We are headed back to Charlevoix (via Elk Rapids and Northport) after a nice cruise around Grand Traverse Bay over the last couple of weeks. We spent several more days in Traverse City to celebrate Carol's birthday in style (no, they didn't give me any leftovers, of which there were plenty. They decided to save them to eat the next day!)...
and so Carol & Roger could go to some movies at the film festival, including one on a huge outdoor screen in a park next to the marina. Everyone in town (even those who don't care for Michael Moore's politics) agrees that the film festival has been a huge boon to Traverse City and will only get bigger and better as the years go by. This year they showed over 70 films on five different screens (six counting the one outdoors) in locations all around town. Madonna even made an appearance, but Carol & Roger didn't see her since they were watching a different movie on the other side of town.
They were also hoping for a nice wind to sail north, but the best they got was a day with no wind (better than a wind from the north because it's easier to motor through calm water than into waves). That was yesterday. By now I've gotten used to the engine noise and pretty much ignore it. I move around between my bed on the floor in the main cabin and the humans' bed in the forward cabin, drinking water and eating a little in between. We motored north past Sutton's Bay toward the tip of Old Mission Peninsula which divides Grand Traverse Bay in two, East Bay and West Bay. At that point Carol & Roger decided it was early enough to go around the tip of the peninsula and part way down into East Bay to Elk Rapids, their old home port.
We spent two nights there, and yesterday (Monday) was really hot. Outside it was in the upper-80s and down in the cabin it was 98-99 degrees! So they carried me to the air-conditioned lounge to hang out while they played Scrabble. On the way back to the boat I insisted on walking by myself instead of being carried. I think there was something familiar about the place. Carol says they brought me here about 11 years ago to go out sailing on their previous boat. I loved it! But then we went out again with Dutch about 9 years ago, and he got seasick and vomited. So after that I stayed home to keep him company when they went cruising. Still, I thought I recognized a smell in the air in the harbor at Elk Rapids... I wandered the dock back towards shore, getting compliments (and some petting!) from other sailors and powerboaters. It was great! I felt like a queen (of course, I am one, you know).
The forecast for today (Tuesday) was for wind from the northwest, but not too strong, with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Last night they were predicting big waves for Wednesday, so Roger thought it would be smart to leave today for Charlevoix. By this morning, however, they had changed the forecast for Wednesday to include lots of sun, small waves and wind from the west -- perfect for sailing home from Northport. So we motored here in just a few hours and now we're ready to sail again tomorrow.
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