We Made It!

Despite a forecast which included two- to three-foot waves on our nose, we decided to leave Ludington after just one night and set out on the final leg of our journey. The weather was predicted to get much worse (three- to five-foot waves) over the next several days, and I needed to get back to gear up for the start of the semester on August 30. So under gray skies we headed out, just after 8:00 a.m., leaving the Badger car ferry, which runs between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, behind, belching smoke from its coal-fired engines.Once out on the lake we found that the waves were indeed as predicted, making for a lumpy ride. There was enough wind to sail, but it would have meant tacking (zig-zagging back and forth), turning our already forty-eight nautical mile journey into a 72-mile one, more or less. Because we travel at an average speed of 6.5 nautical miles per hour, this would have added some three to four hours to our travel time. We were already counting on a good eight hour day, so we opted to motor instead. Cattitude handled the waves surprisingly well, although we were bouncing around enough to keep me from trying to do much more than relax and nap occasionally in the cockpit while Roger kept watch from the helm.

The sky remained gray throughout most of the day as we passed by various landmarks, including the lighthouse at Little Sable Point. We watched enviously as a sailboat made its way northward, going with the wind and waves, as we had done a few days earlier when the wind and waves were from the north as we were headed south.
Finally, after rounding Little Sable Point and nearing Muskegon, the seas flattened out and the sun came out. Just north of Muskegon there's a State Park which boasts beautiful dunes. The gorgeous weather provided a nice welcome as we arrived at our final destination for the summer. A further welcome was provided by Roger's brother Don and his wife Carole who rode out in their speedboat and met us just inside the breakwall.

We spent Tuesday night on board, since we still were waiting to hear from the insurance company of the woman who hit us to find out whether they would pay for a rental car for us. During the early hours of Wednesday the wind shifted, causing one of our fenders to rub against the dock, waking me up around 6:15. I got up and went on deck to adjust a dock line and in doing so, caught a glimpse of the nearly-full moon setting off our stern. We are in a slip that backs up to a sort of lagoon area which is quieter than being docked in the middle of the harbor. Now we are looking forward to weekend sails well into the fall.

Even the Calm Days are Interesting

While it's always more fun to sail, it can also be nice to have a calm day where our Autohelm can do all the work and we can relax a bit. Today was one of those days. The lake was calm and the sun was shining as we left Frankfort. I took advantage of the calm to write the previous two blog entries on the laptop while sitting at the helm. When the autopilot is steering, you only need to look around occasionally to make sure there are no other boats crossing your path. Sometimes you see interesting things, such as bright yellow NOAA buoys which don't appear on the chart. Given how inaccurate the NOAA marine weather forecasts are, it's hard to imagine the buoy can be giving them much data.
Another interesting thing you notice is the mirage effect. We saw Big Sable Point as a mirage long before it appeared over the horizon as a continuous piece of land. The sailboat in the distance has not yet gone over the horizon, so it appears normal. It was another hour or so after this photo was taken that we finally reached Big Sable Point and passed close enough to photograph its lighthouse.

We arrived in Ludington, just south of Big Sable Point, early enough to meet Roger's brother Don and his wife Carole, who drove up from their campsite in Muskegon, to have dinner with us at the local brew pub. If all goes well we will make the final leg of our journey to Muskegon tomorrow.

The Prettiest Part of Lake Michigan

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.

On the Road Again

Having listened to the forecast before turning in Friday night, we slept in on Saturday thinking we'd be spending the day in Elk Rapids, now car-less. Roger checked the forecast around 10:00 a.m. and we found that it sounded promising after all. So we got ready and pulled out of our slip shortly after noon, "driving north". (We brought our car gps to the boat when we left the car at the body shop in Traverse City, and turned it on in the middle of Grand Traverse Bay out of curiosity).

There wasn't much wind, so we motored on the first leg north up to the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. Once we rounded the point and started heading more to the south, we put up sail and turned off the engine. Out of the protected waters of Grand Traverse Bay we encountered waves, but fortunately, we were going with them. We saw another boat not far behind us who seemed to be sailing from somewhere further east, perhaps Charlevoix. They followed us all the way to Leland without overtaking us, which we found very satisfying, especially when they arrived after us and we learned they were a larger boat. Nonsuches are known for their speed downwind, and we proved that they deserve their reputation!

The marina at Leland has undergone a major facelift over the last two years. They’ve put in floating docks and a beautiful new air-conditioned bathhouse/ lounge/ laundry area. The outside is styled to match the fishing shanties that Leland is famous for and which make it a perennial tourist destination. We arrived under gray skies but watched the clouds blow south in the late afternoon, ushering in sunshine but also warmer, more humid air. We arrived late enough in the day that, between arrival chores (sail covering, etc.), showering and dinner, there was no time left to explore town. That would have to wait until Sunday, when 3-5-foot waves were predicted -- perfect for spending a quiet day in harbor.

Can Summer Be Over Already?

We spent a little over a week at home enjoying our air conditioning and cats (and taking care of a few important matters, as well), returning to Elk Rapids on Wednesday, August 18 in hopes of starting our trip south toward Muskegon. Originally we planned to come back north on Tuesday, but the forecast for Wednesday didn't sound promising, so we stayed home an extra day.

Our first night back we were welcomed by high wind and rain, making the next day no good for travel, as the storms had churned up large waves on the bay. The winds calmed down overnight, so we thought about leaving at 2:00 a.m. today, in order to arrive in Leland when we thought the marina would open, around 8:00. Neither of us wanted to try to arrive in the dark. Anyway, when we turned in yesterday evening the forecast sounded promising: light winds and small (less than 2 foot) waves. But by 2:00 a.m. the forecast had changed and our wind gauge was reading over 10 knots steadily, gusting to 18. The overnight reports from the mid-lake buoy showed a disturbing trend of increasing wind and waves, so we decided to go back to bed. When we got up again around 8:00 and saw that the conditions weren't too bad, we thought about leaving, but weren't sure we had a big enough window to reach Leland before the next batch of storms arrived. So we decided instead to stay here and stock up at the grocery store and our favorite fruit/vegetable stand in order to be ready to leave tomorrow.

The afternoon took a turn for the worse when, while waiting for a parking spot at the fruit stand, our car was backed into by an elderly woman who was leaving. Fortunately Roger, who was standing outside the car, moved out of her path in time, but our back door got quite a dent. It's a good thing we had given up on any possibility of leaving today. After talking to the local police and our insurance agent, we arranged to have the car worked on by the body shop at the Traverse City Honda dealer next week, while we are sailing south. Friends of ours who live in Traverse City met us at the body shop and drove us back to the marina in Elk Rapids some 15 miles north (we bribed them with dinner at the nice restaurant where I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago). So now we are ready to leave tomorrow, but they've changed the forecast (again!) to include thunderstorms and 3- to 5-foot waves. As we were eating dinner a line of severe thunderstorms moved in, so we got pretty wet on our way back to the boat. But now we are safely snug below, wondering if we'll ever get away from Elk Rapids.

A Beautiful Day in Northport

Life on a boat isn't all just having fun (although it mostly is). Sometimes you need to do maintenance chores. When it's close to 90 degrees and humid, they fall by the wayside. Today's high was only in the 70s and the humidity was low, so I decided it was time. The teak needs a touch-up coat once a year (or so the coating company claims). Some five years ago ours got a thorough redo that involved sanding down to bare wood and applying three coats. I think I managed to "paint" it once in the intervening years, but it's been a while. The first step after cleaning is to mask off the teak with blue painter's tape. This takes a while, because the "eyebrow" goes all the way around.Next comes the Sikkens Cetol finish. I applied one coat this afternoon; another will go on tomorrow for good measure before I remove the tape. It's a lot of work, but it makes the boat look nice.While I was working, Roger was watching the sailing class going on just off the beach to our south. Some of the kids seem to have the hang of it; others not quite yet. It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water, and all of them seemed to be having loads of fun.
We ended the day in the park, listening to Claudia Schmidt and her Funtet. Her energy and enthusiasm are infectious. You can't listen to her sing, play her dulcimer or tell a story without smiling.

A Perfect End to a Perfect Day

We love sailing the protected waters of Grand Traverse Bay!

Since my last entry we have had two fabulous afternoons of sailing, interspersed with visits with old friends in Suttons Bay, Michigan. We lost our internet access in Suttons Bay, so I am writing this in Northport, where we arrived about 3:00 p.m. following a rollicking sail up the bay.

We left Traverse City heading north toward Suttons Bay on Monday with a southwest wind averaging 20 knots. It was nice to try out our new sail with a double reef. Even under such short canvas, on a broad reach we averaged a boat speed of 7 knots, once topping out at 8! The wind gusted to 30 at times, so we were glad of the second reef. After we rounded Stony Point at the northeast end of Suttons Bay and began our trek southwest into the bay toward the harbor, we realized that tacking into such a strong wind, even double-reefed, would be more excitement than we could handle. Plus it would take twice as long to get there, zig-zagging back and forth, than it would under engine making a straight line. So we took in sail and motored the rest of the way into winds around 25 knots. We were glad to arrive and get safely tied up in a slip. We spent a couple of hot, muggy days there, visiting with friends and relaxing with our books. Suttons Bay is the homeport of the Inland Seas Schoolship, captained by our friend Tom Kelly. He and his wife Anne keep their own boat, a 35-foot ketch named "Cygnet," there as well. We caught a glimpse of them out sailing on Wednesday evening.

Today we left about 12:15 p.m. and headed northeast up Suttons Bay. Winds were strong and gusty from the west, but tomorrow's forecast was for wind from the northwest, which would have been on our nose, so we chose today to make the run. The first leg to Omena Point we were on a broad reach, making 6.3 to 7 knots with one reef in the sail. It was not unlike our trip up from Traverse City, except the winds weren't quite as strong (yet). The new sail set nicely with just a single reef. I steered the first half, but when we cleared Omena Point and turned more into the wind to make the northwest run up to Northport, Roger took over. The wind was getting stronger, so we took in a second reef and, even so, we made 5.8 knots to windward. Not bad for a boat that's not known for pointing well (that is, sailing very close-hauled into the wind). By 2:00 p.m., the gusts were piping up to 30 at times, causing us to heel at a 20 degree angle. The wind was fairly steady at 20. We considered taking in sail and motoring, but held off, at least until we saw 40 on our wind speed gauge. That seemed a bit too much, so we took in sail and motored for the last fifteen minutes. We are very happy to be here. Tomorrow evening one of our favorite singers, Claudia Schmidt, will be performing in the park adjacent to the marina. Life is good.
I steered on the first leg on a broad reach up Suttons Bay (notice how little we're heeling, despite the wind blowing our ensign).

Roger steered the second leg upwind (notice how much more we're heeling -- and how much he's enjoying the ride!).

Best Birthday Brunch Ever!

We are still in Traverse City, enjoying the atmosphere of the film festival that Michael Moore started here six years ago. The harbor filled up with boats helmed by people coming to town to see movies, including our friends Kent and Marianne Reynolds on "Andiamo" from Elk Rapids. We enjoyed an evening catching up with them over a glass of wine. They gave us the sad news that our friend Lou Swartz from "Pooh", who was the first person we met when we arrived at Elk Rapids harbor fourteen years ago, passed away in early July from cancer. He was always a cheerful presence on the dock and will be sorely missed. Another familiar boat sailed in on Thursday. The schoolship "Inland Seas" came in to give tours and educational sails around the bay to tourists. Also here is Fred Rachwitz on his Nonsuch 30 "Concerto," who was assigned the slip right next to us! Everyone likes our criss-crossed wishbones. (If you click on the second photo to enlarge it, and look very closely under the forward end of our wishbone, you'll see a row of green porta-potties set up for the outdoor movies shown on an inflatable screen each night in a park next to the marina.)
Because today is my birthday, we decided to brunch somewhere special. There are lots of new restaurants in town (another consequence of the film festival), many of them quite good. We walked a short way into town to "Patisserie Amie" and enjoyed the most delicious brunch I can ever remember. The menu is authentically French with lots of yummy-sounding things to choose from. We only wish we had found it sooner! Tonight we will try another place that comes highly recommended, "Fire Fly," for a light dinner before attending a showing of the Swiss film, "Die Standesbeamtin" or "Will You Marry Us?" as it's known in English.

We are planning to leave Traverse City tomorrow morning bound for Sutton's Bay. The forecast is for wind from the southwest, which will be ideal. We might need to take in a reef, though, as they are predicted to blow at 15 to 20 knots. At least there's no rain in the forecast until nighttime.

Sailing, at last!

After several days of no wind alternating with storms, we finally got a beautiful afternoon to try out our new sail. We called up some friends who live in Traverse City and invited them to join us for an afternoon on the bay. What a sail we had! Winds were gusty, dropping at times below 10 knots, at times well over 20, but averaging about 15, which is ideal. As the afternoon wore on a storm front approached, bringing even stronger gusts. We resisted the temptation to reef, although Richard was kind enough to spill some wind occasionally so we wouldn't heel enough to scare me. It was a lovely afternoon and we were glad to share it with friends we met in the North Channel some 12 years ago.

Tied up in Traverse City

After several days of heat and humidity, the weather has finally broken. Today we awoke to bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Ideal. We listened to the forecast for the next several days

and decided either today or tomorrow would be best to make a run south toward Traverse City. We considered anchoring overnight in Omena Bay, since we've never been there before. A phone call to the marina in Traverse City convinced us we should head directly there instead. On Tuesday the Traverse City Film Festival begins, and the marina was filling up fast. There was no wind today, and none in the forecast for tomorrow either, so we motored down the bay, admiring the green hills on either side along the way. When we got here all the slips were taken, but there was some space on the wall, which is first-come, first-served. We found a spot that looked to be just the right size and slipped deftly into it, getting snugged up against the dock without touching either of our neighbors. Both of us felt quite proud of our accomplishment. Especially when a stranger who saw us in the harbor house complimented us on our great docking job!

To celebrate we walked into town to the brew pub for a quaff and a nibble, then walked around and looked at all the familiar, as well as some new, shops and restaurants. Then we came "home" so I could cook dinner and we could eat in the cockpit while tourists passed by on the walkway above the dock. While Roger is doing the dishes down below, I'm in the Nonsuch "hammock" checking email and updating this blog. Internet on the docks is great! The full moon is rising and it's getting chilly, so soon I will go below. These cool nights are so nice for sleeping!

North to Northport

After a two-day trip home for a routine doctor visit, to check on the cats and do some laundry, we are back on board again. We spent yesterday stocking up on supplies and this morning left Elk Rapids and sailed northwest to Northport. The forecast sounded promising: southwest winds at 10 knots, which we had for the first hour of the trip. We sailed nicely on a close reach, attaining speeds up to 7 knots at times, but averaging more like 6. As we approached Old Mission Point, however, the wind dropped to nothing. We persevered without turning on the engine, inspired by a fleet of some seven or eight boats we had met who were sailing east to Elk Rapids and were purists about moving under sail alone. Fortunately the wind returned after only a short time, and we began sailing again. Unfortunately, it was from a new direction -- on our nose. We sailed for a while close-hauled on a course that would have involved tacking in order to reach our destination, but cranked up the motor and took in sail when we began to fear there might not be slips available by the time we reached Northport harbor. One reason we were worried was because we heard on the radio that they were saving a spot on the wall for a 92-foot schooner! We arrived at 4:00 and got a slip in a nice location, close to shore but far from the group of powerboaters hanging out on the dock. There was a nice breeze in the cockpit so we ate our dinner there, listening to a concert in the park by the Neptune Quartet. As we were finishing dinner, the Madeline arrived and took her spot on the wall. She is a replica of an 1840's commercial vessel which is based in Traverse City. As the evening wore on, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and bathed the marina in a soft light, the perfect end to a wonderful day.

We've moved!

After spending several days in Charlevoix waiting out high winds and big waves, we left at 11:30 a.m., along with three other boats who were circling with us, waiting for the bridge to open. As we waited we took in the view of the Charlevoix City Marina under the new reservation system. It was filled with large (some humongous) power boats and very few sailboats. Sad, but not surprising.

We motored out the channel past the lighthouse which was painted red at the end of last season as part of program to restore it to its original state. We recently heard that there's a plan to add an old fashioned fog horn! That will be fun to hear.

The first leg of our trip took us straight into the wind and waves, so we motored. On our second leg, however, we were able to put up our new sail and turn off the engine for a while. It set nicely and moved us along on a fast reach. Eventually the wind diminished, though, and we had to turn on the engine again or risk arriving at our destination too late for dinner. We left the sail up as it helped ease the rolling motion caused by winds on our beam, plus allowed us to run the engine at a lower rpm and still make good time.

We got to the Edward C. Grace Memorial Harbor in Elk Rapids just before 5:00 p.m. This was our home base when we had our previous boat, but we had to give up our slip when we bought Cattitude, as she is two feet longer and didn't fit in the space allowed. We love it here. They now have wireless access on the docks and no reservation system, so we can stay up to two weeks at a time! And it's nice to be back in Grand Traverse Bay.

She's afloat!

As we were preparing to schedule our launch this spring we discovered a note from our mechanic last fall regarding a repair he planned to do over the winter. We realized we'd never been billed for it, so we contacted the yard and learned that it was never completed! (Partly our fault for not knowing how the yard's chain of command works). The strut that holds our propeller shaft in place was loose, allowing water to enter the hull through the screw holes. (The photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. That will allow you to read my comment on the first photo). The fix took some time, so, after a delayed start to the season, we are happy to report that Cattitude is once again afloat and (nearly) ready to go cruising. We are eager to try out our new sail.

We will have to wait a few days to leave harbor, though. Today there is a slight breeze, but we haven't finished moving aboard. Besides which, it's beastly hot (90 degrees outside and nearly 100 in the cabin!), so we don't mind waiting. Meanwhile we are hanging out in the beautiful, air-conditioned Charlevoix Public Library, which has wireless internet. This evening when the temperature drops (we hope) we will complete a few more chores to ready the boat for cruising. We still need to clean the antifreeze out of the water tanks and fill them with fresh water, as well as move the dinghy's outboard from the car to our stern rail. And sometime when we feel ambitious, there's some trouble-shooting to do on our oven, which stopped working a couple of summers ago. The fridge, however, is working great, so we have lots of cold lemonade to keep us going. Tonight's and tomorrow's forecasts include the possibility of storms, which will probably delay our departure still more, but will hopefully cool things down a bit. Last night it cooled down enough that we needed a blanket! Great sleeping weather. It feels good to be living on board once again.