Quiet Days are Good

The Emita left the harbor in Cleveland at 7am Tuesday headed for Sandusky, Ohio.  This day was purposely designed in the trip to be shorter than the rest for 2 reasons:  1) to get the boat positioned in Sandusky to be able to leave early for Detroit as the current in the Detroit River was a concern and 2) to give the crew a break.  Traveling this fasion is somewhat difficult (especially when I believe the youngest crew member is 55!) and being able to dock and take a break is good for everyone.  This trip is a marathon, not a sprint!

Many people have asked about accommodations and where the crew is staying. The Emita is a tour boat and built for maximum passenger space, tables and serving food and drinks, not sleeping. So where does the crew sleep?  Aboard!  The Captain has his own quarters.  This is the same area for storage of tools, extension cords, oil filters and the like.  But there is some privacy and with an air mattress and sleeping bag it's not too bad.  You can see the Captain's cabin in the first picture on today's blog.

The rest of the crew sleeps on the dining room floor.  Each has an air mattress and sleeping bag.  Steve Wunder calls his area the "Between the Barrels Bed and Breakfast" because his mattress is nestled between to storage barrels.  In the back corner you can see the dinner table.  It should be noted there is no heat on the boat, and spending the night on a steel boat in cold water can be chilly!  But I'm told it's much warmer at night in the Marinas then out on the Lake.  The water temperature off Cleveland was 50 degrees.

But there is running water and two heads (bathrooms), and a very large galley (kitchen) equipped with a freezer, refrigerator, microwave, hot plates and coffee maker, so there are some "perks".  Actually the coffee maker is Dan and mine from home and we don't drink coffee, so poor Duane had to endure many attempts at getting the coffee drinkable in the morning before it was good!  There is no Starbucks out on the Lake!

Back to the trip!  Passage on Lake Erie was again very good.  Minimal winds and waves allowed for good time.  After about 7 hours after leaving Cleveland the Emita docked at the Marina in Sandusky.  (Please note a short day is 7 hours on the water...the normal days have been 10-12 hours!)

Photo by Duane Morton

Because of the early docking the crew was able to do laundry, take extra long showers, call home, cook dinner and regenerate a bit before starting again tomorrow.  The trip has been very good so far, but full of unknowns, so being able to rest and relax is important.

Photo by Duane Morton

The sunset in Sandusky was beautiful - the perfect end to a quiet, good day.  Heading off Lake Erie to Detroit tomorrow!