On a slow boat to China

You would
think that the people who were entrusted to care for Billy would contact us and let us know how he is doing. Its seems like anyone who has enough time to send out daily postcards or do entries in their blog could send us a quick email. Its puzzling.

Having not heard from Billy or his guardians, we took it upon ourselves to head to China to find him. It could be the proverbial lung in a haystack...but Billy sticks out and we knew the general area to look for him.....the Olympics.

Our friends Bill and Carolyn have a power boat and plenty of spare time on their hands and they are always up for an adventure. They have known Billy for a few years and it was a "natural" to ask them to take us over there.

We motored to Milwaukee, where they moor their 1976 Hatteras Trawler. This boat is immaculate from bow to stern and looks like the day it left the manufacturer. The four of us along with their dog, Outback, headed up Lake Michigan to find the Saint Lawrence Seaway to begin our journey to China.



The fridge and freezer were stocked to the gills and the bar was well appointed. Eighteen hundred gallons of diesel fuel was ready to be burned.

We arrived on Thursday evening with intentions of leaving at first light. However, the Grey Goose...must of goosed me big time because day one's departure was delayed slightly whilst I recovered enough to co-pilot the vessel. Once I was upright in the left seat we were headed for Port Washington and points beyond.

At Port Washington we were weary from the day of travel because of the 4 - 6 foot swells we encountered. The OUTBACK usually runs full out at 9 mph, but the swells and the headwind lowered our max speed to 8.4mph.

We did some quick calculation on the miles remaining and our travel speed and soon discovered that we would probably not make it in time before the Olympics would have their final closing ceremony.

Just about that time my cell phone announced that Billy was calling. ( I have a dedicated ring for Billy) Mystery solved...he had "hitched" a ride with the President and first lady in Airforce one. Secret Service required that he not reveal his location until he was officially separated from them.

the fact that Billy was all right provided a good reason to celebrate, so we ventured on land and found a quaint bar made out of a Laker Boat. Ryan the bartender kept us occupied with information on his studies at University of Wisconsin in Madtown. He is a linebacker and is looking forward to being able to play against Iowa again if the schedule matches.

After a sufficient cocktail hour it was fitting that we head back to the boat for some nourishment and a good nights sleep as the Billy mystery being solved was like a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders. Priscilla and Otto would have never let me hear the end of it had something happened to Billy. And, besides that, we were relieved that we were dismissed from our 6360 mile boat trip.

We went back to Milwaukee and did some undercover work at the International Trading Company. I'd love to be able to tell you what went on there but regulations
forbid me disclosing any of the details.