Let the Preparations Begin

It's official - Mark found a slip on Park Point. In June, we're bringing Mazurka from Chicago up to Duluth, Minnesota. Under her own power.

You may be wondering what this journey entails.


We will be leaving from the southern tip of of Lake Michigan, traveling to the northern tip, traipsing through the Soo Locks, and along the southern coast of Lake Superior to the far western corner where her new home waits.

This is a very long trip.

On Sunday afternoon I got out the maps and started charting just how long this trip will take. With the two of us driving the boat, which goes at a maximum of 8 mph, if we travel 8-10 hours a day, we're looking at about two weeks on the water. This does not include delays for weather. Mazurka can roll like a metronome in four foot waves. And who knows what Lake Superior might be doing...this beast is more ocean than lake, with huge freighters, heavy fog, sudden shifts in weather, and iron ore deposits than render a compass and GPS useless. This is big time.

Sunday night I told Mark I didn't want to take this trip.

So he got to scheming. Mazurka's Ford diesel engine can run 24/7. A crew of six could run the boat continuously, weather permitting. He called a captain who knows Lake Superior and is game for the ride. By Monday night, Mark had assembled a crew of four and was looking for two more. I heard him saying on the phone, "I don't know if she's going..."

I can never pass up a challenge. This quality gets me into more trouble! But I marched out to the living room and announced, "I'm in."

So I'm in. Only female crew member onboard, who knows what kind of crap job I'll be given. Probably the graveyard shift. But I'll face my fear...