The Best Laid Plans...
15 July 2015
It turns out that we have not had much luck anchoring. Between the lack of good acnchorages and the wind direction, we ahve only been able toanchor once since we left Port Huron.
We have traveled from Port Sanilac to Port Austin and then onto Harrisville. Each time we stayed in a Michigan municiple harbor. Michigan has put a lot of money into these harbors and they are clean and well-run. The cost has been between 52.00 and 60.00 for an overnight. And while it's nice to plug into power, the cost does add up! Once we get to Lake Michigan, the anchorages are more plentiful.
On the trip from Port Austin to Harrisville, we lost the battle with the bugs and surendered the cockpit. Chris took the remote control for the autopilot up to the foredeck along wih his iPad and i went down below. I passed supplies in the form of snacks and beer up through the forward hatch. That was the worse one yet. IT seemed as though every kind of bug was in attendence. Including mayflies, which are huge and leave a green squishy mess when you kill them. I've become quite adept with the bug swatter.
The night before last, we anchored in Presque Isle, MI which is very beautiful. There are two lighthouses and we could smell the pine trees. But the weather was turing and it rained the whole evening with lightening and thunder in the distance. And again the black flies were terrible and drove us down below.
Yesterday, we had planned to make Cheboygen, but the winds and waves picked up and decided to stop at Rogers, MI. It was very busy with the Interlake Cruisers Association rendevous and there were all kinds of boats. I was able to get a couple of loads of laundry done and there was a liquor store within walking distance. Chris's bike has a flat tire and we don'thave any spares onboard. We should be able to stock up on those once we reach Door County.
We left Rogers this morning and it was rough at first with swells left over from the nights storm. It has now settled down and we are 160 miles from Washington Island and will be entering Lake Michigan this afternoon. We are debating doing an overnight to make Washington Island tomorrow morning, but we may anchor at Beaver Island. We have guests coming Saturday morning, my forned Jamie and her husband Phil and we are really looking forward to seeing them. I can't believe it's been almost three months since we moved left Milwaukee and moved onto the boat.
We have an appointment Monday morning with Dorsal Cnavas and Sails in Sturgeon Bay. Chris has cautioned me not to appear too desperate. I'll have to work on that. We have taken lots of pictures of other boats canvas that we like, and so hoping that this company will do a good job for us. There are other places that have been recommended to us in Muskegon and Holland, but we would like to be closer to Milwaukee so that we can use the time to visit friends and family.
In two short months, it will be tme to head for Chicago and start our trip down the rivers to Mobile, AL. I know hte time will fly!