04 July 2013 | Lake Michigan
02 July 2012 | Lake Michigan
20 June 2012 | Lake Michigan
21 May 2012 | Muskegon, Michigan
14 May 2012 | West Michigan
29 June 2010 | Mid-Michigan
19 January 2010 | Mid-Michigan
18 January 2010 | Mid-Michigan
Happy Fourth of July
04 July 2013 | Lake Michigan
Nick - Sunny and mid 80's
Once again, summer has come late to Michigan.
After a warm spring and then a cool and wet early summer, the weather finally cooperated and gave us a decent day to cut the dock lines and head out.
Tony and I took advantage of the nice holiday and headed over to the Lake for a grand day sail. We survived the typical holiday traffic and made it to our marina only a little late. The weather was lovely with just enough breeze for an easy first sail of the season. This time, we stayed on Muskegon Lake and just enjoyed leisurely sailing back and forth while checking the systems and making sure all was well.
Afterwards, we grabbed a nice dinner at Mango's and headed back home. All in all, an enjoyable and uneventful shake down cruise.
Summer Sailstice 2012!
02 July 2012 | Lake Michigan
Nick
Summer Sailstice 6-23-2012
The weather gods were appeased and waved off the storms for the 2012 Summer Sailstice in West Michigan.
Once again, Ben and I headed out to the marina and got the boat launched in short order. The wind was a little light so we hanked on the genoa and headed out the channel to the big water. Winds were from the west so we motored into them, raised sail, killed the motor, and hung a leftie (or portie) to begin our hike to Grand Haven.
Skies were a little overcast but we had good tunes, good snacks, and had great conversations. It was fun sailing along and gazing at the activity on the beach or looking to starboard and dreaming about crossing the lake.
After about 3 hours of sailing, the wind completely died. As if someone turned off the fan, the boats on the big lake were left with luffing sails and a decision of whether or not to turn on their engines. We bobbed around for a half hour while I worked on the anchor rode, then decided we were ready for dinner. Down with the sails, power up the motor, and we headed on back to the marina.
Along the way, we saw a boat get "pulled over" in the channel for a spot inspection by the CG. Interesting. I'd never seen that before but the word is that they are really cracking down on drunk boating this year. Glad to hear it as we often get buzzed by idiots on big ol' speed boats. I have to think the alcohol fueled testosterone has a lot to do with such bad boating etiquette.
After packing the boat up, we made our way to Docker's and had a fairly mediocre meal. Usually their food is quite good but they were having an off night.
Not to worry, tho, we headed home and Kelley had a great meal all ready for us. All we had to do was grill the burgers and enjoy.
Another great day!
Father's Day Sail!
20 June 2012 | Lake Michigan
Nick Sunny and low 80's
I had been keeping close tabs on the weather the week prior and we went from no chance of sailing to some chance of sailing to, hey!, we just might be able to go sailing!
Woke up to rainy conditions but the hourly forecast for Muskegon kept saying it would clear up by noon. So, after a leisurely morning, Ben and I loaded the cooler and boat bag and took off for the west coast.
I was dubious of the "clearing up by noon" as we were 15 miles outside of Muskegon and it STILL was gray and rainy. Then, just 5 minutes out, the skies cleared we were treated to a beautiful day!
We got to the marina and got the boat in the water in short order. Soon, we were motoring out the channel and onto the lake.
It was a great day for sailing. One for the books! We had a steady wind of 10 knots, the sky was very sunny, lots of boats in the water; just perfect! We sailed for about four hours, enjoying the day, talking about all sorts of stuff, listening to great music, and then, sadly, headed back in.
As we were coming back into the channel to the marina, we had the usual idiots in powerboats and dingys zipping in front of us and acting like, well, powerboaters! Strangely, we also had a large sailboat behind us who apparently didn't like the fact that we take the no wake rule seriously. They crept right up on our stern and then blew their horn. WTF? I glared at them and powered up only slightly. As we were nearing the ramp, I noticed they were flying the flag of a particular university known for its arrogance. Oh, well, that figures. They had a nice big boat but, as we all know, you can't buy class!
After getting the boat packed up while enjoying the sounds of a band playing at a local restaurant, we meandered over but found people waiting outside to get in. Nope. Not us. Not waiting for a table, I got hungry crew! So we headed over to a place we had driven by numerous times and decided to check it out. Again, we timed it perfectly and enjoyed a nice dinner before the place got really crowded.
Then we headed home and had an uneventful but enjoyable drive home. Days like these really make you look forward to the next day of sailing!
Basic stats:
Water time approx 4 hours
Distance: 10 miles
Avg speed 3 kts.
Very casual!