# We need a bigger boat



## kenr74 (Oct 13, 2012)

My family of 6 (4 kids, wife, and self) just got back from an 11 day cruise of Lake Huron's North Channel aboard our 22' Venture 222. We spent 3 nights ashore on Manitoulin Island with family, but the rest was on the boat. We are very new sailors, so this was a huge adventure for us. The weather was mostly awful, going to the extremes of high winds one day, to becalmed and in fog the next. I figure we traveled a bit over 200 miles in total. I've never spent more than a few hours at a time on the boat, so this was an awesome opportunity to learn and gain experience. I even managed to fly the spinnaker one day for an hour or so. I was a bit surprised we didn't run into more boats out on the water. We had our choice of anchorages on South Benjamin Island which I expected to be crowded from all I have read. The people we did meet were amazing. We ran out of fuel once, and were completely becalmed. Another sailboat (Dawn Flight) came way out of their way to bring us some fuel so we didn't have to sit there all day. There were extremely kind, and meeting them was one of the highlights of the trip for my kids. The kids did pretty well. There was a bit of boredom, and seasickness on the rough days, but they loved climbing rocks, picking blueberries, and swimming at the Benjamins. Now that we are back to land they say they had a good time if anyone asks them, which I take as a success. It was a bit too crowded on our 22 footer. If we do something like this again, we will definitely be looking at something a bit larger. I've been lurking and learning on Sailnet for a while, so I just wanted to share our success, and say thanks for all of the help we gleaned along the way.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

That is nothing short of amazing! Wasn't the boat sitting low in the water? Only thoughts I have would be, pick and chose the weather and just stay put if in doubt. congrats of a safe trip!


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

If you, your wife and kids ended that trip still wanting to sail: BRAVO!!!!


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)




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## Mr. Bubs (Aug 21, 2013)

Wow, If it's more than me and my wife on our V25 it seems crowded to me!


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## kenr74 (Oct 13, 2012)

I forgot the rule, "It didn't happen if no pictures"


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

the whole crew! nice "campsite" !


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## texwards (Nov 6, 2007)

That is awesome - do what you can to keep the crew happy (even if it means a bigger boat)! A couple of years ago I took my 4 children out on our 22' sailboat for a few hours...ONCE. I now have 5 kids and a 34' sailboat, but half of the family is still apprehensive about any kind of extended sailing because of that one experience in our 22' sailboat!


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## Uricanejack (Nov 17, 2012)

I don't usually bother with this section.
Your story brought back some of my best memories. Some years ago I bought an old C&C 24. Wife and 3 kids for crew, we had some great trips. never more than 3 or 4 days and none as far as yours.
They were all great.
I have a bigger boat now. But my kids are bigger and its mostly just my wife and I. 
Enjoy it while you can.


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