Expecting to stay in Leland, we checked the forecast anyway. A peek over the breakwall to the north of the harbor also gave us a feel for the size of the waves, and we found that conditions wouldn’t be as bad as we thought so, just after noon we cast off our lines, hoisted sail and headed south. There wasn’t a lot of wind, but enough to fill the sail as we motored, which kept us from rolling too much in the 2-3-foot waves. As we progressed the wind decreased even more, but so did the waves. With the combination of engine and sail to propel us, we moved along at over 7 knots most of the afternoon.
This leg of our trip through the Manitou Passage offers the most spectacular scenery. The high bluffs of Pyramid Point, Sleeping Bear Dune and the Empire Bluffs on the mainland to the east are balanced by the almost-as-high bluffs on North and South Manitou Islands just offshore. And near the end of the trip, approaching Frankfort, we pass what has to be Lake Michigan’s prettiest lighthouse, on Point Betsie, between Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake. Our arrival in Frankfort was uneventful. This time we showered, made dinner and saved time for a walk into town for ice cream. Frankfort was our first port of call in Michigan when we moved here from Illinois in 1996, so we feel a special fondness for the place. As we crossed Lake Michigan the beautiful bluffs surrounding the harbor entrance were a welcome sight, visible from almost mid-lake on a calm day.
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