Did Nano make it to Stuart, FL this week?
Those of you who read my account of the five weeks I spent on MV Nano this past summer might be wondering what happened to Nano after I left it in Alpena, MI, three weeks before my scheduled departure in Chicago. The boat’s plan was to pick up a new crewmember in Chicago and continue cruising for another two months, heading south for eventual arrival in Stuart, FL (on Florida’s east coast) right before Thanksgiving.
I don’t have much information about what happened on board after I left, but here’s what I now know.
I learned that they left Alpena on Wednesday and drove all day to get to the Mackinaw Island area. I don’t know where they docked, but I do know they visited the Island because Capt Paul sent me a photo of something I’d seen there the day before. I don’t know how long they stayed.
I did follow Nano a bit on Nebo just to see which way they’d decided to go down Lake Michigan. If you recall, the original route had us going down the east side of the lake, which had a tendency to be a lot rougher than the west side due to prevalent west to east wind and fetch. While I was still on board, I’d been petitioning to travel along the north end of the lake to the west side before going south. Capt Paul had been talking about crossing the lake halfway to its southern end and I admit I was not looking forward to that. The Great Lakes are huge and when you’re in the middle of one, you may as well be in the middle of an ocean.
I didn’t check Nebo more than once or twice so I don’t have their route. Also, I don’t think I looked until I was home. By that time, it was clear that they’d chosen the west side of the lake. Satisfied that they’d be safe — honestly, I was worried, mostly because Dianne was so useless onboard — I stopped checking. Completely.
There didn’t seem to be any reason to follow their progress when I was no longer part of it. Although I gained valuable experience on board, the personal problems I had with Dianne had left a bad taste in my mouth. Rather than dwell on it, I was eager to leave it behind me and move on.
I had a brief text exchange with Capt Paul yesterday.
Yesterday, after talking to Capt John about joining him on his boat in the spring, I texted Capt Paul. I wanted his permission (again, I guess) to use him as a reference in case Capt John had any questions about me. I also asked whether Nano had made it to Stuart, since the trip was supposed to end right before Thanksgiving (today).
He confirmed that I could give Capt John his number. And then he told me that Nano had suffered an engine failure near Destin, FL, which is all the way out on the Florida panhandle. The problem sounds bad. It’s unfortunate for him, since I know how much he wanted to finish the Great Loop.
Neither of us mentioned Dianne or the other crew member who had gotten on in Chicago and no one else blogged the trip as I had, so I don’t know whether either of them lasted until the trip’s untimely end in Destin.
