Marriage Savers

We have not even officially started The Great Loop trip and already I am airing our dirty laundry…Thus far the most difficult issue that Mark and I have encountered in boating (and in life) is in the area of communication. To be blunt, I have a severe hearing loss and Mark mumbles. I do have hearing aides which I wear at times, but I must admit not as often as I should. I have tried wearing my hearing aides when we have taken the boat out in the past but the problem was that all sounds were amplified, making it almost impossible to hear and understand Captain Mark over the sounds of the water and the engine. Mark swears that he is enunciating properly and speaking as clearly and slowly as he can while I claim he is simply not taking the time to provide me with clear and concise instructions. Also when driving the tug Mark is inside the boat and I am outside. So when we are docking or maneuvering it becomes even more difficult for me to hear him and/or understand what he is saying. Therefore, I find myself screaming to him. If he does not immediately respond to me then I think that he has not heard me and then I tend to screech with panic in my voice and in a tone that is at best extremely annoying.

We have researched all sorts of hearing/communication devices. We have the funny Bluetooth earpiece thingies that go with our cell phones but they only work in areas where we are able to get a cellular signal. We investigated walkie/talkie devices, the very expensive headsets that professional boating crew use, and had just about given up hope that we would find something that could work for us. However, on a trip that we took this summer we watched as another boating couple came into the harbor, wearing headsets like we had never seen before. This couple was not in a panic nor were they screaming at each other while docking and they actually appeared to be working in tandem to logically/safely dock the boat. This couple had hardly had their lines tied before I was upon their dock to discover their secret and check out these magic tools. As soon as I asked about the headsets, the couple laughed and called them “marriage savers” and stated emphatically that the headsets were just that – marriage savers! In fact that is how they are marketed by Cruising Solutions. http://www.cruisingsolutions.com

At this point I must say that I have no affiliation with Cruising Solutions nor do I usually endorse products, however, these headphones are just what they claim to be. Any two people who have ever tried to dock a boat will know instantly what I am talking about…it is easy to drive a boat but it is getting in and out of the slip that is most difficult. However, with these headphones the communication between the captain and the deck crew is fantastic. The sound is crisp, clear and there is absolutely no need for shouting. Notice I said shouting, not foul language. There still may be a need for foul language between the captain and the crew but now not everyone in the harbor has to witness the tantrums.


We used our set of “marriage savers” for the first time today and I must say that they were wonderful. I could truly hear and understand Captain Mark as he spoke and I was pleased to be able respond without that tone of panic in my voice. I am going to order another pair so that if anything happens to this set we will have a backup pair. In fact the headphones worked so well that Mark suggested that we wear them all the time. They are cute and functional but not that cute…

Maiden Voyage

The new Lolligag had been living in Traverse City Michigan since its trip across the United States from Burlington, Washington where it was born. Mark and I had made several trips to TC to visit her since purchasing her last fall and now it was time to bring her to Chicago, our home port. After thinking of all the ways to make this voyage, Captain Mark and his trusty crew decided to run the boat straight through to Chicago. Mark estimated that it would take approximately 24 to 27 hours (at the most) to travel from Traverse City to Chicago if we came diagonally down Lake Michigan. The autopilot and chart plotter confirmed that Mark’s manual navigation was in order so we were all set. After rounding up crew members, Jerry and Lora, we finalized the steps to our departure. The plan was that we would manually navigate/drive the boat while in Grand Traverse Bay and through the Manitou Passage and then once safely into the open water of Lake Michigan we would engage the autopilot. This was the first true test for the use of the autopilot.

After a few funny turns, Mark mastered programming the autopilot and our route was officially plotted and electronically locked into the navigation system. This was critical as we all knew that Captain Mark would have to sleep at some point along the journey. The plan was that we would have at least two crew members awake at all time while taking sleeping shifts of four hours on a rotating basis

We left Traverse City at 9a on May 6, 2007. The weather conditions were chilly but clear and the seas were calm. The trip up Grand Traverse Bay was peaceful and calm with very few other boats on the water since it was so early in the boating season. The passage through the Manitou Passage was wonderful, calm and the shoreline and islands are just gorgeous. We each took turns at the helm before engaging the autopilot so that each of us could “get the feel of the boat”.



Once we were into open waters, we settled in a routine of sleep, manning the helm and standing watch. Most of the time it appeared that we had the entire lake to ourselves but it was critical that we be knowledgeable of our location at all times so we would be aware of the commercial vessels that we would meet along the way. All of our electronic systems worked wonderfully and it became a game for us to first spot another vessel on the radar and then be the first to spot them visually.



As the sun went down, we were all captured by the beauty of the sunset on the water. This is the first time that any of us had traveled at night in unfamiliar waters. We all had total confidence in Mark’s ability to captain The Lolligag as well as the new boat itself. As it became darker and darker out on the water the trip took on a different feel and I think we all felt the same batch of emotions – just at different times. The waters were exciting, scary, exhilarating, calm at times and very rough at other times. Since we were traveling diagonally from northeast to southwest on Lake Michigan and the autopilot was engaged, we would hit waves as they came to us, not as Mark would have normally steered the boat if he was manually driving. What this meant was that at times the waves were crashing over the bow of the boat and we were bouncing around quite bit. When this was happening the seas were 2 to 4 footers but due to the angle that we met the waves, the boat was tossed around a bit from time to time. The very positive side of this was that we saw instantly how well the Nordic handled in moderately rough seas and how well thought out and strategically placed the hand-holds were located on the tug. Lora, who has had the least experience on the boat, became a little queasy being tossed around in the waves. So we sent her back to bed with a very large bowl as her sleeping companion. However, being the true sea dog and trooper that she is, she only cuddled with the bowl and did not find the need to use it !!

About 1a the moon came out from behind the clouds and was a huge bright full moon that allowed us to see exactly how beautiful Lake Michigan is during the dark. The remainder of the night hours passed uneventfully and dawn was spectacular. Finally the Chicago shoreline was in sight. We began to compliment ourselves on being such a great crew and comment on how easy the whole trip had been when karma and Neptune decided to show us just exactly who rules the open waters on this planet. I was sleeping at this point and I awoke to the abrupt stop of The Lolligag and deafening silence of the engine.

The first thing we all looked at was the fuel gauge which read low but indicated that we still should have at least a quarter of tank of fuel. All of the information and documents that we had stated that at our rate of speed that we would have more than enough fuel to reach Chicago with no problem - so what was the problem? Captain Mark checked and re-checked all the systems and everything appeared to be in order – all the electronic stuff was working, the head flushed, everything checked out but we could not start the engine…Now, logic starts to overtake Mark as he assesses the situation – if the fuel gauge says that you have fuel but you are not able to move, then look for another way to determine if there is sufficient fuel…as seasoned mariners will attest, never trust anything electronic unless the information is backed up and verified by a manual system. So Mark checks the fuel site tube which is located in the stern compartment of the boat. Sure enough, we were out of fuel. Now this information was both a relief and an embarrassing thing. Lack of fuel is quickly fixed but having to be rescued on a maiden voyage due to running out of fuel is something that follows you all of your boating life.

However, Neptune was good to us in that we were about three miles directly east of the Wilmette Harbor, the home base for the Coast Guard unit stationed in Chicago. We hailed the Coast Guard and informed them that we needed a tow into the harbor so that we may re-fuel. They instructed us to throw the anchor and await their arrival, which we did.


The rescue boat arrived with great efficiency and with total professionalism the Coast Guard towed us into Wilmette Harbor. Now two other problems quickly arose...First, Wilmette Harbor does not have diesel fuel at their fuel docks. Secondly, Wilmette Harbor is very shallow and there was some concern as to whether The Lolligag with our 42 inch draft would be able to enter the harbor. However, the Coasties were able to successfully guide The Lolligag to a dock where the water level was deep enough for us.

To solve the issue of not having diesel fuel in the harbor, I had the treat of my life…(Jerry) and I were able to have the cutest and most polite young Coastie drive us to a nearby BP gas station that sold diesel fuel where we filled six five gallon cans with fuel. While Mark and Jerry filled the tank of The Lolligag, Lora and I enjoyed the company of the Coasties. When we were being rescued these young men were the epitome of professional seamen. Our safety was their only concern and until we were safely docked, they did not waver from their rescue training. However, once we were safe, they wanted to see and know all about The Lolligag. Only one member of the rescue team had ever seen a Nordic Tug before, so they all came on board to inspect her. As a small token of our thanks, since they are not allowed to accept gratuities, the Coasties very much enjoyed The Lolligag M&Ms while touring the boat.



Finally we were re-fuelled, the fuel system had been bled and we were ready to complete the rest of our adventure home. At this point we were approximately 30 nautical miles north of our home harbor. With conservative speed we should make it to Burnham Harbor on the 30 gallons of fuel in our tank. Captain Mark slowly but safely and without incident took us down the Chicago coastline. After a mere 32 hours, as we pulled into the mouth of Burnham Harbor and then into the fairway for P Dock, our home slip was just about the most beautiful sight that any of us had seen. Our dear friend and dock mate, Fireman Jim, was there to catch our lines and welcome us home.

Lessons to be learned: Always check your manual gauges and settings first when assessing a problem. Secondly, make sure you really have a full tank of fuel - the problem was that we did not start the trip with as much fuel as we thought because we relied on the electronic gauge rather than the fuel site tube.

Introducing crew members Jerry & Lora

What happens when you mix childhood friends, old rock band members and a lovely new wife with boating? Well, you get our fantastic friends, Jerry and Lora.



Mark and Jerry have been friends since before the beginning of recorded time. Growing up in Indianapolis during the sixties, they shared all of the experiences one would expect including a LONG night in the Indy drunk tank following an evening of silly mischief involving automobile antennae. During high school and college Jerry and Mark played in a rock band with Jerry playing bass guitar and Mark as the drummer. The band continued after our marriage and was for a while our sole means of financial support.

Even as life, children, and gainful employment seemed to consume the past forty years the friendship between our two families has remained a constant. Together we have shared the loss of all of our parents, Jerry’s divorce from my dear friend, the marriages of our children, the birth of grandchildren and finally Jerry’s marriage to the charming Lora. So it only seemed natural that Jerry and Lora would become the first crew members for the new Lolligag.

Taras (our other dear friend and guitarist for the rock band)
and Jerry crewed on the former Lolligag as we made the seventy mile river trip on the Illinois waterways each spring and fall during the past five years. Jerry and Taras, being quick studies, caught on to the boating lingo, line handling and protocol for entering/exiting the locks immediately, so my role aboard the Lolligag became that of official photographer and eye-candy. Being the photographer, I can handle…I am still working on the eye-candy thing…



Jerry and Lora, as relative newly weds, are just as cute a couple as you can imagine. We do however have to keep a close watch on them because they always seem to be snuggling together with that dreamy look in their eyes…For those of us who have been married for more than forty years, it is refreshing to see what “young love” can do for baby boomers.



As crew on the maiden voyage of the new Lolligag this spring, Jerry and Lora rose to the occasion. It was certainly an adventure that I will share with you in the next blog entry. All of their crewing skills were put to test during the trip from Traverse City to Chicago. In spite of, or maybe because of this, they both have remained our wonderful friends and we hope that they will join us many times along our journey.

Meet crew members Terry & Will

I would like to introduce you to Lolligag crew members Terry and Will. They split their retirement life between living in Indiana and Naples Florida. Terry and I went to high school together and we have become very dear friends since our class reunion last year. Mark and Will, as our spouses, found that they too have much in common besides being married to us. Will is the perfect compliment to Mark in that he has a funny outgoing manner to pair with Mark’s quiet but very dry sense of humor. We have discovered that together they can install a spiral staircase (including the use of power tools) while at the same time entertain Terry and me with their clever wit and devilish ways.

I have to tell the story that defines what a good friend and Lolligag crew member Terry is. This is a story about Terry’s adventure of getting into our dinghy…The dinghy was fully inflated, but in Terry’s defense, as well as mine since I am the dock/deck/line monkey, I must state that Captain Mark did not have the dinghy sufficiently secured to the dock and I did not notice this until it was too late. Terry steps into the dinghy which then instantly shoots away from the dock and she looses her balance. The next thing I see is Terry totally horizontal with her fingers clutching the dock and her toes curled around the side of the dinghy clinging for dear life…Mark, Will and I are trying to pull her in, but it just is not working due to the angle of her body…her knuckles are pure white and she is being stretched further away from the dock as each second passes…FINALLY, after what seems like ten minutes but I am sure was only about 20 seconds, Terry says that she is going down…and into the water she goes – clothes and all.



At this point I have to add that I know that Terry is a wonderful swimmer as she has a pool both in Indiana and Florida and was on a swim team as a child, so I know that she is in no real danger, besides she is within six feet of the dock, our boat, the dinghy and the boat next to us. The problem is that there is no easy way to get her out of the water. The docks in Chicago do not have ladders (as we are not supposed to swim in the harbor) and while they are floating docks, the water level is about two feet below the dock. So what she had to do was come over to the back of The Lolligag, pull out the stairs on the swim platform and then climb up onto the boat.




NOW, being the good and wonderful friend that I am, I say “Hold on a minute” and I proceed to go into the boat in search of…of course, my camera. I come back out with my camera and proceed to take LOTS of pictures of Terry bobbing around in the water while she, Mark and Will are trying to release the ladder from the back of The Lolligag. It is only at this point that I ask her if she is okay…she states that she is fine. Not having nearly the class of Terry, I unable to contain my laughter while she promptly and very enthusiastically makes a universal finger gesture to me and tells me what I can do with myself. I do, however, have the wherewithal to hand her a dry towel as she emerges from the water. What is remarkable is that not one hair on her head got wet during the time she was in the water. Terry’s hair is always perfect and this just goes to show that no matter what happens good hair always remains good hair…



She is such a good sport that after she dried off and I tied the dinghy properly to the dock, she did agree to go for a dinghy ride around the harbor – we all had a really good time even though she threatened to push me out of the dinghy on several occasions!

As if that was not enough…we continued to torture her throughout the weekend…So off we go to dinner on our bikes…Mark was leading the way and I was bringing up the rear. Because we ride our bikes in downtown Chicago all the time, we forget that other people do not and that it might be a little frightening for them…for poor Terry, this was an understatement…she was terrified as Mark wove our way through city buses, cars and pedestrians…However, through all of this, Terry continues to be a good sport and persevere through all of the obstacles that one can encounter in the Chicago loop while on a bicycle.

Finally, it is time for us to head over to New Buffalo, Michigan.

The seas are totally calm, we get out of the harbor perfectly and we are off…Terry and I then decide that in keeping with the ways of the Sweet Potato Queens (our heroes and role models) that we are going to loll about on the front of the boat all the way across the lake. This is exactly what we do until we get to New Buffalo and this deck monkey has to hop to and get the boat ready to dock. I do this perfectly and all is well. Our friends Kathy and Lee (Scooter and Lucy as well) brought their boat over several hours after us and the six of us just had a wonderful time in New Buffalo. During the return trip on Sunday since Will has become such an experienced deck hand, I relinquish my deck hand duties to him (so that I may have a glass of wine or three).

This time the ride was almost as perfect as the trip over to New Buffalo but the flies were terrible out in the lake. They cluster in huge clumps and then land on anything they see - like two SPQ wantabes lolling about on the front of a boat...

Lolligag Background

From the moment we first learned of The Great Loop or America’s Great Circle http://www.greatloop.com, Mark and I knew instantly that we had to make this journey. As we starting talking about the trip, friends and family thought we were joshing and/or doing some serious wishful thinking. Little by little they came to notice how we were formulating a plan to arrange our life so that we could make this “wishful thought” come true. We had always been so cautious and so conservative in our actions that a trip like this seemed to be outside the realm of our previous lifestyle and inconceivable to most of our friends and family. Our children called us flighty as we sold our downtown Chicago condo to purchase a home in rural southern Indiana. Mark gave a year’s termination notice to his employer and serious plans were underway to make this dream a reality.

We knew that we needed a different boat from the boat we had when we started to seriously think about making the trip.






For me it was love at first sight when I saw my first Nordic Tug http://www.nordictugs.com. I did not know a thing about the engine or any of the mechanical systems; I just knew that the Nordics were the cutest boats ever. We needed a boat that was seaworthy and could handle the open seas during rough weather but also be comfortable to actually live aboard for the next three to four years. We also needed a boat that would allow us to travel in the most cost efficient manner possible with a range of at least 600-800 miles per tank of fuel. As we investigated and studied the Nordic Tugs, we found that not only are they the cutest boats ever made, but they are without a doubt exactly the boat in which we would feel most comfortable upon the open seas. It was during our process of looking for a used Nordic Tug that we found the boat that would become the new Lolligag. We never dreamed that we would be able to afford a new boat but somehow, and I am still not sure exactly how, we were able to purchase a brand new 2006 Nordic Tug. The Lolligag is officially known as NT32-277, which means that she is the 277th 32 foot Nordic Tug to have been made. The minute that we both boarded her for the first time, we knew that she would be our home for at least the next three years.

With the sale of the condo, the remodeling of the Indiana home, both of our retirements, and the new boat, everything fell into place almost frighteningly well. As we made each of these major life decisions, it felt good. We both knew that these were the correct choices for our new life. We hope that you will follow and join us as we travel aboard The Lolligag in search of adventure.