OK, so the gales of November might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the weather since we’ve been in Michigan has been frustrating. Between thunderstorms, tornados, wind and waves. we get one, maybe two days a week with weather that’s safe to move.
September is Boating Safety Month so it seems appropriate to write about a side of cruising that we do not enjoy… waiting on Mother Nature. Mother Nature decides when it’s safe for us to move, not us.
I recall in the past thinking that we were wasting our lives waiting on weather. The same frustration has caused an early end to many cruising dreams, so it’s not to be taken lightly.
We had perfect weather most of the summer – could move when we wanted and anchor where we wanted. Now we’re in a different weather pattern. Sometimes you watch the forecast for a week waiting on that one good day, only to have it dissolve the day before.
We waited in Mackinaw City for 6 days, in Charlevoix for 4 days and Frankfort for 4 days, Manistee for a day and now in Ludington for probably at least 4 days before we can move on to Muskegon and then Holland.
The Great Loop “dream” Lake Michigan segment is hopping harbors almost daily, being in by noon giving you the afternoon and evening to explore the next quaint little town. And if you like it, stay one more night because you can move freely.
Well, not this year. We’ve been in Michigan since August 20 and the weather pattern doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. We got beat up, felt like we were going to break the boat in half before we were able to duck in to Manistee after only 27 miles when leaving Frankfort. The bow starts burying itself in the next steep wave, you know it’s time to seek safe harbor. And training lines of thunderstorms don’t help.
So be safe out there, enjoy Lake Michigan. Spending so much time in each harbor allows us more time to explore, but every Looper we talk to right now has the same mantra … moving one or two days a week will take us literally more than a month to get to Chicago.
One has to wonder if we would have been smart to take our one good day and hop to the Wisconsin side for the journey down Lake Michigan. Then perhaps the fetch from south and south west winds wouldn’t have the fetch to beat us up on a regular basis.
Ah well, it’s still a wonderful adventure. Just proceeding a bit more slowly than anticipated. The only reason to be in a hurry is so we’re far enough south that David can still wear his shorts in November … A few photos and then a great discovery that would have never happened except for the weather ….
And last, but far from least – we pulled into Manistee for one night because the seas were burying the bow and there happened to be this Coast Guard 180′ buoytender museum a mile from the marina. It’s #406 and David served on an almost identical buoytender for two years in San Juan, Puerto Rico! I’ve heard SO many stories, and I finally got to walk through almost the exact same boat that originated all those sea stories. 🙂
With that, this week’s rant is over. The silver lining is that we’ve seen things and explored places that we never would have found without the Gales of November coming early. 🙂
And the morale is — be safe and enjoy every day – explore where you are and you might discover more than you expect! Now we head south from Ludington to Chicago – any recommendations for don’t miss stops along the way? Please leave a comment and share! Cheers! Jan
Wait… I thought the Portland Head Light in Maine was the most photographed lighthouse in the country!
What??? The tourism brochures LIED??? Aaarrggg…. 🙂 Cheers! J
While we’re still sailors, really enjoying your Loop voyage. Have learned (over and over, unfortunately) not to make decisions based on someone’s schedule but to wait for a proper weather window. We may consider a move to the dark side someday and give the Loop a try, but not yet 😉!
David’s sea stories about his days on the Brush…. oh, please. You need to stop for another visit so I can fire up the slide projector and start sharing the rest of the one’s I didn’t have time to complete.
The answers to the questions on the pictures you sent are ” Chain Stop” and USCGC Aurora #103. It wasn’t a 125 footer (Buck and a Quarter) it was a 165 footer, which were built to replace the 125’s. David spent far more time leaning over the spray shield watching me lay the 8lb sledge into the release mechanism than I did in his wheel house steering a straight line. 🙂
John! We actually “practiced” leaning over that spray shield to “watch” you swinging that sledge into the release mechanism! I wanted to take a pic of the wheel house, but David said you wouldn’t remember it anyway… 🙂 Cheers! J&D