July 28 and 29, 2011, Thursday and Friday

Thursday, Frankfort, MI to Manistee, MI:  Today was a pretty uneventful day except for the fog we had on the lake all day.  We had checked 3 different weather reports before leaving and none of them predicted fog.  We had trouble seeing other boats on the lake but with the help of our radar we made it OK.  We quit early because of predicted storms in the area.


N44.24771
W86.32711 

7-28-2011 Leaving
Frankfort, MI, in the fog

Old Fishing Shack at Manistee, MI

Bobbie and Sharon walking
on Boardwalk 7-25-2011

 

Back view of Fishing Shack at Manistee

Cool Boardwalk that stretched
a good 2 miles along waterfront
at Manistee, MI

Marina at Manistee, MI

Friday; Manistee, MI, to Port Washington, WI: We started out on our way to Sheboygan, WI, and the lake was a little wavy with some good rollers. A few hours into the day the lake calmed down, the sky was blue, and the sun was shinning so we decided to go all the way to Port Washington. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to be out on Lake Michigan. We ended up doing 99 miles for the day.

N43.38753
W87.86704

CO's comments:   Will comment later.

Leaving Manistee Municipal Marina

Entering Port Washington Marina

Kim Jo III at Port Washington
Marina on 7-29-2011

July 26 and 27, 2011; Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday; 2nd day at Leland, MI:  Terribly high winds and white caps on the lake.  A good day to stay tied up at the dock.

Leland Township Marina, MI

Marina from back porch

7-25-2011 Sun set in storm clouds

Entrance to marina

There had to be at least 12 swans in
the bay at Frankfort, MI  7-27-2011

Slip at Frankfort, MI

After 21:00 and this sail boat is
just coming in from Lake Michigan
and having a very hard time with the
high winds and large waves

Wednesday, Leland, MI, to Frankfort, MI: We got our earliest start today (06:20) since leaving Sault Ste Marie.  We tried to make it to Manistee but Lake Michigan was way too rough and there were storms all around us so we stopped early at Frankfort, MI.   Tomorrow is still a question mark; will keep you posted.

N44 37.910
W86 14.077

CO's comments: Tuesday with the high winds most every one stayed in port. One guy with a sail boat decided he would go. He made it out of his slip but couldn't get his boat turned and he ran into 3 other boats doing minor damage. About a dozen guy went over to help him get back into his slip and told him it might be a good idea to stay put and he did.

July 24 and 25, 2011, Sunday and Monday

Sunday, 2nd day at Beaver Island:  Due to strong winds and waves we stayed another day at Beaver Island.  Did the usual; wash clothes and clean the inside of the boat.  We went to a unique "Toy Museum and Store" in the afternoon.  It was tucked behind a group of trees and weeds and only had a dirt path leading to the front door.  We walked by it the first time.  Pictures below.

CO's comments:  I was thinking about going this morning but after looking at the weather I decided to stay.  Three boats left and within 2 hours they were all back and tied up to the dock.  They said the waves were just miserable and there is no reason to be out in water like that.

Path to Toy Museum/Shop

Inside Museum/Shop

Some of the old toys in the Museum

Monday, Beaver Island, MI to Leland Township Harbor, MI: The lake looked good this morning so we left for Leland at 06:40. We came upon a bunch of fish nets; they were all over the place for the first couple of hours. After we got past the island the water got real deep so there were no more nets. At first the waves were not too bad but later in the day the waves and swells got bigger.   For a while it was a little uncomfortable. We got to Leland about 13:00, got settled in, and went for a walk to explore the area. There is an old area of town by the Leland River called Fishtown with old rustic fish houses side by side. Each house contained a unique shopping experience. We had fun checking them all out. They also sold fresh fish and smoked fish so we had white fish for supper; delicious!

Leland River/Fishtown

Fishtown

Fresh White Fish

N45 01.507
W85 45.728

CO's comments: It was a good thing we got to Leland and in a slip when we did. Leland is a Harbor of Refuge and as the winds came up late in the afternoon they were rafting boats. It was fun to watch, especially the sail boats come in sideways and trying to raft.