we have packed it on, loaded it up and asked it to do more. She never broke, and we always felt safe. Take the same boat again? Absolutely!

JABBERWOCKY does, however, show the wear and tear of the 1,000 plus hours of being underway and a years worth of four people living aboard. Her white hull is stained brown at the bow and waterline from the miles of dirty water and there are many scars; a chip and a scratch here and scratch there from hundreds of dockings, faded sail covers, worn gudgeons and pintles, a red paint smudge on the starboard rub rail from bumping a river buoy.

Collectively, JABBERWOCKY's crew also show the wear and tear. Cruising as we do isn't for everyone. If your idea of 'roughing it' is not having a poolside room, then this isn't for you. Likewise, if your vision of boating is being aboard is fast, 40 foot, teak-decked yacht and having nothing but sunny days and favorable winds, you'd be disappointed. Sunburned noses and chapped lips are common, as are 'boat bites' (minor bumps, lumps, scrapes, etc. from scrambling around on deck). We have worn our clothes until they are, literally, rags. The finest meals we have eaten have come off a one-burner stove or out of a campfire built from driftwood on a lonely shore.

This has been a powerful and moving year, a focal point, a milestone. We haven't set out a recycling bin for a year but we've never trod so lightly on our mother earth. We haven't been in church yet we've never felt more spiritual. We're broke and we are rich. We return to Mt. Pleasant with truly mixed feelings. One year has not satiated our desire to stay out longer, go farther, see more. The lifestyle is pure. The quality of family time is unequalled. But coming home was an integral part of the plan and to not come home is to not see the plan through to completion. We do look forward to seeing family and friends, watching a few movies and catching up on current events.

THANK YOU! To our family and friends, old and new, who have followed our travels. You have all contributed, in some way, in making this a successful venture.

The Crew of the JABBERWOCKY,

Mike, Belinda, Sean and Maggie

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