After a great night on the island, we woke up early to the boat bouncing around. No lines came loose but the wind had shifted and the waves were rolling right in the harbor. Scott and Jen took Coco for a walk and found some breakfast goodies… cinnamon rolls, donuts, breakfast burritos and coffees. We talked through options for the day and decided to leave the island a day early and add a stop in Petoskey. We spent several weeks in our RV in the area and have lots of memories riding our bikes past the marina in search of the best playground. We thought it would be fun to return since we dont have the option often to visit it by boat.
We were untied and heading out around 9:00 am. It was a relatively smooth ride out and improved as we passed the shoals and headed south. We found a website that described the 16+ shipwrecks in the Straits and read a loud a few of their stories. It was pretty fascinating! Our route took us much closer to one of the lighthouses so I got some good pics.
We pulled into Petoskey around 12:00 pm and were tied off pretty quickly. It is a very nice marina with a nice bath house and laundry available. It is right at the heart of downtown so everything is close.
Since we were in a little early, Jen prepped dinner on board and we enjoyed Taco Triangles while chatting with our neighbor who is out of Florida. They are an elderly couple who seem to be doing the Great Loop at a leisurely pace. After we wrapped up our lunch, we took Coco out to stretch her legs with a walk to the end of the pier.
Then we headed into town to find a Kilwins. (Honestly, I can’t believe they aren’t sick of Kilwin’s yet). We struck up a conversation with some ladies on the sidewalk and I happened to mention that I liked their bag and it just so happened that we were standing by the store where they purchased it. So Jen and Sammy headed in to do some shopping.
Once back on board, Scott took a little nap while Sammy wrote her book, Tyler worked on a coding project and Jen worked on her school work. Unfortunately our internet connection was really spotty so the video I was trying to upload wouldn’t go through. So, I found a nice bench about halfway up the dock and finished my assignment there.
Then it was back to the boat for a quiet night. Sammy headed to the bathhouse for a shower so Jen sat on a nearby picnic table and read. Scott relaxed on the back of the boat while Tyler got back to his project.
It’s dark now at 10:40 pm. I’m finishing up the blog on the back of the boat with a gentle breeze and the slightest sound of the flag next door rippling in the wind. It’s a quiet night - just beautiful!
Weather: Sunny
Temps: Hi 72* Lo 55*
Winds: 10-12 mph SE; switched to E after we arrived
Waves: 2-3’
Travel Distance: 63 mi
