TOSCA II - BLOG

Leg 12 - Mobile AL to Gasparilla Island FL, September-November 2017

4/25/2018

Fairhope AL, Orange Beach, Pensacola FL, Santa Rosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Panama City, Port St. Joe, Apalachicola, Carrabelle, Clearwater, Longboat Key, Venice, Gasparilla Island (CROSS OUR WAKE!), Punta Gorda.

(615 miles)

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED ON THE GREAT LOOP
6565 MILES

When we landed in Fairhope in November 2016, little did we suspect it would be nearly a year before we would be able to resume our Loop! We wouldn't finally leave Fairhope until September of the following year, due to a combination of personal injury, further mechanical issues, a family bereavement, illness and hurricanes.

As recorded in our last post in Leg 11, on arrival at Eastern Shore Marine on November 12, 2016, we learned that our port transmission was damaged - as it turned out, beyond repair. Through the marvel of the internet, Rowland eventually tracked down a rebuilt replacement transmission in Florida. It was shipped to Eastern Shore and installed, and by February we were ready to resume our adventure.

We headed out into Mobile Bay on Saturday February 11 in very pleasant conditions, thinking that our Gold Looper Flag was almost within our grasp. Wrong! We were little more than an hour out of Fairhope when Rowland tripped on the steps going down to the galley, fell awkwardly, and tore the tendon in his left quadricep. He was in extreme pain and could barely move; we had no choice but to return to Eastern Shore. We radioed ahead and, after Alex did a brilliant job getting us back and into our slip, the marina folks literally carried Rowland off the boat and wheeled him on a dolly to the nearest car so he could be driven to hospital.

We flew back to Calgary where Rowland underwent surgery 10 days later. The surgery was very successful, but it was a slow recovery and it wasn't until April that we felt ready to try again. In the meantime, the folks at Eastern Shore had been amazingly supportive in reassuring us that TOSCA was safe.

We needed a little self-indulgence before heading out, so we flew from Calgary to New Orleans and had three wonderful days enjoying the French Quarter, the birthplace of dixieland jazz.

As usual, we dined well - Breakfast at Brennans, the home of Bananas Foster.

Dessert at Antoine's.

From New Orleans, we drove to Fairhope and found that our mechanic Dewell had been hard at work overhauling our trusty Detroit Diesels, including installing rebuilt turbochargers.

With Dewell spending so much time in our engine room, he and Rowland became good buddies

Rowland was committed to speak at a conference in Houston a couple of weeks later and the plan was we would set off on the final leg of our Great Loop immediately after he returned from Houston to Fairhope. However, we soon received the sad news that Alex's sister had died in Edmonton. Alex flew home, Rowland drove to Houston and then joined Alex and family for the funeral.

In July, our next attempt to throw off the lines from Fairhope was scuppered by a bout of family illness. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma followed and it wasn't until September that we finally got underway again!

There is, however, probably no nicer spot than Fairhope to be "stuck". As mentioned, the folks at Eastern Shore Marine couldn't have been more accommodating during our string of mechanical, health and bereavement challenges - and the town itself is beautiful.

Rowland found himself alone on TOSCA for several weeks, during which he explored the beauty of Mobile Bay.

And indulged in the diverse local culinary scene - here with the owners, Misty and Joe, of one of our favorite restaurants anywhere, R Bistro.

But it wasn't all "fine dining" - beer and oysters on the Fairhope pier.

At last, on September 13, 2017, we cast off from Eastern Shore Marine - 10 months after we had arrived - and headed down Mobile Bay. We decided to celebrate being off the dock by anchoring for two nights in the beautiful, secluded Ingram Bayou.

Leaving Mobile Bay, we entered the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW) and were soon enjoying the beauty of the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas, known affectionately as the Redneck Riviera!

We spent two wonderful days at Orange Beach Marina, where we were among the smallest boats! If you look carefully, we're the boat that's bow-on in the distance - dwarfed by the fleet of huge sport fishers.

As usual, we quickly found a great restaurant, Cobalt.

And visited the infamous Florabama bar, which sits on the Florida-Alabama border and which we're sure must have been the inspiration for Leonard Cohen's Closing Time. Those are bras hanging from the line that's strung from wall to wall!

From Orange Beach, we made our way along to Pensacola, where we left the boat while we returned to Calgary.

Rowland returned to Pensacola a few days ahead to get TOSCA ready for the last push along the Florida Panhandle and was able to explore the local bar scene. Here at his favorite, the nearby Oar House. He was onboard as hurricane Nate passed through, the most serious damage being that the Oar House closed for the day!

From Pensacola, we headed for Carrabelle, with several wonderful stops along the way, including Panama City and Apalachicola, where we docked alongside the local working shrimpers.

We were continually reminded that there were only barrier sand islands between us and the Gulf of Mexico, which we would soon have to brave to make our crossing to the west coast of Florida.

However, as it happened the most dangerous incident of our whole Loop was not out in the Gulf (although that would be bad enough, as described below), but lay just ahead of us in the GICW. As we made the short hop from Apalachicola to Carrabelle, we approached the Bryant Grady Patton Bridge, heading east with a strong headwind on our bow. We could see a tow on the other side of the bridge moving towards us, headed west. We radioed the tow captain that we would wait for him to come through the bridge, which he acknowledged. A few minutes later, he radioed back and said he was "having trouble making the bridge" and we should come through ahead of him. So we passed under the bridge, then radioed that we would meet the tow "on the two", meaning we would pass starboard to starboard, which he acknowledged. Suddenly, we were aground, with the tow coming directly at us!

As the tow bore down on us, the captain radioed: "What are you doing? You said you'd meet me on two!"

"Captain, we're aground."

"Oh, I see that now. I'll see what I can do."

He was within 100 yards of us and tows don't stop on a dime!

Miraculously, he managed to slow his tow and we soon were able to back off the shoal that had held us in its grip.

As we met the tow, on the one this time (port to port), we radioed that we were sorry for the panic. His reply said it all: "Not your fault, not my fault. Coast Guard's known about this for weeks and's done nothing about it!" Turned out hurricane Nate had swept away an ATON (aid to navigation); had the ATON been on location, we would never have proposed to meet the tow starboard to starboard.

In Carrabelle, after settling our nerves, we found a diver to check for any damage from the grounding. His verdict: nothing but some bottom paint scraped off.

So it was time to brace ourselves for the Gulf crossing - the first open ocean we would face since the Jersey coast more than four years ago!

The Gulf of Mexico crossing from Carrabelle to Clearwater is approximately 180 miles and would take more than 22 hours. By this time, we had hooked up with our buddies Jim and Jo on Ocean Spirit.

Somewhat apprehensively, we headed out through East Pass around 3 p.m., with Ocean Spirit leading the way.

For the first few hours, conditions were ideal, with relatively calm seas and a beautiful moonlit night...

...and we took turns at the helm.

As night wore on, however, the seas became more and more confused - TOSCA began to feel as though she was being tossed around in a washing machine. Alex was incapacitated by mal de mer and Rowland was strapped to the helm chair for more than six hours straight. What a relief to reach Clearwater next morning!

After a couple of days in port to recover from being bashed by the Gulf (and with a side trip on the Jolly Trolley to Tarpon Springs, billed as the sponge capital of the world), we set out for the last leg of our Loop.

Across Tampa Bay, followed by pleasant stops at Longboat Key and Venice.

At last, on Friday, November 3, 2017, after 6565 miles, we approached the R20 marker, off Gasparilla Marina, where we had begun our adventure more than five years before.

What a moment - Gold Loopers at last!

On to Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, where we were welcomed by the resident alligator, Jimmy.

And the Osprey sentinels that will watch over TOSCA in her new home.

First question everyone asks us:

WHAT NEXT?

WHO KNOWS?

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Leg 11 - St. Charles MO to Mobile AL, September-November 2016

12/13/2016

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St. Charles MO down the Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland, Tennessee and Tombigbee Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, with stops at Alton, Grafton, Kimmswick, Green Turtle Bay, Joe Wheeler, Bay Springs, Smithville, Columbus, Demopolis, Bobby's Fish Camp and Mobile, to Fairhope AL (and anchorages in between).

(1100 miles)

We returned from Calgary to St. Charles, via the St. Louis airport, at the end of September. The work on TOSCA (bottom paint, engine maintenance, etc.) had all been completed and we soon headed down the mighty Mississippi, past the famous arch at St. Louis.

While the river was not in flood, it was flowing very fast and presented new challenges. In places, the current was so strong that it pulled the navigation markers under - on a couple of occasions, they literally disappeared before our very eyes, while others were clearly off station.

We had to be constantly on the lookout for logs and other debris. Here, a tow has gathered enough for a decent bonfire - no problem for him, but potentially disastrous for us should we hit just one submeregd log, like this one!

And, of course, we had to continue to keep a sharp eye on the massive tows themselves.

Our AIS (Automatic Identification System) was invaluable. Each triangle on the screen is another vessel. One tap and the screen displays the vessel name, type, speed, etc. so you can then call them on the radio by name and ask the captain for passing directions.

There are few marina facilities on the rivers but, fortunately, there's Fern at Hoppies Marina at Kimmswick MO, just south of St. Louis. The marina is nothing more than a couple of old barges tied to the river bank, but what it lacks in facilities is more than made up for by Fern's wealth of knowledge that she generously shares - how to handle the currents, the tows, the fog, etc., and, most importantly, where to anchor, as anchorages are also few and far between.

As we've noted in earlier blogs, you meet every variety of watercraft along the way - here's a couple pulling into Hoppies in their canoe, complete with guitars and all their belongings in garbage bags. They had started out on the upper Mississippi and were headed all the way to New Orleans, camping ashore each night wherever they could pitch a tent - modern-day Huck Fins!

Fern's advice proved invaluable the very next day when we anchored in the Little River Diversion, well out of the way of the tows and other river traffic. It was a beautiful, peaceful spot. Next morning, however, we faced thick fog as we headed back out into the Mississippi. We had to be alert as we dodged the tows which were only 'visible' on our radar until we were within a hundred or so yards.

Later that day, we turned to port off the Mississippi at Cairo IL and headed up the Ohio River. There is very heavy barge traffic on this section of the river system and it can be badly congested at the Olmstead Lock and Lock 52.

The stretch is described as the "Choke Point of a Nation"(www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/business/economy/desperately-plugging-holes-in-an-87-year-old-dam.html?_r=0). Delays here can be many hours, even stretching into the next day, with no good anchorages nearby.

However, the lockmasters and the tow captains couldn't have been more accommodating. At the Olmstead Lock (which is under construction), we were escorted straight through, while tows that had been waiting ahead of us had to wait a little longer. This is our escort tug, leading the way.

The next lock, Lock 52, is the most congested on the river system. As we approached, we hailed the lockmaster on the radio and were baffled by his reply: "Can you fit into a 40 foot hole?" Well, TOSCA is 44' long, so at first we thought "no way". After going back and forth a couple of times, we realized he was asking could we fit through a 40 foot opening, and here it is. The tow captain, at great inconvenience, had to tie his tow off to let us through! Look carefully and you can see the lockmaster sitting outside his control shed waiting for the tow to be tied off so he can wave us through. Wow! Talk about accommodating - had we failed to get through this lock, we'd have been stuck for the night, with nowhere to anchor but the side of the river.

So, after a very long day, and more than 100 miles, we made it to Paducah KY and anchored in the Cuba towhead.

A classic riverboat, at Paducah KY.

The tows and the locks were endlessly fascinating - a whole other world that has to be seen to be believed. The skill of the captains is amazing. As one put it: "Imagine driving a Grayhound bus full of passengers from the back seat!"

This is one of the larger tows that we saw, with more than 30 barges - some are more than 40 barges.

The larger tows have to be sent through the locks in batches. Here the tug has brought one lot of barges down and has gone back up in the lock to fetch the rest of the barges making up his tow. They're then all hooked together again and proceed on their way to the next lock, where the process is repeated.

Meeting in close quarters. While the tow captains were men of few words, they were, without exception, very accommodating, considering we were in their waters and were probably a bit of a nuisance to them.

Our favorite story was our friend on Irish Lady Too who had agreed to meet a tow "on the one whistle", which would require our friend to turn towards starboard. Instead, he started to move to port, which would have had him meet the tow "on the two". The tow captain hailed him and said he thought they'd agreed "on the one". Our friend replied that he was turning to port to avoid some debris. The tow captain answered back: "Captain, if you don't turn back now, you're going to be debris!"

When they have to wait for a lock or other traffic, some just pull over and tie to a tree!

Some of the locks are several stories high. Here, we're waiting with our friends on Irish Lady Too to enter the highest we passed through, Wilson Lock near Florence, Alabama. Wth a normal lift between 93 and 100 feet, it is the highest lock east of the Rocky Mountains.

The photos don't quite capture just how enormous this structure is. Irish Lady Too leads the way in.

Here we wait for the lift, under the watchful eye of the local wildlife.

A reminder of how integrated Canada is with the U.S. - a CN train crosses the Ohio River.

From Paducah, we travelled via the Cumberland River to Green Turtle Bay, where we stayed for a few days. It was peak season for the south migration of the Looper fleet and the marina put on a southern BBQ, complete with local entertainment.

We knew we were now in the South when we walked into a local bank and asked for the ATM. The teller immediately asked: "Well, honey, how far North y'all from?" Our accents had immediately identified us as not being from these parts!

After Green Turtle Bay, we were on the Tennessee River, where, after a night at Pebble Isle Marina, we enjoyed a quiet anchorage at Swallow Bluff. The morning mist was beautiful.

A lone oarsman out for an early morning paddle.

From Grand Harbor Marina on Pickwick Lake (near where the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee meet), we headed east, further up the Tennessee River, to attend the Fall Looper Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park. The Looper Rendezvous is a great event, with about 80 boats and 300 people in attendance in a beautiful lodge setting.

The Rendezvous was a wonderful opportunity to meet many other Loopers and to hear presentations about what lay ahead of us as we headed back to saltwater and faced crossing the Gulf of Mexico to Florida.

Alex takes careful notes.

While we were at Joe Wheeler Lodge and Marina (near Huntsville, Alabama), Alex flew home for a week to Calgary and Rowland flew to St. John's, Newfoundland, to speak at a conference on Law of the Sea.

Apparently TOSCA was moored in the locals' favorite fishing spot, but that didn't seem to interfere with their enjoyment or their catch!

And on our way back down the Tennessee River from Joe Wheeler, another enjoyable evening at a favorite stop in Florence.

After a few days back at Grand Harbor Marina on Pickwick Lake, we headed out for the final push to salt water at Mobile AL, about 500 isolated miles away.

Our first stop was at Bay Springs Marina, AL. Imagine our amazement when the large catamaran ahead of us in the marina turned out to be from Medicine Hat, Alberta, less than 100 miles from Calgary! Medicine Hat is known in Alberta as "The Hat" - and of course in boating circles a catamaran is a "cat". Our neighbour was very cleverly named The Cat from the Hat!

The Tombigbee Waterway south from this point presented beautiful vistas.

And amazing riverfront homes.

We found the most beautiful anchorage of the whole river system along this section, at Cooks Bend, where we spent a quiet evening onboard, well out of the path of the tows.

Regular marinas were few and far between, the most memorable being Bobby's Fish Camp. What it lacked in amenities, however, it made up for in character, together with the best cat fish dinner on the rivers.

There was heavy morning fog and mist some days, which only added to the ethereal beauty.

You have to be on your toes in the fog and the mist, but the navigation marks have to be watched constantly. The channel is often narrow and winding and leaves no room for error, as we were reminded when we came across this almost new boat, WINSOME, which had missed a mark and run hard aground. With extensive damage to their running gear, they had to spend the night on the river waiting for Towboat US to reach them next day from Mobile. A tow had stopped to help them in the meantime. We nearly missed the same mark ourselves.

Our last night out was at anchor in the Alabama River.

We had by this point developed a leak in a coolant hose on the port engine, forcing us to run the remaining distance into Mobile on one engine. Little did we know at the time that we were developing a major mechanical problem.

Meanwhile, it was on to Mobile! What an experience to come out of the remote wilderness of Alabama to see this industrial-military complex rise from the marshes.

Alex guides us into Mobile Bay and to Mile 0 of the river system, abeam the Mobile Convention Center. We'd run the rivers from Chicago to Mobile, a total distance of more than 1400 miles. TOSCA II was back in saltwater!

From Mobile, it was a calm, sunny run across the bay to Eastern Shore Marine in Fairhope - a nice reintroduction to saltwater for TOSCA, who had been in fresh water for the past three years. Note the pelicans free-riding on the outriggers of this shrimper. It's a very different world from the lakes and rivers.

There were several other Loopers at Eastern Shore Marine and we made a number of new friends, including Tom and Paula who "crossed their wake" in Mobile Bay while we were there. We joined them in celebrating as they proudly unfurled their Gold Looper burgee.

Fairhope is a beautiful town, with several excellent restaurants - our kind of town!

Our mechanic at Eastern Shore, Dewell, was able to repair our leaking coolant hose without difficulty.

However, Dewell then discovered that we had seriously damaged the transmission. While running on one engine (with the port engine shut down and the port transmission "freewheeling"), we had seriously damaged the transmission, which had to be removed and shipped off to New Orleans for inspection. Unfortunately, word came back that the cost of rebuilding the transmission would be prohibitive. As a result, we had to postpone our plans to cross the Gulf of Mexico - and "cross our wake" - for now. We returned to Calgary for Christmas - with our Loop to be continued!

The damaged transmission gets shipped off for assessment. It's probably headed for the transmission graveyard and will have to be replaced with a rebuilt model.

With Leg 11 behind us, we now have approxiamtely 6000 miles under the keel since we started our Great Loop adventure in Florida in September 2012 - just 500 miles to go!

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Leg 10 - Charlevoix MI to St. Charles MO, July-August 2016

9/11/2016

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Charlevoix MI, Hilton Beach ON, Mackinac Island, Charlevoix, Eastern Shore Lake Michigan, Chicago, Inland Rivers, Grafton IL, Mississippi River, St. Charles MO
(970 miles)

We returned to TOSCA II in late June 2016 via New York, where Rowland attended a conference on Law of the Sea at the United Nations and we indulged ourselves taking in the sights. Here we are enjoying a late-night cocktail in a lounge overlooking Times Square.

We also took in a couple of shows on Broadway - Chicago and The Book of Mormon. Broadway has the best musical theatre in the world.

We celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary with an indulgent dinner.

From New York, we flew to Detroit and then drove to Charlevoix MI.

The folks at Irish Boat Shop had everything ready and we launched on July 1. TOSCA looked fabulous - hard to believe she had been in storage for nearly a full year!

We were anxious to head out, but first we had to move aboard, take on provisions and water and stow the necessities of life - like the Sam Adams!

Our ship's mascot welcomed us back and soon we were ready to head out. Once again, we were going north to Canada, so we could reenter the U.S. and start the clock anew on our Cruising Licence, which is only good for a year.

Our destination was Hilton Beach, on Saint Joseph Island, Ontario. It's a beautiful spot, where we stayed a few days before heading back into the U.S. through Drummond Island. Customs and Border Protection Services were extremely helpful in expediting our Cruising Licence. One of their agents drove down to Drummond Island from the regional CBPS office in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and hand delivered it, saving us a few days.

This was our third time through these waters. We particularly enjoyed revisiting Mackinac Island. Wonder if they have a distracted driver law here - this cabbie is on his cellphone!

And of course the magnificent Mackinac bridge is always a sight to behold. Here we're headed west through the Straits of Mackinac, leaving the bridge behind us in the early morning sun on our way back to Charlevoix.

After a few days back at Irish, we motored out into Lake Michigan, headed for Chicago. We opted to follow the eastern shore of the Lake, which turned out to be a wonderful experience.

Our introduction to the delights of Lake Michigan was the fishing village of Leland, where we enjoyed the first of many spectacular sunsets across the lake and the first of many fine meals.

Much of Lake Michigan's eastern shore is a continuous, high sand dune, dotted occasionally with light houses - and dune buggies. We could hear the roar from several miles offshore!

Every few miles, there are "harbors of refuge" where man-made cuts lead into beautiful lakes that are fully protected from the furious westerly storms that kick up on the Lake from time to time.

Fortunately, the only storm that blew through while we were on the lake hit when we were safely tied up in the marina at Frankfort. We say 'safely' because the ferocious squall that came on very suddenly was severe enough to rip out the cleat and part of the dock we were tied to. We were onboard at the time and able to deal with the situation, so no harm done, but it was a reminder of the fury that nature can unleash with little warning.

Our other stops down the Lake were Pentwater, White Lake, Muskegon, Grand Haven, Saugatuck, South Haven and New Buffalo. All were interesting and very different. Saugatuk was a favorite, a few miles off the Lake up a beautiful river.

The marina at Saugatuck, however, was in quite shallow water and Alex had to be on her toes.

Here she relishes the moment after successfully backing us into the slip between the piles, with only inches to spare on either side!

Talk about location, location, location. This property is located at the entrance of the canal into Saugatuk. It appeared to be vacant!

Other delights included the nightly light show at Grand Haven...
...and South Haven, with its restored village and the best onion rings ever!

Last stop on Lake Michigan was New Buffalo, where we enjoyed another fine meal, at the Stray Dog.

But, while we were on the move most days, there was still time for the occasional nap!

And then it was on to Chicago. What a sight as the skyline appeared on the horizon!

We stayed several days at Burnham Harbor marina, with a spectacular view of the city by day, and by night.

Chicago is one of our favorite cities and it was a wonderful experience to spend time there on our own boat.

Our son Stewart joined us and we took a couple of days to explore the local sights, including the Field Museum that houses the tyrranosaurus rex skeleton named Sue - the most complete T. rex skeleton ever found, at over 90 per cent.

In addition to finding the best hot dog in Chicago, Stew also sought out the best deep dish pizza, which we found at Pequods Pizza.

Then, on a spectacular Saturday morning, we headed for the Chicago Lock, where we would leave the Great Lakes and head into the rivers for the start of our journey to the Gulf of Mexico.

And there we were, in the heart of one of the world's greatest cities, on our own boat. What an experience - no doubt a highlight of the whole Great Loop adventure!
Whatever one might think of Donald Trump and his politics, the man sure knows about real estate - this is Trump Tower and it's hard to imagine a more impressive setting.

We were excited about transiting the canal through the very heart of this great city, but also a little apprehensive as the bridge clearances are tight. This tour boat is passing under the bridge at Michigan Avenue, site of Chicago's world famous "Magnificent Mile."

There is one fixed bridge that has a rated clearance of only 17'6", which of course varies up or down with the level of the river, particularly after a heavy rainfall. We had measured TOSCA's 'air draft' at 16'8" - not a lot of room for error!

So, we approached the bridge in question very cautiously, stationing Stew on the bow with a boat hook set at our clearance height. If the boat hook didn't clear, we were going to have to stop in a hurry and back up. The closer we got, the more nervous we became, as it looked for all the world like we wouldn't make it!

Then, we could see the other side and we were clear...

...but with not much to spare!

Very soon, you leave the city behind...

...and start into a whole new world of rivers, tugs and 'tows'. (They're called 'tows' although in fact the barges are pushed by the tugs.)

All of a sudden, we're confronted by a tow coming straight at us, where there's nothing to do but tuck in between the barges that are tied up. This is where the "rule of tonnage" really applies. Forget about down-bound traffic having the right-of-way: the rule is get out of the way!

Words can't describe, nor pictures really capture, the immensity of these giants. The skill of the captains in manoeuvering them in and out of the locks must be seen to be believed. Here the captain of the tow has agreed to let us share the lock, which he's not obliged to do - the tows have priority in all the locks.

Some idea of the size can be seen from the crew member on the forward deck of the barge.

There's an ethereal beauty to these monsters, as they glide by in almost total silence, continuing with the traditions of bygone days before electronic navigation devices - you must meet or pass them "on the one" or "on the two", referring to the whistle signals that were at one time their only means of communication.

There are many power plants along the rivers (much of what the barges carry is coal), but there are also long stretches of quiet beauty.

Marina facilities along the Illinois River are scarce. Here we are tied up for the night at a barge terminal, where we had to clamber over the tugs, the barges and their cables to get ashore.

But there were other great stopovers, such as Harborside Marina, just south of Joliet, where we had a fabulous meal at the Big Fish Grille.

And Heritage Harbor Marina in Ottawa, Illinois, where Stewart left us.

We will remember two hidden gems in particular. The South Shore Boat Club (SSBC) in Peru IL was pretty basic as yacht clubs go but we were welcomed as though we were long lost members and Rowland was immediately inducted as a member of the SSBC Drinking Team.

We were the biggest boat at the dock that night!

And then at Peoria Heights, the Illinois Valley Yacht (the 'IVY Club'), where we also were welcomed as members. We stayed three nights.

As we moved down the Illinois River, we became increasingly aware that these waters are not always as peaceful as they were during our run. Indeed, the rivers in these parts can rise 20 or more feet during their annual flood phases, as is made clear from this river front cottage built on stilts. Hard to imagine the water rising that high, but it does, regularly, and the locals simply build to accommodate the changes and live with them.

At Grafton, we discovered another solution to the challenge: the whole marina facility - docks, covered slips, restaurant and even the swimming pool (not visible) - floats up the piles as much as 20' as the river rises.

This Oyster Bar is actually floating on pontoons.

And at last, we were on the mighty Mississippi, headed for Port Charles Harbor where TOSCA is getting her bottom redone while we are back in Calgary, ready for her return to salt water in the Gulf of Mexico.

This whole marina facility (including the covered slips) is also built on pontoons and rises as much as 20' with the river!

And on our last night in St. Charles, a fine BBQ meal at Sugarfire Smokehouse to see us on our way!

From St. Charles, we drove to Chicago and then flew home to Calgary.

In Leg 10, we travelled roughly 970 miles, bringing our total distance to approximately 4800 miles since we started our Great Loop adventure in Florida in September 2012.

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Leg 9 - Charlevoix MI to Charlevoix MI, June-July 2015

11/6/2015

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Charlevoix-Tobermory-Midland-Georgian Bay-Killarney-North Channel-Straits of Mackinac-Charlevoix

(810 miles)

Yes, on Leg #9, we went backwards! We had enjoyed the Georgian Bay/North Channel so much in 2014 that we decided to return before heading south. However, due to an unanticipated change of plans (discussed below), our journey down the rivers has been postponed until next season (2016).

We arrived back at Irish Boatshop in early June, 2015 to find TOSCA II all polished up and ready to go. The folks at Irish had taken great care of her over what had been a very severe winter in these parts and she looked great. Here Alex and Ernie get her ready to head out for Spring sea trials to check all systems before we cast off to head north, back into Canada. Our plan was to head straight for Midland ON, where we were booked to have a new Sunbrella top installed.

We left Charlevoix on June 8 and headed up Lake Michigan, through the Straits of Mackinac into Lake Huron, and on to Cheboygan MI. Next day Presque Isle MI, where we stayed a day in port due to rain. Then, it was a long haul of about 90 miles across Lake Huron, on a beautiful day in calm seas, to make our landfall in Canada at Tobermory ON, on the Bruce Peninsula.

Tobermory is a very picturesque tourist town that we really enjoyed. Another day of rain, however, so we took the opportunity to do laundry and take on more provisions.

From Tobermory, it was on to Lions Head, through very heavy fog. We began our boating years together off Nova Scotia, so fog doesn't scare us, but we sure were glad we had the radar (which proved to be very accurate). We found out later that we had managed to weave our way through a fleet of racing sailboats. Another rainy day, so we stayed put for a second night.

Surprisingly, given the heavy, damp fog, we were also swarmed along the way by the nastiest flies you've ever seen. The mystery was that they were at their worst out of sight of land. At least they didn't bite, but they sure were horrible!

As we approached our next port of Meaford, the fog socked in again - we measured the visibility using our radar at less than 100 meters - and we had to feel our way in through the breakwater.

Made for an eerie sight along the docks. Nice dinner at The Leeky Canoe.

From Meaford, it was on to Wye Heritage Marina at Midland, where we had spent a few days in 2014. We flew back to Calgary for a week, while a new top was installed on TOSCA. Around this time, Rowland was appointed to undertake a special assignment for the federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, so we set up an onboard "office", complete with WiFi, scanner/printer/fax. As a result of Rowland's assignment (which we expected to go on for the next several months), we also decided to change our plans for the season and to put the boat back into storage in Charlevoix for another winter.

So we headed back into the Georgian Bay, with our first stop at Honey Harbour. A bit intimidating on first approach, but a beautiful marina with a nice restaurant.

From there, it was on to Henry's on Frying Pan Island, for a return visit.

TOSCA at her familiar berth at Henry's, with her new Sunbrella top, which looks great.

We continued from Frying Pan Island, with return visits to Killbear and Byng Inlet...

...feeling a little more confident this time about the challenging navigation, but still having to keep our wits about us.

Marveling at the variety...

...and whimsy of the cottages along the way.

It appears this fisherman has been waiting a long time for a bite!

Onward past the Pointe au Baril Light...

...to the incredible hideaway anchorage in Fox Bay, which had been recommended to us by a fellow boater at Killbear Marina. A navigation challenge, as the charts don't go that far, but we had been assured it was doable, so we inched our way in. Amazing, and we were the only boat for miles around.

"Idyllic" doesn't begin to describe it, so we had to launch the dinghy and get some photos.

TOSCA looked amazing in this setting, especially with her new top.

So beautiful, I just "messed about" for a while in my little boat (a la Water Rat in The Wind in the Willows).

Then it was on to the Bustards, where we had anchored last season. This time, however, we were one of only two boats, whereas last year there had been more than half a dozen.

Relaxed, eh?

Next stop Killarney. We thoroughly enjoyed another evening with Andy Lowe, in the Carousel Lounge at the Killarney Mountain Lodge. Andy is very talented and can offer a good rendition of pretty well anything that's requested of him. He's particularly reminiscent of our favorite Stan Rogers. Another great evening to finish up the Georgian Bay.

Killarney is the dividing line between the Georgian Bay and the North Channel. It's very pretty and as you motor on, you really do have feeling that you're leaving one part of the adventure for the next...

...which is Little Current. It's well known among boaters, however, that whoever came up with the name was being quite mischievous - the current actually can be quite strong, although we managed without trouble on our two visits. Little Current is located on Manitoulin Island and this is the swing bridge to the mainland.

After Little Current, we spent a night at anchor in Logan Bay on Clapperton Island, then did a day tour through the Benjamins. We tried towing the dinghy, which worked quite well (although we later discovered it was actually carrying a lot of extra water as one of the bungs had not been closed!).

From the Benjamins, we headed for Gore Bay, on Manitoulin Island, which was a beautiful spot. It's the headquarters for the bareboat charter fleet for the North Channel/Georgian Bay. Great meal at Buoys, especially the gazpacho. Next stop, Meldrum Bay, where we had another nice meal at an old inn, and Alex went to an evening church service for mariners. Last stop in Canada.

Next day, we crossed into the U.S. and were able to clear Customs by phone through Drummond Island. However, it was all downhill from there for the rest of the day. As we were entering the harbor at Detour, we were misled by these markers, which initially look straightforward enough. WRONG! Turns out you have to go BETWEEN the two red markers to get to our marina. Anyway, we ended up aground. - had to launch the dinghy and kedge off. Very embarrassing, even though everyone on the dock seemed to agree that the markers are wrong. The marina guy said he usually warns everyone when they call ahead, but somehow no one remembered to mention it to us! As if that wasn't enough, when we finally got securely tied up at the dock, Rowland took one step too many and fell in. No damage or injury, but a lot of wounded pride. Not one of our better days on the water!

After a night at St. Ignace, we passed under the magnificent Straits of Mackinac bridge, proudly flying our Canadian flag...

...accompanied by a couple of boats that had just competed in the famous Mackinac race from Chicago. A beautiful last day for the season, as we headed for Charlevoix and Irish Boat Shop.

Back in Charlevoix, TOSCA looked great!

Not quite done yet, however, as we had to move her next day to the service dock, ready for haulout. It was really tight, with only a couple of feet to spare. Alex did an amazing job.

Proud, or what?

A farewell photo in our TOSCA hats.

Haulout, on July 16 ...

...and into bed for the winter! We sure covered a lot of distance (approximately 810 miles) in just a few short weeks.

With Leg 9 behind us, we now have approximately 3865 miles under the keel since we set out on the Great Loop from Gasparilla Island FL in September 2012. This is the third winter that TOSCA will have been "on the hard" for the winter. Next summer, it's down the rivers to the Gulf of Mexico.

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Leg 8 - Belleville ON to Charlevoix MI, July-September 2014

4/14/2015

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Belleville-Trent-Severn Waterway-Georgian Bay-North Channel-Lake Huron-Straits of Mackinac-Lake Michigan-Charlevoix MI (700 Miles)

We arrived back in Belleville on July 4 and set out for Trenton the next day. The Trent-Severn Waterway lay ahead of us and we weren't quite sure what it would bring, so we had to have a "last supper" before heading out.

Alex insisted on a photo with the boys in the band before we left.

And next morning, off we sailed - approximately 240 miles and 45 locks ahead of us.

Just 5.5 miles later, we were already through Lock #6 at Frankford. The weather was miserable, so we stayed tied up to the lock wall for two nights.

The "lift"at some of the conventional locks is more than 50 feet. It's a long way up or down...

...and a bit of muscle can be needed to keep the boat on the wall, especially if there's wind, which there frequently was - you can see the Canadian flag blowing straight out in the top right corner of this shot.

However, the lock masters were always very helpful, and patient!

It wasn't all work and no play, however. Along the way, we met many fellow "Loopers" and enjoyed a number of dinner gatherings...

...and cocktails on the dock, known in Looper circles as "docktails," here in Peterborough, where we laid over for a couple of days...

and took in a fabulous southern style travelling BBQ that happened to be passing through town.

This "coconut palm" on the dock in Peterborough added a bit of charm!

Leaving Peterborough, we encountered the first of two "lift locks" on the Trent-Severn system. In these locks, you enter a giant bath tub and it is lifted (or lowered) with the boat in it. An ingenious bit of engineering where gravity does all the work. The "tub" going down on one side acts as a counter-weight and lifts the tub on the other side. In this picture, we're about to enter the tub on the right, while the tub on the left (which is full of water) is at the top. Amazing!

Here we are in our "tub"at the top of the second lift lock, about to go down this time.

By this point, we had become good friends with Tom and Nancy on their Defever 44, Terrapin. They live in northern Michigan and stored their boat for the winter in the same yard where Tosca II is stored. Here, they are in the lift lock with us.

The waterway is well marked, but there's no room for error as the channels are quite narrow and the bottom is not forgiving - granite! Here Alex keeps a watchful eye from the bow.

And here she checks our location on the electronic charts.

The towns along the way were very picturesque. This is the oddly named Bobcaygeon, which, by the way, is the subject of a song by our son Stewart's favorite band, The Tragically Hip!

Bobcaygeon, somewhat incongruously, is also the location of a huge, high-end shoe store, Bigleys. I escaped lightly - Alex picked up only two pairs.

All sorts of waterfront properties.

Almost without exception, they had "Muskoka chairs" at the water's edge but, oddly enough, never anyone sitting in them!

We kid you not, these empty chairs were everywhere.

Parts of the waterway are fairly remote, and somewhat reminiscent of the Dismal Swamp Canal (see Blog for Leg 4).

But it seemed someone else was never far away!

How did they get there? Through the locks, of course!

We didn't eat out every night!

A highlight of the Trent-Severn comes towards the end - the "Big Chute." This is a marine railway that lifts your boat out of the water, then carries it from one waterway across land to the next leg of the system.

It's another of the engineering marvels of the Trent-Severn. Here's a boat being lifted out on the upstream side.

Then it's down the other side.

We were a little apprehensive, so we checked it out thoroughly the day before.

But we need not have worried - the railway crew was very professional. They even hopped down and did a bottom inspection for us while we were in the slings.

What a ride!

Then it was on to the last lock...

...and, after two weeks, the Trent-Severn was behind us.

Here we're heading into Lake Huron.

We spent a couple of nights at Wye Heritage Marina in Midland (which, by the way, has the best showers we have encountered in more than 2500 miles at this point). Midland is the boating center for the Georgian Bay and we had a distinct feeling of "having made it!"

Not exactly what we were expecting, however, as we left Midland and found ourselves in fog!

We decided to push on nevertheless, and soon, as the fog lifted and the sun came out, the iconic granite islands of the Georgian Bay emerged. We had arrived!

The size and style of the "cottages" along the way ran the full gamut, from the modest...

...to the more elaborate.

Some only accessible by float plane.

And some displaying a little eccentric flair.

Couldn't resist this one - our younger son is Edward, known within the family as Teddy.

Our first stop in the Georgian Bay was Henry's Fish Restaurant, accessible only by boat or plane. People fly in for lunch, or arrive by their own boat, as we did.

The owner, Paul, took an immediate liking to Alex and treated us as visiting celebrities.

In return, we were very good customers.

Indeed, we returned twice, with our good friends Peggy and Don, who came to visit from Guelph...

...and my mate, Stuart, who came for a visit from Niagara-on-the-Lake.

And on to Parry Sound, home of hockey legend Bobby Orr, and where Rowland stayed a week while Alex returned to Calgary to catch up on how the family was doing.

After Alex returned from Calgary, we began our real cruising on the Georgian Bay, but we started cautiously, with a short hop to Kill Bear, a beautiful spot with a very good marina.

From Kill Bear on, it was pure Georgian Bay cruising, with scary navigational challenges...

...and fishermen

...and more kayaks along the way.

In some parts, the bottom (granite) is barely below the surface (and, obviously, a huge navigation hazard)...

...while in some areas, the drop-off is so precipitous you can tie-up to the granite wall.

There are numerous narrow passages where only one boat at a time can safely transit. As you approach these, you give a "securite" broadcast on the VHF radio to warn other vessels that you are approaching. This is the approach, using the range markers to keep us right on course, to the Little Detroit pass.

Along the way, we spent the night "on the hook", in some spectacular anchorages that we hope to revisit. Here we are in The Bustards.

At Killarney, you leave the Georgian Bay proper and enter the North Channel. We loved Killarney, where we reveled in the music of Andy Lowe, which had a sort of Stan Rogers-comes-to-the-Great Lakes tone to it.

In Killarney, I also persuaded Alex that we needed an underwater inspection of the hull and running gear (props in particular). What a sport! It might look like she's standing on the swim ladder, but she's not - she's standing on a granite ledge, showing how precipitously the bottom drops off (or comes up, if you're not paying attention).

From Killarney on, we enjoyed beautiful anchorages - the Pool in Baie Fine...

...where a turtle came looking for a handout...

...and breaking free of the weedy bottom was a challenge.

On we cruised, until Blind River. At this point, family business called Alex back to Calgary, while Rowland stayed on the boat.

When Alex returned from Calgary, we made our way from Blind River across to the U.S., where we cleared customs and immigration at Drummond Island, before heading to Mackinac Island. To our surprise, we were soon enveloped in dense fog. We've cruised extensively in Nova Scotia, where the fog can get so thick "you can lean on it," so this didn't really bother us.

Still, we figured we deserved a good lunch ashore when we arrived.

Mackinac Island is unique. No vehicular traffic, very picturesque...

...site of the iconic Grand Hotel

We enjoyed our two days there...

...but there was a lot of surge in the marina from the ferry traffic and we were glad to head out into the Straits of Mackinac...

...under the world famous Mackinac Bridge

and on to Charlevoix, Michigan, where we had arranged to store TOSCA II for the winter at Irish Boat Shop.

The folks at Irish are wonderful. During haul-out, they pointed out that we had a spare prop shaft, worth a few thousand dollars, tucked away in a secret compartment - apparently a feature of Tollycrafts. We never had any idea!

We caught up with our friends Tom and Nancy again. Their boat Terrapin is stored for the winter in the same yard.

Some final cleaning...

...and TOSCA II was put into a warm, cozy bed for the winter. We returned to Calgary, via Traverse City and Chicago.

With the end of Leg 8, we now have approximately 3000 miles under our keel since we set out on the Great Loop from Gasparilla Island in September 2012. We've passed the half way mark!

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Leg 7 - Brewerton NY to Belleville ON, June 2014 (with winter interlude)

7/2/2014

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Brewerton NY-Oswego-Sackets Harbor-Clayton-Kingston ON-Picton-Belleville ON (214 miles)

With TOSCA safely stored indoors at Winter Harbor, near Syracuse NY, we set off on a six-week side adventure over Christmas - a circle Pacific trip from Vancouver via the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Viet Nam and Japan, returning to Vancouver.

In New Zealand, we went jet-boating up the Dart River, near Queenstown, then kayaked back down the river - great, energetic trip.

A couple of days in Sydney to visit relatives. Here, Rowland's niece Bridget and her husband Des.

Sydney is one of our favourite cities, with a spectacular harbour. My cousin lives on the waterfront in an amazing setting, right across from the centre of the city.

Then on to Hobart, where we went for a walk on the beach on Christmas Day.

Lunch at Richmond, with Rowland's niece Maree and brother-in-law Bob.

After Christmas, we drove from Melbourne to Adelaide, via the Great Ocean Road. A helicopter flight over the Twelve Apostles was spectacular.

Then a few days at The Louise in the Barossa Valley, sampling the wonderful wines. The Barossa is the birth place of the famous Penfolds Grange. The 2008 Grange was awarded a perfect score of 100 by Robert Parker and we were amazed to note on our return that it is almost $200 a bottle cheaper in Calgary than it is in Australia!

We hope to return to the Barossa.

From Adelaide, it was on to Singapore, where we sampled the delights of the famous Newton Circus outdoor food market - a brave step for Alex!

Next stop Viet Nam and an overnight cruise in the amazing Halong Bay.

Then a few days in Ho Chi Minh City (still called Saigon by the locals) in the beautiful Majestic Hotel (which proudly proclaimed that "Catherine Deneuve slept here," during the filming of Indochine).

On to Kyoto and Tokyo, where we had a chance encounter with a friendly Sumo wrestler in the subway.

And where I showed off my "Gatsby" pink linen jacket that I'd had tailored on the way through Saigon. Lunch at the Tokyo restaurant of our favourite chef in the whole world, Joel Robuchon.

So, we hadn't exactly been idle before returning to Brewerton in late May to continue our Loop. TOSCA was already in the water waiting for us. We spent a few days provisioning, even a new mattress and bed spread!

We did very well sampling the local restaurant scene, including another DDD, Pastabilities in Syracuse, and Copper Top.

We threw off the lines and set out on Leg #7 on Thursday, June 5, 2014.

We left the Erie Canal and headed for Oswego NY, located where the Oswego River enters Lake Ontario.

A couple of days in Oswego, getting things shipshape and noting that someone's always got a bigger one!

More pleasant dining at "Alex's On The Water", which was conveniently located next to our slip. We also found a wonderful breakfast at Wade's Diner, worthy of entry into the DDD list.

Into Lake Ontario, which sure is big - no land in sight!

And even when we saw the shore, it wasn't always pretty - another nuclear power plant.

Soon we were in the St. Lawrence Seaway and lots of big time commercial traffic.

Next stop, Sackets Harbor, a very picturesque little town that we learned was the naval headquarters for the American Great Lakes naval fleet during the War of 1812.

We seem to have quite a nose for finding great eating places along the way! Here we dine al fresco at Tin Pan Galley.

Clayton, our last stop in the U.S. before heading into Canada.

No alcohol allowed whenever we're underway, but no restrictions in port. Besides, we had to make sure we didn't have more than the allowable limit on board when entering Canada!

We had to be on our toes through the Thousand Islands, where some of the channels are quite narrow, although well-marked.

Past many beautiful holiday homes.

Alex later complained that she was too busy navigating on the Ipad to notice the view!

We officially entered Canada in Kingston ON on Monday, June 9 and cleared customs over the phone. We think the customs agent must have been a new summer student - when she asked if we had anything to declare and we said "a boat," her initial response was: "Oh, please hold. I'll be right back!"

We stayed several days in Kingston, during which we enjoyed a great visit with our friends Dave and Liz Mullan.

We were also treated to a private tour of the Royal Military College, guided by the Principal Emeritus of the College, John Scott Cowan. John is a walking encyclopaedia of military history, and in particular the War of 1812 - he had a quite different spin from the impression you get in Sackets Harbor!

As we left Kingston on Saturday, June 14, we passed the infamous Kingston Penitentiary. Somewhat incongruously, there is a yacht club right next door - cruel and unusual punishment if the inmates can see it from their cells!

Our next stop was Picton, which turned out to be one of those unexpected gems. A beautiful protected harbour.

And lo and behold, more fine dining nearby, at the classic Merrill Inn.

On to Belleville, where we spent a few days on routine maintenance and took the opportunity to launch the dinghy. Not an easy task, which we certainly wouldn't want to have to attempt in any sort of an abandon ship situation!

But it floats and the motor works - we'll need it when we get to the Georgian Bay and the North Channel.

A final hose down and it was back to Calgary for a couple of weeks.

With the end of Leg 7, we now have more than 2300 miles under our keel. We will leave Belleville for the Trent Severn Waterway on Saturday, July 5. Next destination Chicago, via Georgian Bay and Lake Michigan, by Labour Day weekend.

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Leg 6 - Croton-on-Hudson NY to Brewerton NY, September-October 2013

11/4/2013

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Croton-on-Hudson (Half Moon Bay)-Newburgh-New Baltimore-Waterford-Amsterdam-Little Falls-Utica-Sylvan Beach-Brewerton (Winter Harbor) NY (260 miles)

We were a little apprehensive as we returned to Croton-on-Hudson on Sunday, September 29. Lock 13 on the Erie Canal had been closed for a few weeks, due to scouring damage, but it was going to be opened temporarily during the following weekend. If we didn't make it through during that window, we wouldn't get to our planned storage at Winter Harbor and we'd be screwed! We absolutely had to cover the 160 miles to Lock 13 before the Lock was closed again. Our plan was to head out of Half Moon Bay just as soon as we could be ready.

A complication arose when son Stew surprised us with a birthday gift for Rowland of tickets for the Sunday afternoon performance of Wicked on Broadway. Couldn't possibly turn that down, so we drove to the boat from Newark airport Sunday morning, found everything to be in surprisingly good shape, jumped on an early afternoon train to Grand Central...

...and joined the show at intermission!

Then, after tapas at a Cuban restaurant off Broadway, we strolled through Times Square, caught the train back to Croton, made a late-night provisioning run to the local supermarket and, on our way back to the boat, picked up a take-out order of ribs.

We were ready to cast off early Monday morning and head up the Hudson River valley. Who says you can't do it all!

The Hudson Valley was beautiful, with fine weather and the leaves just starting to turn. Very different from anything we had seen in Florida, along the ICW, on the Chesapeake and Delaware or along the Jersey coast. Lots of interesting sights along the way, such as West Point...

...this castle on a hill...

...and even the occasional lighthouse.

On our first morning out, after spending the night at Newburgh, we were enveloped by thick fog, reminiscent of our early boating days in Nova Scotia. This time, however, we were ready with our trusty radar. The repair to the radar display that we had had done at Atlantic Yacht Basin paid for itself in one morning!

We always eat well, even when underway. Here, while keeping a watchful eye that the skipper is not straying off course, Alex snacks on leftover smoked ribs from our favorite BBQ take-out in Croton-on-Hudson.

On our third day after leaving Croton-on-Hudson, we reached the Troy Lock...

...and then made a port turn into the Erie Canal...

...which begins at Waterford, where we joined a few other boats that had been delayed by the closure of Lock 13 and were waiting for the temporary opening scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

Next morning, we all headed out in a flotilla, still under beautiful skies and with the fall colors blooming more and more each day.

After spending a night along the way at Amsterdam, we finally arrived at Lock 13 on Friday. It was a bit of an anti-climax, but we were still glad to have it behind us, knowing we could relax a little for the rest of the trip to Brewerton.

At Lock 17, we encountered a different gate system where, instead of opening like a door, the gate is raised and you enter the lock by paassing underneath the gate. Very cool.

The lift in most of these locks is very high, as much as 40 feet. This is inside Lock 17. The walls are covered in slime and gloves are essential. Surprisingly, after the first day out of Waterford, we were the only boat in most locks.

Next stop was Little Falls, where we stayed two nights. A very pretty town, although, like much of the Hudson Valley, there were signs all around of a past when this part of the States had a thriving milling industry. We had a fine meal at the Canal Side Inn (www.canalsideinn.com), probably the best pork we've ever had anywhere.

Then on to Utica. There is a "destination" restaurant in Utica, The Tailor and The Cook (http://www.thetailorandthecook.com/), but unfortunately closed on Sundays and Mondays. So, we phoned for an Italian take-out and this was the salad for two that came with the meal!
The Tailor and The Cook sounded too good to pass up, however, so we drove back to Utica from Brewerton a few days later. Well worth it.

Meanwhile, we continued to enjoy the Erie Canal scenery as we headed west.

At Lock 21, we began the downward descent to Lake Oneida.

Our last stop before crossing Lake Oneida and arriving at Brewerton was Sylvan Beach, a beautiful, protected marina. No more locks to Brewerton, so we took the opportunity to start cleaning up for winter storage.

More cleaning.

And at last our destination at Winter Harbor. We couldn't quite believe that we were one of the smaller boats lined up to be hauled inside the heated sheds for winter storage. What an amazing facility.

A bit more cleaning...

...and TOSCA II was ready to go into hibernation for the season.

Our trip wasn't over, however. We then drove back into Canada to spend Canadian Thanksgiving with our friend Stuart McCormack at his new home in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Before returning to Brewerton, a day of touring the wineries of course. Alex enjoys a taste, while Stuart's daughter Perry looks on.

Stuart, Alex and Rowland.

And then back to Brewerton/Syracuse to fly home to Calgary. A last supper at Kitty Hoyne's Irish Pub, as featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Our Great Loop Adventure will continue next spring. Nearly 2100 miles have now passed under the keel since we left Gasparilla Island on September 19, 2012. We're a third of the way around!

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Leg 5 - Norfolk VA to Croton-on-Hudson NY, July-August 2013

8/13/2013

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Chesapeake (Atlantic Yacht Basin) VA-Norfolk-Yorktown-Deltaville-Crisfield MD-Potomac (Corinthian Yacht Club)-Solomons-Oxford-Annapolis-Baltimore-Delaware City DE-Cape May NJ-Great Kills NY-Hoboken NJ-Croton-on-Hudson (Half Moon Bay Marina) NY (583 miles)

We returned to Atlantic Yacht Basin on July 9, to find TOSCA pretty much ready to head out again. Her hull had been waxed and polished and she looked like a new boat. We took a couple of days to provision and get used to life back aboard. Then we headed back up the ICW through the Great Bridge Bascule Bridge and Lock for Norfolk.

Along the way, we again encountered the barge and industrial activity that is everywhere throughout this section of the ICW. Alex has now conceded that, when faced with barge traffic in close quarters, the "rule of tonnage" applies, viz., regardless of who might have the right of way under the Rules of Navigation, you get out of the barge's way!

After a night at Waterside Marina in Norfolk (where we had attended the AGLCA Spring Rendezvous in May - see Blog Leg 4), we set off to "do the Chesapeake." On the way out of Norfolk, we were surrounded by reminders that the area is the home port for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. As we passed one of the naval dockyards, we were hailed by a police boat and told to slow down and move to the other side of the channel, further away from the docks. Thereafter, we just tried not to attract any attention, but we couldn't resist taking this shot of an impressive looking warship returning to port. We later learned that this was the USS New York, an amphibious transport dock that is notable for using steel that was salvaged from the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Periodically, we would hear naval ships on the VHF radio announcing that they were engaging in this or that maneuver and that all vessels should stand clear. "Measures to enforce clearance zones may include the use of lethal force."

Our first stop was Yorktown, where we stayed two nights while we explored the historic triangle of Yorktown itself (the site of one of the final battles of the American War of Independence, or, as preferred by Americans these days, the "Revolutionary War", and also the site of an important battle in the Civil War or, as it is called by many southerners, the "war of northern aggression"), Jamestown (the first English colonial settlement, founded by John Smith in 1607) and Colonial Williamsburg (for many years the capital of the colony of Virginia).
Here, Alex catches up on the email while waiting for the tour bus to take us to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown.

Neither of us had fully appreciated how far back English settlement of the New World went. 1607 - wow! That's before Tasman had sighted Van Diemen's Land and before Cook had sailed into the Pacific. Nor had we really understood just how British the original 13 colonies were. The point is made by this early version of the Union Jack that is flown at the remains of the Jamestown Settlement.

(The Jamestown Settlement had been preceded by about 50 years by a settlement established by Sir Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island in North Carolina, but that settlement disappeared and is known as "the Lost Colony".)

Alex didn't let the fact that she was wearing a cast for her ankle injury slow her down!

Then it was on to Colonial Williamsburg, one of our favorite places from previous visits. It really is a step back in time.

Back at Yorktown, however, we were brought back into the 21st Century by the continuing high visibility of naval might, here on the York River. This vessel is heading downstream from the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station, which holds the munitions (likely including nuclear weapons) for the Atlantic Fleet.

From Yorktown, we moved up the western side of the Chesapeake Bay to Regatta Point. Along the way, we saw the first of many of the iconic lighthouses on the Bay. This is the Wolf Trap light.

We stayed at Dozier's Regatta Point Yachting Center, one of the prettier and quieter marinas we have visited. Alex was able to enjoy a swim in the marina pool.

On our way into Regatta Point, the numerous Ospreys continued to watch us. They have made a remarkable comeback over the last couple of decades. Here, Mumma and her two fledglings check us out.

Next day, we crossed the Chesapeake Bay to the eastern shore, via Tangier Island.

We were struck by the odd placement of this religious sign.

And the incongruity of this Israeli flag appearing in such an isolated place.

Our destination on the eastern shore, and our first stop in Maryland, was Crisfield, a major center for the Chesapeake blue crab fishery. We were just a couple of days ahead of Crisfield's blue crab festival, which apparently attracts several thousand visitors, including the state governor.

From Crisfield, we headed back across the Bay, via Smith Island. Like Tangier, it looked like it might have seen more prosperous times in the past.

The channel through Smith was pretty challenging. We were down to our minimum depth a couple of times, but we made it safely.

Unfortunately, take-out crab cakes weren't available.

Along the way, the Point-no-Point lighthouse.

Our destination was the Corinthian Yacht Club on the Potomac, a beautiful secluded spot...

...where we joined a gathering of Loopers who are spending the summer on the Chesapeake. This is the "groupie" part of Looping that Alex loves!

Then it was on to Solomons, which we had visited on our way to and from The Bahamas 35 years ago. There were many more boats and buildings, but otherwise it wasn't really all that different from what we remembered.

Next, it was back across the Bay to the eastern shore again, this time to Oxford MD.

One more crossing of the Bay en route to Annapolis, this time through Tilghman Island...

...which was very picturesque.

And then Annapolis, another of our favorite destinations from previous visits.

Our son Stewart flew in to join us for a few days and we drove into Washington, which he had not visited before.

We had a great day on the Mall, visiting the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian, the Lincoln Memorial, etc.

We packed a lot in.

Stew used his artist's eye to capture his Dad in the colonnade of the Lincoln Memorial.

But perhaps the highlight was lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl, home of the famous chili dog. It was amazing. The walls are adorned with photos of all kinds of famous people eating there, including President Obama.

Back in Annapolis, we enjoyed a great Italian meal at Piccola Roma,

before heading out of Annapolis next morning...

...for Baltimore, where Stew left us to fly back to Calgary.

We stayed in Baltimore nearly a week, during which we made two side trips by car, the first to Philadelphia, which is a beautiful city that neither of us had visited before. Quite took us by surprise, with its wonderful architecture and its history as the birthplace of the nation.

Philly was also one of the culinary highlights of the trip so far, at AMADA, a tapas restaurant literally next door to our historic hotel.

Unpretentious, relaxed atmosphere, with outstanding food. A great evening.

Then we drove into DC again to stay overnight with our friends Jeff Petrash and Sandy Waldstein and to visit David Manning who is Alberta's representative at the Canadian Embassy. The Embassy is a beautiful building in a spectacular setting right on Philadelphia Avenue - it is reputed to be the envy of the rest of the Washington diplomatic corps. This photo was taken by David on the roof of the Embassy.

Jeff guided us around parts of DC that many people miss and that were new to us, in spite of our many previous visits - Embassy Row, the magnificent Washington cathedral and out to his home in Bethesda. It's a wonderful city.

Back to Baltimore and preparations to move on.

We couldn't leave, however, without a farewell drink to the sounds of the Baltimore Steel Drum Band...

...and a last supper at the tiki bar!

We turned north, up the last stretch of the Chesapeake Bay headed for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. We were a bit intimidated when we realized we might be sharing the C&D Canal with the likes of this freighter which was just exiting the Canal as we approached!

The upper reaches of the Chesapeake are really beautiful and our one regret of Leg 5 is that we didn't have the time to anchor for a night before leaving this beautiful Bay...

...and transiting just 12 miles through the C&D Canal...

...into the Delaware River!

Before facing the run down the River, however, we spent a quiet night at Delaware City Marina, another of those unexpected gems we've encountered along the way.

The Delaware can be nasty if wind and current are opposed, so we left early on an ebbing tide with a fair wind and made the run to Cape May very comfortably in just a few hours. Along the way, we passed the Ship John Shoal light.

The 120-mile run up the New Jersey coast from Cape May to Sandy Hook (New York harbor) is in the open Atlantic and you have to pick your weather. The ideal is a light southwest wind (offshore and from behind). The forecast was good, so we steamed out of the Cape May inlet at dawn. It was a magnificent morning.

And it stayed that way till we reached Sandy Hook 10 hours later.

Along the way, we passed by Atlantic City...

..and left it in our wake.

After sighting one last shrimper, we rounded Sandy Hook and spent the night at Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island.

Next morning, the Manhattan skyline began to appear slowly as we entered New York harbor.

It was an amazing sight to see the skyline of the Big Apple emerge from the blue and gray mist and rain.

On past the Statue of Liberty.

What an experience!

At this point, we left the Verazzano Narrows Bridge and the Atlantic behind us and went "inland", heading for the Great Lakes up the Hudson River.

We stayed one night at the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club in Hoboken NJ, across the Hudson River from mid-town Manhattan - one of the world's most spectacular sights at night.

And in daylight for that matter. TOSCA rests in the shadow of the Empire State building...

...and the Freedom Tower, on the site of the World Trade Center.

Time to move on, however, and Manhattan slowly faded into the distance...

...as we approached the George Washington Bridge.

Along the way, there were some quite dramatic signs of the devastation caused throughout this area and along the New Jersey coast by tropical storm Sandy last year.

The underway routine resumes.

We tried to stop for lunch at the upscale X2O, which we had seen featured on an Anthony Bourdain show, with Bill Murray. It's located on top of this pier, which is owned by the City of Yonkers and offers free dockage. Alex did a brilliant job handling the current and getting us alongside the dock, but the rock and roll from the passing river traffic made it too risky to stay and we had to move on without lunch. Too bad.

The end of Leg 5 - Half Moon Bay Marina, at Croton-on-Hudson, where TOSCA will rest for a few weeks before we make the final run up to Brewerton NY for winter storage.

We found another fabulous restaurant here, TAGINE.

Our Great Loop Adventure continues! Since leaving Gasparilla Island on September 19, 2012 approximately 1813 miles have passed under the keel, approaching one-third of what we expect to cover till TOSCA II crosses her wake.

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Leg 4 - Thunderbolt (Savannah) GA to Norfolk VA, April-May 2013

6/9/2013

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Savannah/Thunderbolt-Hilton Head Island-Beaufort SC-Charleston-Mount Pleasant-Georgetown-Myrtle Beach-Little River-Southport-Wrightsville Beach-Camp Lejeune-Beaufort NC/Morehead City-Oriental-Bellhaven-Alligator River-Dismal Swamp-Norfolk (591 miles)

TOSCA seemed pleased to see us when we returned to the
Hinckley yard at Thunderbolt on April 12. All was well and we headed out on Saturday, April 13, with just a short hop over to Hilton Head Island, one of our favorite stops so far. Alex did a brilliant job of getting into the rather tight marina and docking us. We spent a leisurely afternoon strolling around, followed by a very pleasant dinner at CQ's. It felt good to be underway again.

At Hilton Head, we spotted this boat name, which seemed a propos!

Next day, it was on to Beaufort SC. There's also a Beaufort NC. Both are named after Henry Somerset, the 2nd Duke of Beaufort, but they are pronounced differently - it's Bewfort SC and Bowfort NC.
Beaufort SC is very picturesque. If you get the feeling it's straight out of the movies, that's because it is - among many other wellknown films, Forrest Gump and Prince of Tides were shot around here.

On to Charleson SC, one of our all-time favorite cities. On the way in, we were hailed by the U.S. Coast Guard and asked: "What are your intentions?" My first thought was: "None of your business!" I thought better of it, however, and they followed us in to the City Marina where they conducted an inspection and gave us a clean bill of health.

We stayed in Charleston for three days, during which we indulged our pastime of seeking out fine restaurants and found one of the best - The Peninsula Grill, at the Planters Inn, which was right up there with The Charleston Grill where we have dined on a couple of previous occasions.

We were still ready for a hearty breakfast next morning, at another Charleston favorite - Toast.

Then it was off to shop in the Charleston Market, where Alex bought a sweetgrass basket for the galley (singlehandedly propping up the local economy in the process!).

From Charleston, we moved to Tolers Cove Marina at Mount Pleasant to visit with our friends Philip and Connie who we had met on their Krogen 42 at Thunderbolt.

We spent a wonderful day with Connie and Philip touring the Middleton Plantation. We really got a feel for colonial and plantation life in the 17th and 18th centuries, before the Civil War. It appears that, just as they did in colonial Australia, the early settlers here went to great lengths to bring a little bit of the old country with them - but for the Spanish moss, this could be an estate in England. Apparently, one of the Middleton descedants still lives in Charleston.

Next we headed for Myrtle Beach to meet our son Stewart who flew in for a few days. We stayed at the Osprey Marina.
As we headed up the Ditch, we had several great meals, one of the best of which was at Clark's at Little River...

...followed by Fishy Fishy at Southport, our first stop in North Carolina.

Stew took to the helm like a duck to water.

He soon decided that he wanted to try the real ocean and so we headed out through the cut at Wrightsville Beach so he could swim in the Atlantic. It must have been freezing, but he got his wish!

Stew left us at Wrightsville Beach, but we think he enjoyed it enough that he'll be back.

And so we pushed on. The waterfront mansions of Florida and South Carolina gave way to more modest homes, although some sure were colorful!

And it looked like you might find a bargain along the way: MILLION DOLLAR LOT 40% OFF HOME INCLUDED!

All through North Carolina, it seemed that every navigation marker had an osprey nest.

We spent our first night "on the hook" at Camp Lejeune and then headed into Beaufort/Morehead City NC. We were delayed for a few days there, waiting for a new alternator, but we managed to pass the time rather pleasantly. Here we're enjoying a nightcap at the marina bar.

And dinner at the surprisingly-named Sanitary Restaurant, with our friends Bob and Debi off In My Element. Other fine meals in Beaufort at Blue Moon Bistro and and the Beaufort Grocery Company (despite the name, it was in fact fine dining).

From Beaufort NC, it was on to Oriental NC. The wind had been freshening from the north-east (on our bow) and began to take its toll on our dinghy cover. Fortunately, we had a new cover waiting for us in Norfolk VA.

And of course, along the way, the routine maintenance had to be attended to. Here Alex cleans the strainer for the AC/Heat pump. Great job honey!
The jug of blue liquid is "Barnacle Buster"!

Our next stop was Bellhaven, where we had stopped in TOSCA more than 35 years ago. Unfortunately, the marina, and the grand mansion nearby that had housed a good restaurant, were in better shape back then.

But the fine meal of chicken parmagiana prepared by our friends Al and Charli on Always5Oclock more than made up for it.

Next day, as we headed down the Neuse River, the wind got stronger still and then we learned that the Alligator River Bridge had been closed. We had no choice but to ride it out at anchor. After a restless night on the hook, when we heard that the bridge had reopened, we raised the bridgekeeper on the radio and asked if he expected to be able to open again, as the wind was still blowing more than 20 knots. We were about 15 miles from the bridge and he replied: "Come on down and stand by!" We took that as southern-speak for "maybe" and so we drove TOSCA II pretty hard to get there as soon as possible. Fortunately he opened up right away and we were through!

At the crack of dawn next morning, we braced ourselves for crossing the Albemarle Sound, which is one of the most challenging bodies of water on the east coast. The wind was still blowing pretty good, with spray coming over the bow and hitting the flybridge. TOSCA II took it in stride, however, and we soon found ourselves in the otherworldliness of the Dismal Swamp Canal.

There's a lock at each end of the Dismal Swamp Canal and we got a fascinating history lecture from one of the lockmasters. George Washington himself was one of the original investors. Apparently the inspiration for Show Boat came from a paddle-wheeler that toured a musical show up and down the canal back in the 19th Century. It must have been easy for Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein to conclude that "Ol' Man River" had a better ring to it than "Ol' Dismal Swamp Canal"!

Along the way, we crossed from North Carolina to Virginia.

And then, all of a sudden, we were out of the wilderness and thrust into the military-industrial complex that is Norfolk VA. It was a bit of a culture shock!

We were in Norfolk to attend the Spring Rendezvous of the American Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA), where we met many other Loopers (and learned that we are "Sloopers", i.e., "slow loopers) and got lots of good tips. Alex was very attentive!

We had a routine inspection of the bottom while we were there...

...and discovered, much to our surprise, that we had apparently snagged a crab pot along the way! This was wrapped around one of the propellers. We're planning to have cutters installed on the propeller shafts to, hopefully, avoid a repeat with potentially more serious consequences.

While we were at the AGLCA Rendezvous in Norfolk, Rowland made a sidetrip to Toronto to receive an "Energy Bear" award from the Energy Law Forum, for contributions to the field of energy regulation. This is Rowland and Dave Holgate (who introduced him for the award and who was one of his students back in his teaching days) and the Bear (a magnificent soapstone carving from Nunavut, which now occupies a place of pride in our great room).

We had a wonderful week in Norfolk, during which we were generously entertained by Jack and Janice (friends of Philip and Connie who we had met in Charleston). We also attended a great performance of Carousel, which somehow seemed appropriate for our life afloat.

Then we headed back south, down the ICW, to leave TOSCA II at Atlantic Yacht Basin. We took a left turn at this point...

...and along the way we spotted the "cove" where we had anchored in TOSCA on our first night in the ICW 36 years ago!

A final clean-up of the "Holy Place"!

Atlantic Yacht Basin, where TOSCA II will rest happily until we return.

Norfolk is officially Mile 0 of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), so we've done The Ditch, again! We now have approximately 1230 miles under our keel since we left Gasparilla Island on Septmeber 19, 2012.

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Leg 3 - Brunswick to Thunderbolt (Savannah) GA, February 2013

2/26/2013

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We returned to Brunswick, GA in early February to find that TOSCA had been nicely polished up for our arrival by her local caretaker and was ready to embark on the next leg of our adventure. Brunswick Landing Marina turned out to be a great place to leave her. On Thursday, February 7, to ease back into things, we made a quick hop over to St. Simons Island - lovely spot (photo at left) where we had had lunch back in December. Morning paper and muffins delivered to the boat at 7:00 a.m.!

Then, it was on to the Sunbury Crab Co. on the Medway River, a few miles off the ICW. We didn't have a chart for the approach, so Alex phoned ahead to the marina and was given what proved to be excellent local guidance - we made it without any problem.

Sunbury Crab Co. is rather isolated, but it's a destination restaurant for locals from Savannah and other areas. The place sure was hopping on Friday night and we had a great meal, with a welcoming glass of wine thrown in by our hostess Elaine. We know the oysters were fresh - we saw Elaine's son bringing them in from the boat and shucking them just before dinner.

Saturday, it was off to Isle of Hope Marina on the Skidaway River, just short of our destination at Thunderbolt/Savannah. This was a great stop, with a fabulous nearby restaurant recommended by the marina - the Driftaway Cafe. In fact, so good, we returned next morning for Sunday brunch.

We make sure we're always flying our AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association) pennant along the way, but so far we've only seen a couple of others.

As we approached Savannah, the alluring openness of the vast Georgia marshes started to give way to more frequent, and larger, houses.

With the change in scenery, some people must have been distracted! These folks are hard aground - nothing to do but wait for the tide to turn.

But Alex stayed alert and we had no problem.

Safely and securely tied up at the Hinckley Yard in Thunderbolt/Savannah GA on Sunday, February 10.

Our stop at the Hinckley Yard was to get some routine work done. Among other things, Tom made a new locker shelf that is such a work of art, Alex insisted he autograph it. Turns out, Tom has a BFA degree and is a bit of an artist - he included along with his signature a sketch of a "lady" that is probably best kept in the locker!

I found a little pool of oil atop one of our twin Detroit diesel engines. When I drew it to the attention of our mechanic, he said: "Nothing to worry about boss. Detroits are well known for leaking. They say if you take a picture of one and hang it on the wall, by morning there'll be a pool of oil on the floor." I said: "You mean just like Jags?" "Exactly!"

Other boats showed a bit more neglect than ours. It looked like this one was growing its own oysterbed on the keel!

Of course, it wasn't all work. We explored the local restaurant scene at places such as Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, The Crab Shack on Tybee Island (as seen in the photo, with Matthew, our neighbor at Hinckley) and, our favorite, Wiley's Championship BBQ - worthy of an appearance on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. We also had a great evening at Jazz'd Tapas Bar.
For Valentines, we indulged ourselves with a night ashore at the historic Marshall House in Savannah and a romantic dinner at Bistro 45.

Along the way, we have to find time for the routine chores of staying alive, like laundry.

We set out from Thunderbolt for Charleston on Saturday, February 16 but had to return to the Hinckley Yard due to what turned out to be, thankfully, a minor mechanical issue. So we decided to leave TOSCA there and to travel to Charleston by car.

We couldn't pass through Charleston without stopping at one of our all-time favorite restaurants, The Charleston Grill, which serves the best crabcake in the world.

Then, it was on to Myrtle Beach by car, where we spent two nights before flying back to Calgary on Friday, February 22.

Immediately after arriving back in Calgary, we had to attend an Oscars party in costume. We chose Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) and Rosie Sayer (Katherine Hepburn) from The African Queen!

We've now covered approximately 550 miles since leaving Gasparilla Island on Septmeber 19, 2012.

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Leg 12 - Mobile AL to Gasparilla Island FL, September-November 2017

Leg 11 - St. Charles MO to Mobile AL, September-November 2016

Leg 10 - Charlevoix MI to St. Charles MO, July-August 2016

Leg 9 - Charlevoix MI to Charlevoix MI, June-July 2015

Leg 8 - Belleville ON to Charlevoix MI, July-September 2014

Leg 7 - Brewerton NY to Belleville ON, June 2014 (with winter interlude)

Leg 6 - Croton-on-Hudson NY to Brewerton NY, September-October 2013

Leg 5 - Norfolk VA to Croton-on-Hudson NY, July-August 2013

Leg 4 - Thunderbolt (Savannah) GA to Norfolk VA, April-May 2013

Leg 3 - Brunswick to Thunderbolt (Savannah) GA, February 2013

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