This winter I decided to bring Ananda “home” to Goderich. It was a difficult decision to make–after all of the wonderful adventures I had going through the Great Lakes, down the St. Lawrence River and into the Bay of Fundy–but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s the right choice for myself and my family.

Once the decision to head back to Lake Huron was made then I had to figure out what route I would take. I thought about doing the reverse of my trip down east — heading back around Nova Scotia, up the St. Lawrence and through the Great Lakes. I also thought about going down the US coastline to New York City, up the Hudson River, into the Erie Barge Canal and then on to Lake Huron and Goderich. Either route would probably take me 6-8 weeks and the Erie Barge Canal route also involves taking the masts down.

I have never been to the North Channel in Georgian Bay and that is one of my destination goals for this summer. I figured that travelling by water from the east coast would take up a big chunk of the summer and most of my energy–leaving little time or energy for a trip north. As a result, I decided to take the fastest route home possible–time for a call to my buddy Dave Kopriva at Bothwell Boatworks. The trip from the east coast back to Goderich is now taking two days instead of two months.

I wish I could do a few miles at the helm going down  Hwy 401 and watch the world go by at 60 knots, but then I think it would be a pretty hair-raising experience–and I don’t have any hair left to spare 🙂