I think I am definitely crazy. I’ve been thinking of something . . . unusual.

After my holiday vacation home where I made my little side trip last week to see my buddy, Flip, aboard  the Westsail 43, Katura, I’ve had this little bug in the back of my mind. I’m having a hard time shaking it.

You see, Bing and I have this little plan to go sailing next summer after she finishes the fifth grade and graduates to middle school. Sounds good to me. Our VERY tentative plan we have been considering is to get Nereus out of moth balls, take it down to Mobile, use the ICW, cross the Gulf of Mexico, and ultimately end up back in southwest Florida.

After being “home” over the 4th of July holiday, however, I realize there may be other opportunities, crazy as the may seem. The Florida trip idea may get compromised by life as I have two nieces graduating in Michigan at that time and will need to be home for that, forcing us to adjust the timing. Plus, Flip informed me that Crescent Shores Marina is CHEAP. He thinks I may be able to get in there for $1,300/year (that’s $108.33/month – $70 less than I am paying now for dry storage!). The facilities there are not great, but $1,300! This is enticing. Plus, it would take me at least two weeks to get there from Demopolis Yacht Basin – 385 nautical miles up the Tenn-Tom, 231 NM on the Ohio/Missippi, 285 NM on the Illinois Waterway to Chicago (which would be way fun), and 86NM across Lake Michigan. That section on the Mississippi (upstream) worries me some, as the current could ruin the idea. But this, for some reason has some appeal.

First, it is possible I could time my arrival to be home for the graduations – how convenient. Next, this plan would allow me to close the loop on the rest of the 5,200 miles of the Great Loop Route – I’d be a Looper, which would be fun. Next, I’d avoid the oppressive heat of the south during the summer. I’d also get a second crack at the Great Lakes, which didn’t work out so well for me last time (see, I am crazy to even think about this!).

It’s just an idea, but spending a cycle of seasons in West Michigan might be nice. I really enjoyed showing the Bingster around my “home.” I think it is a great place for kids to hang out and grow up (after all, I grew up there). Then, the next fall, we could head back south (or around east, as that Erie Canal thing is way cool) and move on from there.

It’s just an idea, and probably an unreasonable one. I think I am crazy. What do you think?