8-13-18 8-15-18 Goats on the Roof
It was time for a Marina Day aka, pump out, laundry shopping etc. We went to Center Point Marina in Sturgeon Bay. This is the nicest Marina we have ever been in. The staff was friendly, and helpful and they knew what they were doing when it came to docking. One gal even knew to spring a line forward to stop the wind from blowing us back. The facilities were clean! They had a lovely pool.
One of the girls in the office gave us a ride to the store. She gave us her cell number to text when we were ready to get picked up. On the way back to the Marina she admitted she was happy to have a break from scrubbing grout in the bathrooms with bleach. I asked how it was working, to which she replied not so hot. I told her to try toilet bowl cleaner. Later that day while we were lounging in the pool, she came by. She was amazed at how much better it worked.
This marina has an upper lounge level with comfortable seating, a kitchen the fastest internet I have encountered at a marina. Other than our home marina, this is the first one that we found had a kitchen. We took advantage of it by cooking our Greek Pizza in the oven, so we didn’t heat up the boat with our oven. Lovely place but not in the budget to stay any longer. It did feel good to be grounded for a few days.
The weather has been baffling us. The predictions of multiple sources said winds were supposed to be out of the south, so we planned for that. Once we got out there the winds were clearly out of the North. How can they all have it so wrong. Plan B to find protection. Back to the north end of Washington Island at Horseshoe Island. Luckily a few boats were leaving as we arrived which gave us room to comfortably anchor in the front and tie to trees in the stern. (aka Mediterranean Mooring) We hadn’t done it since last year, but it was like riding a bike.
Once settled our sailboat neighbors, Marlin and Lynn were in their dinghy and came by.
Soy Amada
They complimented us on our anchoring. They anchor a lot. We even taught them a trick by having the line to the shore long enough to loop back to the boat so when it is time to leave we just pull it through. No dropping the dinghy etc. They provided us with dinner and we cooked it and had a lovely evening. Who says you can’t make friends at anchor?
The next day we dropped the dinghy and braved the 5-mile trip to Sister Bay. It is a lovely little northern town with one very unique place. Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. It is a large restaurant with lots of roof. So why not cover it with grass and put goats up there to keep it mowed. Sure enough, there they were goats on the roof. I was enthralled. It was close to lunch and the line was very long so we didn’t eat there.
We needed some exercise, so we walked the town. When we left in the morning our neighbors asked if we see a store would we pick them up a box of wine. Up the hill we went to find the grocery store, but we had a motive also to go. It was National Rum Day and we needed Rum! What was the urgency? One year ago, we crossed our wake (Finished our Great Loop Trip.) It was a big accomplishment and somehow, we felt we needed to celebrate with Rum the same way we did a year earlier.
When we got back to the boat we went ashore and walked the path all the way around the island. From the water it looks heavily wooded, but once you get to the interior the canopy blocks the light so there was no undergrowth.
The trail was well traveled and easy to follow. Back to the boat and a nice swim. There were many people bobbing around on floaty things in the harbor. We even saw the cutest Golden Retriever who had her own floaty and she got on and off it and swam around or lounged just like her owners. I tried to get a photo, but it didn’t turn out ☹
Our new friends came over after dinner. We had to share some rum with them. After all it is National Rum Day AND National Brat Day. Best day ever. Marlin brought his computer to share a photo he had taken of our boats from his drone. Luckily the night before the light was hitting their boat just right so I had photos of their boat to share as well.
Once again, the weather was chasing us around. It was getting irritating. Couldn’t it just be calm or have the winds in our favor for more than one day. Because of this it pushed us back to Sturgeon Bay. We missed Fish Creek and the famous fish boil. Oh well, next time. This is what happens when you have a schedule. I was scheduled in Milwaukee for a routine CT Scan. Onward….
Oh, one last note about the goats. On our way back through town it was getting warm. There was a man on the roof herding the goats into their shelter, so they didn’t get too hot. I was happy to see this.
Click the above “Goat Video” to see goat herding on the roof.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your day!
Karen and Scott
m/v Last Call
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