What a Ride!!

We made it. We entered Georgian Bay yesterday after completing 44 locks of the Trent Severn Waterway. All in all it was quite an experience. Much nicer and easier than the Erie Canal, and much prettier. Plus the Canadians are great, friendly neighbors. Look at this one lock. It is called the Big Chute and it is actually a Marine Railway that takes you down 57 ft. The left photo is Rock Chalk on the railway car going down the hill. The second is a boat we have been traveling with, Muddy Waters, as they went down.

The rail car is on tracks and goes down into the water so you can drive the boat onto the platform. The put straps underneath the boat to hold it in place, and then the car drives out of the water and over a long hill, down to the lower lake level. It is a great ride, and fascinating technology. One minute you are floating, the next twenty feet in the air and moving downhill. What an experience!

The Canadian Shield is the term given to the granite base that was scraped clean by the glaciers millions of years back. Today the water fills in between the pink granite, and pine trees grow on shore. The water is pristine and the weather is cool. Cannot beat that combination. I am finding the boat channel is well marked, which is good, because that granite is not very forgiving if you wonder off course.

The channel weaves through these rocks in a protected passage for 150 miles northwesterly toward the upper part of Lake Huron called the North Channel. There are a jillion places to pull off the main channel and tuck back into a secluded cove. My navigation skills will be challenged to the max as once you leave the well marked channel, you better know where you are on the chart. But it is beautiful and well worth the challenge.

We are back amongst the Loopers. There are a bunch of boats all around doing the Loop. We have seen them in the harbors and I can hear them on the radio. We missed 6 weeks, but we caught them. Now we can slow down and take three weeks to go through Georgian Bay and the North Channel to Mackinaw Island. That still gives us plenty of time to bump down the Michigan side of Lake Michigan to get us to Chicago by Labor Day or shortly thereafter.

I am in no hurry to get south, however, as the weather is just gorgeous here, and not so cool in the States. So the balancing act is to stay up here as long as possible, but still get off Lake Michigan before the big storms hit. We'll see. Marc

You thought we went over the edge of the earth???

We did. Look at this photo of Rock Chalk entering the Kirkfield Lock. We are 70 ft. over the canal below and we motor the boat right up to the edge of this pan, as you look over the edge. Yikes!!! This is a marvel in 1905 engineering. There is an identical pan filled with the same amount of water down below. Boats like us enter the top pan, and those going up enter the lower pan. The weight of the boats are irrelevant. They add one ft. of water to the upper pan, and wow down you go just like an elevator, while the other pan goes up. It is so cool. This was our first lock today and our 37th of the Trent Severn Waterway.

This place is beautiful. The weather was cool today after a night of rain. High was 74 and tonights low will be 61. Ummm.....Canada.

As you probably know, we turned off our Verizon. Since we left the major city of Kingston, we have had little if any internet connections. Hence no blogs nor emails. This is our sixth night on the Waterway, most have been in remote areas which are really beautiful. We stay on the wall near the lock which is free unless the Parks personnel come around. They have missed us most nights, which makes the budget work well.

Carla and Roger are here, and they are getting to be experts an working the locks. The Smith's love to "dry camp" and that is what we have been doing these nights, even though the boat is quite a bit different than their pop up camper.

Since we left the "Loopers" rendezvous in Norfolk on May 11, there were 50+ boats heading north from there to do the loop. All were many weeks ahead of us because we took the month of June to leave the boat and go back to Austin and LA for Charlie's wedding. I can tell you we have now caught up with a bunch of those Loopers. That means that we took six weeks off for the wedding, one week in New York with Shana and the grandkids, and one week on the Erie Canal for repairs. That is six weeks we staked them to a lead, and now we are passing them like dead flys. I think my partner Mike, had the under and his bet is looking good.

Tomorrow we finish the Waterway and come down the last several hundred feet to Port Severn on the Georgian Bay part of Lake Huron. Doing the canal has been and was one of our goals and highlights of this trip. But even better will be Georgian Bay. As I have been doing our planning we have 3 weeks to explore the Bay, then another 3 weeks to bump down the Lake Michigan coast to be in Chicago by Sept. 15th. Here is the challenge. Just how will be spend three weeks in 150 miles? Three days maybe, but 3 weeks??? We'll just have to try.

It will probably be a while before the next post, as I think the internet hot spots are rare. We're going to go explore some more back woods wilderness that are part of the Canadian Shield, so I will post another blog when we can find a hot spot. All the best. Marc

Trent Severn Waterway

It is beautiful along the canals of the Trent River, but much to our surprise the heat found us. I know everyone in Texas and Kansas has been hot, and yesterday was the hottest day of the year here in southern Ontario. With the humidity it feels like 105. I wonder how it is over in Quebec City, where Mark and Gayle are for the weekend. Hot too there I think.

We entered the Trent Severn Waterway at Trenton, Ontario. The first day we negotiated 17 locks with the average lift of each one around 24 ft. The middle photo is the double locks 12 and 13 where you go up 48 ft with the two locks combined. So we are now about 700 ft. above sea level and headed higher.

The Canadians love their short summer season so they are all out on the water. The canal is lined with fish camps which remind me of all the lodges and small houses along Table Rock Lake. Every once in a while you see a new beautiful home, but it is rare. Most of small little cottages with a dock.

We are headed to Lake Simcoe this weekend, where we will anchor out and watch the locals go crazy with their small boats and houseboats. I don't need to compete with lock space with these guys. The photos to come of the upcoming locks will be incredible. Our second one today will be the engineering marvel bathtub locks. One tub is at the upper level and the other on the low end. Boats drive into each tub. Then the staff adds one ft of extra water into the upper tub and down it comes while raising the other tub up to the higher level. It will be cool.

Our friends, Carla and Roger, have come into Peterborough by Greyhound bus, and will be on Rock Chalk for a couple of days to experience the boating life. Probably only take them a couple of days, and they will want the heat of Kansas back.

As you know, we are in a technological black hole. Once we crossed the border we hd to shut off our Verizon Mi-Fi as it was waay to expensive. So we are relying on hot spots at a marina or coffee shop. My email and text on my Blackberry is shut off. The phone works up here but it is very rural. Signals are hard to find. So if you do not see as frequent of blog updates, no worries. I just cannot connect. We'll save the photos which I think the next 6 weeks will be incredible. The best of the long journey. Hope so. Marc

Oh Canada!

We made it. At 10:45 am this morning we crossed the national line out in the middle of Lake Ontario and entered into Canadian water. That is a long ways from Marathon, Florida. Whew!!

We landed in a beautiful little town, Kingston, Ontario. That is the good news. The bad news is that all our media is messed up. Shelley is in major withdrawals as her wi-fi is not working on Rock Chalk. We talked to Verizon and they tell us that if we use the mi-fi on someone else's network, that our normal monthly usage would cost about $6500. Spent that on broken propellers and drive shafts. So we suspended that service. Then my Visa wasn't working (I forgot to call them to tell them I was going to Canada). And our cell phones had to be set up for the International calling plans. Other than that it is a lovely country so far. Don't expect to hear from us. Just kidding, you thought you would be so lucky.

Actually they are having a big summerfest here in Kingston with plays in the park, bands playing down on the water front, and the town is full of people. In fact, Shelley and I thought for the last several days, that everyone left upstate New York. We saw no one. We were the only boat on the wall last night in Oswego, NY. We rode our bikes all over that town yesterday and it seemed deserted. We were the only northbound boat that we saw all day today. Now we know why...they were all here. Oh My, these Canadians love their small boats and this marina is full of them. I think this portends what our next 6 weeks will be like, as Canadians enjoy their short window of warm air and everyone goes outside or gets on a boat. Lets hope they know how to drive those boats, as I do not need anymore encounters with anything other than water, and gently touching up against docks.

Thunderstorms are forecast for tomorrow...80% chance. We're staying here, no Wi-Fi or not. We'll walk to Starbucks in our rainsuits and wait for better weather Tuesday.

A New Start

We're back in the water and ready to go. Not a minute too soon. We really thought that it would take longer, but this is a good yard, and they were able to get us put back together in good time. Note the new bottom paint (Rock Chalk really needed it), the new drive shafts, and the redone and properly tuned propellers. We took her out for a sea trail, and she has never run better. So now on we go.

What did I learn? I really have to have tons of respect for bad weather and fast moving water. We just are not in that much of a hurry. We will stay in port and let this stuff pass through. That will be important when we get to Lake Michigan, which is notorious for bad weather in September. So this was a good lesson.

Tomorrow we leave for Oswego, on the shore of Lake Ontario. We have two more locks to transit in the Erie Canal, then 8 locks in the Oswego Canal as it passes northwest up toward Lake Ontario. Oswego is our last US port. Then on Monday, weather permitting, we will cross the 48 miles of Lake Ontario from the south shore to the north shore to Kingston, Ontario. There we will clear into Canada, and begin to enjoy the Canadian summer. It is still very nice weather here with highs in the 80's. Winds are light, so we should have a good crossing.

My sister Gayle and her husband Mark flew into Montreal today for their own Canadian vacation. Good weather week for their visit.

This is the beginning of what we have hoped to be the highlight of our trip. Southern Ontario is wonderful in July and August. We plan to see a good piece of it over the next 5 weeks. But we still have 44 more locks to pass through from Lake Ontario to Lake Huron. Oh boy!! More later. Marc

A Peaceful Erie Canal

Much of the Erie Canal is really the Mohawk River. The projected bridge clearance throughout the Canal is projected to 21'. When you are approaching one, it looks much less. Rock Chalk needs 15', so we had no problems, but again the high water did damage to other boaters who had close clearances, and with high water they hit the bridges. But the water is beautiful, and there are mountains in the distance, so it is a wonderful scene. That is one of our bikes which are tied to the forward stanchion, you see in the photo. No Stella we are not riding our bikes on the water.....

The top two photos are Lock 17 on the Canal. Lock 17 raises you 40.5 ft. the highest lift in the New York Canal system. It is a cavern when you first come in. Look how tiny the tourists are at the rail at the top looking down on us. They really seem far away. The water rushes in from the bottom and pushes you over against the wall as you rise, so we have to have 5 fenders on the side of the boat to protect her. The walls of the lock are filthy, so the fenders get not only squashed and pulled, but they get really dirty. The second shot is the same lock after it fills, and we gently pull out of the lock at the new higher level of the canal.

So in the two days that it took to get to Lake Oneida in central New York, we went up 20 locks to an elevation of 420' above sea level, and then back down 3 more locks to the Lake. Once we are back in the water and continue on we have 7 more locks which drop us down to Lake Ontario. We hope to cross that lake by next Sunday, and then enter the Trent Severn Canal on the north shore, which is part of Ontario, Canada. It has 44 locks itself as it takes you up to over 600 ft. above sea level, then back down to Lake Huron. Huron is quite a bit higher than the lake it flows into, Lake Erie, and Erie flows over Niagara Falls some 100+ ft. down to Lake Ontario. We are simply taking a short cut northwest across southern Ontario provence to cut from Ontario to Huron, then on to Lake Michigan. (I know we all grew up in the Midwest, and know nothing about the Great Lakes geography).

I have to tell you that Shelley is quite the master at the Locks. She bought some bright yellow rubber gloves like what Mom used to wear washing the dishes every night. You know the ones that go clear up past your elbow. Yea you get the picture. As I said the ropes and walls in the locks are yucky. I would pull Rock Chalk into the lock and move toward the front gate as it looms over our head and stop at a line hanging down the wall. Shelley grabs that line and holds the front of the boat steady. I grab onto a line near the back of the boat and together we manage the boat as the water becomes our elevator.

Here is a hint. The back of the boat is a cinch. Not much pulling or movement back there, so my job is really easy. Shelley meanwhile is hanging on for dear life trying to keep the front from zinging off to the other side of the lock with the currents. She complained a little bit, but she really was a trooper, and did her job well. I wish Max, Leo and Rylee could have been on this part of the trip, as they would have been amazed at the locks. Sorry Leo, no shells in the locks, but you and Max would love the junk on the walls.

Hopefully, the next blog will be coming from Canada early next week. Marc

Ouch!!!!

That really did hurt. My last blog talked about the Class II rapids and incredible debris at Locks , 9, 10, and 11. I knew we had some type of tree stick in the port props. I had to reverse the engine to kick it out. Then for the rest of the day, I could tell there was a vibration and noise that was not the same.

Well, look what damage it can do. We limped into Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton NY, who had a 70 ton lift and an excellent mechanical staff. They pulled the boat within a half hour of arriving and you can see what we found. The log had knocked our strut over one inch, which the drive shaft runs through. That pulled the whole drive shaft over which ruined the cutlass bearings. Plus the props on both sides were pretty beat up.

So we are setting on the hard, and using this time to clean the boat, paint the bottom, and get some other stuff done on the boat that we needed. But it is hard to sit, when we feel like the clock is ticking on getting into Canada, then on to Lake Michigan before the inland hurricane's hit.

It will take another couple of days to get the props back, so we rented a car today to go exploring parts of New York that I have never seen. We are headed to Niagara Falls for a night, then back to the Finger Lakes of central NY. There are tons of winerys and bed and breakfasts to stay at, so we thought we would consume our next two nights with sight-seeing.

I will post another story, because it is not fair to the Erie Canal for the sudden rain that hit us and caused such turmoil. Once we were past the creeks that were flooding into the Mohawk River, it really is a beautiful piece of engineering. So stayed tuned. Marc

Incredible Engineering

In all the excitement yesterday, I failed to mention how incredible this canal is. From sea level at the Hudson River in Waterford, NY yesterday morning, we basically took the boat up to the top of a 30 story building over 15 locks and 60 miles. Pretty cool.

We are at 320 ft elevation now, with three more locks to go up before we start back down. We only go down to around 350 feet to Lake Ontario's elevation before we start back up in the Trent Severn canal in Canada. There we will reach the highest point in the world that you can reach with an ocean going boat. But that will be another blog in the next few weeks.

I love geography so this part of New York fascinates me. The creek that caught the 6 inches of rain two nights ago and caused us our problems yesterday, drains the north slope of the Adirondaks here in New York. That water flows into the canal, again the Mohawk River, and then on down to the Hudson. Just over the hill not too many miles south of this valley all the water flows southward to the Susquehannah River and its major tributaires. If you remember, I discovered from our trip in the Chesapeake Bay that 85% of all the water flow into the Chesapeake comes from the Susquehannah.

So this high ridge of mountains to my south is the "continental divide" between two major bodies of water covering a huge amount of the east coast of the US, the Hudson River valley and the Chesapeake Bay. Cool.

Many of you have driven west of Vail, Colorado on I-70. Remember the stretch west of Eagle where the Interstate follows a valley (the Eagle River) on its way to the mighty Colorado River just before it enters Glenwood Canyon. Remember that stretch of a river meandering, with a railroad right at its edge, and a local state highway on one side, and the interstate on the other side. All forms of transportation are funneled into this one major geographic highway through the mountains. These two valleys are very similar, and to think I can drive an ocean going boat through it, is incredible.

Once we reached Lock 12 yesterday, and were past the huge runoff, the canal became very calm, clear water, and just beautiful. It meanders between I-90 and NY highway 5, and a major CSX rail line all running west from Albany to the Great Lakes. In this stretch the river has not changed much. You do not hear the highway nor see it from the river. From there it is really easy to let your imagination take you back, not too many years, when this was the trade route for guys in canoes filled with fur, and the Indians that lived on its banks.

It is 60 degrees this morning, and clear skies as the sun comes up at 5:00 am. The high for the day will be in the low 80's with calm winds. I am thinking today will be special. Wish you were here. Marc

Terror on the Erie Canal

These look very peaceful don't they. Well this morning at 7:00 am the Erie Canal seemed very peaceful and beautiful. We were the first through the first lock at 7:00 am (are you surprised) and proceeded to go up 150 ft. in a few miles. All was good except I noticed the flotsam in Lock 3. In fact, it was so thick, that my port engine stopped right as we were coming into the lock. Now you do not have to be an experience captain to know that when you lose an engine at a critical moment, things are not good.

I knew I had picked up a big stick that had jammed itself in my prop. Every time I would put the engine in gear, it would die. Not good. Instantly, I remembered this episode of Deadliest Catch, you know those crazy guys who fish in the Bearing Sea in 70 ft waves. In one episode they wrapped a line around one of their props. What did the captain do....he put it in reverse, and voila!!!! Whatever was jamming my prop cleared and we had a port engine again. Whew. Well that was just the beginning.

It rained last night south of us. It rained alot. What I did not know is that this basin drained into the Erie Canal (the Mohawk River) where it rained 5 inches last night. This was the source of our problem. Lots of water coming down the river and picking up tons of debris.

Would you think that Shelley and I would stop? NOooooooo. "Let's see what the next lock is like" Well Lock 8 had Class II rapids moving crossways to enter the lock. You know how to land a plane in 50 mile an hour cross winds? Yes, just like me in Colby Ks in 1984 trying to meet and interview Shelley. It is a hair raising experience. Well, today rivaled that. I am trying to guide Rock Chalk, with a 20 ft. beam, into a 40 ft. wide lock, with a cross current of class II rapids right in front. Rock Chalk is an amazing boat with these twin engines that can give me so much control when I need it and I needed every inch. One lock keeper actually closed his eyes as he thought we were about to crash really hard into the side of the opening of Lock 10.

But the WORST, was Lock 9. Horrible cross currents were coming from the water rushing over the damn right by the lock. I mean the current was 90 degrees to our opening into the lock. But the worst part of Lock 9 was the 50 feet solid of debris, logs as big as a house, and small branches just 8 ft. long, but deadly to my props. So here we are, committed to entering the lock, and having to keep my speed to handle the cross current, faced with ramming through the debris. First the port engine caught a piece of wood. A quick reverse, dislodged it again. Then I lost my starboard engine, just as I was needing to back it to avoid hitting a wall. I yelled at Shelley to "FEND OFF". Later we laughed about it, as I was hoping she could stop a 13 ton vessel going fast at a wall, with a little boat hook????

Somehow the water took me left, and I was able to dislodge the branch in my starboard prop, and we entered the lock shaking. Shelley always said that she wanted to do this trip for some excitement in her life. Well, baby here it was today!!!

Lock 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 were various repeats of cross currents and debris. My friend Jay Carey would be proud of how we handled the cross current. But nothing was as bad as Lock 9, and each one gave me an adrenalin rush that I have not had since I was 20. After Lock 12, the upper locks returned to what you would think, which is an idyllic waterway, with beautiful scenery. That was the only time we were able to take photos. We are in St. Johnsville, NY in a beautiful little dock with 72 degree temperature, and absolutely drunk. Opps, this is a G rated blog.

We start again tomorrow at 7:00 am as we head for Lake Ontario. We are determined to get into Lake Huron by July 20th. Come Hell or High Water. Marc

The Hudson River

What a Transition. We have spent the last three months, and 2000 miles, exploring and bumping around the Atlantic Ocean. Everything up to this point has been coastal waters, and then you find the Hudson River. If you have been to northern Italy, Lake Como, then this is our Catskills rival. It is simply a beautiful river. That is why the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Roosevelts, and of course our own government built some of the most incredible mansions, hideaways, and one beautiful Military Academy....West Point.

Shana and the kids got in a cab for Newark airport on Wednesday morning 7/6. We had a ball for 10 days with the kids. But it was time for us to get movin. Shelley and I steered Rock Chalk out of the marina by the Statue, and headed north up the Hudson River. From the Statute of Liberty, the river takes you by one of the world's most impressive skylines. The rebuilding of the World Trade Center made me sad. What if we had been on the boat that fateful morning when that 767 roared over Liberty Landing Marina at full throttle and impaled itself into the second tower. What would that be like? But the new buildings are taking shape and it will be a beautiful campus.

Downtown soon passes and the high rises of midtown rise above the river and the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier not to dissimiliar than the Yorktown we toured in Charleston. In the slip right next to the Intrepid is the Queen Mary II getting ready for another crossing to London...a beautiful ship. Then you look up the river and think about that US Air Airbus 320 silently heading for your boat in the middle of the river. Yikes!!!! What would you do?

You pass by Columbia University on the Upper West side with its grand towers. Brother Scott lived and studied there for oh so many years, and enjoyed the view of the Hudson River. No wonder he is so smart. Then there is the George Washington Bridge crossing 18 miles up the river from the Verrazano Straits bridge at the very mouth of New York harbor. 18 more miles and you find the Tappan Zee Bridge, and 18 more is the Bear Mountain Bridge (attached in these photos), and so on until you get to Albany. Something about the Army wanted bridges every 18 miles.

We glided through Albany this morning in the fog. Ugly town...sorry. Ugliest capital building I have ever seen. And people say bad things about Topeka. At least Kansans and Texans know how to build a capital building.

Then out of the fog came a road sign. (See the photo) Honestly the first road sign for boaters, I have seen in over 2000 miles. In Troy New York you have to make a decision. Straight ahead the Hudson River carries you further north to Lake Champlain, and the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Turn right (as we did) and Lock #1 faces you 200 yrds up the Mohawk River as you start into the 329 mile long Erie Canal on your way to Buffalo New York and Lake Erie. Or you can turn in the Oswego Canal and drop into Lake Ontario and get to Canada that way. That is our route.

Tomorrow morning at 7:00 we will enter the first lock, which is a series of 5 actually. It is the highest gain in elevation in the shortest distance in the world. 5 locks, each ascending the boat 34 feet, each about 500 yds apart. The trip up the Hudson was beautiful with temperatures in the mid 80's. It is even nicer here in Troy, which I know is very annoying to all our friends in Kansas and Texas as you all endure the 100's and no rain. Come visit Rock Chalk. She likes cool weather. Canada here we come.... What a way to see the world. Marc

New York and the Fourth of July!!!!

Somehow did two shots of Rylee, but that is such a good photo, thought I would leave it Wow, what a week. Our daughter Shana, and her three children, Max (11), Leo (7), and Rylee (3) spent the last 10 days with us from Annapolis, Maryland to New York. We had a great time and the kids did great. They experienced the Chesapeake, Delaware Bay, the open Atlantic Ocean, and New York. We saw many of the sites of New York over the 4 days we were there. We were able to visit the New York Museum of Natural History, the Empire State building, Central Park, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the World Trade Center (as it rebuilds....very impressive), Soho, Columbus Avenue, Grand Central Station, and enough of the New York City subway system to make Max and Leo experts and getting around.

For me, the best part was taking Rock Chalk up into New York harbour, under the Verrizano Straits Bridge, and touring all of New York City by water in our own boat. We went by the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, then up the East River. We passed under the Brooklyn Bridge (so cool), the Manhattan Bridge, and up to the United Nations (the building looks like it is falling down....just a political comment, but it looks horrible). Then back down the East river and around the battery and up the Hudson. We saw the lower end of Manhattan with Ground Zero so apparent and the rebuilding of the new buildings. Then over to the New Jersey shore to Liberty Landing Marina, our home for 4 days.

We get so caloused as adults. Sometimes you have to be 7 again and see the world through Leo's eyes, and it is amazing. He is an amazing kid, as are all the Wurth children. Leo understands it all and was in awe. He loved the Empire State building, and the Statue of Liberty. The museums were great, and he loved New York from a very simple viewpoint. Lots of people, hot subways, too much walking, but yet he thought it was all neat. I hope that Rylee remembers some of this trip, but I really think it made a great impression on Max as well. These kids constantly bring us adults back to what is important, and this week was full of much of that.

We put Shana and the three kids in a cab back to Austin this morning, and Shelley and I took Rock Chalk up the Hudson River past more of New York. We saw the Navy aircraft carrier, Intrepid, which is a great visit, much like the Yorktown in Charleston. Right next to it, is the Queen Mary 2 getting ready for a return voyage to London. You have to admit, that New York has it all.

The Hudson River is beautiful north of the city. The 500 ft. high cliffs above the river on the west side are breath taking. We are still in salt water even though we are 5o miles north of the ocean. We will still be in salt water until we go through the first lock in the river 100 miles further north. All in all, it is incredible to see this part of the world from the ocean and river. Now we head north to the Erie Canal, and Lake Ontario by next weekend. This will be fun. Marc

Grandkids on a Boat

Have I told you how much fun it is to be in a small place for 6 days with your three grandkids, who are sometimes bored, and refuse to be interested in all my lectures about the ocean, waves, diesel engines, weather forecasts, navigation software, and making a boat a clean boat, which we all know is a happy boat, and a happy boat is a safe boat.

No, they do not seem so interested in all those wonderful topics. What to eat is good. How long will it be before we reach our next port is always a question near and dear to their heart. When can we get the dinghy down off the davits and run around in it? Is there a beach nearby? All these things we have done over this last week. In fact, Shelley and I have been to a beach every day since the Wurth family arrived, and it has been great. New Jersey is big on beaches, but their idea of sand is warped. If you can avoid the trash on the beach, and the small rocks, sea weed, dead animals, it is really pretty.

Seriously we have had fun with Shana and the three grandkids. I ran them hard today and we put them to bed wet. Almost 10 hours out in the Atlantic