Day 1 - Ludington

After last night’s fireworks, we decided to sleep in.  We have a few chores that we have to finish before heading north.  Since we are very familiar with our route today, we decided to make it an afternoon departure so we didn’t feel rushed.  

Coco spent the night with the Breen’s to avoid the horror of those fireworks.  Once she arrived, we finished cleaning the kitchen and “battened down the hatches”.  We left the slip around 12:15 pm, stopped for a pump out and were on our way.

It’s a beautiful day!  80* and sunny with 14mph SSW winds. Around 1:15 pm we reached the end of the GH pier and turned north for the cruise up to Ludington. We had 2-4’ swells but because we were travelling with them, it didn’t impact our speed too much.  We ramped up to cruising speed, around 27 mph and settled in.  I enjoyed the sun on the back sun pad while Tyler took a nap and Sam worked on her computer.

As the winds increased to 18mph, the winds shifted directly out of the south and whitecaps formed.  As we approached Silver Lake, the swells increased to 3-5’.  Just after Silver Lake, we round a small point so the final half hour of the ride was a little more protected.

We passed the lighthouse in Ludington at 3:38 pm and proceeded to our slip at Harborview Marina (A22). By 4:20 pm, we settled into the slip and started making a plan for dinner.  

We decided to grab take out from Alley Bar & Grill.  Then Scott headed downstairs to take a nap (he’s been struggling with sinus pressure all day).  Sammy headed down to her room to work on her script and Tyler and I watched a show.  

Around 8:00 pm, Scott woke up and Sammy emerged, so we decided to take a walk.  I needed to put out mail and grab some dish soap from the gas station.  And of course, we needed to have some ice cream.  Tyler scoped out the location of Kilwins, and we were on our way.  When we got back, Scott headed to bed, Sammy went to her room and Tyler and I rested with another show.

It was a relaxing evening after a big day yesterday!

Today’s Mileage: 67 miles

Day 2 - Harbor Beach

Scott and I woke before the kids and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the calm of the morning.  I wrapped up my morning devotions and then took a shower - thoroughly enjoying the extra space and higher water pressure.

Scott worked on a few projects and confirmed an oil sensor alarm that we got yesterday was not an issue.  Then I woke up the kids to get them started and headed to the parking lot to scout out the trash situation.  We have a lot of boxes and packaging material from items we’ve purchased and need to find a place.  Luckily, the marina has carts for our use so I made it in just one trip.  

When I got back I made breakfast sandwiches and we prepped for our departure.  We pulled out at 10:50 am and got underway.  

Sammy worked on Legos while Tyler helped Scott customize the electronics.

Lake St Clair was very calm and we crossed in just over 30 minutes.  The St Clair River was a lot of fun - again allowing us to stay at cruising speed all the way up to the southern tip of Lake Huron.  

Around 12:30pm I served French Dip Sandwiches for lunch.  Around 1:05pm we made it to Lake Huron.  As we got out in open water again, we had a beautiful view of Port Huron behind us.

We continued north to Port Sanilac where we had a reservation for the night but decided to continue north to Harbor Beach.  We were underway 4:50 hrs but the time went fast.  Toward the end of the afternoon, Tyler took over the helm and allowed Scott some time to relax and just enjoy the ride.  

 

Once we arrived in Harbor Beach, we fueled up and chatted with the harbor master.  It is the largest man-made fresh water harbor in the world.  The marina is quite empty with most of its slip owners already out for the season.  We are the only boat on our entire dock.  

We pulled in and tied off by 3:40 pm.  Because town is a bit of a distance away, we decided to eat aboard tonight.  I started the oven and warmed Enchilada Pie for supper.  We ate out on the cockpit table.  Neither of our previous boats offered enough space for us to comfortably dine together so this was a great treat.

After dinner, Scott worked on adjusting the height of some hatches in the cockpit floor and then looked at our ice maker again.  Jen cleaned up from dinner and Tyler prepped the scooters for him and Jen to ride into town.  

It was a successful trip and we found everything we needed at a local gas station.  

After we got back, there were showers and blogs and more projects.  But overall, we just enjoyed the evening.  Tonight is a little cooler but it’s just the right temperature to sit on the back couch wrapped in a blanket with a cup of coffee to enjoy the evening sky. 

It was a perfect day!

The Plan - Getting Her Home

We purchased a 2017 Azimuth 55S from Port Clinton, OH.  Labor Day weekend we drove down for a sea trial and two weeks later she was ours.  We drove down to spend one night aboard on the 14th so that we could remove the stuff from the previous owners, bring some of our stuff aboard and just overall get used to the space.  

Memory Maker has a great layout with lots of entertaining space.  She has three staterooms, two baths plus a separate crew quarters in the bow of the boat.  I think she is a great boat for this next chapter in our lives.

Tomorrow we will return to Port Clinton to pick her up and begin a 600 mile journey home.  It will be our longest boat trip in the shortest amount of time.  We are excited and a little nervous as this boat is a different brand than we are used to and there is much to learn.  

Day 1 - Late Start to Ludington

We are kicking off the annual Breen family boat trip and it’s technically our third attempt to make it to Mackinac.  We have done everything we can to remove barriers for making it this year and have two weeks set aside compared to the usual 9 days.  We are determined to make it!

But with all things boating, it will be dependent on the weather so we will see.  Although this lack of planning bumps into all of our Type-A personalities, we’ve come to enjoy the adventure of it all.  So here’s to our next adventure!

Tyler graduated on Friday and had a seminar Saturday morning.  Then we had a Congregational meeting on Sunday at church so we left a little later than originally planned.  But it worked out well for us to go out Saturday and unpack, get settled, and get all the groceries stored away for the trip.  

This morning we got up and headed to church.  We made it back to the boat with Culver’s in hand and prepped to get out on the water.  It is a WINDY day today with a small craft advisory for the lake.  

At 1:52pm we left the dock and headed out.

At 2:20 we were rolling in the channel and made it out between the lighthouses in Grand Haven.

I would estimate the waves were all of 3-4’ with an occasional 6’ mixed in.  It wasn’t necessarily comfortable but definitely doable for the boat.  For our comfort, we couldn’t run full speed so we found 19mph worked best.  The wind was out of the west so there was a lot of rolling side to side as we headed up the coast.

At 2:54 pm we passed Muskegon and the wind started to switch direction, coming out of the north.  This helped cut down the waves slightly but we were now heading into the waves and as they built during the afternoon, it became more bumpy the further north we went.  Eventually we made it to our cruising speed of 26 mph.

At 4:31 pm we passed Pentwater and I could soon see the wind turbines of Ludington in sight.

At 5:24 pm we arrived in Harborview Marina, slip A33. All of us happy to be in calm water again.  No one more glad than Coco.  It’s funny, when we decided to press on today, I forgot how much our dog hates rough water and therefore didn’t think through what that decision would mean for me.  

For the bulk of our trip, you could find me here… on the back of the boat, drenched in splash, clutching a trembling dog as we bounced along.  

Once we settled in, Scott grilled brats for us for dinner.  Then we took a walk to find a postbox to drop some mail and of course looked for the Kilwins Ice Cream.  It was nice to get out and stretch our legs.

We had a great view of the Badger Docks and really enjoyed watching them come and go during our stay.

We were all feeling pretty tired and headed to bed around 10:00pm. Tomorrow’s weather isn’t looking too promising.  Strong wind and waves throughout the day but possibly a window to make the next next leg north later in the afternoon or evening.  We will see.

Weather:
Skies: Sunny, Windy
Temp: 62*
Winds: 15 mph W, turning to 18mph N
Lake Conditions:  3-4' out of GH; 1-2' chop north of Whitehall; 2-3' near Ludington
Distance Travelled:  67 mi

Harbor View Marina   (231) 843-6032   VHF 9
Harbor View Marina is past Ludington Municipal Marina, just around the bend on your port side. It has 160 slips with approximately 25 slips available for transient sailors. There is a fuel dock (diesel and gasoline) and pumpout station. There is water, power and cable TV available at dockside. Restrooms, showers and laundry are available in their lovely clubhouse. The clubhouse also has a fitness room, library, swimming pool, spa and ship's store. Other amenities include picnic and recreation areas, BBQ grills and internet access. Downtown Ludington is only a couple of blocks away.

Day 6 - South to Grand Haven

We had some rain move in around 5:30 am... which always makes for great sleeping conditions... so we let the kids sleep in again this morning.  I made eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast and then we started to clean up.  Since its our last morning, we spent a little extra time to pack our clothes and dirty linens to save time later.  Once finished, we prepped to go.

It was 10:40 am when Tyler and I headed out to untie the lines, just as it was starting to sprinkle again.  Its a little cooler today at 62* with overcast skies and 4 mph winds from the North.  We passed the pier around 10:55 am and found 1-2' waves so we were able to speed up to get on plane at 31 mph for our ride home.  

Because of the drizzle and cooler temps, we kept the boat mostly closed up for the ride.  Tyler and I turned on some reruns of the Office and giggled as we made our way.

Around 12:45 pm, we slowed as the pier off of Grand Haven came into view.  What a welcoming sight!  We took our time coming in as a large ship was just heading out.  

As we came through the channel and made our way to our marina, Jen and the kids went to work packing up the kitchen and prepping the trash, etc. 

Tyler tied us off in our slip at 1:15 pm while Sammy and I started to load the truck.  We were all loaded up and heading home by 1:26 pm.  Definitely our quickest unload EVER!

We made a couple stops for lunch at Jimmy Johns and a Starbucks and were pulling into our driveway by 2:40 pm.

It was a great trip on the boat! We really enjoyed visiting new marinas (Manistee, Pentwater).  Scott and I also had fun visiting familiar marinas (Ludington, Frankfort, Leland) and found ourselves remembering our past trips.  

Its so much easier taking a trip like this now compared to years ago when the kids were young.  Tyler has learned so much about the boat and his knowledge comes in handy so often.  Plus he's quick to help with lines and electronics whenever needed.  Sammy has gotten very comfortable onboard and is quick to help me with the chores in the kitchen and with Coco.  

As I reflect on our week, I'm not sure there is a favorite stop or memory... but so many snapshots of our time together.  I'm certain our kids wont forget these memories.  The feel of excitement and adventure as you pull into a new place from the water.

A huge thanks to Scott for being such a great captain!  Its a lot of work being on the water but he does such an amazing job, it looks easy!

We are already making plans for future trips.  I cannot wait to make even more memories from the boat!

Day 5 - South to Manistee and Pentwater

Today was incredible!  

The kids slept in until it was time for breakfast... egg sausage English muffins.  Then we cleaned up and prepped to head out.  Its only 28 miles to Manistee so if the weather cooperates, we plan to take our time and enjoy the ride down at a relaxing pace.  

At 10:30 am, we pulled out of our slip and repositioned to the fuel dock to add 150 gallons of diesel and get a pump out.  As we pulled out around the pier of Frankfort, the waters were quite calm.  Under one footers.  It was 63-65* and sunny with a 4 mph N wind.  PERFECT!  

So we set our route and adjusted the speed to 11 mph and took our sweet time heading south.  I love to travel this way.  We spend time relaxing on the bow, Tyler takes a turn at the helm, Scott gets to relax.  Its so much fun!  We continued this way the entire trip to Manistee.

Around 12:45 pm, while we were passing Portage Lake, I pulled out snacks for a charcuterie lunch.  On the way, we started talking about the remainder of our trip and I shared concerns about what a busy day Sunday would be because of a prior commitment we have in the afternoon.  We talked through different options and wondered if we should try to make it home Saturday instead of Sunday, changing our plans one more time.  Unfortunately both of our last two spots are new to us so we had no way of choosing which we'd prefer.  So we decided to stick with the plan and check in at Manistee and then decide based on how it looked and how we felt.

We arrived to the Manistee channel at 1:32 pm and tied off in slip 26 of the Municipal Marnia around 2:00 pm.  We haven't visited here before so we were eager to see what the town and waterfront had to offer.  It didn't disappoint. 

We took Coco for a walk through town and found a Dairy Queen for a mid afternoon treat.  While on the way, I got a call from our marina in Pentwater confirming our stay for tomorrow and I asked if he had room for us Friday instead.  He said he did.  So just like that, we decided to get a little further south today to stay over in Pentwater.  

We finished up our walk, stopped in to check out with the confused office staff, and then untied.

We pulled out of our slip at 3:10 pm and by 3:26 pm we were rounding the pier and on plane at 32 mph.  The weather has slightly changed... 70* with 7 mph winds out of the WNW.  The waves were still under 2 feet and it was very comfortable.  We travelled the 37 miles to Pentwater, arriving at 4:30 pm.  Made our way up the channel, found the Snug Harbor Marina and were tied up in slip 7 by 5:00 pm.  

The kids were hoping for some down time to just relax so they hung out at the boat with the dog while Scott and I took a walk through town.  We were on a mission to find supper... something we hadn't had yet this trip.  We checked out the supermarket, various restaurants, and finally decided on the very well reviewed Pentwater Pizza & Grinders where we ordered grinders, chicken wings and Fred Bread. Yum.

After dinner, we turned on Captain Ron - an older but now favorite movie of ours ever since our trip aboard Heavenly this past winter.

Then the kids did their showers while Scott and I relaxed on the back of the boat.  Another beautiful evening!

I'm so grateful we got to see both Pentwater and Manistee.  Both are fabulous towns that we will certainly return to enjoy!

Day 4 - Back to Frankfort

So the plan was to start heading south again towards home in case of bad weather.  We aren’t expecting it but want to be safe since we have plans for Sunday evening.  However, just because we are heading back toward home doesn’t mean we’ll rush.  We have three full days and nights left still!

I woke up early for devotions this morning and was reminded what a privilege it is to spend time with God… especially with the incredible view I had!  I also took advantage of the time to call ahead to Frankfort Municipal to see if we could get a slip there instead for tonight.  We’ve stayed at the municipal previously and I love the quiet set up.  You have a beautiful view of the lake / channel and it’s a very slow paced quiet environment… much more our style!

I woke up the kids for breakfast - pancakes and bacon.  Does you notice a theme?  We eat a lot of bacon aboard!  Afterwards, we cleaned up the kitchen and then Scott and I took Coco for a walk again up by the dam.  I just love Leland.  It’s such a quaint little town!  When we returned, we found the kids hanging out on the bow just chatting.

We pulled out of our slip around 10:45am and were on our way.  Amazing, the winds shifted overnight and now were coming out of the North which once again gave us a pretty comfortable ride WITH the 3-4’ waves.  It was partly cloudy skies and a little cooler at 63 degrees.

Its a beautiful ride between Frankfort and Leland as you pass through the Michigan coast and the North and South Manitou Islands, passing the Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Sammy and I snuggled on the back bench with Tyler helping Scott at the helm.

We kept the boat right around 30 mph until we caught sight of the Frankfort pier and then slowed down around 12:10 am.  On the way, we received a call from Frankfort Municipal that they did have room for us, so we pulled right into slip 63 and were tied off by 12:30 pm.

Once we were settled, I prepped the fixings and patties while Scott fired up the grill for cheeseburgers.

Although we were here just a few days ago in the marina next door, it feels completely different.  Plus its cooler with a beautiful breeze that makes sitting aboard a great way to spend the afternoon.

Around 3:30pm we took a walk to town to see this art studio that the guys found a few days ago.  Amazing work! And then visited the toy store.  And of course, another visit to Kilwins.

For supper, the kids and I ordered a pizza and Scott picked up a lobster roll and street corn from Goody’s Seafood Shack.  He highly recommends!

Scott and I hung out on the front of the boat.  Some neighbors a few doors down brought us some leftover salmon to try.  Scott loved!  Then we talked with the couple who’s sharing our dock.  They are from Grand Haven on their way for a month long trip to the Northern Passage.  I was so eager to hear about their plans and envious of the laid back approach to boating without the weeklong window that we usually have.  

Then Scott, Sammy and I took Coco for another walk into town just to burn some energy.  Other than the restaurants pretty much everything was closed, but with the sun setting, it made for a lovely stroll.

Then it was a heated battle of Dirty Uno on the back of the boat.  Ultimately we had to set a timer and revert to Original Uno rules cause the game just wouldn’t end.  But we had lots of fun.  Sammy snuggled with me on the back of the boat while Tyler called home.  Then it was time for bed.  Another beautiful day in Frankfort.