Day #209 - Home Sweet Home - Port Sheldon, June 30, 2012

Left Pentwater @ 5:45am. heading for home. The PSBA annual pig roast was tonight @ 6:00  so we were trying to make it home by then. It was really hazy, windy and waves were up to 3-4 feet, but we were determinded to make it home by June 30th and we did. We crossed our wake @ 3:48pm and lots of our neighbors welcomed us home. It was especially special because "Priority" brought over in their dinghy "Blue Angel" to congratulate us....what a wonderful surprise. "Blue Angel" took us under their wing all the way down to Tarpon Springs area last fall. It was so wonderful for them to be around to welcome us back home. They really taught us "all the ropes" when we left last Sept. 7th.
We were able to make it to our Port Sheldon Beach Association Pig Roast and it was so nice to see our neighbors and friends. This is a wonderful area to live in. Thanks to Cindy and Tom for welcoming us back from our trip and shared their table with us for the pig roast.
We traveled 67 miles from Pentwater to get back home.......a wild ride but was worth it !
What an amazing journey..........Thanks Scot!

Day #208 - Pentwater

View of Pentwater from our anchorage

 

Left Ludington at  7:45am.  It was a beautiful, calm and sunny day for a ride to Pentwater. We arrived at 9:55 am and dropped anchor in the mooring field across from town.  Took dinghy to town to check our what's new.....nothing much. Picked up a few items at the Dollar Store. Very quiet here....and hardly any boats at the municipal marina.  Traveled about 14 miles today.....short and sweet!

Day #207 - Ludington

Left Manistee @ 7:00 am to get another early start. There were "rollers" left over from yesterday's winds, but were manageable. Got here @ 11:15am. to the Municipal Marina.  Doug and Carolyn picked us up for lunch and had some mexican food....yum!  They asked us if we would like to come over for a fish fry at their park for dinner where they live. Of course, we said yes.  It was so delicious and all the neighbors were so friendly. Came back to the boat around 7:00pm, took showers and watched the "Badger" take off @ 8:30 pm.

Just want to thank Doug and Carolyn for all their hospitality @ Ludington today. They are such "super nice people". It feels so good to be near home........

Day #206 - Manistee

Left Frankfort by 6:10am and got here about 10:15am. It wasn't a bad ride, but winds were suppose to kick up by this afternoon. Rode bikes to check out the town and to get some more groceries. This marina has been remodeled and its beautiful. Only two other boats here.....what a shame! I really enjoy walking the riverwalk along the waterfront. Also found an American Legion and got a free drink because we were visitors from out of town.

Day #205 - Frankfort

We left Leland at 6:00am hoping to get an early start. What a beautiful day for a boat ride. Sunny and west winds about 5 knots and waves about a foot. The visibility was great today...you could see for miles and miles. Beautiful scenery with Sleeping Bear Dunes and Point Betsie Lighthouse. There were a few sailboats and a couple freighters.
We were planning on going to Arcadia today, but Scot noticed that our thruster belt was giving him grief. So we decided to go into Frankfort to find a NAPA store for another belt.....again. Tied up at the municipal dock around 12:15pm and called "The Boat Drs." They delivered the part within 45 minutes. There is no NAPA here, of course, but have one 7 miles away.
We decided to stay here at Frankfort because Arcadia has shallow waters. The deepest part is 5ft, according to the dockmasters here. Tomorrow the weather window doesn't look too good for us traveling south. So we might anchor out tomorrow night here at Frankfort.  Thursday through Sunday's weather forecast will be in our favor.....as of now.  Traveled 41 miles today.

Day #204 - Leland

Left at 7:00am to catch the opening of the Charlevoix Bridge at 7:30. We were about 3 minutes late, but tooted our horn, and he opened up the US 31 Bridge. Surprisingly, there were some rollers in the channel going out to Lake Michigan, which gives you a "good" idea what to expect on the big lake.
Once we got out there were BIG rollers....up to 4 ft! Boy, this was not what the weather report said. They said 2 ft or less.....Anyway, we're cruising along, actually rolling along, side to side, and we didn't want to check on things downstairs. For one, it was really rocking, which is hard to manage your way down below and two, who wants to clean up the mess!  Scot went down to check on things down below......thank goodness, because I was in my "safety spot" riding out the big rollers. I'm not much help when it's rough, but if a situation arise, I'll be there!  Scot is the best captain that I know and I feel "safe" with him and his decision making. I just follow "Captain's Orders".
We needed to make a decision whether to turn into Traverse Bay and go to North Port or continue on to Leland. Scot wanted to get "cheap" diesel in North Port and it would of been a better ride, but we decided to continue on to Leland. Of course, the waves were still rolling us around, but you get used to it after a while. We arrived at Leland about 12:15pm. Lots of deck hands helping us dock the boat. Other boaters came over to ask us about the conditions on the lake. They wanted to head to Charlevoix which meant bucking the waves from the north. Guess, no one else ventured out today. We did  see a couple brave sailboats traveling north.
This marina is in the process of remodeling with heavy machinery noise and dust, but the slips and the restroom facilities are very nice. We ventured to town to check out the "tourists" stores and grocery store. It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day and the water on Lake Michigan look like paradise with so many different shades of turquoise and blue.

 

                           Only about 160 miles to get home........Went about 42 miles today.

Day #203 - Oyster Bay

 Oyster Bay anchorage 

 

Not a very good day for traveling, so we're going to anchor out in Oyster Bay off of Round Lake It's very nice and quiet here. Played Scrabble and Nancy won again!  Hoping to go to North Point tomorrow, weather permitting.