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.