Day 11 - Frankfort

There are some stronger winds forecasted for Thursday so if possible, we hope to be home Wednesday.  It’s a little tricky since Frankfort doesn’t take reservations.  So I was up early and called right when they open at 8:00a to get a spot for the night.  (Yay!). However, we would really prefer to get a little further today… so we will decide once we get out on the lake.

I quickly took Coco for a walk while the guys prepped for departure.

We left our slip at 8:24a and were on plane by 8:35a.  Pretty impressive if I don't say so myself.

Current weather is 69* sunny with 8 mph winds out of the south.  The big lake shows higher winds and since we are heading right into them, it may make for a less comfortable ride today.  I’m not complaining though since we’ve had excellent weather this entire time.

I wanted to continue my puzzle in case we do make it home tomorrow, so I got started on it as soon as we got under way. Scott thought I was crazy but it helped pass the time. But as the waves grew and the bouncing increased, I was worried I'd lose a piece, so I put it up for the last half of our ride. Later over lunch, my family had an intervention. They claim that no normal person works on jigsaw puzzles while traveling on Lake Michigan. I strongly disagree.

We pulled into the fuel dock at 11:05a to fill up for tomorrow.  We decided to stay here in Frankfort as the winds continue to increase.  Tomorrow looks like a much better travel day as far as wind goes so we'll wait to proceed with our trip.  

We all worked together to get settled into slip 52 and were wrapped up by 11:50a.  

We walked into town to grab lunch at Dinghy's again.  Then walked back to the boat for a rest.  I finished the puzzle I started last night and wrapped up some work for church.  Tyler is learning a new style of coding so he was on his computer and Sammy had voice lessons.  Scott washed the bugs off the boat (it was so bad after Northport), then he went to help the harbormaster and one of our neighbors deal with an electrical issue.  

I assume most people know that I'm a clumsy person but while running lines on the boat, I pride myself on being pretty agile. However a few days ago, I came down hard on the end of a hand rail and am now toting a bruise the size of my fist.   

Around 5:00p Scott and I took the scooters to the grocery store for a few items and then each went our own way to get dinner.  The kids and I wanted pizza so I got takeout from A Papuans.  Scott loves the lobster roll offered at this little shack in the parking lot of a deli here in town... but the last few times we've stopped, we've happened to come on their days off. So he was not missing the chance!

After supper, Tyler and I watched a show and then I sat out back with Scott enjoying the cool night air.  We are prepped for a long day tomorrow and hope to be home before supper.  However, we do have an appt tomorrow morning from 9-10a so we won't have a very early start.

Day 2 - Frankfort

We didn't have a slip reserved for tonight so I set an alarm for 8:00 am when our preferred marina in Frankfort opens.  They do their reservations differently.  First come, first serve based on a phone call the morning of arrival.  I reached out right away and got a slip for the night. 

From our slip, we have a front row view of the Badger coming and going.  In case you don't know, the Badger is a large passenger/car ferry that crosses Lake Michigan 4 times each day.  It's actually a ton of fun to watch them load and unload each time.

Scott and I had a quick meeting to discuss the weather.  It's gonna rain most of the morning / midday which isn't ideal for the ride... but the wind is also gonna shift.  Right now the wind is coming from SSW but by noon it'll shift to straight out of the north and that means we'd be heading into some larger waves as the day goes on.  So, we chose to travel in rain to avoid the waves.

We had cereal to make for a quick breakfast and were pulling out of the slip by 9:30am.  Current temps in Ludington: 71*, Rain, WSW wind 8 mph.

We turned north and got up to speed.  Our ETA reads 11:30am.

The rain continued the entire trip and heavy fog set in.  It was really eerie moving full speed without being able to see very far in any direction.  Scott ran with radar most of the trip.  

When we got within 30 mins of our destination, the fog began to lift but the waves got much worse.  Rather than slowing our speed, Scott moved in and followed the shoreline. 

We entered the channel at 11:35am.  Stopped for fuel at 11:45 am.  And were tied off and settled in our slip by 12:30 pm. 

I made tacos and nachos for lunch and we had a quiet afternoon.  The rain continued off and on most of the day.  Tyler took some time for video games, Scott got caught up on news. Sammy continued writing and I worked on my school work.  A great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

We walked to Dinghy's Restaurant and Bar for supper and enjoyed a game of Ticket to Ride while we waited for our food to arrive.  The weather has cooled to the low 60s now and the sun peaks out for short times.  It's a beautiful evening.  

Day 5 - Staying Put

 We decided to stay put in Frankfort today.  Weather forecast was not in our favor.  We love Frankfort so it’s honestly not a hard decision.  Had a pretty quiet day… cleaning, organizing, learning more about the boat.  We are really happy with it!

Day 4 - Made it to Frankfort

After such a big day yesterday, we wanted to have a more relaxed morning.  So we let the kids sleep in a bit until we were ready to go for breakfast.  We visited the Pancake Chef... a greasy spoon we've passed a number of times but never stopped.  But today we were in search of bacon and the Pancake Chef didn't disappoint.

While we waited for our food, we played a game of Ticket to Ride and pretty much all walked away frustrated.  But we enjoyed the walk back in the sunshine.  No rain today, but the temps have definitely fallen.  It was in the 50s when we walked to breakfast... and our shorts are now replaced by jeans and sweatshirts.  No worries though, it's some of my favorite boating weather.

When we got back, the guys worked on a couple boat projects including checking that oil sensor and removing some water from the bilge.  I washed the dishes and organized the cabinet under the galley sink.  Tyler made a run to the dumpster with more trash and then we prepped for our departure.

We left the marina around 11:20 am enjoying the views of the island and the bridge while we put away the fenders and lines.

 

The seas were rougher today, consistently 2-3' waves that grew to 4' swells as we got further south.  With such colder temps, we stayed indoors most of the day, or sat outside with a sweatshirt and blanket.  

Around 2:00 pm Jen cooked up some brats for lunch.  Tyler is always a big help with the boat but also took some time to work on his homework.  Not a bad view, if you ask me.

It was 4:15 pm when we pulled into Frankfort.  We have always enjoyed this harbor!  We filled up our fuel and then moved over to slip 55 for the night.  As soon as we were tied, we headed out for supper.  

We ate at the Dinghy Restaurant & Bar, only a few blocks away.  When we returned, Scott helped Tyler get set up for his class tonight.  He's been taking a night class for AI & Machine Learning.  So we had him at the desk in our stateroom so he could have privacy and less distractions.

Once he was set up, he and I went for a scooter ride to drop off the mail while Scott taught Sammy how to play chess.  Then Tyler headed to class, I get started on some church work, and Scott and Sammy took a dinghy ride.

Tyler wrapped up at 10:30pm and we all headed to bed.  It was another great day!

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.

Day 2 - Trip to Frankfort

We were up around 8:30 for breakfast… bacon, eggs and toast.  After showers and cleaning up the kitchen, we were ready to head out.  We try not to leave too early as most marinas wont allow you to check in until closer to noon; however, waves tend to build throughout the day so we don’t want to leave later than necessary either.   So at 10:05am, we left the slip and headed out for Lake Michigan.  We were so surprised to see how calm the lake was… super calm.  Definitely under single foot chop.  Very smooth for the ride.  The temps were 71* with a SSW wind.  We headed north for the 54 mi trip to Frankfort.

If you are familiar with the shape of Lake Michigan in this area, you know that there is a point just north of Ludington and then the land juts in until Point Betsie which is just north of Frankfort.  So in order to save time, we headed straight across rather than following the shoreline.  The trip took 1 hr 40 mins and the waves did pick up to 2-3’ as we left the protection of the point, but still a very comfortable ride.

We tied off in slip 32 of the Jacobson Marina right around 12:15pm.   As the guys finished the lines, I got a start on lunch and had taco salad ready before 1pm. 

Over lunch Scott and I made a plan for the remainder of our week, mapping out our itinerary as best as we could.  Then I started making phone calls to line up the marinas…. And would you believe it - we now have a reservation for every night of our trip!  YAY!  Here’s the new plan:

Tuesday - Frankfort; Wednesday - Leland; Thursday - Frankfort; Friday - Manistee; Saturday - Pentwater

We are both pretty excited about the new plan… we wont make it as far north as we had originally hoped but we will get to try two new destinations and feel like its a good use of the time.

Hey, here’s a crazy coincidence.  A few weekends ago, a man dressed as a pirate came to see us… explaining he owned the same boat as us and he wanted to connect.  So we aren’t here in Frankfort for even 15 minutes, and up walks the same guy (no pirate outfit today).  He and a number of boats from our marina are here on a rendezvous.  The guy in the slip next to us here in Frankfort is just down the row from us in Grand Haven.  What a small world!

After lunch, we headed out on a walk through town and out to the beach… ending with ANOTHER visit to Kilwins.  Its a running joke when we are boating that Tyler will immediately look up the Kilwins location as soon as we arrive.  He LOVES their chocolate shakes… so lucky for him, many Michigan boating destinations feature a location.  

 

Then we headed back to the boat to relax, cool down and enjoy some free time.  Scott worked on cleaning the boat, I updated the blog, Tyler played some video games and Sammy wrote more of her book.  Seriously a pretty perfect way to finish the afternoon.

 

I’ve been looking for options for groceries and am coming up short.  So, I found a delivery option from Family Fare and placed the order for delivery at 5:45p, forgetting it was a holiday.  So, the delivery was postponed repeatedly until someone finally picked it up the order.  The groceries didn’t arrive until around 8:30pm.

Since I was waiting for the groceries we decided to do takeout from Dinghy’s Restaurant and Bar.  The boys ran to the pick up (and found a cool gallery on the way).  The food was delicious… Ribs, Chicken, Pulled Pork and Mac N Cheese - yum!

We finished the evening resting on the back of the boat and then playing a round of Ticket to Ride (congrats to Scott on the win).  Then we headed up to the bow of the boat and snuggled in for our second round of fireworks.  Since we did the display in Grand Haven on Saturday night.

It was a great fireworks show.  The city shoots off the pier so it was a bit farther than what we are used to… but still a great way to end the day!

Goodbye Frankfort

We slept in and had a lazy morning with sausage, eggs and toast for breakfast.

The kids and I headed back to the playground while Scott took a shower.  We loaded up and left port around 11:30 am.

The view of the channel.  To the left is the public beach, all set within the break wall.

The kids in front of our slip.

Scott and I sipped coffee and enjoyed the view from the back of the boat last night.

Destination:  Ludington eta 1:30 pm

Greetings Frankfort!

We pulled in around 6:09 pm.  Wasn't sure what to expect since I hadn't been there or even heard much about it.  But what a pleasant surprise!  Town is in walking distance of the marina (row of boats not stacked out on docks).  It has a small town feel about it... not overly touristy but just enough.  Really LOVE it!

We fueled up and headed to our slip to get settled.  The kids were itching to get some supper so I called in an order for pizza and we walked over for supper.  We bought our customary shirts (see the pattern yet) and then did some window shopping.  Of course we hit an ice cream shop and the local ship-themed playground.  The kids headed to bed for a movie around 9:00 pm.

Ps. If that's not enough, Frankfort has citywide free wi-fi... We love it!