Not All Fun & Games

Oh, yes we're still gratefully enjoying this fantastic way to spend a summer of sailing on Lake Michigan, but it's not always fun and games. 

For instance, tonight we're tied up to a slip in a marina in Whitehall/White Lake, and we're bouncing and pounding constantly with the strong south wind howling and blowing directly onto the stern of our boat. And this is our second night here.

This afternoon Kent and a new dock buddy Doug managed to connect even more lines to hold our boat than we'd originally tied up with. Two bow lines, two stern lines (one that even goes over to another boat's tie-up post and now can be controlled with a winch), and a sturdy spring line, not to mention the fenders that keep us safely off the posts and the dock. 

Kent connecting our boat to a neighbor's boat post.

Yet the fun part was getting here. We left Manistee about 9 AM yesterday after staying for three days because of south winds and high waves, and sailed all day until about 4 PM with strong winds at our back from the north and off to the west. We unfurled the genoa (the headsail) and the 15-19 knot winds flew us across the white capped waves, often at 6 knots. This is what sailing vessels are made for and we are continually appreciative that we really get to do this.

Nancy in the happy seat.

The beauty of the sand dunes all along the Michigan shore is hard to capture and describe.

 

Lighthouses in Michigan

A rather unexpected pleasure of this trip is our up-close viewing of lighthouses all along the Lake Michigan shore. Each one is timeless and uniquely beautiful in its own way. And we did indeed use each one to guide us to as we entered each port, just as sailors from the past. 

We've agreed that it must be a rule of sailing that a photo must be taken of each and every lighthouse. It's actually very hard to sail past without grabbing the camera! Enjoy!

Ludington

Big Sable Point

Manistee

Little Sable Point

White Lake/Whitehall

Muskegon

"Big Red" in Holland

St. Joseph

Saugatuck/Douglas

Hot. Strawberry Super-Moon

We experienced a stunning view of June 14's strawberry super moon from the foredeck of our sailboat at midnight. I wonder if it would have been just as lovely without the muggy, hot weather that led up to it. Probably.

We sailed all day, past Little Sable Point with a charming lighthouse and massive sand dunes with dune buggies crawling all over, then pulled into Pentwater's harbor entrance at about 3 PM. We sought anchorage in a cove called Big Bayou. We briefly entered the water off the back of the boat, each for a different reason: Kent b/c he needed to check the propeller to make sure it wasn't fouled by grassy water we'd experienced in the previous harbor (it wasn't), and me b/c it was just so dang hot.

Little Sable Point Lighthouse on sand dunes

At anchorage, no electricity is available via shore power as in a marina, and all of our fans are electric of course. Except one - my 3" diameter battery-operated mini-fan for travel that has become my favorite must-have device especially for the 91 degrees & no breeze we were experiencing. We each held onto a wet washcloth to help us make it through the evening.

Coolest meal we could put together in the heat with no electricity - tostadas with fresh veggies.

We know that sunset is usually around 9:30 in this area, so we sat in the cockpit to cool off and see if the moon was visible (nope). We climbed onto the foredeck of the boat and sat there for hours. It was even cooler up there, but the moon was having a rough time rising above the trees that lined the bayou.

And finally, at last at midnight it became visible, fully round and large and bright and beautiful. Worth the wait!

Good night!

Up in Michigan via Sailboat

Summer fun this year involves sailing Cool Heads Prevail up the Lake Michigan coast of Michigan with friends. We've been on this sailing adventure for over a week. 

And we are continually amazed at the beauty of this shore: Glorious sand dunes all along the coast. Beautiful little lakes with sweet tucked-away coves. Picturesque lighthouses at each port. 

Yet variety is the key element so far: In this past week we've experienced a variety of weather from layering up including stocking caps and mittens to sweltering hot nights at anchor without even a fan to help us cool off. 

And a variety of sailing conditions that are sometimes calm and other times wild & windy. And a variety of sleeping conditions, sometimes at anchor and sometimes in a marina. 

We're not exactly sure of our turn-around destination . . . our friends are sailing on to Canada . . . wait did we bring our passports?  

Here's where we've been in the past week:

*St. Joseph > Saugatuck/Douglas - 35 nautical miles

*Saugatuck > Holland - 5 nm

*Holland > Muskegon - 28 nm

*Muskegon > White Lake - 10 nm

*White Lake > Pentwater - 27 nm

*Pentwater > Ludington - 10 nm

*Ludington > Manistee - 23 nm