July 31, Aug 1 Ludington to Muskegon to South Haven

July 31, Aug 1,  Wed, Thurs,  Ludington to Muskegon to South Haven

 

Left Ludington at our regular departure time of 0700 to find the seas with a one foot chop of a following sea and winds from the east.  The ride was doable and again we dodged fishing boats as they were eagerly working the lake after yesterdays high winds and rough water.  Once south of Little Sable Point, the waters were calm and the ride was smooth and comfortable.  We observed the shoreline and saw homes tucked in amongst the trees, some dunes washed away due to the high waters and a rolling tree lined horizon.  Michigan is a pretty state, especially from the water.  We pulled into our slip in Harbortowne Marina, checked out the marina and then a nap for the captain.  Jim and Pat Childs stopped in for a visit and we enjoyed their company.  We drove to dinner with them and got to see some of the Muskegon area.  Pat and Colletta walked the beach and checked the water temperature as the guys sat and talked.  It is a pleasure to have them stop and see us and share our friendship.

This morning we left the marina in time to see the sunrise - one of the delights of awaking early.  The lake is flat with an off shore, light breeze.  We glide past familiar harbors on our route.  South Haven is a nice town and a popular one.  Cruisers and tourists enjoy the beaches, shops and eateries.  There are always people walking around - as it should be on this beautiful day.  We have a hot dog at Capt Nemos, walk around town to see the new shops mixed in with the old, then return to the boat.  Docktails are enjoyed with Nolan and Mona from Hoot Owl and with friends from Homewood traveling on their boat.  In the park a steel drum band played, back to the boat for a late dinner and then a wonderful visit with Rose Fitzer, another longtime friend from Homewood.  We like it here!

Harbortown Marina in Muskegon is part of a condo

development

 

Sunrise in Muskegon

 

An unusual buoy we passed out in the lake

We think it is a weather buoy

The entire lake to fish in but evidently all the lake

perch are in this spot

Scenery along the lake as we travel south

 

The local pirate ship greets us in South Haven

 

July 28, 29, 30, Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI

July 28, 29, 30,  Sun, Mon, Tues,  Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI

 

 

 
 

Departin Manitowoc in the fog. Now you see them,

now you dont

 

Log floating out in the lake. Have to keep a sharp

lookout

Passing the Badger 23 miles out in the lake. He is

headed to Manitowoc we to where he left, Ludington

High water this year makes getting on the boat interesting

 

We left Manitowoc at 0700 with sunshine and a southerly wind.  The first ten miles out of the harbor had fog on the water and above the water.  At times it appeared as if Short Vacation was sinking into the fog - we could only see his fly bridge.  Later, all we could see was the bottom half of the boat.  A very odd phenomenon.  Eventually the fog clears, which was good as we dodge floating logs and even the Badger as it passed.  The rolling beam sea gave way to choppy water.  The ride was a little lumpy but not at all uncomfortable.  So much so that both Colletta and Tom manage to nap along the way. (Only one at a time)We arrive at the municipal dock in Ludington, take on cheap fuel and get to our dock.  In the evening, we hear the Badger's horn and watch him arrive in port.  Dinner aboard Short Vacation and a game of Catch Phrase end a long day.

We get up slowly which is often the case after a long run across the lake. We walk through town, Pam and Colletta stop in some of the shops and Tom and John stop in the two bicycle shops and research and talk about E-bikes.  We enjoy ice cream from the House of Flavors - moose tracks and shipwreck. Back at the boat, with the sun shining, Tom decides to wash the boat.  It needs some TLC so we both do some scrubbing.  His hard work warrants a few beers and we enjoy a steak dinner with Pam and John.  John shows us a video collection of pictures from the four years of traveling together on Greeks Folly and Short Vacation.  The pictures brought back many great memories of times, places and events we have shared.  It was a wonderful gesture to create the video.  Smiles and tears were shared by all.

Today comprised of completing a few tasks before Greeks Folly and Short Vacation separate and end their journey together.  Tom helped John remove the electric shore power plug from his boat and replace it with a new one.  John helped Tom check the dinghy davit and finish repair on it.  Colletta cleaned and vacuumed the fly bridge while the men worked.  Tom walked into town for a haircut so he would look good returning to his home port.  Colletta walked to the beach to view the north winds and the white capped waves.  Rough out there today.  Dinner was at Jamesport Brewery and then walked to the harbor to see the Badger depart one more time.  Ludington is a nice little town- relaxing and we have enjoyed our stay.  

July 23, 24, Sister Bay to Horseshoe Island to Sturgeon Bay

July 23, 24, Tues and Wed  Sister Bay to Horseshoe Island to Sturgeon Bay

The wind was blowing hard all morning with waves crashing over the rocks again.  This is unfortunate because we must leave today.  Colletta is very uncomfortable with having to leave under these conditions but it is unavoidable as there is a group of 15 boats coming in with reservations.  These boats arrive early but have to wait off shore in the 3 foot waves as checkout time is noon and no one is leaving early.    We too wait until noon in hopes of the waters laying down and they do.  As we head to Horseshoe Island, we travel in two foot seas and anchor in the protection of the island.  There are already 10 boats anchored here but we wait patiently as 7 of them leave in the late afternoon and we head in to anchor close and protected for the night.  Short Vacation follows us in; we throw out a stern anchor and settle in for the night.  Tom swims, enjoys some beers and joins John on his swim platform, relaxes and gets comfortable.  The sun sets, it is calm in this bay, we are good!!

We awake early and discover we need to readjust the stern anchor as the line has wrapped itself around the swim ladder.  Tom takes as early morning swim to haul the anchor towards the shore.  With John's help, we tie to a tree on shore and rest secure for a few hours.  By 0930 we head out of the bay, remove some grass and mud from the anchor, and head south in a 1 ft. chop which turns into a roll farther south.  At 1400 we arrive at the Yacht Harbor Marina and settle in.  We plan our travels for the next few days and cook dinner at the pavilion while chatting with Dan and Mary.  Our desire to attend at outside concert was canceled due to an expected rainstorm.  Playing Farkel aboard Short Vacation finishes our evening in laughter.  

Cooling off with my favorite adult beverage

Conferring with fellow captain John. Turned out to be a very nice
day

John's dinghy makes a break for it but is easily recaptured in
Horseshoe Cove

July 19, 20, 21,22 Nicolet Bay to Sister Bay

July 19, 20, 21,22  Fri, Sat, Sun,Mon  Nicolet Bay to Sister Bay

 

The sun is shining, low winds - a perfect summer day.  Pete and Sara arrive tonight so Tom and Colletta decide to do some cleaning before we leave the anchorage.  Tom also works on the dinghy as the davit is coming unglued.  We are quickly worn out and decide to take a refreshing dip.  We head into Sister Bay so we are here for the weekend.  Wally arrives by noon, Tom decides that he has done cleaning so we jump on Sommerfest and take an adventure.  We travel south of Chambers Island and head to the western shore to Menominee.  Tom and Wally chat and talk boating as Tom captains the boat and Colletta enjoys the sun, the spray and a nap on the back deck.  It is a wonderful ride; we stop in a cove at Chambers Island and anchor to enjoy a swim and a beer.  Once back in the slip we are alerted to severe weather headed out way. Pete and Sara arrive along with a spectacular lightening display and raindrops.  We sit on the back deck, watch the show, and catch up with the newly engaged couple.  We are so glad they are here!!

Saturday morning we rise - all 4 of us slowly as it is overcast, cloudy and sprinkling.  Pete and Sara decide to explore Door County by car but not before we go to Al Johnson's and have breakfast of Swedish pancakes, meatballs and lingenberry sauce.  The goats are on the roof and Pete reminisces of visiting Sister Bay as a kid.  There is a Lego display at the village hall so while we wait for our table at Al Johnson's we peruse the Legos display.

The kids head to shops, wineries, and distilleries as Tom assists Wally with some projects on his boat.  The rainy afternoon was a good time for Colletta to work on the blog.  We meet up in Fish Creek at White Gull Inn with Pam, John and his sister Joanie joining the six of us.  We enjoy the pre-dinner display of kerosene on the bonfire, the flare-up and then dinner of whitefish, potatoes and cherry pie.  We walked to sunset beach for the beautiful sunset then to Wally and Deb's condo for a nightcap and card playing.  A wonderful family evening.

Today we all were up early.  Pete and Sara loaded the bikes into the car and headed to Washington Island for a day of exploring.  Tom and Colletta joined Wally by going to church, then to Koepsel's market for sauerkraut and a final stop at the bakery.  It is fun to explore a little farther with the car.  Once back at the marina, Short Vacation arrives and all 7 of us go for a ride on Sommerfest.  The ride starts with us being stopped by the US Coast Guard for a safety check before we head over to Chambers Island.  The winds start to increase and continue to build as we cruise the area.  We slowly head back to Sister Bay in 3-4 foot seas on the beam.  The sprays soak the back deck but we remain dry during our bumpy ride back.  We are pleased to reach the dock safely.  We join Wally and Deb again at the condo for pizza and socializing.

This morning we enjoy a continental breakfast on the back deck, the Pete and Sara unfortunately head back to Minnesota.  Tom immediately started working on the dingy, replacing the davit and pad and Colletta tackled the boat.  It is wonderful having guests aboard and there is plenty of room for all of us and our stuff, but it is comfortable to move things around and get things back in their place.  Pam was walking and shopping in town so Colletta joined her.  John and Wally assisted and observed Tom as he got the pad cleaned and the davit glued and reapplied.  He earned his nap!!  We joined Wally and Deb for a Wisconsin dinner of brats and kraut and potato salad and listened to music from their deck.  We played a card game, Up and down the River; Tom finally won so he will be willing to play again.

 

It was great to drive a boat that cruises at over 8 mph.

An eerie sunset that foretold of coming storms that evening.
Luckily Pete and Sara arrived from Minneapolis before the
storm hit

Evening shot after the storm

At the Lego display

Pete pointing out the nuances of Lego construction to me

When you are young and in love it seems like you can walk
on water

The gang at the White Gull for the fish boil. John's sister Jo joined
them for a cruise

The fish boil master, Neil. A fisherman and fish boil expert

What happens when you add kerosene to get the
boil over

The two assistants remove the fish and potatoes from the boiling
pot

Our table at dinner, Pete, Sara, Debbie, Wally, Tom, and Colletta

Down at Sunset Beach to watch, yep, the sunset

Koepsel's Farm Market after church. Homemade sauerkraut,
10 year old cheddar cheese and popcorn. Outstanding selection/.

Pete making sure the bikes don't go anywhere

Getting stopped by the Coasties because we didn't have registration
numbers displayed. A bogus stop, they just wanted to see a really
beautiful boat

Dinghy repairs. Cruising is the ability to repair your boat in
exotic places at great expense. LOL

 

July 17, 18 Washington Island to Nicolet Bay

July 17, 18, Wed, Thur, Washington Island to Nicolet Bay

 

When pulling up the anchor, it took some time due to the fact that we put out extra chain to keep our holding firm.  It also took extra time as the bay was very weedy and we pulled some of those weeds up with our anchor.  This reminded us of our experience in Canada, also in a bay, where we too pulled up enough weeds for salad for a week.  Once moving, we head to the anchorage at Nicolet Bay - but only after Tom does some cruising into Sister Bay and into Ephraim and finally into the bay.  The ride was a pleasant one as Tom just wanted to do some cruising around and check out water depths and boat activity.  The wind is to be from the south east so we choose a spot close in and to the east to settle.  There are others here in this popular place and by the end of the afternoon, there are 4 power boats and 5 sailboats here for the overnight stay.  Pam has purchased us tickets for a local performance at a theater here in Peninsula State park.  We dinghy in, walk to the Northern Sky Theater and enjoy the evening in this unusual setting. 

In the morning, the sun is shining and we are off to shore for a walk.  We secure the dinghy and head off for some exercise.  The park has trails and paths that criss cross the area with much of the activity right at the beach area.   Many paths are gravel, wide, and well-marked.  Even with all that, we still get turned around and off our planned route.  No problem, we just turned around and hiked the opposite direction.  We walked thru some campgrounds to see the facilities.  After a much needed ice cream treat, we head back to Greeks Folly for a relaxing afternoon.  However, there was some excitement.  Tom was napping, suddenly awoke, to see our dingy off on its own adventure floating away from the harbor all by itself.  Tom yelled, "Oh S----!, the dinghy!" dove in the water and swam after it.  Soon he discovered he couldn't catch it, was far from Greeks Folly and headed back swimming slowly.  He was out of breath, tired, and I threw him a line and a float and he was home safely.  Just at that time, a fisherman was heading in to the bay, we waved, yelled and pantomimed about the floating dingy.  He somehow got the message, motored out and retrieved our wayward dinghy.  We were very grateful, tied her up tightly and breathed easier.  We went to Short Vacation for happy hour and double checked the knot on the dinghy before retiring for the evening.

 

A beautiful sunset from Detroit Island anchorage by Washington
Island

What we pulled up in the mornig from our anchorage and probably
why we dragged our anchor the night before. The weeds had fouled
the anchor preventing it from grabbing the bottom

The Ferries that operate between the northern end of Door County and
Washington Island

Our theatric adventure

Out in the middle of the forest

Pam had gotten us prime seats and the production of "We Like it Where?"
 we saw was hilarious and well put on. Greatly enjoyed. Great
job, Pam!

Looking our over Nicolet Bay from the Peninsula State
Park beach

When anchored out this is our car before she decided to make
a break for freedom.

 

July 14, 15, 16 Fayette to Garden Bay to Washington Island

July 14, 15, 16  Sun, Mon, Tues  Fayette to Garden Bay to Washington Island

 

Happy Birthday Pam.  Tom cooked pancakes for breakfast and we celebrated Pam's Birthday on the back deck of our boat.  Tom, John and Colletta rode their bikes to the top of the dolomite cliffs to view the  harbor from high on the bluff.  The skies are blue, the water is blue and calm and Snail Shell Harbor looks like the perfect boating destination and we are here.  At 1315 we move on and head north to Garden Bay to anchor in a secluded, quiet bay.  We board the dingy and head into The Dock Grill and Bar for a birthday dinner on the deck.  Nice setting.  We are back aboard Greeks Folly before sunset - 2130 and have a peaceful night.

In the morning we awake to sprinkles falling - something not in the forecast.  We pull up anchor; travel around the point and into 3-4 foot rollers.  The captain slows our speed to make the ride more comfortable.  After a few hours of heading south, the sunshine breaks through and the water is still bumpy but down to a 2 foot chop.  We slowly head into Washington Island.  The bay off of Detroit Island is large and comfortable.  We dropped anchor and relaxed.  During the night, the rain fell, the wind blew and the boat jerked.  Tom jumped up to check our position and found that the anchor had dragged we were no longer where we thought we were.  This was the first time this had happened in our 4+ years on the Loop.  In the dark in the rain, we removed the bridle, let out more chain ad reset the anchor.  This time all is well - firm holding.  

In the morning we dingied past the ferries and into Washington Island to catch the Cherry Train which gives a two hour, five stop tour of the island.  We watched the ferries load and unload cars, and people come and go and even had a pizza lunch while waiting for the tour.  Hans, our driver and guide showed a few highlights of the island; Schoolhouse beach - where the beach is made up of round, smooth stones and cool, clear water; Fragrant Isle lavender farm with wonderful smells and a beautiful site; Stavkirke which is a reproduction of a Norwegian church, the historic farm of how things use to be on the island and the art center which promotes activities for the children.  A wonderful true look at the island.  After the tour, Hans drove us, in his car, back into town to Nelsons.  Here Tom became a member of the Bitters Club by drinking a shot of bitters.  We walked up the street to Katy's for burger night - tables set up in the parking lot, burgers and fries for $4.50 - delicious!  A local, Karen, whom Pam chatted up, gave us a ride back to the dingy and we headed back to the boats after an adventuresome and fun filled day.

Snail Shell Harbor

Bay at Garden, Michigan

Goully Harbor where we anchored

Cliffs of Washington Island

Running in the fog on our way to Washington Island

The War Memorial on our Cherry Train Tour

School House Beach, a popular tourist attraction

Wading in the COOL waters of School House Beach

The beach is made up entirely of this smooth stones. There are
signs posted at the beach of a $250 fine if you remove any stones

Hans, our tour guide and driver

The actual church was constructed by volunteers
from the Island

One of the two main volunteers/contractors passed
away right before the church was completed. In
his memory the volunteers hung his tool belt in
the rafters.

What the farms looked like back in the day. Historic with amny
antique pieces of machinery

One of many butterflies we saw. The Island actively plants
milk weed plants to attract the butterflies

Lavender operation we stopped at on the tour

Just one of the fields

Add caption

The lavender aromas and colors were magnificent

At Nelson's Bar, an Island historic hangout, you take a shot
of Angostura bitters to join the club, oh, and $4.50 for the shot

Jpoining the club. I can honestly say that after owning a bar
for over 15 years at no time did I ever think about taking a
shot of bitters. Tequila, rum, bourbon yes, but bitters?

We have got to get one of these for the boat

Reflecting on a day's adventures

$4.50 burger and fries special, best deal on the island

Preparing for the burger special rush

Louise, the proprietor of Karly's