Today we crossed the state border from Michigan into Indiana, and turned back our clocks an hour. We are just about at the bottom of Lake Michigan, in a tiny part of Indiana which borders the lake. Although we are in the municipal marina in Michigan City, we are in Indiana not the state of Michigan. A little confusing!

We glimpsed the skyscrapers of Chicago on our voyage down, 30 miles across the lake. So close, so far!

This afternoon we pampered Bushranger with a little love and attention. She is looking very attractive with her brightwork (varnishing) just about completed. A young lad passed by and I overheard him yell to his mum, “Wow! Mom, look at this boat! It is gorgeous”. Ooooh yeah… I am happy to hear those types of comments!

Such is Life!

Saugatuck is known as Michigan’s Art Coast and is only 90 miles from Chicago. There are art galleries, specialty shops and upscale boutiques. It was once a shipbuilding hub and logging centre. The main streets are peppered with classic white wooden architecture festooned with pots full of colourful flowers and trees draped with twinkling lights. It is easy to walk around this vibrant town.

At least, it is easy today to walk around Saugatuck! Yesterday is best forgotten. The weather was appalling and I battled a migraine.

There are many different styles of watercraft here from tiny houseboats, to paddle-wheelers, to vintage outboard dinghies. Something for everyone!

It has been an essential and very pleasant stop. Now we are wishing for calm sailing weather…

Such is Life!

I am not known to be quiet, yet I am. My modesty makes me so. I am the beating heart of Bushranger.

You have heard from those louder than me:
‘Arry, the speech himpaired hairconditioner. (He can get overheated which is not cool at all!) ;
Dinghy, who hangs over my exhaust all day. (Suck it up, girl!);
Radar, who thinks he sees everything. (Why don’t they turn you on much, mate?); and
Hanchor. Dammit, Anchor, who chooses to hide his head in the sand / mud / weed (and is difficult to hunderstand when working.)
Curiously, POOP Holden, with all his ‘onourifics – Honourifics, thanks ‘Arry, has a story to tell which I know (we are buddies in the engine room) but the rest of the boat union didn’t want it published. Suffice to say, the exploits of POOP and his colleagues on other boats are amongst the most talked about at boaters’ docktails.

But – back to me! I am celebrating my 21st which is why I have chosen to speak up. They have called me ‘Madam Yanmar’ in previous posts, but I am anything but a madam! I am hitting my prime – 2100 hours tomorrow. I have carried this little enterprise close to 15,000 miles with pride. I ask for little.

You might hear a tale of me stopping work in the St Lawrence Seaway. Ignore it! Ask the boss. He might try to hide behind the dinghy but there is no room.

So, tomorrow, with my 21st drinks comfortably in my sump, I will get on with what I do best. I will carry this crew, their hairconditioner, radar, hanchor, ‘olding tank and dinghy to the next destination.

Such is Life!

We sailed an easy 35 miles to White Lake in company with My Time Too and dropped the anchor in a delightful bay. A few homes skirt the lake. As we get closer to Chicago there are more cottages and built up areas, more boats and pleasure craft. This night we dined on board My Time Too, with Kathy and Charlie producing a fresh king salmon feast from fish caught in Pentwater.

Whilst in Pidgeon Lake, Mark decided it was time to try the Michigan waters. He did not last long, but so entertaining watching him reboard Bushranger! I did offer lots of advice!

The entrance to Saugatuck is via the Kalamazoo River. This river winds one way and then the next. It is such an interesting quite narrow access: sailing past wetlands, mansions with requisite boat, through the middle of the town, past a hand-operated chain ferry to our marina. I can not wait to explore tomorrow. We are here for a couple of nights because… inclement weather is forecast.

Such is Life!

Ludington is a place of safe harbour. It is one of the many harbours dotted along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, each about 30 to 35 miles apart, providing refuge from the quick and sometimes unpredictable storms.

Ludington is a pretty town, and yes, historic with gorgeous late 19th / early 20th century architecture. Logging barons ruled the town. Most of their mansions are now converted into B&Bs.

It was quite thrilling to hear sirens and watch the Coast Guard and Sheriff race from our marina into the mouth of Ludington Harbour. Then we heard an almighty blast from a ship’s horn. We watched a huge ship – a car ferry – make its way into the narrow entrance of the harbour. No thrusters and coal-driven. Twice a day this car ferry/ship makes the crossing to Milwaukee in Wisconsin, a four-hour trip. It is an amazing sight.

Pentwater was a logging town, but is now a fisherman’s paradise. We watched fishing boats come and go with paying customers. In this municipal park/marina there are fish filleting stations, where fish are hung to be admired and then filleted by professionals. Large king salmon were the catch of the day. Fascinating, but oh, so smelly!

The shops which line the Main Street are eclectic. I helped the local economy with purchases… and it felt good! Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Such is Life!

We entered the dredged channel of Manistee harbour and secured our berth at the Manistee Municipal Marina. The marina is right in the middle of downtown. On either side of the marina is a wonderful boardwalk which links the beach (on Lake Michigan) to the lake east of downtown.

Such is Life!

The best way to explain our decision to stay put in Leland is by photos…

The sky was both stunning and terrifying. The waters were calm in Leland Marina.

Such is Life!

Petoskey was an absolute delight. The gaslight district lived up to its charming and historic description. A few trips were made to discover delights around every corner. I spent a couple of hours of girl-time with Cathy from United 771, walking up and down the streets enjoying the ambiance. And we ate delicious meals at bistros with sweeping views of Little Traverse Bay. The whole stay was really delightful.

That is what made the decision hard to leave and sail southwards to Leland – not knowing when we will next meet up with United 771 and missing the fun in Petoskey.

Yesterday, we left Petoskey at 8.00am in waters that were forecast to further decrease. We started off with waves of 1 to 1.5 feet. A little bit of pitching and a little bit of rolling ensued. Not very comfortable but not too bad!

We were further enchanted by Fishtown which is beside the marina. It is a working fish town, with fishing shanties, smokehouses and fishing boats. The shanties have been repurposed as very appealing unique shops.

The forecasted thunderstorms arrived during the night. We had a sound and light show for about five hours. Lake Michigan threw its full weight at us. Today, the oysters would blow of the rocks (if they had any!) We give full respect to this Great Lake. Mark has decided to spend another night here, to err on the side of caution… let the waters calm down. Besides, My Time Too arrives tomorrow – what fun we will have!

Such is Life!

What a 50-mile ride! Bucking broncos most of the way!

The winds gathered speed. The waves gathered height. NOAA and Windy were still forecasting slight winds and calm seas of only a half to one foot waves. Oooooooh, yeh – – – those wicked weather gods were chuckling.

Two hours into our trip Mark suggested we turn around, as we descended to steer from the lower helm. We hailed United 771 to ask how the waters looked further ahead. “Sporty” was the reply. As the bow dug in, our vision obliterated by spray, we reasoned that we, (humans), could tolerate the pitching – ride ‘em, cowboys. Bushranger relished the ride, performing brilliantly not missing a beat. She is such a good old girl!

It was a good decision to keep sailing. No casualties except two broken eggs when I opened the refrigerator door too quickly! And I can hardly wait to explore this very picturesque historic city.

Such is Life!

We boarded the ferry nice and early, thinking we would beat the tourists. If I was feeling a little uncomfortable with the number of people on the ferry, I sure wasn’t ready for the hoards on Mackinac Island! Unbelievable crowds, with more people pouring in every 10 minutes or so from the ferries, not to mention the cruise ship on station in the harbour.

What is special about this little slice of unreal? So much, in fact!

The Main Street is like walking Main Street Disneyland, with picture-perfect streets overflowing with colourful flowers and filled with touristy stuff. There are 16 fudge shops in a little less than half a mile! The number of tourists was staggering.

This was a lovely day spent on a lovely island, but I was glad to get back to our little slice of unreal – Bushranger.

Such is Life!