We are near Syracuse, NY where we picked up Sirocco last Saturday, after 7 months in storage.

The 3 weeks prior were rather busy, as we toured the East Coast (by car) to show my brother Jean-Marc and Sylvie as much as we could of the US. We drove over 4,000 miles in a little over 2 weeks time... going from New Bern, NC to Naples, FL where we spend a week. We saw alligators in the Everglades, dolphins and flying fish off the coast of Fort Lauderdale on friends Henry and Jan's boat. Back in New Bern, we did some shelling on the beaches of North Carolina, and then drove up North to NYC for a 5-day visit that included the 9/11 Memorial. We forgot how long it takes us nowadays to recover from such a busy schedule...we were exhausted when they left back for France. But we all had a memorable time.

We are now getting ready for the next chapter of 2012: 5 months on our boat. Sirocco is getting a new generator this week at a shipyard near Syracuse. After the usual annual maintenance and spring cleanup and preparations, we hope she will be ready by May 25. Our plan this year is to cross Lake Ontario, stay up on the Rideau Canal for the first 2 weeks in June while we wait for the temperature to warm up, then navigate the Trent-Severn Waterway (also in Ontario, Canada) the latter part of June, and reach the Georgian Bay around July 1. We will drive up North and explore the magnificent (we are told) Georgian Bay through July. And reach the North Channel and stay there the first 2 weeks in August. After this, we would do the reverse to return to Lake Ontario via the Bay of Quinte/Rideau/Thousand Islands region.

Google Map these locations for fun (Bay of Quinte, Rideau Canal, Thousand Islands, Trent-Severn, Georgian Bay, North Channel) to check on the geography.

We'll try to post updates and pictures as frequently as possible; not clear what the wii-fii situation will be en route. I have added a Picasa link to the blog (upper right-hand side) to view pictures. Upload will be dependent on finding wireless routers that can handle lots of data...

Annick is spending a few days in Rochester with Cedric and Lizzie, discovering their new house, and meeting with a few old friends, while Michael is staying on board supervising the generator replacement.

And the wine is chilling again on Sirocco!
Hoping for calm seas.
Annick & Michael on board Sirocco