Since beginning the Big Trip, Chicago has now been the place we’ve stayed in the longest and for good reason – there is so much to see and do! Two weeks ago, we pulled into our slip at Montrose Marina, located on the northern end of Lincoln Park. Today we started the next big leg of our trip – the inland rivers that will lead us to salt water! Tonight, we passed through the Thomas J. O’Brien lock and are right now tied up to a barge on the Illinois River. As I type this my two guys are doing the dishes from our yummy celebratory steak dinner!

My last blog left off the day before we set sail to Holland. Jas and I pulled anchor at about 5:00 AM as Dylan continued to slumber in his berth. It was a good thing we left early as it was a 78 nautical mile trip that day. By the time Holland began to come into view, Starship was absolutely soaring down following seas! The waves were the biggest we have had yet! Starship and the autohelm handled the waves perfectly but I was starting to get a bit concerned about what it was going to be like to turn into the waves when it came time to take the mainsail down. As we made our approach, we were seeing wind gusts of 27 knots and I was really not wanting to turn to head straight into those massive waves. Jas did try to get the main down while we were running but, as expected, that did not work. I had no choice but to helm us into the wind and waves. Jas tethered himself and went forward as I brought us quickly into the wind to avoid having the big waves sideways to us. Dylan did a great job on the main halyard letting the sail down for Jas and before I knew Jas gave me the nod to turn us back around to continue our run in the channel. Now just under motor, it was a bit more challenging to helm but before we knew it, we were enjoying the calm waters of the channel. I remember feeling really proud of how the three of us handled Starship in those conditions and I loved having that sense of confidence.

Holland was a great place for us to buy the supplies we needed to do mast work and enjoy more time with Fika. Using our dingy as our ‘car equivalent’ we conveniently would head up Lake Macatawa to get us within walking distance to many of the places we needed to go. A big priority for us was to get the supplies we would need to wrap our mast in order to prepare it for shipping…but more about that later! Our last day in Holland was the best! That day Alison, Ewan and Gwynnie from Fika scooped up Dylan to take him for the day to head to the library, lunch and a great place to play various boardgames. That night we were all invited over to Fika for a fun evening of dinner and drinks before we parted ways again for a little while knowing our wakes would soon cross again.

After almost a week in Holland we set sail for Michigan City, our last stop before arriving in Chicago. After another full day on the water, we got into the marina at sunset. As we lined up for our slip, we saw people making their way down to kindly catch our lines. Michigan City Marina is quite the party marina! We enjoyed chatting our way down the dock and were surprised to see how done up the dock was. Boaters decorated their slips with lights, décor, bar tables and we even saw a hot tub on the dock! Before we left the next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at a recommended spot just by the marina.

September 24^th was an exciting day for us as that day we saw the towering Chicago city skyline come into view as we crossed the bottom part of Lake Michigan! We were officially ending our journey down the Great Lakes and beginning a new chapter in the Big Trip story! Through the magic of Facebook, Jas had made a connection that led us to securing a slip in Montrose Marina as well as a welcoming dock dinner upon our arrival! That night we met Captain William, his wife, Laura, Joe, Sexy Ken and his wife Deb for festivities on A Dock. A group we enjoyed seeing several more times throughout our time in Chicago. Captain William is the funder of an organization called No Salt Sailing. He created it as a place for Veterans and their families to learn to sail. Click the following link to hear his story and learn more about this incredibly venture promoting positive mental and physical well-being! https://nosaltsailing.org/ Through No Salt Sailing we also had the pleasure of getting to know Captain Jon and Captain Miguel!

We were eager to check out this big city but first there was work to get done! We had to leave Montrose Marina for a few days to head down to Crowley’s Yacht Yard in order to get our mast taken down. There were going to be many fixed bridges as we made our way down the rivers to the Gulf of Mexico so this was a necessary task. Approaching Crowley’s, we had our first experience radioing in to request bridge openings. The first of the two bridges did not answer us at first so that was a bit unsettling but before we knew it the sirens were going off as we watched the arms slowly start lifting up for us. The second bridge followed close behind and it was quite the famous bridge! It was the one from the legendary Blues Brothers movie!

The following day, rain delayed operations but by noon we were standing on the dock watching the most important part of Starship carefully get lifted and taken off. All went smoothly and we soon got to work wrapping it in preparation for it to be shipped to Mobile, Alabama where we will have a much anticipated rendezvous with it at the end of November. We could’ve done the trip down the river system with the mast propped up on deck but that really is not ideal. We have lots of faith in the professional shipping company that will be trucking it south for us but we couldn’t resist the urge to put a luggage tracking tag on it so that we could follow its journey!

On our last night at Crowley’s, we enjoyed a seafood dinner from Calumet Fisheries – the restaurant that hosted the movie crew while the Blues Brothers movie was filmed. That night we ate our supper in the cockpit as we watched the bridge scene from the movie! Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTOg4aYGtd

Our motor from Crowley’s back to Montrose Marina was absolutely miserable. We concluded that was the worst day of the Big Trip so far. With big waves and without the weight of the mast, we rolled heavily as we did the three-hour motor. In hindsight, we should’ve turned back but we didn’t. That decision resulted in some unfortunate incidents. Bad things come in threes, right?! Well number one happened when Dylan and I looked at each other and urgently both said ‘what smells like gas?’! Along our life lines we have several jerry cans lined up for diesel and gasoline and, unfortunately, we did not secure one of the gas cans properly. Of course, it was the one with the lid that leaked! With the mast down we had our sails bagged and tied down to the deck and when the gas can went over it soaked our mainsail! We did our best to temporarily resolve the situation as we continued to get hammered hard by the waves. Unfortunate incident number two happened when our handheld VHF radio that Jas had clipped to his life jacket snagged and flipped itself into the water when Jas went to adjust something rubbing on the dinghy. Knowing it would float for a bit, we circled back and searched for almost an hour with no success. Continuing on, our third bad thing happened when poor Dylan got jolted by a wave hitting the boat causing him to whack his shoulder pretty hard. By then the three of us were absolutely done and were just staying focused on our desire to get back to Montrose. Finally there, we pulled the sail off the deck to wash it with soap and water on the dock which fortunately worked nicely!

As soon as the sail was taken care of, we quickly headed off for much needed showers as another Facebook acquaintance, Denise, was on her way to pick us up! In Jason’s search for a marina in Chicago he had connected with Denise and she graciously wanted to give us a tour of the city! Nicely showered, us three mentally shook off the events of the afternoon and before we knew it Denise was at our boat! She is a fellow sailor working towards her captain’s license. She lives in Chicago and is very proud of her home city. Our first stop was Giordano’s downtown for deep dish pizza! The restaurant was very loud but I was happy that it was not too loud that we couldn’t follow conversation as we got to know each other. Before we knew it, the most amazing pizza of my life was placed in the middle of the table. That experience definitely ruined regular pizza for me!

Us three were very tired by the time we stepped out of Giordano’s with full bellies but we absolutely loved the walk about tour of downtown that Denise led us on. Chicago is a beautiful city, especially all lit up at night!

The following days in the windy city were busy ones as we settled into the role of tourists aiming to take in as much as we could during our stay. We enjoyed more time with our friends on A dock and they kindly invited Dylan to crew with them when they did their trip to Crowley’s to pull out one of their boats. Captain Will and Laura also have a son, Kia who is only a year older than Dylan! Perfect! Dylan and Kia had a blast swimming together and one night they took Dylan with them for a night of go-carting, burgers and arcades!

One thing that is huge about the liveaboard lifestyle is getting used to not having typical conveniences that were such a big part of our life back home. Not having a car is a biggie. As mentioned earlier when we were in Holland, our dinghy really does the trick in some situations but it was not going to be the answer for us to get around Chicago. We were going to have to get really familiar with the Chicago bus system and that worked out terrific for us. Loading up our Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) passes, Jas took the lead navigating us through the city day after day.

We knew that Navy Pier was a must see here so that was our first big outing on our own into downtown. It was one of many great Chicago nights for the three of us! I can’t recall what we were up to earlier that day but we were not organized to get going until about 3:00 that afternoon but that gave us lots of time to take it all in. There were tons of little shops to check out and soon we were enjoying dinner at the Margaritaville restaurant. Jas and I had been to one of Jimmy Buffett’s restaurant years ago in the Caymen Islands so we knew what to expect – mediocre food in an awesome looking venue. Our experience at the one at Navy Pier was exactly that and we all really enjoyed it!

The Centennial Wheel is a common attraction and we see why…it soars 200 feet into the air and was quite the sight to see from the water! Tickets were pricy so we quickly decided to give it a miss and keep the $60 in our pocket. That decision was reinforced when we saw the multi-hour-long line up to get on it. No worries as they had other rides and Dylan had never been to an amusement park! That was one of the ‘check boxes’ for the Big Trip and Dylan was super excited (and a bit nervous) as we made our way to the Wave Swinger. He absolutely loved it and all three of us were relieved that we did not see a reoccurrence of his Margaritaville ‘cheeseburger in paradise’! We strolled down the pier with ice creams in hand as the sun set and the lights of Chicago’s downtown started to sparkle in the distance. That night also set our minds at ease. Returning to our marina in the dark by bus we felt very comfortable safety-wise. As we made our way down Lake Michigan this summer, we were warned a few times about the crime in Chicago so we were a bit unsure of what to expect. We were careful and tried to stay in the better parts of the city during our stay in Chicago but felt perfectly safe during our trips into downtown. Unfortunately, though, yesterday while on our boat, we heard multiple gunshots close by followed by sirens. That was freaky. It looks like the shots came from the area we walk though frequently to either get to the bus or the local grocery store.

So this past week has been ‘field trip week’ at Starship Middle School! We began by going to the Science and Industry Museum. That morning, Captain William kindly picked us up and we headed off to drop off his sails followed by lunch in Chinatown. He then dropped us off at the museum where we spent our day taking in as much as we could. We feel that place really deserves two days to truly appreciate but we did our best. The first exhibit we did was called the Blue Paradox. It is very accurately described as ‘a powerful, immersive look into the ocean plastic crisis’. Emotionally amazing is the best way I can describe it. On multiple trips south, we have seen ocean reefs diminishing. Sailing the coast of Haiti a few years ago, Jas and I saw first hand the plastic and garbage overcoming many shorelines. This exhibit perfectly illustrated how plastic use in daily life has had its advantages but has also created a massive pollution problem. It then outlined the powerful need for awareness and action needed in order for change to happen. Parts of it were tough to take in and we left that area of the museum feeling like we needed a hug.

There were so many amazing exhibits to see but the icing on the cake was the U-505 submarine tour! We had to buy special tickets for that and I am so glad we did. Influenced by my dad, I have always loved submarine war movies and I was in absolute awe as I walked through an actual German submarine as I did my best to imagine the amazingly brave men who served on it. My dad, back home in Winnipeg, loves museums and that day I really wished he was by my side as we walked through it. As a school project we had Dylan write a mini report on it and then he FaceTimed with my dad and step-mom to present it.

In our ever-present attempts to connect to boats with kids, that day we were in touch with the family that soon will also be heading down the inland rivers. Earlier in the day we loosely made plans for us to pop by their marina on our way home from the museum. We knew they had two boys on board aged 11 and 12 so we hoped to make a fun connection with them! Before we knew it, we were up on their fly deck, enjoying a cold beer as we got to know Maureen, Ryan, and their boys, Will and Dallin. Another awesome connection! They have just recently purchased and moved onto their beautiful Grand Banks boat called Surprise. That night we all headed up to the marina restaurant to enjoy the outdoor, live music. The musician that night sang and played guitar very similar to the way Alex plays. Shortly after we found our way to our table, Dylan was up talking the musician asking him to play Billie Jean (version by The Civil Wars). The guy sang and played it almost exactly how Dylan’s big brother plays it!

Day two of field trip week found us meeting up with Maureen and the boys at the Shedd Aquarium Chicago. The aquarium was fantastic but it had big shoes to fill after our experience at the Science and Industry Museum! It was a great day though. First stop was the Stingray Touch where we could touch stingrays as they glided playfully past us. For me, I loved the beluga whales and dolphins but know I will be much happier seeing them in their natural environments soon during our travels on the oceans.

After we had our fill at the aquarium, we found ourselves back up on the fly deck of Surprise. The marina was hopping and we enjoyed many very colourful conversations with boats passing by. That night led to our second deep dish pizza experience as we ordered delivery to their boat. We tried Lou Malnati’s and I was able to weigh in on the big Giordano’s vs. Lou Malnati’s rivalry. Hands down my vote is for Giordano’s! Loved them both but the crust for Gio’s won me over!

Day 3 of field trip week we needed to catch our breath! The boat (and us) needed attention so we changed our plans and took the day to chill. Later, though, Dylan had plans to go with Captain Will, Laura, Kia and Ava to go go-carting and to the arcade. That gave Jas and I an opportunity for a much-needed date night! Right by the marina was the beachside restaurant ‘The Dock at Montrose Beach’. I enjoyed an authentic beef taco with homemade salsa and tons of cilantro while Jas had a yummy burger! My taco combined with my Corona topped with lime made me feel like we were in Mexico as we looked out at the water. We went for a long walk along the beach after and later we enjoyed having Captain Will and Laura back on the boat as Dylan excitedly told us about his fun evening!

The next day we were off to Lincoln Park Zoo to meet up with Maureen, Will and Dallin!

Later that evening we had a group back onto Starship! It’s so great that Dylan has had so many opportunities to connect with kids his age so far on this trip!

Our sister-in-law, Julie, is a teacher and yesterday we did a Teams meeting with her class! Each student was prepared with a question for us about life on Starship. It was so great for Dylan to interact with a classroom his age and we really enjoyed talking with them all. The idea is to do something like that on a regular basis as we go and we love that idea!

Chicago has been absolutely amazing but we are missing some of the quieter times we had on the Great Lakes. We expect we will find that again on our trip down the rivers. We also hope to connect with some of the amazing Loopers as we all aim our bows south to the salt water.  I know this next chapter in our journey will not disappoint!

We will be celebrating both the Canadian and American Thanksgiving this year! Jason’s parents flew to Nova Scotia to celebrate Thanksgiving with Alex at the Coast Guard College and this weekend my family will be having a turkey dinner together. This is our first Thanksgiving away from home and our hearts will miss our loved ones. At the same time, we will enjoy our turkey dinner on the boat as we talk about how happy we are for this incredible experience as a family together. We have so much to be thankful for!

In the morning Jason will set our next course on the chart plotter. I believe we go through another set of locks tomorrow. We already feel like we have broken away from the hustle and bustle of the city marina and it feels so good. We will miss the wonderful people we got to know in Chicago but life will quiet down a bit for us for awhile. It’s back to just the three of us again and I love it!