Beaver Island

June 27, 2012 Wed.


We met fellow sailors Jack & Debbie Barkin on S/V (abbreviation for sailing vessel) "Iroquois" in Ludington.  We have bumped into them at every port since.  We left together for Beaver Island this morning, another beautiful sunny day.  Once again our NOAA weather forecast was not accurate.  We were expecting SW winds 10-20kts., not to be.  We had to motor sail all the way.  As we approached St. James Harbor, the winds increased suddenly to 30 kts.  Docking was a treat.  Jim the Harbor Master talked us through on radio and at the dock.  It was a successful landing.
This has been a reflective voyage.  We have so many memories sailing Lake Michigan.  As we passed Northport, Charlevoix, Little Traverse Bay, sighting the Point of Harbor Springs, we reminisced.
We feel fortunate to be working toward new memories with this adventure.
On this 60 mile stretch we were attacked by "Kamikaze" stable flies (biters).  "General Quarters" was sounded and all hands were on deck.  The enemy was defeated by the "Big Guns" (double fly swatters).  "Victory At Sea"!  The word went out from the Captain to the Admiral "We have met the enemy and they are ours"! (See Photo)
We were greeted by friend, Pat Bonadeo, a Beaver Island summer resident.  We enjoyed wine and cheese aboard "Chasseur" for the evening and made plans for Thursday.
We will be staying at Beaver Island for awhile to take advantage of the laid back, slower pace.  The crew will get some needed rest, relaxation and exercise.

Suzanne at the helm leaving Leland

St.James Harbor Lighthouse

Battle at sea, armed with the big guns

Preparing Dinner at Pat Bonadeo's house on Sand Bay

Beaver Island Ferry to Charlevoix

Leland, Michigan

June 27, 2012 Tuesday


Arrived in Leland at 1400 hrs.  We left Frankfort with hopes of a whole day sail with winds predicted to come from the west at 10mph. we sailed only for a couple hours of this trip.  It took a while for the wind to come up.  It was a beautiful sunny day at sea.

Uncle Karl and Aunt Kaye

We met with Uncle Karl and Aunt Kaye Kristen for dinner at "The Cove" restaurant, then ice cream at their beautiful home overlooking Lake Michigan.  Karl then tossed us into his van and we all took an exciting drive to see cousin Peg (&Ted's) new home 8 miles away!  We had a wonderful, albeit brief visit.  We leave for Beaver Island in the morning.

Frankfort, Michigan

June 23, 2012 Saturday

A later morning start, 1015 hrs we left Ludington for Frankfort, about 57 miles. Another day of low wind but no waves.  We motor sailed most of the way.  As the day progressed clouds developed to our west and continued to grow darker, radar looked threatening.  The clouds came behind us and in front of us but not over us.  We didn't get rain until we reached port.  Rain was light and brief.
We tied up at Frankfort Municipal Marina at 1925 hrs.  Forecast for next two days is North winds up to 25 mph and gusty with waves 2-4 feet (on the  nose).  We are staying in Frankfort waiting for this cold front to pass.
Frankfort, and a town called Elberta are ports on Betsie Lake.  "Chasseur" is tied up in Frankfort directly across the lake from Elberta.  There is a summer solstice festival in Elberta today and tonight.  The bands played all day and into the night, great free entertainment.  We enjoyed fireworks from our fantail. 
Frankfort is a "perfect" small town port.  City planners have done a wonderful job.  There is something for everyone here and in very good taste.  This is a quaint town, but not pretentious...our kind of place.  Frankfort was named after one of it's founders, Frank Martin, who arrived in 1855 and built a log stockade around his home to keep drifting snow from his door - neighbors jokingly called it "Frank's Fort".  So there you have it, "Frankfort".
Next stop will be Leland.  Probably Tuesday.

"A collision at sea can ruin your entire day."  Thucydides

Bob and Jenny Snideman

Our Grand Haven Hosts (and dear friends). Milwaukee Clipper in the background. (Muskegon)

Visitors

Ludington Arrival

Anchors Aweigh

June 22, 2012 Friday

Residents of Great Lakes Marina, Muskegon, Michigan (our home port) were awakened today at 0615 hrs to a Post Horn "Reveille" and a short concert by Terry on the bow as we left port. "Most" of the Marina Guests enjoyed it, (some, however were a little grumpy). Brother Tom and sister in law Em met us at the Muskegon Channel for a very Danish send off - the flags were hard to miss. Further down the channel, Gale, the original BP (boat people) said good bye, exchanging "licks" with Terry on their conch shells.
We cleared the Muskegon Channel, Northbound, @ 0659 hrs, the last time for a very long time, for how long we don't know. With tears in our eyes and excitement in our hearts we have set sail on our big cruise. 4000 miles to go, through the Great Lakes, Erie Canal, and down the U.S east coast, on our own "Adventure in Paradise" - wherever we find it. We are travelling in our sailboat, "Chasseur" (means hunter in french), a Catalina 320. She was modified over the winter with solar panels and new electronics. After an exhausting "fitting out" this spring we are finally ready. Our story on how and why we are doing this will come in a future blog. Today we will cover 56 miles up the coast of Lake Michigan to one of our favorite ports, Ludington Michigan. Wind and seas are down, so we motored, on a beautiful day.
Friends Phil and Virginia Moyer, along with "Scooter and Annie Mae" drove up to greet us and we had dinner at P.M. Steamers. Having done this adventure before us, they had lots of great advise.
We have cruised Lake Michigan for many years and have many fond memories and experiences on this beautiful body of water. Our goal is to get Chasseur and her crew to less familiar waters as quickly as possible, as weather allows. We will enjoy your comments to our blog for "company" along the way. Thanks to all who helped us get to where we are today....friends at Great Lakes Marine, Torresen Marine, West Marine and Bluffton Bay Sails.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do then the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover." Mark Twain

Ludington, MI

Test Location

Donna and Ashlie

Still in Port (WX)

Waiting for our first weather window, but not our last!!!