Day 5 & 6 - Getting Weathered In

When we went to bed on Monday night we knew we needed to move on from Gladstone. As Susan and I woke we went off the boat to start getting ready to leave. I wiped down the boat and she went to the harbor house to let them know we were going to move on and let the dog do her business. She returned with a phone number to call as there was no one in attendance at the harbor house. We thought we would just keep working as getting ready and call later to pay for our slip. There was the fuel situation, however, we needed to fill up before we left and decided we would just go down to Escanaba and check out there marina and get fuel there as they were a bit bigger and probably open.

When arriving in Escanaba we were greeted by two young people who were very nice and pumped us out and fill up the tanks. Escanaba has the nicest pump out equipment I have seen on the great lakes. It almost did not fit under my rail as the waste port is positioned in as tight spot on our boat and this nozzle was very large. It had a fresh water rinse line and valve attached with the waste separated by a couple of 90 degree elbows and a few ball valves. it was bulky ,however, this set up insures you get a good rinse and is a whole lot less messing around.

We decided on Menominee MI as our destination after much debate. It was going to be a stay of at least two days as we were about to get some very high winds and rain for at least a day or two. Once we were all settled in we did some exploring and had a nice dinner at Table Six, "Ta6le". Menominee is doing some great things in there little downtown. There are a few buildings that have been completely renovated and there are plans for some additional ones. The town really understands the economic impact from the boating community and provide some very nice incentives in coupons and other niceties.

As it turned out we only saw the rain through the night into the early morning ending around 8 am. The first half of the second day was cold and windy as by evening the sun came out and temperatures came up. Mission for the day two was to check out the border town Marinette WI. We crossed the Menominee river to the south of the marina you are in WI. Our first intended stop was the Nest Egg Marina in Marinette to see there ship store which they claim is the largest north of Milwaukee (this is not true). Before we made it there Susan and the kids wanted to stop for lunch and we found Ironworks which is a bar restaurant that was nice.

When riding back we stopped at the lighthouse and break wall of the river to watch the waves come in from the high winds we received though out the night.

Day 2- Horseshoe Island

When we woke up in the morning everything was very quiet. The night was still and calm my only complaint was the heat. We did not run the generator be cause all week it had been getting very cool at night, but this night did not seem to get as cool. I had woke up through-out the night a bit uncomfortable from the stuffiness, but all and all was not that bad. It may have been the fact Scott and I stayed up late with the fire scavenging for fire wood and make bad decisions with both the fire and consumption of adult beverages...

The next morning we picked the bottles and cans out of the fire that we thought was a good idea to put in there the night before, took a few ibuprofen for the other bad decisions and went for a hike around the island. Grace and Peyton stayed back for some fishing. Grace forgot her tennis shoes so all she had was flip flops not the best for hiking. Plus, Peyton and Pierce just made the hike the day before. There is a trail on the island that is 1k around the entire island. It was a fun little walk and allowed us all to see the sights from the entire island.

After our walk we decided to go to Little Sister Bay to Fred and Fuzzy's resort for lunch. In order to get this done we had to get showered and ready for the day. Scott and I soaped up and did a lake bath. Jill showered on the swim platform as she was not going for the cool morning dip! It was decided to leave Liming (Scott and Jill's boat) on the island and take one boat over due to the shortage of space at Fred and Fussy's, so we all jumped on Always Starboard and were on our way to get some famous fried green beans (our favorite item on the menu).

Upon our return we parted ways with the Derosier's and started our way to Sister Bay as our first port of call on our trip for Friday night. We thought we had never been there before by water, but then quickly remembered being there with our 248 fourwinns and getting stranded with engine problems. Maybe that was why we removed this port from our memory.

The boys had fun at the little beach just next to the marina where they jumped of the break-wall and played in the sand even though the sand was filled with some larger stones. After some beach time we went to dinner, some ice cream and came back to the boat for the night.

Summer 2014 Summer Boat Trip -

This year for our annual vacation we decided to keep it a bit local. Our plan was to have our boat in Sturgeon Bay for the remainder of the season starting at the beginning of August. In the past few years we have left our boat in Sturgeon Bay for an extended time after our trip due to the water conditions on Winnebago after the end of July. 

Our destination was our favorite marina in Sturgeon Bay, Centerpointe Marina. The boat had been there for a couple of weeks prior to our trip. When we arrived at Centerpointe around 10am Thursday Morning we had to do some last min provisioning. Along with that the canvas had a few bad seams so I had it fixed at one of the local shops that morning as well. 

After last years big water trip where the family swore not to do another trip due to the wind and weather, we were tweaking our plan. For the first night the plan was to go stay on the hook at Nicolet Bay or Horseshoe island. Our friends the Derosier's went with us up to our first spot. We swam at Nicolet Bay and took t he dinghy to the beach and enjoyed the afternoon. Weather and waves were not an issue on this day it was beautiful. 

As the day was winding down Peyton and Grace swam to the boat and got some money to buy all the kids ice cream from the beach concession stand. After that we all went back to the boat and went across the bay to horseshoe island for the night. 

The kids gathered wood while the adults made a nice dock side steak dinner. During that time both Peyton and Pierce walked all over the island and had a great little adventure in the woods on their own. 

Day 2: a little R&R and Day 3: The Crossing

Day 2 - A Little Rest and Relaxation
After a great first night on the boat we decided that we would be staying in Sturgeon Bay and not leaving until Sunday AM. This allowed us an opportunity to stop at a few favorite stops within Sturgeon Bay. We took down the bikes and decided to get some exercise while running some errands.  For us, no vacation is complete without a stop at Target in Sturgeon Bay. We decided that the rugs we placed under the bikes, to prevent tire marking on the hull, needed to go. After rain they turn into a soppy wet mess, so we decided to replace with some cupboard lining as an alternate solution, so far it seems to be working like a charm. We then proceeded to go to the bakery and farmers market to pick up some items for dinner.

Peyton with his beautiful artwork... aaarrrggghhh!

It was a great morning with the boys and I must say, I am so VERY thankful to Paul's family for taking our dogs this year. Not having them with us is amazing... less dog hair, less 5AM wake up calls to go outside and more peace and quiet. Don't get me wrong, I love my pooches and miss them dearly, but this is really nice!!!  In the afternoon we enjoyed some well deserved pool time and wrapped up the evening with dinner and s'mores by the fireplace. 







Day 3 - The Crossing
We decided the night prior that we would head out at 6:30am to take advantage of the calm winds and morning light. Our target was Leland, our result was Frankfort. The waves were projected to be 3 ft or less with and occasional 6-8ft.  Occasional, my a$$!  Our initial start seemed fine, then after about 10 miles in, it was quite rough. I considered telling Paul that we should turn around, but Pierce was getting scared, so I bit my tongue. I knew it could create some serious discussion, and a 5 year old that is already scared just needs reassurance, not talk that the waves were too big, so we forged on. The waves were not as large as some we have navigated on Michigan, but a few of them ranked up there. So I did the best I could to keep Pierce calm and bit my lip.  Fortunately for us, about half way across the waves subsided a bit, making it a bit more comfortable. The closer we approached Michigan, the better the waves became which was fortunate for us. We were getting close to the Manitou islands, and after hearing the famous "land ho" from Peyton, the lake smoothed out beautifully.

Unfortunately, for our travelling companions, their ride was not as good. Paul radioed that we were going to veer off course to look at the shipwreck near the south Manitou island and take a few pictures. Our companions informed us that they needed to get to Leland as soon as possible due to taking on some water. We didn't realize the full severity of their predicament until after we approached the shipwreck and then had to steer back towards them because they came off plane. The decision was made to head to Frankfort instead of Leland so that in the event they needed, they would have more facilities to support their situation. They put in a call to the Coast Guard to let them know that they may require some assistance, even though they were fine and under there own power the USCG escorted them in and helped out. In the end they had to pull their boat out of the water, putting a huge damper on their vacation plans.

Nope, he has not seen Titanic!

Our companions were able to find a hotel in Frankfort allowing them to figure out their next steps. We enjoyed a great dinner at a new wine bar/restaurant in town called Cru and ended the evening with some ice cream and a beautiful sunset.

Tomorrow we are on our way North to Sutton's Bay to continue our progress towards Elk Rapids!

  

What is in a Name - Always Starboard

A greeting card we found shortly after naming our boat

Susan and I struggled naming our first boat. It was a 2000 Fourwinns 248. This pocket cruiser had everything the big ones did except the generator. As one good friend described it, "the biggest little boat on the lake". It was probably the most spacious boat of its size at the time. Our first season we learned a lot about the boat and about each other. Boating has a way of bringing out the best in people. In that first season we fell in love with each other, and the boating lifestyle. When we decided to name it, we were actually thinking about upgrading. The 2 footitis, as I recall our boating friends called it. Ours ended up being a severe case of 10 footitis. We end up settling on a 2000 Sea Ray 340 Sundancer.

The name came to me as we were having an argument. The argument was so insignificant I could not tell you what we were arguing about the next day, much less know today. Although, while writing this story a thought came to me. I think it probably involved me looking for our next boat and not agreeing on what we were going to be looking at getting. I just remember the feeling of anger coming over me and needing to contain myself. I have little self restraint when I believe I am right and so does Susan.

To put the moment it in perspective, we were dating at the time, probably had know each other about a year. Susan was actually the owner of the boat and I was her Captain. We had both just been through divorce and like I did when going through the end of my practice marriage, I bought something for myself, (Harley Davidson Road King) she bought a boat. During the honeymoon of any relationship you attempt to control your emotions and not get upset with the other. You may filter yourself as to not scare off the other during an argument. It seems once you've been together long enough that filter comes off. I am sure you can relate. I digress, but it paints the picture.

Anyway, back to the argument...again reminding myself to not sweat the small stuff I backed off and sat in silence for a moment. Then it hit me...I blurted out, "I got it!"

She gave me a look that said you are about to step into that grave you've been digging with your words and then barked "What!?.."

I said, "I know what we are going to name the boat....Always Starboard" and there was a another quick moment of silence, and then a smile began to appear on the corners of her face. While noticing I was not going to be pushed into that grave I was digging, I followed up with "Because you always have to be frick'n right.". This almost started another argument, but instead both just started laughing and poking fun at each other.

At this moment I knew this was for sure the name of our boat, as it describes both of our stubborn tendencies. Susan did have her reservations about it, but I said we can always say it is "Always the Right place to be." and she agreed.