Pictures From the Trip October 3, 2001 Last Cruising Update - Summary October 1, 2001 Cruising Update - From Annapolis September 26, 2001 Home Strech September 19, 2001 Last Of The Erie Canal September 15, 2001 Back on the Eastern Erie Canal September 12, 2001 Finishing the Western Erie Canal September 10, 2001 Lockport to Fairport September 7, 2001 Western Frontier of the Erie Canal September 6, 2001 Back in the Canal System September 4, 2001 Leaving The Great Lakes September 1, 2001 In our 7th State August 29, 2001 Ohio Has Libraries August 27, 2001 Vermilion, Ohio August 26, 2001 Fox Haven Marina August 22, 2001 In Put-in-Bay August 17, 2001 The End Of Lake Huron August 15, 2001 Down Lake Huron August 13, 2001 North Channel and Lake Huron August 3, 2001 Gore Bay August 1, 2001 Keel-Haulings July 31, 2001 Rocks Everywhere July 28, 2001 On To The North Channel July 17, 2001 Wouldn't Change A Thing July 13, 2001 Speed Limit July 9, 2001 Thousands of Islands July 5, 2001 Out Of New York July 3, 2001 Typical Day July 2, 2001 Cold Mornings July 1, 2001 Phoenix NY And Beyond June 26, 2001 Through The First Lock June 25, 2001 Up Around Manhattan June 15, 2001 Daily Routine June 12, 2001 Strolling The Vineyards June 11, 2001 Sag Harbor June 9, 2001 Block Island & Beer Can Music June 5, 2001 Lessons Learned June 1, 2001 The Tides Increasing May 25, 2001 Up The Coast Of New Jersy May 21, 2001 Getting To Know The Cruisers May 17, 2001 And So It Begins!

 October 3, 2001 

Our last cruising day (Tuesday, 2 October) from Lake Ogleton to Solomons was uneventful and beautiful - - it was a 70 degree, sunny day with 1' waves. We did notice a lot more freighter and barge traffic on the Chesapeake Bay than we remember, however.

We found the house and lawn to be in much better shape than we expected. Needless to say, we are very happy about that. Even Brian's old Tracker started right up!

Several people have asked for a summary of the trip. The following are some potentially helpful (and some random miscellaneous) facts and observations that other cruisers (and non-cruisers) may be interested in:

Trip break-down by days by area:
Chesapeake and Delaware Bays: 8 (up) + 6 (back) = 13 Atlantic coast (including Cape May to Sandy Hook): 9 (up) + 5 (back) = 14 Long Island Sound: 22 Hudson River: 6 (up) + 2 (back) = 8 New York Canal System: 7 (up) + 15 (back) = 22 Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River: 5 Trent-Severn Waterway: 17 Georgian Bay and North Channel: 10 Lake Huron: 10 Lake St. Clair and Detroit River: 5 Lake Erie: 12

Number of days the trip lasted:
153 Number of days we actually cruised (vs. staying over a day in the same location): 101

Number of miles ran:
Approximately 3500 Average speed: 7 knots Number of engine hours added: 503

Average number of gallons of diesel used per hour:
2.1 Number of gallons of diesel bought underway: 885 (does not include original fill) Number of gallons of dinghy gas bought: 9

Engine and maintenance-related activities:
Installed a new high output alternator and regulator Repaired the check valve on the water pump Replaced the Y-valve in the head Changed the oil and fuel filters twice Replaced water in the water tanks once (due to 'bad water' picked up some where)

Number of times we ate out (including meals, ice cream visits, Happy Hours, etc.): 65

Number of times we paid to dock/moor (not including canal walls and parks): 32

Number of times we shopped for groceries (including food stores, fruit/vegetable stands, etc.): 56

Percentage of time Jeri ate instant oatmeal for breakfast: 70% Percentage of time Brian ate anything for breakfast: 1/2%

Percentage of time we remembered to take our daily vitamins: 84%

Number of bags of ice purchased: 8

Number of small propane bottles used (for the grill): 5

Number of 20 lb propane bottles used: less than one

Number of times we did laundry: 10 (twice/month)

Number of cases of beer bought (and drank): 10 Number of bottles of wine bought (and drank): 16 Number of times we missed our self-imposed 4:00 Happy Hour time: 9

Items we used more of than expected: coffee, cereal, jeans, sweatshirts Items we used less of than expected: tuna, canned vegetables and fruits, soups, sun block, bathing suits

Items found along the way: Two dinghy fenders A handful of tie wraps, Numerous stainless screws, washers, and nuts A piece of aluminum (used to re-enforce the dinghy motor mount bracket) Approximately $3.20 in change Lots of new friends Items lost along the way: One large fender A pencil sharpener Our cruiser virginity

Number of actual keel-hauls performed: 0 Number of near keel-hauls: Brian will not say Number of times Brian "retreated to the bilge": Lost count

Number of inches of rain seen: 18.4"

Number of times the mast was put up and down: 2 Minutes it took to put the mast down: 30 minutes Minutes it took to put the mast up: 20 minutes Number of times the bimini was put up and down: 1 Minutes it took to put the bimini down: 90 Minutes it took to put the bimini up: 30

Percentage of time we used the inside helm station during the first half of the trip: 10% Percentage of time we used the inside helm station during the second half of the trip: 80%

Number of post cards sent: ~25

Number of rolls of 35mm film taken and developed: 10

Number of times Jeri got seasick: 4 Number of times Mr. Owl "ate paint": 0

Number of nice people met along the way: too many to count

Number of crabby cruisers met along the way: 1

Number of evenings Jeri missed writing in the boat's log: 5

Number of evenings Brian missed performing his morning and evening boat checks: 0

Number of souvenirs bought: 1 sweatshirt, 1 decorative chart, 2 books

Number of hurricane tracked: 1

We would like to thank each of you for your support and friendship over the past months. The trip was all that much more exciting and enjoyable by having you all to share it with through e-mails and calls.

If anyone has any questions or would like to talk more about the planning of the trip, the cruise itself, or the places we visited along the way, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Until the next cruise (she says optimistically), Jeri and Brian