2023 (3)
- Electric Winch Upgrade (Maintenance / Upgrades)Replacing my cabintop winch with a new Lewmar electric winch.
- Refrigeration Refit, Part III: Frigoboat Keel Cooled System (Maintenance / Upgrades)Installing a Frigoboat keel cooled refrigeration system in our fridge and freezer.
- 2022 North Channel Cruise Summary (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)A summary and parting thoughts of our 2022 cruise to Lake Huron's North Channel.
- Midlake Wind Shift: Pentwater to Milwaukee (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)Reading the sky as we cross Lake Michigan on our final leg home.
- Progress South to Pentwater (2022 North Channel Cruise)A few days motoring south, then a beat to arrive in Pentwater just after sunset.
- Spinnaker Run Under the Big Mac: Les Cheneaux to Garden Island (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)A long day under spinnaker under the Mackinac Bridge and into Lake Michigan.
- Detour Village to the Les Cheneaux (2022 North Channel Cruise)After finding big swells and light air on the open water, we divert into Government Bay.
- Clearing into the US with the ROAM App (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)My experience and suggestions for using the ROAM app to clear US Customs
- Back in the US in Detour Village (2022 North Channel Cruise)A short sail across the Canada-US border on Potaganissing Bay.
- Gore Bay to Milford Haven (2022 North Channel Cruise)We sail a bunch of miles west, and choose an anchorage based on several weather and logistical issues.
- Staying Flexible: The Benjamins to Gore Bay (2022 North Channel Cruise)Not wanting to fight a headwind, we stop in a town we've never been to before.
- A Gale in the Benjamins (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)Riding out a gale in the beautiful Benjamin Islands group in the North Channel.
- Heywood to Little Current (2022 North Channel Cruise)A quick sail to make the scheduled bridge opening in Little Current.
- Killarney Hike and Sail to Heywood (2022 North Channel Cruise)After exploring some more around Killarney, we actually got to sail to Heywood Island in the North Channel.
- Chikanishing Hike and Killarney (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)We explore a hiking trail and see a bear swimming in our anchorage before heading to Killarney.
- The Bustards to Deadbolt via the Collins Inlet (2022 North Channel Cruise)A detour through the narrow Collins Inlet after the wind dies.
- The Bustard Islands (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)Exploring the many channels of the Bustard Islands, and dealing with an anchoring complication.
- Covered Portage Cove to Killarney (2022 North Channel Cruise)Exploring the cliffs around Covered Portage Cove, then watching the sun set from Killarney Bay.
- McGregor Bay to Covered Portage Cove (2022 North Channel Cruise)A short sail in light air to Covered Portage Cove.
- Hike up to Casson Peak from Maryanne Cove (2022 North Channel Cruise)A great view from Casson Peak, overlooking much of the east end of the North Channel.
- Back in the Wilderness: Little Current to Maryanne Cove (2022 North Channel Cruise)Anchoring in a cove off Baie Fine.
- Boat Work: Hog to Rous Island (2022 North Channel Cruise)Another short motoring leg so we can get some chores done.
- Hike to LaCloche Lake (2022 North Channel Cruise)A long dinghy ride to a hiking trail in the North Channel.
- All Alone: Gibson Cove to Hog Island (2022 North Channel Cruise)Eagle spotting in the morning, a short sail, and an anchorage all to ourselves.
- Little Detroit Passage: Beardrop to Gibson (2022 North Channel Cruise)Leg 10 of our 2022 cruise up north.
- We Have Arrived: Thessalon to Beardrop Harbor (2022 North Channel Cruise)Our last leg of the "delivery" phase of our trip, just before the beginning of the "enjoy cruising" phase.
- Now in Canada: Harbor Island to Thessalon (2022 North Channel Cruise)A short motor across the border during our trip to the North Channel.
- A Rainy Day: Government Bay to Harbor Island (2022 North Channel Cruise)Sailing on a rainy, foggy day gets us closer to our eventual destination.
- Now on Lake Huron: Garden Island to the Les Cheneaux Islands (2022 North Channel Cruise)Big progress eastbound as we sail onto Lake Huron
- Frankfort to Northport, MI (2022 North Channel Cruise, Sailing Adventures)A beat to windward gets us some more miles northeastbound.
- Lake Crossing: Manitowoc to Frankfort (2022 North Channel Cruise)Leg 3 of our northbound delivery. An easy lake crossing.
- Refrigeration Refit, Part II: Side Door Overhaul (Maintenance / Upgrades)Disassembly and refit of fridge side door
- Refrigeration Refit, Part I: New Insulation (Maintenance / Upgrades)Rebuilding and reinsulating my fridge and freezer boxes to improve efficiency.
- Dragging Anchor is a Drag (Sailing Adventures)Dealing with weeds fouling our anchor early in the morning.
- Fayette Historical State Park (Sailing Adventures)Entering and exploring Snail Shell Harbor and Fayette Historical State Park
- Excitement is Relative (Sailing Adventures)Sometimes little things are exciting when motoring all day long.
- Schaefer Furler Upper Swivel Repair (Maintenance / Upgrades)Repairing the liner inside the top swivel of my jib furler.
- Catalina Rudder Bearing Replacement (Maintenance / Upgrades)Replacing the top rudder bearing on my Catalina 400, with some adjustments to the lower rudder bearing, too.
- MMSI Number for my Handheld VHF (Maintenance / Upgrades)Working around government red tape to obtain an MMSI for my new handheld VHF radio.
- Radar “Antenna Not Rotating” (Maintenance / Upgrades)Securing a loose cable in a Raymarine RD418HD Digital Radome.
- Portage Point Resort and Marina (Sailing Adventures)Checking out a vintage northern Michigan resort on Portage Lake.
- Gale Warning, so Let’s Go Sailing (Sailing Adventures)Sailing north from Frankfort to South Manitou before an approaching gale from the south.
- To Sail, or To Motor? (Sailing Adventures)Deciding when to sail and when to motor on our trip from Pentwater to Arcadia.
- Keeping Plans Flexible (Sailing Adventures)Cruising plans change slightly when the wind doesn't cooperate fully
- Waiting on a Weather Window (Sailing Adventures)Deciding on delaying our cruise while waiting for better weather.
- Catalina 400 Conduit Steering Overhaul (Maintenance / Upgrades)Overdue replacement of Priorities' steering cables and conduits.
- Inflatable Life Jacket Maintenance (Maintenance / Upgrades)Annual testing of our inflatable life jackets.
- Electric Winch Cranker (Maintenance / Upgrades)Using an electric winch cranker makes sailing more of a mental exercise than a physical one.
- Pentwater to Grand Haven (Sailing Adventures)An easy sail down the Michigan coast to Grand Haven, MI
- Steering Cable Failure (Maintenance / Upgrades, Sailing Adventures)Repairing a significantly damaged steering cable.
- Crossing Lake Michigan to Pentwater (Sailing Adventures)Crossing Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, WI to Pentwater, MI, and anchoring in Pentwater Lake.
- Jib Furling Line Improvements (Maintenance / Upgrades)Adding a turning block and a rope clutch to the jib furling line made furling Priorities' jib much easier.
- Solo Sail Across Lake Michigan (Sailing Adventures)Overcoming some minor challenges on a solo sail across Lake Michigan.
- Winter Project: Autoprop RBTS Bearing Replacement (Maintenance / Upgrades)Replacing the bearings in an Autoprop feathering propeller.
- Adding a Battery Monitor (Maintenance / Upgrades)A battery monitor helps figure out my house batteries' state of charge. From this I can figure out when and for how long to charge them.
- SSYC Slip Preparation: Custom Docklines (Maintenance / Upgrades)Making custom docklines for Priorities' slip at SSYC. Part of a series, especially for newer club members.
- SSYC Slip Preparation: Dockline Basics (Maintenance / Upgrades)Weather challenges make it very important to lead docklines effectively when tying up in a slip at South Shore Yacht Club. Designed for newer members. First in a series about docklines at SSYC.
- LED Lightbulb Conversions (Maintenance / Upgrades)Converting existing light fixtures to LEDs, improving the cabin lighting while saving large amounts of power.
- Panama Canal Transit (Sailing Adventures)Jeff crews aboard "Skabenga" during a transit of the Panama Canal
- In the Name of Cold Beer (Maintenance / Upgrades)Making a shelf to improve organization in a top-opening refrigerator.
- Upgrading to an Electric Toilet (Maintenance / Upgrades)Upgrading Priorities' aft head from a manual flush toilet to an electric flushing Raritan SeaEra QC.
- Adding SkyScreens to our Hatches (Maintenance / Upgrades)Installing Oceanair SkyScreens in our hatches to make them easy to open and close while still keeping the bugs out.
- Portlight Replacement (Maintenance / Upgrades)Replacing Lewmar "Old Standard" Portlights with "New Standard" Portlights
- A Storm, A Frog, and A Drifting Dinghy (Sailing Adventures)Nearing the end of her cruise to the North Channel, Priorities and crew was forced to deal with a dinghy adrift in high winds.
- Eclipse in the Benjamins (Sailing Adventures)Exploring the Benjamin Islands Archipelago in the North Channel during the solar eclipse.
- Boat Repair in an Exotic Location (Maintenance / Upgrades, Sailing Adventures)Dealing with a minor electrical problem in Moiles Harbor, North Channel, before it becomes a big electrical problem.
- The Collins Inlet (Sailing Adventures)Motoring between the narrow cliffs of the long Collins Inlet, off of Canada's Georgian Bay, and Mill Lake.
- Covered Portage Cove (Sailing Adventures)Tying to a tree amongst the cliffs of Covered Portage Cove in Lake Huron's North Channel.
- Beardrop Harbor (Sailing Adventures)Jeff's first "real" anchorage in Lake Huron's North Channel after a 360 mile delivery.
- Harbor Island Thunderstorm (Sailing Adventures)An unexpected, sudden weather change catches Priorities slightly unprepared.
- South Manitou Island (Sailing Adventures)After anchoring in its harbor, Jeff hikes on South Manitou Island, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
- Marelon Seacock Failure (Maintenance / Upgrades)Sudden seacock failure requiring a replacement while Priorities was in the water.
- Chasing Tall Ships (Sailing Adventures)Daysailing mission to photograph competitors offshore in the Tall Ships Challenge as they pass Milwaukee.