Going to Baymoorings on Georgian Bay

Hey Folks

Well, we are off to Baymoorings Marina to get Journeyer back in shape. Will be leaving after a quick stop in Sault Michigan to deliver a mooring line to Tom at the shipwreck historical Society and get the boat fuelled, pumped and water tanks topped up. Seems everything is closed in the Sault Canada already. Will take about 4 or 5 days to motor to the marina if wind gives us a chance. Journeyer is in the water with masts strapped to deck and we are ready to go. Sault Canada has been an interesting place to spend a week. It's a clean town that learned a long time ago how to use their waterfront. I would certainly come back for a visit again. Thanks to all the people here who made my stay comfortable. Will try to get on line in my travels east and let you know how things are going.

Goodnight all

Brett

Already to dunk...

Hey Folks

Had a beautiful day in Sault today though I spent most of it inside the engine room reconnecting everything. We have a new shaft, dripless stuffing box, coupling, and rebuilt prop. They're all installed and the motor has been re-aligned with the shaft. With any luck we will be in the water in the morning and I will prepare the boat to motor to Midland where we hope to have the rest of the repairs done and finished in time to head south once again. The experience of the last few weeks has been surreal, fascinating, frustrating, and in many many ways told me how many great people are out there willing to help in any way they can. I will never have enough words of thanks for all who have been there when we needed them.

I will be talking with boat yards in the Midland area tomorrow and hope to have some concrete plans set by tomorrow night. Until then, have a great night and day tomorrow.

Brett

Up and down in a day....

Hello Folks

Well, the work starts. Pulled the prop and shaft today and will install a new one tomorrow afternoon including a new dripless stuffing box and bearing. Should be ready to drop back in the water by Wednesday afternoon. Will support masts on deck and motor down to Midland area where we will have a new bowsprit and pulpit installed as well as several new stanchions and some fibreglass repair. Hope to be headed into the Canal system by November 1st and get to the ocean by the 10th. Back on schedule for the trip south. Of course these are the best laid plans.

More tomorrow. Would like to hear the waves against the hull instead of the pier by this time Wednesday. Have a great day tomorrow.

Brett

What is that Orange Ball in the Sky...

Hey Folks

A beautiful sunny Sunday in Sault Saint Marie. Have spent the morning cleaning and getting ready for the next leg of our Journey. We'll find out by mid week weather we carry on or head back to Thunder Bay. Still hopeful we can get the damages fixed before it's to late to go south. Will keep you all updated as things happen.

Enjoy the Weather and keep smiling.

'B'

On the Hard

Hey Folks

Well the masts are down and Journeyer is on the hard in Sault Saint Marie. Waiting for the Marine Serveyer to arrive. Would like to get the work done and have her on the way soon but will wait for his go ahead. She looks in pretty good shape generally. Will know more tomorrow I hope. All for now.

Brett

Lovely Monday

Hey Folks

If only we had weather like this over the last two weeks. I had the opportunity to work on the bright work today as well as setting up some of the new but as yet uninstalled equipment we have for Journeyer. Tied up to an old tug boat at Pervis Marine is not as romantic as sailing up the Saint Laurence but we'll make due until I get the go ahead to head south. I have shore power as of today so can put my Honda generator away for now. Will have to fill the water tanks soon but that too seems to be a doable thing here. There is a head ashore so the holding tank is holding for now. Life is good.... lol

More tomorrow. Hope this finds all of you well.

Brett

Cleaning up and waiting.....

Hello Folks

Well I am alone for now. Janet has returned to Thunder Bay to return to work and I will spend the next few days cleaning up and sorting things out. I have lots of things to catch up on until the surveyer arrives on Wednesday. If we are given the green light to go I hope to be able to head south within a week. Time is of the essence as we need to get through to New York before mid November to get back on schedule. This meens heading through the Hudson Canal system to the Hudson river instead of up the Saint Laurence. We will keep you posted on all the events as they take place. Good sailing all and hope to see some of you on the way.

Brett

Hey Folks

Well we are off to Sault Saint Marie Canada tomorrow to have Journeyer lifted from the water and checked out by a marine surveyer who will be in on Wednesday. Until then we won't know much. The David Boyd will be towing us into the locks and across to the Purvis tug docks. After that we just sit and wait....

Brett

Repair Day

Well, its repair and cleanup day. I will be heading into the water to clear the prop and check out the rudder damage before lifting the engine and repairing the shaft coupling. It appears that the lines thrown over by CSL Niagara fouled the loose prop and allowed Journeyer to live on. In the conditions at the time it is amazing that the lines could have worked into the right position knowing how protected the prop is on Journeyer. With the prop stopped from spinning with the movement of the boat journeyer had little problem staying afloat and just anchored herself when she reached shallow enough water. I would like to add some more thanks to the list previous. Fred Stille from Thunder Bay put us in touch with Kathleen in the Sault. Without this valuable connection we may have never found Journeyer. Thanks Fred... 

Found...

We left whitefish point shipwreck museum at 09:00. After plotting a course too a probable location Journeyer could be at we headed out aboard the David Boyd, a 50 foot research vessel owned by the museum. After a few hours staring out at five to six foot seas Janet and I were getting a little worried. I had gone in to talk to Tom Farnquist about how far we had gone and were intending to go when Janet called for the Binoculars I was carrying. She had spotted something. Everyone else stared off into what seemed to be nothingness, unable to catch even a glimmer of something out there. Janet was sure though and we turned almost directly north. After a few minutes Journeyer started to come into view. It was unbelievable. She was just 17 miles from Whitefish point and anchored solid. She has some minor damage but will be ready to go again soon. Again we thank all you people out there who kept our spirits up while we looked and waited for weather and looked again. It's been a draining week for Janet and I and your emails and texts have helped to keep us going. Tom Farnquist the executive director of the Great Lake Shipwreck historical society and his staff have been super. Without them we may well have lost Journeyer. Everyone we talked to offered what ever assistance they could and we found hundreds of friends willing to go the extra mile. A special thanks to Kathleen McFadden who opened up her home to us and became an amazing resource. We owe her a bunch.... Her suggestions led us to Tom and eventually to Journeyer.

Now the time comes to fix a few things and motor over to Sault Canada where we will do the rest of the repairs necessary to carry on. Journeyer has proven her self, living alone on Lake Superior in one of the worst early September weeks in many years. She came back to us with a smile and we will always trust her to keep us safe. As Jack Purvis of Purvis Marine said to us a few days ago. Leave a boat on her own without the meddling of man and she can live thorough just about anything... He knew what he was talking about. Thanks Jack...

Lost but not yet given up hope...

Hey Folks
Janet and I are ok for now though missing our floating home. Journeyer for those who don't know is adrift on lake Superior somewhere between 10 and 40 miles from Whitefish point. We are at the Ship wreck society sight at whitefish and hoping to be reunited with our boat sometime tomorrow if the wind abates enough to go get her. She has not been sighted today but the weather is quite severe and she would be hard to pick out on the seas. Journeyer was spotted yesturday and so we know she is still out there. There are few ships sailing at this time so few to spot her. Canada Steamship lines has been especially helpful and we are indepted to them as well as the many other carriers that have been keeping watch for us. We will up date tomorrow night and let you know what is up. Thanks for all your good wishes in the last few days.

Brett and Janet

September 4th, and counting.

Good Morning Folks

We are in full catchup mode to get the deck finished and ready to sail. Yesturday in the rain we installed the new mainsheet traveller and the blocks at the mast bottom. Today we will try and complete the new deck hardware and get the outside of the boat set to travel. The maserator is also to be installed today and the wiring should be close to finished. We are getting there after a late night again lastnight changing systems over to the new electrics. The boat is safer now than it ever was and will soon be a modern sailing craft in a great old skin. Off now to have Breakfast and the start of another long day of finishup.

'B'

Hello Folks

Well, things are slowed down a bit as the rain in Thunder Bay is delaying some of our final preparations. We may not be able to leave until Monday morning now but will be gone by then for sure. The new main hatch slides have again been redone and will be ceatalled and ready to install tomorrow morning, the windlass is up and running, much of the new wiring is finished up. All of the safety alarms are installed including gas detector, high bilge detector, carbon-dioxide detector, and approaching ship alarms through the chart-plotter and ais radio. I have a ton of charts on board and will probably spend the better part of the first few days sorting them out and putting them in order. We still have only Janet confirmed as travelling with us and so if your dream is to sail away and would like to try one section or the other, email me at theros1@me.com and I will get back to you. The different points to join are Thunder Bay before the 5th, Toronto on the 19th we leave Toronto Island Marina, Kingston on or about Sept, 30th depending on survey results, Saint Andrews NB to Bermuda leaving about November 11th, and Bermuda to the Windwards leaving about December 1st.

Must start cleaning up and finishing of jobs. Chat again later.

'B'

September 1st, 2010

Good morning All

Well, it has been a very hectic few days. We are waiting on a macerator pump for the holding tank and a new water pump for better water pressure. The new spreaders are in place as are the slides for the companion way hatch. The new bracket for the windlass will be ready today and installed and I will be starting to install the new main traveller and deck hardware today. We are installing three new winches, twelve new line clutches, twelve rope organizers, all new running rigging, and just about everything else. The equipment will make Journeyer an even safer and more appealing charter boat for next season. As with all seasonal business we have to plan ahead to insure that we can give the best and safest possible service to our patrons. The work we are finishing up now will insure their experience with Sail Superior to be the best possible. Life is good and just four days to sailing away. Many of our friends are leaving today to head across Superior on their own treks south. We wish them fair winds and peaceful anchorages. We found out yesterday that our insurance is requiring an out of water survey before we leave the lakes. Greg has arranged to be pulled out at the Sarnia yacht club and a surveyor to attend. We may loose a day but will probably need it. We are hoping to be there for the 11th of September to get the survey done. If all is well we will be back on the water Sunday or Monday and headed to Toronto for the 17th. There I will loose my first mate Janet and hopefully pick up two or three people to help on the next leg. Still room on the Toronto to Saint Andrews leg for perhaps two more people. We could use two more for the Saint Andrews to Bermuda leg and four more for the Bermuda to the Windwards leg. Must get to work now. A Great Day to All

'B'