The Plan - Boat Trip 2023

 OK.  So the fact that it is now day 4 of our trip and I am just posting about our plan should tell you something.  Ugh.  Here's the quick recap:

Friday, June 30 (Day 1) - arrived out at the boat in late morning and headed right out to get under way.  Weather and winds look fairly good.  When we approached the State Park, we could not see the end of the pier.  A Coast Guard warning came over the radio for a dense fog advisory requesting boaters use caution.  So given the forecast for possible showers, plus this crazy thick fog, plus the distance we needed to travel (at higher speeds) we decided to call it and head in for the day.  Oh the way in, we did get to see the railroad bridge swing closed to let a train through - that was a first for us!  Back in our slip, we decided to drive back home and relax / rest one more night in our own beds before the trip.

Saturday, July 1 (Day 2) - Drove out to the lake again late morning.  We grabbed lunch early so we were ready to go for the afternoon.  Hoping to leave our slip right away.  We made it almost to the lake before seeing the dense fog again.  Turned around again (feeling defeated).  Took a trip through Spring Lake and then headed back to our slip tp make supper.  Grilled on the back of the boat and then decided to find a place to watch the fireworks (Grand Haven is lighting them tonight instead of the holiday).  Anchored in the channel across from the municipal marina.  Ran into two boats that we knew (Priesner, Fisher) and enjoyed a beautiful fireworks display.  Grateful we could see them after missing last year with Covid quarantines.  Stayed in our spot a bit longer to avoid the crazy traffic then took our time getting back to the slip.  Slept aboard overnight but planned to go home the next morning due to bad weather Sunday.

Sunday, July 2 (Day 3) - the family slept in today.  At 10a I finally called down to wake them and at 11a I went to check on Scott.  He was in rough shape with a migraine.  I gave the kids 10 mins to pack up and then we headed home.  Scott spent the day in bed while the kids and I took the afternoon to work on projects and relax.

So here we are - a late start and a whole new plan.  With boating, you need to make reservations like a campground; however, delays and cancellations are frequent.  By missing one day, it cancels the entire week of plans.  Given that we are looking for spaces in highly coveted areas on a holiday weekend, its extra tough.  

So I spent some time yesterday calling marinas and making new tentative plans to get us through the holiday... hoping after that it will be easier to find a spot.  Monday in Ludington, Tuesday in Frankfort.

At this point, we are significantly pressed for time so the chances of us making it to Mackinac are pretty unlikely... but we will get north and explore some places that the kids definitely wouldn't remember from our last trip up here.

Tomorrow is a new day!  And hopefully Day 4 will be the start of our adventure!