Ports of Call

Northern Lights

August 31 at 3:45am I got up to do an anchor check and I looked out and saw stars, so I unzipped the enclosure and noticed rhythmic and shimmering light coming from our starboard side. I woke up Mary and Harold and we sat out on deck an watched the aurora for a half hour until it started to fade. The Milky Way was out in all it's brilliance and so many stars. I even spotted a meteor. Nearly every night I've look up into the night sky looking for the lights and today we enjoyed them from the middle of the Beaver Island Harbor. Tonight we are tying up a the marina because winds are going to be gusting 30mph! Yesterday at 24 mph, we dragged anchor halfway through our first cup of coffee and had to spring into action. When we…

Continue ReadingNorthern Lights

August 31 – 0245

Marcia woke up to check on our anchor - we dragged anchor yesterday morning. Beaver Island is quite dark. She called out, "Stars, northern lights!" And so I went out dressed in a hoodie. Then went below to get the camera - the boat swings at anchor, but the northern lights were awesome.

Continue ReadingAugust 31 – 0245

Acing the Anchor and …

I have developed an effective strategy for dealing with Anchor Anxiety. Don't look down into the water! Problem solved. The last two nights we anchored out in Lake Charlevoix. The first night in East Jordan, close to the RV park off the beach, next to the road - but free WiFi. Then we sailed up the arm to Oyster Bay where we spent a lovely afternoon and evening in a quiet bay with a few other sailboats. It was peaceful, calm, and delightful, until the thunder started around 4:30 and wok me out of a deep sleep and an interesting dream. It was the day before I start my around the world solo sailing adventure. Clearly, I had reservations. I had deep reservations, but everyone assume I knew what I was was doing. I was woefully unprepared to sail solo around the world.…

Continue ReadingAcing the Anchor and …

Island

On a morning such as this, before the world begins anew, the water like a mirror, mist gently floating across the bay, life is overwhelmingly wonderful. Soon the parade of cormorants start dotting the horizon and flying north over the bay. Single lines of birds stretch 40-50 bird lengths in each congregation. We soon see that the point turned from a pale sand color to black with a cormorant convention. The crows start squawking, seagulls move in searching for breakfast. The gulls have a loud disagreement over who gets first dibs on the catch of the day. We are anchored off South Manitou Island the furthest north we've ever sailed. Yesterday we motor sailed from Frankfort in light winds, bright sun, and sky blue waters. We dropped anchor near the beach between two other sail boats, turned the engine off and enjoyed the…

Continue ReadingIsland

Carousel Ride

After I finished the dishes last night, following a dinner of fresh green beans, steak and fingerling potatoes, I started to feel a bit unwell. We were confined to the boat most of the afternoon after a lovely walk to the beach. We had hoped to tie up at the Frankfort Municipal Marina, but it was full. A fishing tournament - a big one- is scheduled for this week, So we were left "blowin' in the wind". It was pretty blustery mostly 18 with some 25's and perhaps more thrown in for excitement. Our boat was swinging faster that a carnival carousel first one way and then the other. The shoreline behind us swept across our stern - not in the gentle slightly revolving restaurant but like speeding along in semi circles on a motorcycle (without the engine noise!) I had to lie…

Continue ReadingCarousel Ride

Water- Pentwater

There is a lot of water in Lake Michigan. You can't always get the wind you need when cruising. We called upon Mr. Westerbeke (our Diesel Engine) to take us up the coast, past Stony Lake, Little Sable Point Lighthouse, Silver Lake Sand Dunes to our lovely anchorage across from Snug Harbor Marina in Pentwater. The wind was 1-3 mph the whole way and the waves were 1 foot or less. The oily heavy looking surface was gentle and showed no signs of wind. It was a pleasant motor - as motoring goes. We are staying here again tonight and rowing into town. Our view at anchor.

Continue ReadingWater- Pentwater