Thanks to everyone who has offered advice on the Great Lakes and
canals. I've decided though that the boat is coming to Maine on a
truck. Family reunions, graduations, and other commitments make the
schedule very tight and complicated. A heavy rain closing the Erie
Canal for the wrong few days could destroy the summer. When I add up
fuel, airfare, boat storage, canal fees, etc., trucking suddenly doesn't
look nearly so expensive.

Trucking also means the boat can be here in Maine for nearly two
months of tinkering and going over while the kids are still in school.
We can start serious cruising without pressure in a boat I know
thoroughly and the kids have had some experience on.

This doesn't mean giving up on adventure. Some of the finest cruising
grounds in the world start at our doorstep. Just beyond them is
another country that the family has never seen. For the same time and
commitment level as getting this boat from Detroit, we can sail to
islands that consider Jacques CHIRAC of France to be their president.

Now, any Nova Scotia or Newfoundland cruisers in this group?

--

Roger Long