From Charlevoix, we headed south along the lake, entered Grand Traverse Bay and stayed overnight at the village of Northport, MI. Northport was a quaint little town with a great marina and a delicious bakery. It also had the cheapest diesel fuel price since New Jersey. While in Northport we had a nice get together with two other "looper" couples, Rich and Carol Nick from Cape May, NJ on "SALT 'n SAND" and Ross and Nancy Hiner from Northfield, Minnesota onboard ODDYSEA. Ross and Nancy had almost completed the loop when we met them. All they had to do was cross Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin to cross their wake. Little did they know mother nature was going to delay them for a few days.
From Northport we got back on the lake and went south to Leland. We stayed in Leland during our 2007 trip and in the years between the marina has had a complete makeover. Very nice facility now. While in Leland the winds started to build up in the afternoon. It was very interesting to watch the boats trying to enter the harbor through the breakwater. Although everyone made it through, the following day (after we left) a sailboat was caught in the strong surf and was pushed up on the beach, requiring a strong tug to pull her off.
The forecast was for strong winds the next few days, so we left Leland at sunrise the next morning and headed to Frankfort, MI, which is a traditional port for crossing the lake. The lake is narrowest at this point - only about 55 miles across to Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the predicted winds arrived and Frankfort became our homeport for 4 nights. Seas were forecast at 4 to 7 feet out on the lake, just a little to high for our pleasure.
The delay in Frankfort put us a few days behind, so when the winds finally laid down we were out at 5 AM, heading south. With a good seastate and unpredictable future winds, we decided to take advantage of the seas and did a 95 mile day to Muskegon, MI. Now 95 miles may not seem like a lot in a car, but at 9 knots it turns into a 10 hour day on the water. There will be no comments nor pictures of Muskegon, as when you come off the lake the town is actually several miles further inland across Lake Muskegon. We chose to tie up for the night at a marina close to Lake Michigan and made it an early evening.
On the 27th we moved to Saugatuck, MI, a town known for its art gallerys. We stayed at a very nice marina just a short walk from the downtown area. We enjoyed a nice lunch on the waterfront as well a stroll around the town. The winds were strong again on the second day, so it was another overnight stay. We should be underway tomorrow, 29 Aug, to Brenton, MI. From there we are taking a couple of days off the boat to visit Pam, Brian and Everett.
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| Some of the houses lining the harbor departing Charlevoix |
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| Northport MI was on the upper part of Grand Traverse Bay |
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| Ross and Nancy Hiner |
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| Rich and Carol Nick |
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| The winds and seas started to pick up as we headed south to Frankfort |
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| This is the typical coast along the eastern side of Lake Michigan - sandy beaches and dunes dominate the landscape |
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| Sunset at Leland, MI |
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| Temperatures in the morning have been as low as 48 degrees |
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| One of about 26 swans in the Frankfort Harbor |
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| We were up early enough to see the sunrise on our trip to Muskegon |
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| This is the typical harbor entrance on the Michigan shoreline. A breakwater extending about 1/2 a mile into Lake Michigan clearly marked with navigational aids |
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| Ex - USS SILVERSIDES, now a museum in the Muskegon Harbor |
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| Saugatuck Marina |
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