Pentwater

From the beach, boardwalk leading to cottages.

Our rental, theVan Huss cottage, in illustration mode
(Interesting effect using Missy's camera.)

Cocktails and sunsets from the porch cannot be beat!

Everyone has one special spot in the world and Pentwater has to be that spot for us.  Tom's family started vacationing here when he was 12.  (I'll let you do the math).  They rented various cottages in the Oceana Beach Association and now we, the second generation, are carrying on the tradition.  Most of the cottages were built late 1800's or early 1900's so they have a lot of character.  They sit atop dunes overlooking Lake Michigan with boardwalks leading to the beach.

Raydiance arrived at the Pentwater channel around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15th.  After a quick side trip to check out Oceana Beach, she entered the channel.  Tom and Rich both admitted to a lump in the throat as they cruised between the lights.  Having walked the harbor many times over the years and dreaming of the day we would arrive in our own loop boat,  it was quite emotional when it finally happened.

Raydiance in Pentwater channel with Oceana in background.

Moment of entry into Pentwater channel.
(Thanks to Mike Long for a great photo!)

Raydiance between the lights in Pentwater channel.

After passing the landmark Pentwater water tower and stopping for the always important pump-out, Raydiance docked at Snug Harbor.  The crew then headed for the Pentwater Yacht Club for lunch.

Crew from Ludington to Pentwater
L-R  Kris,Tom, Lane, Kevin, John, and Rich

Raydiance at dock in Snug Harbor

Pentwater water tower

While at the yacht club, Rich struck up a conversation with a member, Barry Miller, who was preparing to head out for a day sail.  He invited Rich to go along, but Rich felt he should get back to the lodge with his guests.  So Barry extended the invitation to Missy and me and we readily agreed.  The wind was blowing around 18 knots giving us a brisk sail heeling around 25 degrees.  Barry kept saying how surprised he was that I would choose to spend an afternoon on the water after all our time at sea, but I explained that this was very different.  Missy and I thoroughly enjoyed the outing.

Very competent Captain Barry Miller

Linda and Missy aboard Miller Time heading out Pentwater channel.

Sunday we left Raydiance at Snug Harbor and went to Oceana to spend two nights at the Van Huss cottage.  Although it was a short stay,  we enjoyed beach walks to the channel, beautiful sunsets, and relaxing on the porch taking in the changeless view.  The evening games of Five Crowns, however, were less than memorable.  I was informed that I needed to report my dethroned (dead last) status since I had been bragging on my former victories!

Linda and Tom (in cartoon mode) on Oceana beach

Shelf cloud approaching Oceana beach.

Sugar sand beach with Pentwater channel in background.

Sunset as viewed from cottage.

Can never get enough of Michigan sunsets.

Tuesday we left the beach and returned to Raydiance.  A quick squall passed through leaving behind this rainbow.

Since Missy and I had never seen Barothy Lodge, we drove there (20 miles east of Ludington)  in the afternoon.  Pere Marquette River, which eventually flows into the harbor at Ludington, goes past the lodge property consisting of over one hundred acres and several lodges of varying sizes.  Salmon swim up this river to spawn in September.   I can certainly understand why the guys keep returning here each year.  

Tom and Rich by river at Barothy Lodge.

Black swan at Barothy

Dinner at the Antler Bar in Pentwater (a must for the Rays while in Pentwater) and an amazing sunset on the way back to the marina were the perfect ending to our visit with Missy and Rich.  They left Wednesday for St. Louis Wednesday morning dropping our Expedition at Great Lakes Marina in Muskegon on the way.  Rich claims the title as the most frequent visitor aboard the Raydiance while looping--this being his fourth time.  As always, it was great to have them aboard.

The good ol' Antler Bar

Sunset enhanced by Missy's camera

Actual sunset Tuesday evening.

Sunset as seen through the channel.

Crossing Lake Michigan to Ludington

The plan was for Tom and Jim to attend the Packer game on Sunday, Sept. 9th, and to leave for Sturgeon Bay on the 10th.  However, the wind/wave reports for crossing Lake Michigan were only predicting reasonable forecasts through Monday mid-day.  So Tom sacrificed the game and we headed to Sturgeon Bay on Sunday. We stayed the night and fueled at Quarterdeck Marina and left for Ludington, MI at first light Monday.  The mist was thick as we headed down the channel, but it lifted when we reached the lake.

Lighthouse on breakwater at Sturgeon Bay

Misty early morning start from Sturgeon Bay

The waves were one footers as we left, but built to threes as we approached Ludington.  Since the predictions were for increased winds and waves later in the day, we chose to run the passage and arrived in Ludington (80+ miles) around noon.  We first saw land, the Manitou's, about 25 miles from shore.  Seeing  Big Point Sable lighthouse as we appoached was a thrill.  Coming into the Ludington Channel, we passed by the Ludington lighthouse and made our way to the public marina.

Passing the Ludington lighthouse as we entered calm waters behind the breakwater.

The public marina has older, very high docks, but we used our upper deck entrance and had no problem.  The marina is within a few blocks of downtown (with a great market) and the Badger dock.  Next door is a sculpture park telling the history of the area.  (Click on photos to enlarge)

Men of the sea

Sailing

Children at play

Fishing through the generations

Fruit harvest

Steam ships

Lumbering with the big wheel--an
invention that allowed the industry
to thrive year round.

Later Monday, a large trawler, Sea Hunt IV,  pulled in to the marina. When they saw our loop flag, they came over to introduce themselves. They too are looping having started in southern Lake Huron mid-July  The Canadian crew consists of Andre and Lisa DuBois, and sons Luc (11) and Pierre (8).  We enjoyed swapping stories and having dinner with them on Wednesday.  They have a five year live-aboard plan that includes going through the Panama Canal and a trip to Alaska.  WOW!

Crew of Sea Hunt IV

The Badger is a coal powered car ferry that runs from Ludington to Manitowoc,WI daily.  From the public marina we can see it leave at 9 a.m. and return at 7 p.m.  Watching it dock, especially in heavy wind, is quite impressive.  Unfortunately, federal regulations ( anti-dumping 2 tons of coal ash in the lake per trip) are shutting it down as of Oct. 13th unless an extension is granted or the funds are found to convert to diesel.  

Badger at dock at night.
(Photo by Missy:)

Badger spinning 180 degrees before dropping anchor and
backing into dock space.

Tom with Luc and Andre watching as the Badger docks.

Missy and Rich Ray arrived Thursday.  Richard's Roofing Company sponsors an annual fishing/golf outing  in mid-September at Barothy Lodge outside of Ludingon.  This year it was timed perfectly for Tom to join them while Missy and I stayed on Raydiance and explored town, the beach and farmer's market.

Just us and the seagulls on Ludington Beach.

Missy enjoying the sun on Ludington Beach

Watching the sun set across Lake Michigan is one of my favorite things and Thursday's sunset did not disappoint.  It just kept getting better and better as time went on.

Saturday the sun was shining and the wind had died down, so Tom, Rich and a crew of four (Kevin, John, Lane and Kris) decided to move Raydiance to Pentwater.  Mike Long joined Missy and me to see them off at the Ludington breakwater.  After giving us a runway twirl in the channel they headed north to see Big Point Sable Lighthouse before turning south to Pentwater.

Linda and Missy on Ludington breakwater.

Mike Long and Linda
on Ludington breakwater

Raydiance with roofing crew leaving Ludington
en route to Pentwater

Pat and Jim Aboard Northern Lake Michigan

Getting ready to begin the Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day

At the finish line with tired feet, but still smiling.

Pat and Jim took the 8 a.m. ferry from Mackinac Island Monday and met us at the St. Ignace dock.  From there we caught a shuttle to the staging area for the annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk where we joined 60,000 others to walk the 5 mile bridge on a beautiful, sunny day. We started walking around 10 a.m. and Tom and Jim soon outpaced Pat and me.  They don't take their long legs into account. We met up with them at the other end of the bridge around 11:30.  The bridge walk was one of those happy accidents we didn't plan, but the timing worked and it was great fun.

Linda and Pat near center of bridge.

Going under the bridge tower.

View of  sparkling Lake Huron from bridge.

Linda receiving completion certificate.

The committee did a great job organizing this event.  Without any wait, we caught a shuttle from Mackinac City back to the staging area in St. Ignace.  From there we got on another shuttle that let us off right at the marina.

Since the water was flat and the wind/wave report for Monday and Tuesday was predicted to be better than the rest of the week,  we decided to head off to Beaver Island that afternoon.  We were underway around 1 p.m. and arrived at Beaver Island about 5 p.m.  We ran fast the last hour as a storm was brewing to the northwest.   We were in and tied fast by the time it let loose.  That night we had dinner at the Shamrock Bar and spent a few hours playing table shuffleboard (Tom and Jim eked out a victory) as the  storm continued pounding.

And the view just entering Lake Michigan.

The view going under the bridge en route to Beaver Island.

Due to the walk, the Coast Guard had a presence under the bridge .
This was our auxiliary Coast Guard escort under the bridge.

 Tuesday morning we were up early and underway by 7:45.  We had 80+ miles to go that day to reach Fayette, MI.  The weather was cool and sunny and the water was almost smooth the entire way.  Someone is definitely watching over us!
 We set the radar detection screen and let "Auto" have the helm while we played dominoes (with frequent helm checks by the captain and crew).

We think this little hitchhiker  is a Kirkland Warbler that has a very small nesting range in  northern lower Michigan.
He joined us about 40 miles into the run to Fayette and "hung on" until we were almost there.

Dolemite cliffs at entrance to Fayette harbor.
The dolemite was mined and used to remove the slag  in the iron ore process.

  Arriving at Fayette, MI around 4:30 p.m. we tied in the middle of a face dock with five other boats.  Fayette is a Michigan state park, the site of a historic 1800's iron ore community. The town was abandoned in the early 1900's when the hardwood forests used to make charcoal were depleted and the iron ore process became unprofitable.  The hotel remained open and was run until the mid-1950's.  After that the state of Michigan took over the site. Several of the buildings have been restored and display the history of the town.  Others are in the process of or slated for restoration.  It was a very interesting stop, and a bit spooky at night.

Iron ore furnaces at Fayette, MI

Historic village of Fayette with Raydiance at the dock.

Restored auditorim where the Fayette Coronet Band would often play.
Backstage the wallboards have signatures from the traveling troupes that had played there
including ventriloquists and animal shows.

Hiking the bluffs at Fayette

The beach on the south side of the island was made up of these
wonderful, smooth rocks.  I must confess a few made their way to the boat.

Sunset at Fayette with Mormon family in foreground:)

I love the birch trees in this area.  Guess I get that from my parents.

Tom and Jim found a guide to Yooper Bars at the gift shop.  Nothing would do but to try one that evening for dinner.  So we walked a mile to Sherry's and had a good walleye dinner.  Checking the book we discovered dat da two restaurants in DeTour were also classified as Yooper Bars.  Oh ya!!

Sherry's Yooper Bar

Having spent Wednesday exploring Fayette, we left for the 27 mile trip to Escanaba on Thursday morning.  The moon was still visible as we left the harbor, so we truly were going to "Escanaba in da moonlight"!  The harbor at Escanaba had high docks, but they were in good shape.  Pat and I explored the area using bikes  the marina had available.  The guys joined us that night and we biked to Hereford and Hops (an upscale yooper bar) for dinner.

The Bobsey twins getting ready to ride!

Do you think this might be Packer country?

Sand Hill Lighthouse in Escanaba, MI

After many checks of the wind/wave and weather reports,  it was decided that Friday--even though it was forecast to rain all day, which it did--was the better day to go on into Menominee,MI.  Sally and John Scott, Pat and Jim's good friends from Wausaukee, were able to rearrange plans and make the run.  I drove their car from Escanaba to Menominee and met them at the dock as they came in.  Although it wasn't a sunny day, the waves behaved and stayed one footers. So they enjoyed a smooth ride playing dominoes and Five Crowns with Jim and Tom alternating at the helm.

Tom, Pat, Linda, Jim, Sally and John

Arriving in Menominee, MI on a calm, but rainy day.

Pat and Jim spent Friday night with us and headed home to Wausaukee (30 minutes west) on Saturday.  Having been aboard twice now, they are becoming quite the experienced crew.  We are already making plans to meet somewhere on Superior next year!