2014 Florida Delivery Trip

GREAT LAKES ROUTE
TOTAL DISTANCE GRAND MARAIS, MN TO BUFFALO, NY 813.1 NM

This is the 8th season for Dash since I purchased the boat in Newport, RI in 2007. The boat now sails by the name Nietverdient and will soon be underway on a delivery trip to Indiantown, Florida for the new owners.  I will be doing most of the sailing solo.  

We made the crossing to Grand Marais on June 30 with a real threat of ice on Lake Superior. As we came down the hill to Union Bay we saw that it was filled with flow ice. Fortunately for us this bay is 13 miles west of the Ontonagon harbor entrance. The route to Grand Marais, MN was clear of ice and the crossing was uneventful.  

Grand Marais is being used as a staging port for the trip to Florida. Departure from Grand Marais is scheduled for July 1st, weather permitting.  

The first leg will be one of the longest at 76 NM from GM to the Upper Entrance of the Keweenaw Waterway. The new owner's insurance restricts solo navigation to the time between sunrise and sunset each day.  It just so happens that on July 1st this time period is 15.6 hrs and the estimated travel time is 15.2 hrs. Very close! Fortunately, legs will not be that long for the rest of the trip and should not be a problem.  As I get closer to the end of the trip in Florida the time will dwindle to 11 hours.

I will be sailing the boat solo through the Great Lakes to Buffalo, NY with a scheduled arrival of August 2nd.  The new owners will take over the leg through the Erie Canal and down the Hudson River to NYC while I fly home for a three week break. 

On August 22nd I fly to NYC to rejoin the vessel.  The owners will then fly home and I will continue the journey to Florida. Expected arrival at Indiantown, FL is October 25th. 

Follow the delivery trip via this blog, live satellite tracking, an electronic log w/track, and audio & video tweets through links on the Dash web site at http://dashthecat.com/.