Let the Cruise Begin

We departed Saugatuck at 9:00 AM sharp after a rainy and restless night. The excitement of finally leaving was in play, but once we were on our way, everything settled down and we really started enjoying the moment!

It was a beautiful day with sunny skies and relatively calm seas as the day progressed. We have found that the departure side preparation of this is way more stressful and involved than the return. Once underway, Sheri spent most of the day relaxing and trying to adapt to the sea conditions. I don't think she was quite ready for our first day at sea.

Our first day has traditionally involved a long leg to really get the trip underway. This year we decided once again to go to Ludington, Michigan on our first day. We arrived at the harbor entrance just in time to see the S.S. Badger (very oldLake Michigan car ferry) as it arrived at 7PM after a run across the lake from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The only downside to the ferry is that it blows coal soot over the marina for four hours a day.

Ludington is a very nice town with equally nice marinas. We had planned to spend two nights in Ludington but spent a third due to windy conditions on the lake. We spent our days getting the boat setup and performing some maintenance and improvements. On the first full day in port we were given two nice salmon filets that were caught in the lake that morning. What a great meal that was.