We left Frankfort on Thursday and stopped at the state harbor in Ludington for the evening. Ludington was similar to the other state harbors we have stayed at with clean facilities and friendly people. I took advantage of the laundry facilities since it was convenient. Most state harbors have laundry but there are a few where you need to walk into town and that just makes the process more time-consuming.
We met a few looper boats and some future loopers so conversation centered on where people have visited, what to expect when traveling, likes/dislikes, etc. One piece of advice that we give (that we received a few years ago from loopers) is that you can have a plan but don’t have a schedule.
The next morning we took off, with Paddy Wagon, for Muskegon. They had a confirmed reservation while we were still waiting to hear from Dockwa whether we were confirmed. It is frustrating to have to wait up to 24 hours for this confirmation since we often don’t want to project too far in advance where we will be next because of the weather. The winds on Lake Michigan have had an impact on traveling schedules. As it turned out, we were not confirmed so needed to scramble on the phone to secure a spot. Eventually, we were able to do so but that meant we would be staying at two different marinas that were not in walking distance. Since we were only planning to stay for the evening, it was fine.
After Muskegon we were planning on going to Saugatuck and had tentative reservations at a marina that was recommended by Justified. However, the marina would not make a final confirmation and kept saying they would call later – the next day, then later in the afternoon. They were not happy that we only planned to spend one night and wanted commitment for at least two or three. Since we wanted to make time to get to the southern portion of Lake Michigan, we weren’t really interested in doing this because we would lose more time and we already lost time based on earlier repairs and ongoing weather. Ultimately, the marina decided that they did not have a slip for either of us so once again there were a flurry of phone calls as we traveled south. We had no luck with space at any of the marinas in Saugatuck so decided to only travel to Holland since we had a few possibilities in Holland but needed to wait for confirmation.
The first confirmation we received was from a yacht club so we accepted the slips since we didn’t want to be scrambling later as we traveled since it was the weekend. Of course, about 1/2 hour later, we had another option but turned it down since we thought we were fine. When we arrived at the lake, it was windy with lots of day boats running around. We called the yacht club on the radio as advised but no one answered. The same thing happened with the telephone – no answer. Although we had a slip number, there are no visible numbers on the slips and obviously no dock hands to assist. Peter yelled to a guy riding around in his dink if he knew where the slips were and he offered to find the slip for us – it was on the outside with no protection from the conditions. The slip was tight and we barely fit between the finger and the piling – we actually got stuck leaving the next morning. Fortunately, there were a few members on the dock who grabbed a line to assist. When Paddy Wagon arrived they didn’t fit into their assigned slip either so the members advised where they could tie up. This is the first yacht club that we visited where there were issues. While the grounds, buildings, and pool were lovely, the docks and service seriously need major improvements. When contacted the next day about a snag in processing my credit card, I mentioned that we did not enjoy our stay and explained what had happened. The comment was that no one has every complained before and they don’t understand why it happened. About 1/2 hour later, I received another call from the yacht club that they apologize for the situation and we would not be charged for the night. They added that it would not happen again and they would welcome us back. Even if we were in Lake Michigan again, we would not stay there.
There was one positive thing about staying in Holland. We were able to reconnect with Lucky Me who we traveled with the first few weeks before they went to the Oswego locks and we were stuck with repairs. They were in Holland for a few days to meet friends and also visit the Tiara factory. They had rented a car so picked us up (they were at the marina next to the yacht club) and we drove into town for drinks. Holland has a number of breweries so we went to Hops Tap Room and then a wine tasting at Cherry Republic. It was fun to spend time with friends.
We were happy to leave Holland on Sunday and continued on our journey to West Basin Marina in St. Joseph. Previous loopers have advised that this is a very protected site and we were looking forward to a peaceful, calm evening. Coming into the harbor was a bit windy but once we turned into the marina, it was calm. We met the Harbor Hosts in the marina and they happen to have the sister boat, Molly, 36’ Albin, of loopers on Selah Way. In fact, they are now planning to leave in October on their loop voyage. There are a few other loopers here in the marina so that meant Docktails!
The town of St. Joseph is a bit far to walk to stores besides eateries so we planned to get an Uber or Lyft. However, the Habor Host offered a ride to the supermarket the next day since it was windy and it looked as though we would be spending another evening. Although I do not really enjoy food shopping, I do appreciate the opportunity to go to a real store when possible to fill in on needed provisions.
It is now Wednesday, and we are still in St. Joseph and it looks like it will be another day or two before we can leave. The wind has not died down on the lake for even a very small window to get to the next stop. One of the nicknames that locals have for Lake Michigan is the washing machine and now we know why.
We were planning on Michigan City and then to Hammond to meet up with Bahama Voyager. Since it is been a few days that we have not been able to travel, we are hoping the weather will permit us to make one long travel day directly to Hammond.
Peter at Helm with Garmin & Paper Charts 
Peter confiscating my iPad for Navionics 
Coast Guard Boat in Muskegon 
World War II Submarine in Muskegon 
Sailboat under Sail in the Harbor Channel 
Sailboat sailing in Harbor Channel 
Drinks in Holland 
Sunset in Holland 
Docktails in St. Joseph with Molly, Paddy Wagon & Tuscarora
Around the Great Loop on the Answer 