We are postponing our trip till 2012

As time goes by and both the Erie Canal and portions of the  Champlain canals remain closed due to flooding and damage done by Hurricane Irene, we will regretfully postpone our trip till June of 2012.
As disappointing as this is after all of our efforts to prepare for our departure, we are thankful that we had not left as scheduled. We may have been in the damaged areas or worse yet in the path of the hurricane.
We are living on the boat for now enjoying sails on Lake Huron.We plan on taking a few trips to some nearby ports till the boat gets lifted out of the water for the season mid October. In the meantime, we are taking advantage of the time being spent on board with little jobs that had been left to do while "on our way south".

ALERT

UPDATE: THE ERIE CANAL LOCK E2 TO E22 WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, E-23 TO E-25 REOPENED
The Erie Canal between Locks E-2(Waterford)and Locks E-22 (New London), will remain closed to all vessels until further notice. Recent rain caused record flooding in the Mohawk River and the Canal Corporation is currently assessing damage to several structures. Updates will be provided once the full extent of damage and what efforts are necessary to reopen are determined. Updates regarding the reopening status of the Erie Canal will not be available until next week at the earliest. The Erie Canal between Lock E-23 (Brewerton) and E-25 (Mays Point) has been reopened.

For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.

Updated Monday 09/12 at 11:54 AM

ALERT

CHAMPLAIN CANAL - LOCK C-1 TO C-4 CLOSED, C-5 TO C-12 REOPENED
Mariners are advised that the Champlain Canal from Lock C-1 (Waterford) to Lock C-4 (Schagticoke/Hempstreet Park) remains closed due to high water levels until further notice. Locks C-5 through C-12 has been reopened.

For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.

Updated Monday 09/12 at 11:27 AM

Yikes! Our trip is on hold!

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep our fingers crossed that we can move forward with our plans.....

CLOSURE CHAMPLAIN CANAL AND ERIE CANAL LOCK E2 TO E19

Mariners are advised that the Champlain Canal, and the Erie Canal between Locks E-19 (Frankfort) and E-2 (Waterford), are closed to all vessels. Hurricane Irene caused record flooding in the Mohawk River and the Canal Corporation is currently assessing damage to several structures. Updates will be provided once the full extent of damage and what efforts are necessary to reopen are determined. Updates regarding the reopening status of the Erie Canal will not be available until next week at the earliest. Updates for the Champlain Canal should be available sooner. For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Canals-reopening-uncertain-after-millions-in-2148008.php

Our Route

From Sarnia Yacht Club we will turn to our port side and head south under the Bluewater Bridge down the St- Clair river. That takes us to Lake St. Clair then the Detroit River. We intend to stay in Detroit the first night. We will then make out way to the U.S. side of Lake Erie till we reach Buffalo New York where we will enter the Erie Canal.



The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles (584 km) from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of around 565 ft.


The Hudson River will take us to New York, New York where we will then hug the east coast of the U.S. till we get to Florida.

From Florida we will sail across to the Bahamas.

Our Vessel…. S/V Miss Ellie 40 ft. Valiant cutter

The story,

Valiant Yachts, in 1973 when a young Robert Perry accepted the challenge to design a new class of cruising sailboat, one with traditional styling that could be easily sailed by a couple, yet capable of offshore performance normally associated with racing sailboats. The result was the Valiant 40, which gave birth to the era of the Performance Cruising Yacht." Valiant Yachts states that "What began as a simple theory over thirty years ago, is now the standard by which all other cruising yachts are measured." Their position is that "the name Valiant is synonymous with world class performance yachts." No wonder awards have been bestowed time and time again, including the induction of the Valiant 40 into the prestigious "American Sailboat Hall of Fame."

Since our purchase in 2001 we have learned a bundle! As new boat owners we set out to give our 1979 sailboat a makeover to make sure we would be safe and comfortable for this trip.

We have gained a lot of knowledge, experience, patience, tolerance,

laughs, satisfaction, frustrations, nervousness, peacefulness and friends.

We can now look forward to go on this adventure confident that we know our boat.

Specifications

LOA: 39’ 11″ (12.16 m.)
LWL: 34’ 0″ (10.36 m.)
Beam: 12’ 4″ (3.76 m.)
Draft: 6’ 0″ (1.83 m.)
Ballast: 7,700 lbs. (3,493 kg.)
Displacement: 22,500 lbs. (10,206 kg.)
Sail area: 772 sq. ft. (71.7 sq. m.)

Fuel: 90 gallons
Water: 150 gallons
Holding: 25 gallons

The sailing bug bites Guy

It was the summer of 1999 during one of Guy's  annual camping trip. He, his cousins and his nephew Kurt were camping in New Brunswick on the Bon Adventure . Day after day the weather kept deteriorating so they decided to fly back to Halifax where they would soon take a flight back to Ontario.
They spent a couple of days there.  Walking around they came upon a marina where Guy
 noticed a couple in their late sixties take possession of a brand new sailboat that they would sail to England. They invited him down below and talked of their forthcoming Atlantic crossing. Guy was amazed to listen to two people speak so enthusiastically of a cruising life in such a beautiful boat. Something that had never crossed his mind.....nor mine! So you can imagine my surprised reaction when he returned home and informed me that he would be finding a boat for the two of us to experience a cruising life of our own.
Guy spent the next 2 years searching ads and the internet for a suitable boat that he could call his home while afloat! By 2001 he had narrowed it down to a few different models. These boats were in Florida so we flew to Fort Lauderdale, met our broker and he spent a couple of days driving us all around the state looking at the boats Guy had chosen on the internet as well as some the broker knew of.
When we saw the boat we now have, we spent a good part of the afternoon inside imagining a cruising life of our own someday. We put in an offer and by the time we were back in Canada, the previous owners had accepted it . Wow! We now owned our first boat.  A 40 foot Valiant.
We made arrangement to have it trucked to Port Huron Michigan and secured ourselves a dock at Bridgeview Marina in Sarnia.  It arrived July 1st 2001.
As intimidating as it was, we entered a steep learning curve, we read everything we could get our hands on that would get us better acquainted with our new purchase. We surrounded ourselves with knowledgable sailors . We took boating courses, studied for the ham radio license and attended many seminars throughout the years.
In the last 10 years, we have shared with experts some extensive work  to the top sides,  below the water line, updated all electronic systems, rebuilt the engine, revamped the interior  etc. etc. and gained the much needed experience needed for us to safely enjoy the trip we are about to start.

                                                    Guy scraped, peeled, reglassed, sanded and painted the bottom

                                                    I sanded and varnished the interior

We are getting close to departure!

After 10 years on a five year plan our departure from Southern Lake Huron to the Bahamas is near. Wish us luck. We're a bit nervous, but we know we'll be fine once we get moving.
Our S/V Miss Ellie will be our home for the 7 months. Guy and I have been busy fixing, cleaning, polishing, varnishing, organizing, reading, learning and planning our trip.