Thanks! I get off to a slow start; you might want to skip the first 5 minutes or so. But I think there's good info in the rest. You be the judge. More cruising videos to come!

Gorgeous day! I've had very nice weather here. Glad to be done with the loop and moving on to the next thing.

Thanks! As you’ll see when you make the trip, the pace is slow!

Thanks! You know that most of my helicopter videos are on my flying channel: FlyingMAir Only my early stuff is here.

I had to rehome her after 10 years. I miss her, but I travel too much to have a bird.

@@MariaLangerI understand- we couldn't live without our guys - a difficult decision I'm sure - but they do need a lot of attention

I honestly don't see a difference if I use them or not. I need to talk to some folks at the Ranger Rendezvous next month to make sure I'm using them correctly.

Thanks so much! I try to make my videos educational and skip the hype. I didn't stop at Midland, but I did go through Georgian Bay. I love the area -- best cruising of the Loop. I'll be back one day, maybe as soon as 2026. I'm near Mackinaw Island now, heading into Lake Michigan tomorrow.

I actually created my own based on one I'd been using. I added fields I wanted and removed fields I didn't want or need. (Like second engine-related fields.) I actually blogged about it here; there's a link in the post for a PDF: mygreatloopadventure.com/2024/01/logging-your-cruising-days/

I think I might have covered that in a blog post or maybe the video narrative? The Dismal Swamp was closed for another week and I couldn't wait. Poor planning on my part.

I remember feeling how spooky that boat was with its mast sticking out of the water. Thanks for watching!

I definitely drop anchor as often as I can. One of these days, I'm going to do a write up or video about some of my favorite anchorages along the way.

@@MariaLanger Excellent. Thanks for the reply. I think it would be fun to anchor up and be somewhat self sufficient...cook dinner, breakfast, etc. On generator power and leave anchorage on your schedule.

It's great, especially with the perfect anchorage -- and there are plenty out there. But if you do it more than just occasionally, you should consider solar power and conserving electricity so you don't have to listen to (or depend on) a generator. I have no generator on board and only 160 watts of solar power, but my four house batteries can last three nights at anchor. The batteries are recharged in full when I cruise 3+ hours, so it's possible to anchor all the time if I just cruise from one anchorage to another every 2-3 days. Doubling my solar or adding a wind generator would keep me powered longer.

I will do a video about that in the future. I have the ability to display my chart plotter on a mobile device and will do videos where I record my tracks and things like that. It's on my list. I just don't have the time lately to edit video! I'm still traveling.

Thanks! I really enjoyed my visit there.

@@MariaLanger You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that you and the pups enjoyed it🙏🏾

Thanks! I really needed to do SOMETHING. I was lucky to be able to make what I already had work.

I liked Lambs Marina. The showers were great. And that catering deli across the road was awesome. I sure wish I could have gone through the dismal swamp again.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much 😊

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much. I have so much footage I need to edit into videos. I'll probablly be working on them straight through Christmas!

How cool is that!

Kind of. You can take your dog to the beach facing the anchorage. There are no signs. There are No Dog signs for the paths to the ocean beach. A lot of folks ignore them. No matter where you bring your dog to shore, PLEASE pick up its poop! Poop on trails is one of the reasons No Dogs signs go up.

Now I have to watch the video to remember what I said. Your pronunciation guide is pretty clear. Thanks!

@@MariaLanger you’re welcome. I live right up the road from the CoinJock Marina. You have to try the Prime Rib. lol.

@@johnmichaeliii2281 The best!!

@@chrisculpen9205 sure is.

I tried it twice. It did not impress me. Sorry! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks very much. I'm working on a way to feed one of my nav displays to my iPad (via Active Captain) and capture it there for inclusion in the video as an inset. I think some viewers might find it interesting. I don't expect to get that up and running until September, though. I'll be cruising in Puget Sound and perhaps Desolation Sound then.

Speed is highly dependent on current, so it's hard to nail down. I do occasionally log performance info. Here's some from the Erie Canal and Trent-Severn Waterway which have small, variable currents: 1510 RPM 6.4 kts 1.6 gph 1810 RPM 7.3 kts 2.7 gph 2010 RPM 7.9 kts 3.9 gph 2220 RPM 8.1 kts 5.3 gph 2400 RPM 8.6 kts 6.6 gph 3000 RPM 12 kts 11.4 gph Oddly, although I've been going slower lately, I haven't been recording performance data. So this is the best I can give you. Maybe it's something I could do a video on. I'd have to grab chartplotter data with my iPad. Let's see what I can do. My engine is a Volvo Penta D4 300. I think they're currently using the 320 engine, which I believe gets better performance. I hope this helps!

@@MariaLanger Thanks a ton, Maria! I like real world data as I’m doing research on a couple boats. I’m easily two years out unless I get a 30yr old boat and hope for the best. That’s not really my style, lol. I’m at a stand-off between an older Nordic 32, which usually comes with a Cummins 5.9, or the Ranger 29 or 31. 31 ideally. My gf is 6’1 so extra space is nice 😂. Those numbers are very close to the 320 stats which is nice to know, fuel is the biggest expense so I need to have good data. The Cummins at 3000rpm shows a 20GPH burn, way too much. Although the newer Nordics are now using the D4 240, they’re really expensive. Kinda out of reach for me. The Nordic hit my radar due to the larger beam and living quarters. Anyway, thank you kindly for your reply! It’s appreciated. I’m trying really hard to ‘do it now’ thanks to watching your videos. Stay well out there! 🙏

I’m with you. I don’t want an older boat either. I’d rather pay for repairs up front by buying a boat new enough that it shouldn’t need many. But every once in a while, a pampered boat comes up for sale. Worth keeping an eye out for. Good luck!

@@MariaLanger I agree 100%!

THANK YOU.

What's the issue? Is it automatically unsubscribing you? That's not good!

@@MariaLanger yes. It’s happening on other channels too.

No, there are no blowers on diesel engines -- at least not on mine. That's a gasoline engine thing and, to my knowledge, is very important to do before starting, especially after refueling. (Maybe someone else reading this with more first-hand knowledge could provide more info.) Interestingly, in the Trent-Severn Waterway, where I am now, all locks advise inboard gasoline engines to keep their blowers running in the lock, even though we're all supposed to lturn our engines off.

I'm glad you find the videos helpful. I have so much footage I haven't edited yet; I suspect there will be lots of videos covering the earlier parts of my trip. For now, I'm trying to put out videos of my more recent travels. With the improved audio setup, I think they'll be a lot better.

I really do need to try to keep more of my videos short.That's easier to do with things I see along the way than cruise videos. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!

Agreed! I think it must have been designed specifically for this waterway.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks! It was pretty bad before I got the mic setup. Sorry!

Thanks for watching!

I’m retired now. I still have lots of helicopter footage and when I have some spare time at home, I’ll likely put together a few more videos for the channel. I was really hoping to get channel subscriber count up to 100,000 there but at this point it doesn’t look likely.

Having two engines pretty much makes thrusters unnecessary - at least for askilled captain. But you’re using about twice as much fuel and have twice as much maintenance. I personally have no desire for a twin engine boat. Of course, once a boat gets to a certain size, it needs two engines for propulsion. I also don’t want a boat that big. Bigger boats are more costly to park, because they charge by the foot, and they are limited and where they can go. A good example is the boat that went through the locks with me at Waterford, Journey. That’s a huge boat - nearly twice the length of mine - and its air draft alone causes problems when getting under bridges. Smaller and simpler is better for any kind of solo boating or boating with passive passengers.

That might be true but things can go wrong. I lost my Stern thruster the other day in the Trent-Severn waterway. Apparently something got into the protective covering and when I used the thruster I stripped all the blades off the prop in there. 😳 It’s been nearly a week and I’m still waiting for the part and repair. I’ve gotten very good at doing locks without a stern thruster, though.🤣

That’s it in a nutshell. There’s nothing fast about locking. And it’s even slower and more laid back in Canada - but somehow a bit more pleasant, too.