Aye Aye Captain!

In January Eric took on the role of Fleet Captain once again at our Yacht Club. For those who don’t know, Fleet Captain is the person who plans trips for the year to get our club moving around the lake. He got the fun job! We took a few bus trips to wineries, breweries, distilleries, and other fellow yacht clubs while all our boats were “on the hard”. During summer we had some great trips to Sandusky and Maumee Bay State Park. As FC, his position also attends the “poker runs”, which are five different weekends at fellow yacht clubs. This year we went to Toledo Sailing Club, Swan Boat Club, Elba-Mar Yacht Club, Nugent’s Canal Yacht Club, with the last stop being at our own Bay View Yacht Club. I know you’ve seen those pics over the course of the summer! We had a wonderful time on all our adventures, as we always do, with many new friendships made and others strengthened over the last few years.

Our New Boat!

This spring we made the biggest plunge for boaters, we bought a bigger boat! In May we purchased a beautiful 44 foot SeaRay Sundancer. We wanted more space so that when we travel guests would have a bed to sleep in and we are not disappointed; plenty of space for dancing and friends above deck! Eric has all the mechanical details but I know the boat is white with navy blue canvas and her name is the Accio Sun II.

Boat Specs from Eric: 1992 440 SeaRay Sundancer. It’s 49’ overall length and has a 14’ beam. It has two 300 horsepower Cummings diesels.

This year we visited Kelley’s Island, Put-In-Bay, Sandusky, Detroit River, Maumee Bay State Park, and many local restaurants and clubs along the Maumee River.

We can’t wait to see what adventures we get up to in 2025!

Eric’s Update

Eric continues to work at Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity as the Home Rehab Project Manager. In a nutshell he oversees home renovations for low-income homeowners so that they can stay in their home safely (lead-free). He truly enjoys working for this non-profit organization!!

The Point Place tornado of 2023 opened up a whole wealth of remodeling opportunities for the Gavelle Building Company as every house needs at minimum a new roof, siding, and sometimes windows and doors. This “side business” has kept Eric going for all of 2024.

Additionally Eric is overseeing the BVYC Boat Yard, meaning that he makes sure all boats go into the water safely in the spring and come out safely in the fall. Between these three “jobs” plus being in charge of the BVYC fuel dock and Fleet Captain, he’s a busy guy!!

Gavin

Gavin continues to work a part-time gig for a casino fundraiser. As such he regularly heads out to set up and then tear down casino sets. This gives him a nice little income to support his door dash and gaming needs.
He’s got his own space for himself and Sirius at our house and it works out perfectly for us since we are rarely home on the weekends. Gavin invested a lot of time in training Sirius, our wildest wild child, and his hard work has paid off. Sirius is a nice gentleman most of the time ;-)

Sweet Bella

We started out 2024 in the very worst way. Our sweet Bella passed the evening of New Years day. It was tough to see her struggle that last year but even on her last day with us we took her for a ‘walk’ in the special doggie stroller we bought. She loved her walks. As you probably know, she left a gaping hole in all of our lives but we were so thankful to be all together with her as she took her last breath and was finally at peace, free of pain. What a beautiful gift. As you can imagine, it was a tough adjustment for all of us.

Welcome Sirius

Knowing that we would be gone more than we’d be home this summer, Gavin expressed his desire to have a buddy who will get him out of the house on daily walks and keep him company. In March we adopted Sirius Black Fritz and he is just as you might expect. A true Gryffindor, he’s mischievous without being naughty, he is fast friends with everyone he’s ever met, brave when he needs to be, and ready for rambunctious fun at the drop of a hat! This little guy is truly in his adolescent phase with so much energy. He’s settled in nicely with the Fritz family and can’t wait to have his Ellie back home with him. Gavin has spent a good deal of time training his wild side out and now I can even take him for walks on my own. It really is true that our past dogs send us our current dogs. He is so very different from Bella but he’s helped to bridge that loss and makes us laugh out loud every day. Rescue dogs are such a treasure and are very thankful to have a quiet loving home to belong.

Destin, Florida

Mom and Dad rent a condo each February in Destin and I came down for a visit. Even icy cold that beach is gorgeous!!

Eclipse!

When we found out the Eclipse was going to be a partial blackout in Toledo we knew we wanted to see it. As the eclipse drew nearer we found out that the further east we went the better chance of full eclipse we could experience. Why not add in a boat trip to Put-In-Bay to really see it?! You don’t have to talk Eric into a boat trip so off we went! We had a nice boat full of friends and family and I have to say, it was truly awesome!!

Kelley’s Island

We took one trip with several other boats to Kelley’s this year. This island is fabulous! It’s quiet but there is plenty to do for a weekend trip. Rent a golf cart and explore the island! A sculpture garden, several wineries, glacier grooves, shops, putt putt, watch the ‘go fast’ boats coming in at the Casino, dinner at Island House, and head to West Bay for the best sunsets on the lake.

Put-In-Bay, Ohio

By all accounts we hit ‘The Rock’ 7 times between April and October. Once we stopped for the day to see the eclipse! We happened to be there for several birthdays, the annual ILYA Regatta, and of course the Whiskey Light. Put-In-Bay is our go-to for a weekend away. It’s fun but we can still be in bed by 10pm if we want…or stay up late and sleep in! Ellie was able to travel with us a few times too.

ILYA Regatta

The Inland Lake Yachting Associations annual Regatta (ILYA) happens during the end of July at Put-In-Bay. There are separate regattas for Juniors, Sail and Power. Naturally we have a power boat so we attend the Power week. What a blast as we get to hang out with friends from not only BVYC but all of the yacht clubs across the western basin of Lake Erie. There are events pretty much from sunup to sundown each day, some on water and some on land. The island is overrun with our crew for sure!

New Jersey

Eric, Debbie and I traveled to NJ to pick up the Debbie & Al’s camper that they had to leave after his July hospitalization. While we were there we decided to spend a day visiting the shoreline boardwalks nearby, creating new memories with mom

Whiskey Light October 2024

An annual tradition at Put in Bay is in the fall when they turn off the Whiskey Light at The Roundhouse bar. We made a weekend out of it (of course!). After that day the island is pretty much shut down. Nothing else is open except the few places year-round residents use.

Charlotte November 2024

Eric, Debbie and I went to Charlotte, NC to visit the NC Fritzes (Ali, Jeremy and Caden) and watch Caden play Friday night football! We had a wonderful time together and got to spend the day with Julie and Denny as well.