We depart Chicago with clear blue skies, drastically different from our arrival day. We leave Chicago’s inner harbor, busy with lots of activities! We enter the outer harbor and pass by the Chicago Harbor Light, which premiered its state of the art engineering marvels at the Chicago’s Worlds Fair in 1893. It was moved to…
New Buffalo, MI to Chicago, IL
Four miles outside of Chicago in Lake Michigan, we pass the 4 mile crib (sensibly named as it is 4 miles off the Chicago lake shore). This is one of nine permanent water cribs that the city of Chicago has built. The purpose of these cribs is to house and protect off shore water intakes…
Saugatuck, MI to New Buffalo, MI
The calmness ends at Lake Michigan. It is angry today and for 60+ miles we are at its mercy. The small rocky inlet into New Buffalo is intimidating, to say the least, but we make it into the harbor at New Buffalo without any mishaps thankfully. We arrive to our slip in New Buffalo wondering…
Grand Haven, MI to Saugatuck, MI
Our first journey of the season is a a short one, just 30 miles. We leave Grand Haven around 10 AM. The weather is sunny and cool. Thankfully the lake has calmed down. We don’t have much company except a fishing boat near the inlet to Saugatuck. The inlet is barely discernable from a distance,…
We’re Back!
After a long winter in Cincinnati, we are back to Grand Haven to take delivery of Prime 11. It’s June and boating season has begun in Northern Michigan. Mother Nature, however, did not get the memo. It is cold with occasional frost warnings. Despite the chilly weather outlook, Prime 11 has to come out of…
Ludington, MI to Grand Haven, MI
Before long, we are at the entrance of the Grand River leading us into Grand Haven. As it is a great weekend, we decide to spend a few days exploring Grand Haven. We pass by our future winter home for Prime 11 as we head to the Grand Haven Yacht Club. The yacht club members…
Leland, MI to Ludington, MI
We say goodbye to Leland around 9 am and the fish smokehouses are busy doing their thing! Lake Michigan is fairly calm today. We head out into the lake and around the shoals by the North Manitou Shoal Light Station. Since Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the US, it is not…
Traverse Bay, MI to Leland, MI
Needing to wait for a refrigerator part delivery, our departure from Traverse City is delayed again, this time for just a few hours. While the bay is nice and calm, Lake Michigan is a bit choppy. As we get closer to Leland, the shore of Lake Michigan consists of sand dunes, rocky cliffs and precarious…
Suttons Bay, MI to Traverse City, MI
We make our way to the Duncan L. Clinch Marina, named for an army officer and Georgia congressmen (1787-1849). We are adjacent to the Clinch Park, which is home to the city’s most popular beach, likely as it is smack in the middle of downtown. Traverse City is the largest city in Northern Michigan and…
Northport, MI to Suttons Bay, MI
While the official designation on the map is Bellow Island, Northport residents appropriately refer to it as Gull Island, as it is home to a massive sea gull population. In 1910, a prominent St. Louis businessman, Edward Ustick, purchased the island and promptly built a summer vacation home. While building the house, Edward stated, “the…