Reflections

Well, that was a different sailing season than we expected. It all started with getting some maintenance done on various boat systems. Every system had something that needed to be done. All in anticipation of the great sailing adventure of 2025, and while all of the work on the boat was completed, our plans quickly changed. When it became clear that I needed to have surgery, we quickly had to obtain a slip for the summer, as we had planned to launch and sail away without need for a ‘permanent’ slip for the season. Marcia did a great job of keeping you informed, and on my side, it just seemed like a long ‘No, wait, hold my beer’. First, the abdominal aortic aneurysm freaked me out. I had heard about them, and they’re not good news. Next came the flailing mitral valve, and…

We survived! It was big, it was scary, and it was necessary. I'm happy to report that Harold's heart surgery went "according to plan" and after a short stay in the hospital, he is home. I'm not gonna lie, this was hard. I listened to his heart and following the surgery, it sounds like lub dub, lub dub, lub dub rather than whoosh whoosh, whoosh whoosh, whoosh whoosh. We are looking forward to returning to Reflection. We'll be back on board when Harold can walk 30 minutes and be able to "hang on" and gets the Dr. permission. Initially we will need some extra hands on deck to help with sailing. Shoot us a message if you'd like to join us for a gentle sail on Lake Muskegon or Lake Michigan later this summer. Harold celebrating a week out of surgery with a…

That's what we are learning about. Most of our previous repair experiences have been - and no great surprise - on sailboats. From bilge pumps to wind vanes, hoses to prop shafts, and everything in between. And if you know Harold, he can repair anything! “If you can’t repair it, maybe it shouldn’t be on board.” —Lin and Larry Pardey Unfortunately, the mitral valve is not a DIY project. We have done our research and have found the best team to work on the repair. We met with Dr. Romano at Cardiac Center in Ann Arbor yesterday and have set the ball rolling to get Harold's mitral valve repaired or replaced.  We are very pleased with the team who will guide us through the surgery and recovery. He had a blood draw yesterday and scheduled a Cardiac Cath on Monday, June 30.  This will…

May 20, 2025 Over the last month, we have done a lot of routine maintenance and some upgrades to Reflection so that we could cruise all summer. I retired from the Southside Community Kitchen as of April 1 and we had plans to sail unhindered by a schedule and to go where the wind and weather were favorable. Our hope was to explore the North Channel, anchoring out, hiking, and enjoying the wilderness. We especially wanted to revisit South Manitou Island and to spend more time enjoying the beautiful anchorage and hiking the island. One of the things we loved last year was visiting all of the amazing farmer's markets - Frankfort and Northport provided most of our produce. Our dreams for this summer did not include finding out last week that Harold has a severely prolapsed mitral valve with regurgitation that requires…

Sleeping aboard a boat comes with unique night noises depending on wind, waves, and swing of the boat. During the day we don't notice the various creaking lines, slapping halyards, tapping snap fasteners, and squawking squeaks. Apparently the cue for these unsettling noises to start, is the moment you turn off the lights and start to nod off. "What's that sound?" is the predominate conversation, quickly followed by an anchor check to make sure no dragging is happening. Then settling down again, starting to nod off there is a tap tap tapping sound followed by a thump thump thumping sound, then a swing of the boat followed by a moan of the snubber line. On a calm night in a protected anchorage the noises are much less, maybe a lapping of a wave against the hull. The noises once identified are something we…

"You deserve it" the words are meant to encourage, affirm and congratulate rang hollow in my ears. In 2023, "out of the blue" we purchased the sailboat of our dreams a Catalina 350. The boat that will serve us well and safely for our "senior years" afloat. The truth is we've gotten older and we realize that Arcturus a 1976 Cal 2-27 no longer is a vessel we can take on our next sailing adventures. Arcturus has given us so many great sails and good times. She is sturdy, reliable and seaworthy. We are the ones who have changed. We recognize we will soon need good modern systems and modern comforts to do the type of sailing we want to do in the future. I do not believe "we deserve this". So many good kind hearted people live lives of desperation and they…