The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

We're getting short on our time here in Canada. Already thinking about what's next.

Here's the wrap-up for the past couple months... We’ve covered over 3500 miles on land and water. Transited about 80 locks, including the Big Chute Marine Railway and the Peterborough Lift Lock, the biggest lift lock in the world. We’ve been to the BIG city and lots of small towns. Gone under bridges and over highways (yes, on the water). Spent every night aboard Wild Blue. Walked the cat, rescued the cat from the water, cleaned up poop, and had plenty of snuggle time. Little Izzy is now an international traveler. We’ve eaten Italian, Mexican, Italian, English, Italian, American, French, Canadian and Italian. We’ve boated, biked, walked, trucked, took the train, a bunch of buses, water taxis, and ferries. We’ve stayed on walls, at locks, docks, a couple campgrounds, Wal-Mart, islands, and on the trailer behind Big Red. We’ve visited with hundreds of people, given boat tours of Wild Blue, helped other boaters, been helped, crossed rivers, lakes, canals, creeks, waterways, aquaducts, cuts, and wetlands. Made new friends, visited with old friends. We circled the Statue of Liberty, saw Times Square, visited Ellis Island, Brooklyn, Harlem, and saw Ground Zero in Manhattan. Crossed time zones and one international border.

It’s been a pretty amazing trip.
 
For the second night in a row, I got a chuckle out of the campground owner when we pulled in with the boat. No problems, just a few questions... like maybe they could see another potential income source? Last night, the guy asked me about the difference between marine and RV 30 amp connectors; I explained the adapter.

1800 miles from home.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Dear Jim, Joan and Izzy

What a pleasure is has been for us follewing your trip north. The photos are super and your comments many times make us wish we were still cruising on the water. We just returned from a Roadtrek trip to NY. We spoke to several people that comfirmed the fact that you are wonderful folks-you made some friends. Safe journey home.

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey(the cat)

PS: We showed Mr. Grey a picture of Izzy on our computer screen and told him she went for a swim. He was not eager to repeat his overboard adventure.
 
We're violating our 2/2/2 Rule big-time... we've covered over 1300 miles in the past few days. :roll: On one fill-up today, we topped 15 mpg, with a tailwind. Pretty sure I embarrassed Joan and Izzy while I danced around the diesel pump. :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim,

Thanks for posting and for the blog. It has been an interesting trip, and has been fun to get to follow along. Hope the trip home goes safely.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Wild Blue is back home in the Tropical Tip; she is back in the water and the unloading has started. The cleaning will be coming. Mother Nature dumped a bunch of rain on us on the way south today, but the skies were blue with puffy white clouds when we rolled onto our island and launched. Apparently we were running just ahead of the storm - shortly after getting the truck parked, Security came by and suggested we check the lines on our boat... there's a storm a brewing tonight. Flash flood warnings on the local Weather Channel and lots of lightning. I'll be sleeping in the house tonight, but I'll double check lines before turning in.

Through all the traveling, trailering, launching, cruising, locking through, etc, etc, this boat has been a real champ! She has heart, she has soul, and she does all we ask of her with no fuss. :thup

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":3hv10fj7 said:
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Through all the traveling, trailering, launching, cruising, locking through, etc, etc, this boat has been a real champ! She has heart, she has soul, and she does all we ask of her with no fuss. :thup

Best wishes,
Jim B.

I could say the same of you and Joan. You've both been real champs, you both have heart, you both have soul AND you've been kind enough to share all your adventures with the rest of us. Now admittedly, I'm not sure if you both will do whatever we ask of you with no fuss but we haven't really asked much (yet). :wink:
Thanks.
 
Jim, Joan and Izzy,

Glad you all are home safe and sound. By now you've checked the lines, and doused the lights and are snuggled down, for the night. Rest easy, and thanks again for sharing your trip, It was indeed our pleasure.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Wild Blue is unloaded, the interior cleaned. She will come out of the water today for an exterior cleaning... the Erie Canal left a brown stain on her pretty white hull.

Yesterday, with the boat relatively empty, the fuel tank around 1/8, and a nearly empty water tank, she jumped on plane like flats boat and ran 3 knots faster at 4600 RPM than she does when loaded! Wheeeeeeee!

With our trimaran, we knew the performance hit additional weight created. When we're around home, we don't keep the fuel tank full like we do when cruising with Wild Blue. It takes power and fuel to haul that extra weight around.

Speaking of fuel, much of the cruising we did on the Erie and Trent-Severn was at 6 knots or slower (10 km speed limit on the canal portions of the T-S); average fuel burn was a bit over 4 mpg.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
You guys have TO0ooo much energy ! Fan-C-Dory is in the shop about half unloaded. The cleanup hasn't even begun !

What's Izzy say (well not really "say", but you know what I mean) about 'Wild Blue' leaping across the waves, and returning to the same spot, instead of quietly and sedately going from one new place to another ?
 
Too much energy?

Places to go, things to do! We decided to do a bit of land traveling before settling in for a while... so, we're off to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!

Wild Blue went into storage this morning, and the 5th wheel came out. But before she went in, we made sure she is sparkling clean, inside and out.

WBCleanE.jpg

As you can see, that nasty brown stain is GONE. When I checked my stash of boat cleaning stuff, I had no hull cleaner. A quick trip to Wal-Mart, and all I could find was Atwood Premium Hull Cleaner. The active ingredient is oxylic acid, so I figured it would do. More than do, it zapped that stain right outta there. Just thought I'd pass this along. After you sponge the stuff on, you give it about 30 seconds then flush it off with a lot of water. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm even crazier... it was pouring rain on and off (more on) yesterday, so it must have appeared that I was washing my boat in the rain. :roll: No matter; Wild Blue looks like brand new. I even got wax on most of her before Mother Nature totally rained on my parade with no let-up.

We'll head out in another day or so. Up, up and away in my beautiful, my beautiful ballooooooooooooon!

Best wishes,
Jim

PS Little Izzy is up for whatever we want... as long as she gets some lap time with Momma. :D

IzzySleepE.jpg

The truck, the boat, the RV, the house... she is a great little traveler!


PSS Nice to have the forum back on-line... I missed you folks.
 
We've been out in the RV, gradually heading towards Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta. Since this travel isn't C-Dory related, I won't over-do posts here, but here's a brief update:

We were rolling through San Antonio today, and I felt the Bass Pro Shop/Outdoor World calling my name. We went in there looking for some fast-drying towels for the boat... didn't find any, but I never come out of that place empty handed. BTW, they have a very well-stocked marine section at this particular store. I updated my wardrobe a bit... really nice selection of outdoor type clothing. Joan looked, but didn't find anything she couldn't live without.

You folks may get out more than I do, but I had to chuckle at a rack of clothing I saw today: camo lingerie. No, we don't have any camo clothing, but the juxtaposition of lace and camo cracked me up. Joan wasn't interested in that, either. :wink:

After a couple months on the boat, the RV feels pretty luxurious. Leather recliners, a full queen bed that we get in from a standing position, and long hot showers. 14 foot beam with the slides out. 50 amp power... we can run the a/c, microwave, and the fireplace all at the same time.

We're back in 2/2/? mode; travel less than 200 miles, stop for the day by 2:00, but at this time we're heading for the Fiesta, so we're only staying one night in any particular place. Plus, if I head towards it gradually, I may be able to make it across west Texas in one long drive! :wink: (Notice the "winkie"... it's more humor).

Hopefully, Mother Nature will be kind to the folks attending the Balloon Fiesta. I'll post some photos when we get them.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":2g98tbkl said:
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You folks may get out more than I do, but I had to chuckle at a rack of clothing I saw today: camo lingerie. No, we don't have any camo clothing, but the juxtaposition of lace and camo cracked me up. Joan wasn't interested in that, either. :wink:
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Jim B.

I can't see why one would want camo lingerie either. If a woman is in lingerie, I WANT to be able to find her. :lol:
 
rogerbum":1euxgfjk said:
JamesTXSD":1euxgfjk said:
<stuff clipped>
You folks may get out more than I do, but I had to chuckle at a rack of clothing I saw today: camo lingerie. No, we don't have any camo clothing, but the juxtaposition of lace and camo cracked me up. Joan wasn't interested in that, either. :wink:
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Jim B.

I can't see why one would want camo lingerie either. If a woman is in lingerie, I WANT to be able to find her. :lol:

EXACTLY! :thup :mrgreen:
 
rogerbum":16hz1vqm said:
I can't see why one would want camo lingerie either. If a woman is in lingerie, I WANT to be able to find her. :lol:

Then again, you never know what you might stumble upon when you are out trudging through the woods...... :wink
 
DaveS":3ix736nb said:
rogerbum":3ix736nb said:
I can't see why one would want camo lingerie either. If a woman is in lingerie, I WANT to be able to find her. :lol:

Then again, you never know what you might stumble upon when you are out trudging through the woods...... :wink

Anyone here ever come across a woman in lingerie while trudging through the woods? Yeah, I didn't think so. :wink:

When Joan saw this thread, she said to me, "You've never seen camo lingerie? You probably photographed someone in it."

You'd think I would remember that sort of thing. :crook And I can't think of any way to tie this into boating. :roll:
 
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