Coda

With Carrie Rose carefully tucked away it was time to return home. But home is some 350 miles from Mackinaw City, MI. What to do? Well after checking trains, planes and automobiles we decided to ask Marion and Jim if their offer to pick us up was still on. They spent many decades cruising from the Detroit area and then from Chicago to the North Channel in several sailboats, the last being a very fast Beneteau 38. It was unlike any boat I had ever sailed and it was hard for me to give up the wheel when given the chance to sail her.

They agreed and then the logistical nightmare began. The main conundrum being how much stuff could we pack into the trunk of a Subaru Impreza. I was not sure how big the trunk is but I knew it was smaller than our Outback. We tried to plan accordingly as we chose what to take home.

Cruising is an activity that demands practicality and logic, and is not forgiving if either is ignored. Thus over our last two seasons on Carrie Rose not only have our waistlines shrunk, but so has our need for most of the paraphernalia we have lugged around since 2003. When we wear two t-shirts and the same pair of shorts for the entire summer why do we need drawers full of them. When I have not used a book, chart, or electronic gadget why is it on the boat. This train of thought can be applied to anchors, pots and pans, dishes and glass wear, cleaning supplies, and every type of attachment attached to the outside of the boat.

Bag after bag came off the boat. Some to the dumpster and some into the back of a vehicle lent to us after two other cruising friends heard the volume of gear we needed to move to the motel. They took pity on us and gave us the keys to their car. To make matters worse we kept forgetting Charlotte's rock collection! We anxiously awaited the arrival of our friends. Would it all fit?

Truer friends it would be hard to find. With alacrity they came with one small bag between them. Thank goodness they did so because it all just fit. We piled into the car, which was now very low in the aft and headed for the wine country known as Lake Michigan Shore in the southern Michigan.

A few carefully negotiated speed bumps and over 800 miles later we arrived home. That is after visiting a farmer’s market, several vineyards, a wine tasting and having a wonderful dinner at Tabor Hill Winery.

It was good to be home. We were both surprised how noisy it was; how congested it was; how the air was not so sweet and the sky not so blue. And it took us a few days to realize we did not have Carrie Rose to escape to—so we left. But that is another story . . .