Back in Saugatuck after a fabulous summer on the lakes

We made the short hop down from Holland this morning in what were totally flat lake conditions. Unlike yesterday it was blissful. We exited the Holland channel amongst many little sailboats in what was some sort of youth program. As we approached Saugatuck it was apparent that they must have gotten a lot of stimulus money with all the dredging and harbor entrance improvements that were taking place. We pulled into our slip for a night, checked in, and drove our car to Burger King for lunch which was a real treat. Upon returning Al took care of servicing the engine which went without incident this year. With today being one of the hottest we've experienced in two months we spent most of the day inside the boat in the A/C. Tonight is our last night on the boat before heading to a motel in Holland for the next two nights.

We traveled 1156 nautical miles this year which was slightly less than prior years but no less enjoyable. We discovered many new anchorages and met some fun folks along the way. For those who have followed us on our journey we hope you've enjoyed it. See you next year!!!

We hate Lake Michigan

After a relaxing weekend in Ludington we departed at 7:30AM on Monday morning and headed to Holland, Michigan which will be our last stop before arriving back in Saugatuck on Tuesday. We departed under the guidance of the crack weather forecasters at NOAA but were stunned to find very bad conditions almost immediately upon leaving the breakwall at Ludington. The predicted waves were 1-2 feet but instead were more like 5-8 footers. Our only saving grace was they were right on the nose and stayed that way all day only diminishing around 2PM. Although a rough ride, the boat really handles those seas well versus waves on the beam or stern. With gusty wind we were sprayed many times in the flybridge as we plowed through a big wave. Those conditions also show you where every leak is on the boat and we do have a few. Arriving in Holland at 5:15 we took on our last fuel before returning to our home port on Tuesday. Until today, the timing of favorable weather has been on our side this year with the bad stuff usually clearing out just as we depart on the next leg.

The long haul down Lake Michigan is underway

We began our long and often troublesome passage down Lake Michigan as we departed the mostly empty Straits State Harbor (see right) in Mackinaw City at 7AM on Wednesday morning. Giving ourselves plenty of extra days to make it back we used one already in Mackinaw City and one in Leland, Michigan which was our first stop. Both delays were weather related and for which seems to plague us each year as we make the long haul down the lake to our homeport of Saugatuck. We are currently in Ludington, Michigan which is a standard stop for us on both our outbound and return legs.

Although Leland is not a bad place to be delayed with nice marina facilities and a delightful town with plenty of dining and shopping opportunities (Sheri not Al), the marina can get a bit chaotic when weather drives an extra compliment of boats in there because they are classified a “harbor of refuge”. This means that they have to take you no matter what. We were tied only half on a dock with our main connection being a large steel pole that provides primary support for the dock. Unfortunately, with winds and surges moving the docks this pole cushioned by our fenders was very noisy and kept us up both nights. The shot to the left is of the surf on the beach north of the marina wall. Most boats that arrived on Wednesday stayed Thursday. There was one sailboat that arrived Thursday and had to anchor inside the breakwall as no dock space was left and it was too windy to try rafting. Checking the weather closely we decided to get out early on Thursday so we left at 7:30 and experienced a fairly rough 75 mile trek to Ludington. The waves were 2-4 feet and mostly confused which means they were not flowing in any particular direction. Our saving grace was that the wind was mostly at our back which boosted boat speed as it pushed us along usually over nine knots. Sheri assumed the position in the shot below for most of the day since she does not do well in bouncy, rolly conditions. One observation along the way was that some water spouts were spawning from a cloud formation that we were approaching. For those of you who don’t know what a water spout is, it is a like tornado but over water. Based on what I read what we saw was a non-tornadic variety but my assumption is that they can be dangerous if you sail into one. In any case, these never fully formed but did give us some concerns for an hour or so.

We pulled into Ludington at 4:30, got fuel, pumped out, and headed to our slip for the next few days. On the way over to the slip someone shouted that we had a line in the water. This is usually important as the line can become wrapped around a propeller which is exactly what happened as we backed into the slip. The small handling line which was attached to our dingy was untied from its cleat probably in Leland as we scrambled to find the right dock line configuration for our odd tie up there. We also probably dragged it in the water all the way down on Friday and it wasn’t until we backed up that it found the prop. This will not happen again as we have now added that item to our pre-flight checklist. As the line became tangled it might have ripped itself right out of the dingy connection had the prop spun any more but thank goodness that did not happen. OK, what next? The line had to be removed from the prop and because our boat is not an outboard the prop is permanently under the boat. One of the emergency items we pack on the boat is a complete SCUBA set up so in the rare instance that we have to go under the boat to untangle a line or perform a damage check after hitting something (hope that never happens) we have the gear to do that. With that said Al donned the backpack with tank and regulator, mask, and a safety line and took the plunge. Upon examination of the entanglement the line was easily removed and did not do any damage. We dodged one this time but unfortunately accepted this blemish on our otherwise uneventful cruise this season. We also crossed the 1000 mile mark for the trip and 1000 hours on the engine on Friday.

After a great meal at a local micro brewery we got a good night’s rest on Friday and plan to head to Holland, Michigan on Monday for one last stop before arriving in Saugatuck before noon on Tuesday.

Back at the Mack

We left Drummond Island this morning in fairly dreary conditions and made the five hour trek in very calm waters over the the Mackinaw area for a couple of days before we head into Lake Michigan. We're staying in a brand new marina which is only about 25% full and sits adjacent to the old Mackinaw City Marina which looks to have more boats. I'm not sure why as that marina is not as nice and I believe is more expensive. In any case, we enjoyed walking around the rather touristy atmosphere of Mackinaw City and seeing more life and excitement as compared to the sleepy spots in Canada we've been to over the past month and a half. The photos below show some of the local area.

Westward Ho, Eh?

We left Little Current on Thursday and headed west to one of our favorite amd last anchorages this season at Croker Island. We enjoyed two fairly restful days and then opted to bypass a stop in Gore Bay and make the long (75 miles) haul back to Drummond Island, MI and the USA after spending the last 37 days in Canada. We will probably stay one night in Drummond before heading off to the Mackinaw area. The pictures below are from our anchorage at Croker Island.

Last time in Little Current

We're back in Little Current for the last time as we make our way west. We will be here two days and will head out on Thursday for our last two nights at anchor at Croker Island. From there we will go to Gore Bay before clearing U.S Customs in Drummond Island, MI. On our way here today we saw two square rigged sailboats making their way east. See the attached pictures.

Back to Bay Fin and Marianne Cove

After we left Killarney for the last time we once again headed back to Bay Fin and Marianne Cove. This has always been one of our favorite spots and one we will keep returning to. One of the attractions of Marianne Cove is that it is adjacent to a trailhead that ascends t the summit of Fraser Bay Hill where you are greeted with a spectacular view of the entrance of Bay Fin, Fraser Bay to the south and McGregor Bay to the north. On this visit to Marianne Cove we decided to make a morning climb to the top so that the sun would be in a better position for photography purposes. The morning was spectacular and the view from the top was breathtaking. The following is what we saw.

As far as climbs go, it’s not long (800 meters or roughly a half mile) and it’s not high (600 feet) but it is very rugged. About half the climb is over rock strewn washes where every step must be carefully planned and the other half is on a primitive trail that seems like it is always on a grade and where the descent is much more difficult. There’s one spot where a ten inch diameter tree is growing in the middle of a three foot crack (long slot created in between rock walls) where you must squeeze around either side to pass. This might be a show stopper for folks with a very large posterior but was “no problemo” for Big Al. The heavily forested trail is marked by red or yellow tape tied around trees and must be followed carefully as it can easily be missed. At the top you can see a portion of Marianne Cove which provides a perspective of the distance and altitude you’ve climbed.

The rest of our time in Marianne Cove was spent relaxing, swimming (70 degrees now), reading, napping, and visiting. In every anchorage or marina you always find other boaters to socialize with. On this visit I ran into a couple who I had met previously when I had our Morgan sailboat. They still have their Morgan and had done some interesting improvements to it. It’s also fun to run into the same people again you met in prior seasons. We always exchange cards and try to keep up.