Snug Harbors Along Lake Michigan

Friday, August 8, 2014

Preparing for an early departure from Arcadia we saw that Annabelle had already left by 6:30 with Tanya planning to put in a long day to take advantage of the unbelievable calm weather. We left soon after even though we had a short day ahead of us. There are a lot of places to stop along the east coast of Lake Michigan and I think we are hitting most of them! We have the time to explore, even with weather delays taken into consideration. We know from experience that nice warm days mean that a cold front is soon to follow.

The entrance to Manistee, our destination, is protected by two breakwaters leading into the Manistee River. The town straddles the river and the Municipal Marina is right on the edge of downtown. This is also a big fishing center and we passed many fishing boats all rigged out with a fan of poles above the helm. Our slip was next to the fuel dock and right along the river so we were in a busy place. After a walk into town where John was able to buy a new keyboard – the one on his laptop wouldn’t do a T or a Y – and his lament was, “Do you know how many words have a t or y???”

John spends a lot of time studying boater's manuals and planning our stops
 

Later we went on our favorite excursion: foraging for food. There was a grocery store across the drawbridge so we took our lightweight back bags and John towed his folding dolly and we went on our seemingly endless quest to find fresh produce.

Captain’s Log: August 8, 2014

Departed: Arcadia, MI 7:20 a.m.
Engine hours: 2.9 hr. – 16.97 nautical miles
Actual hours: 3 hr.  
Arrived: Manistee, MI Municipal Docks 10:20 p.m.
Wx: Winds easterly 5-10 knots, waves 1’ or so – no problems encountered

Saturday & Sunday, August 9 & 10, 2014

The night was pleasant but we were awakened at a very early hour with water slapping against our boat as many fishing boats left before the crack of dawn. They were on a mission to find fish and nothing, even sleeping boaters, was going to slow them down!

We were amazed as we pulled back onto the lake on our way to Ludington later that morning to see dozens and dozens of fishing boats out along the western horizon. Oh yes, we remembered, it was Saturday! Fortunately they were out far enough that we didn’t have to dodge them until we neared our destination of Ludington. By then many had their catch and were speeding back to port. We found out later that there were a couple of fishing derbies going on which would explain their need for speed.

One of MANY fishing boats
 

We stayed in Ludington for two days and one of the things we could count on there was the old coal fired ferry, named Badger, coming into port. We first were aware of it when it let out 5 blasts of it's horn as it was coming into the channel our first evening. It was a warning to a boater that may have been it it's way. This huge ferry can't and won't stop; so smaller boats have to stay well aside!

Badger backing into dock - yes, that is a bus on board!
 

The Badger ferries people, cars, busses and even 18 wheeler trucks across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a 4 hour trip, twice a day arriving in Ludington in the morning at 6:15 am, at the end of the day at 7:00 pm. and always announces it's arrival and departure with a loud blast of the horn.

Badger departing at 8:30 p.m.led by a Coast Guard escort
 

We heard the distinctive sounds of a bagpipe as a staff member,
standing on the Badger's top deck, piped the ferry out of the harbor

  On our second day in Ludington it was sunny and cool and we walked into the town to check things out a bit. There was a lovely park at the waterfront and we had to capture some of the statuary there for our travel journal.

Having fun with bronze children - they didn't move
and neither did our mascot, Christopher Croaker
 

 

Spirit of Ludington with Serenity
in the background
 

Captain’s Log: August 9, 2014

Departed: Manistee, MI 7:50 a.m.
Engine hours: 4.00
Actual hours: 5 hrs. 30 min. (time spent at idle and taking on fuel and getting pump out on arrival in Ludington. Least expensive fuel so far on trip @3.87 /gal – took on 80 gal.
Nautical miles covered: 23.24
Arrived: Ludington, Mi Harbor View Marina 12:30 p.m.
Wx: Partially overcast and hazy, calm winds

Monday & Tuesday, August 11 & 12, 2014

Departed from Ludington early while the Badger was loading cargo. There was rain on the radar map but winds were calm and we followed two motoring sailboats out of the harbor. The sky was dark ahead but we just saw a heavy mist and turned on the foghorn as the sailboats disappeared after we passed them ever so slowly.  
 

Entering Pentwater Harbor
 

We had already planned to stay in Pentwater for two days because John had made arrangements to change the oil and filters in the boat while we were there. This was great timing because the weather didn't look so great for Tuesday with rain and strong north winds in the forecast. 

Special cover for a wooden boat in Pentwater Lake
 

We tied up at Snug Harbor Marina, a full service facility, right next to the main street in town. While John was getting picking up the oil and getting started on the process I had a great walk the length of the town and down the walkway on the channel to the beach. It is so good to be able to stroll along the edge of the water. No sunshine but quite a few people enjoying an afternoon in the sand and cold lake. 

Great name and paint job for this fishing boat
 



Old boat used as planter at Snug Harbor Marina
 

As predicted, the second day was colder, windy and rainy but we stayed busy getting the oil change done and making use of the Laundromat. We were glad to be snug in the harbor. There were no Loopers here but we met some great folks, Tom and Linda Ray, Gold Loopers who summer on Lake Michigan and came by in their dinghy.

 Captain’s Log: August 11, 2014

Departed: Ludington, Harbor View Marina 8:10
Engine hours: 2.2 hrs.
Actual hours: 2 hrs.  25 min.
Nautical miles covered: 12.15
Arrived: Pentwater, MI Snug Harbor Marina
Wx: Overcast & foggy – kept fog horn on entire trip. Water calm, light wind
 
August 13 & 14, Wednesday & Thursday

Left Snug Harbor early to avoid any increasing winds later in the day. We encountered some rolling waves but then turned south so they were following us. This would be a fairly long cruise for us and after a couple of hours as the sun hit the cold water we saw some fog developing. Soon we were in the thick of it and John turned on the foghorn for the third time since we have been on Lake Michigan.

Passing a fishing boat as we near Little Sable Point
 

One of the big advantages of traveling by boat is that we can leave early before breakfast and once we get underway we can have a bowl of cereal and even shower if we want to. Often I do my morning stretches and a few pushups as we go along. John even swabbed the front deck this morning to wipe off the rain from yesterday and the morning dew. Try that in an RV! You know who I'm talking to...

We left the big lake as we entered White Lake and from there it was about an hour to the end of the lake where we reached the municipal marina at White Hall. There was a Looper boat that came in right behind us. It was a catamaran named Joint Adventure from Boston. We were excited to see each other later on and compared notes. We always have something in common with other boaters!
The next day we got down our bikes and found a great bike path that took us to the nearby town of Montague where we stopped at Michigan's oldest soda fountain, Lipka's. The building was built in 1887 and was the first pharmacy in Montague. It was a step back in time as it looked like it hadn't changed much over the years.

The current owners had put in extensive displays of Coca Cola memorabilia and other artifacts so we had lots to look at while we were waiting for our order. We are really enjoying the Michigan that we have seen so far!
 

Having a milkshake at Lipka's Soda Fountain - the real thing - delicious!
 

Captain’s Log: August 13, 2014

Departed: Pentwater, Snug Harbor Marina 6:55 a.m.
Engine hours: 5.3 hrs.
Actual hours: 5 hrs.  25 min.
Nautical miles covered: 32.64

Arrived: Whitehall, MI Municipal Marina on White Lake
Wx: Smooth seas - initially waves 1 ft or less then smooth went through some fog, nice cruise, calm, light wind