6-28-19 thru  7-1-18

6-28-18  Off we go into the wild blue yonder…wait  that’s flying. Hitting the dusty trail, wait we’ll be on water. Sailing off into the sunset…sounds just about right.  We left Muskegon to start a year + of cruising. We are heading north first to see more of the Michigan coast and wander up into Lake Superior.  We are excited to see what we can find exploring another Great Lake.

Day one:  Getting back on the water in cruising mode made me realize just how different it is than boating alone. As soon as we pulled out, while Scott navigated I went to work.  When we are cruising, we can’t leave the hose, lines and power cords at the dock.  Everything needs to be stowed away. The boat was filthy from sitting for nearly two weeks while we traveled to see family and friends in Wisconsin.  I was blessed with a heavy dew on the boat.  That always makes me happy because I can mop the deck while the crud is soft. In no time I had the decks looking ship shape.  Now the inside of the boat is another story.  Still have stuff to put away.  It’s amazing how organized we are by giving everything a place. That is until we have to find it.

We anchored in Ludington for our first several nights. We had beautiful travel weather but are anticipating some big winds the next two days.  We chose to not move north because we had a very protected anchorage for the impending winds and storms.

Our first evening the water was FAC (Flat A** Calm.)  Out came my Stand Up Paddle (SUP)  Board for the first time.  I fell off three times but then got the hang of it.  We have been using them every day.  Still getting the hang of it.  We look a little shaky at times.  We used our ankle straps to attach them to the boat rails and we floated around in the water.  Refreshing and cool.

Dinghied into town and walked the stores and even took the dinghy to the Maritime Museum.  I don’t think they are set up for people to arrive by boat.  But we did anyway.  Enjoyed learning much about this area and the maritime history.

 

There is a lovely place called Bier Market in Ludington. It was a very nice market, food looked fresh and they had a great selection.  The best part is, you can order a glass of wine or beer at attached bar and take it with you while shopping.  All the carts have cup holders.

Our last night in Ludington we encountered quite a swift storm that came in off the lake.  The haziness in the photo is from the sand blowing off the beach and over the road into our bay.  We were nicely protected, which is why we chose to stay and wait this one out.   There was quite a bit of lightning as it came in.  If we were to get hit it will fry all our electronics, so what do you do?? You put all your portables, Phones, I pad, Computer, and the handheld VHF radio in the oven. Sounds crazy but the oven walls protect them from the electricity.   As the storm died down, we had an island come floating very close to the boat.  It was such an odd site to see this thing floating across the water.  We half expected pirates to jump out of it.

We enjoyed our stay in Ludington.  If was a great place to beat the heat, we stayed cool with a light breeze and lots of swimming. Ludington is a nice town, After 3 nights we were ready to get moving again.

Thanks for reading.

Scott and Karen

M/V Last Call

Unique Random Photo of the day.