***Note: This edition was written by Mike, as Mary has temporarily returned to So. Cal to assist with her ill mother. Any/all errors and/or omissions are on me…

Mary & I departed Harbor Springs, MI, on September 2, (Labor Day), bound for Traverse City, MI. Upon landing at the Traverse City Marina fuel dock (Duncan Clinch Marina), Forever Friday was surrounded by dock workers–two of which grabbed our dock lines & snugged us up to the dock–another who dragged the pump out hose to the boat & started pumping us out. The two line handlers then commenced to refueling FF with two separate fuel hoses, one filling either side. Man…these guys were like a NASCAR pit crew! FF topped off with Diesel (66 gallons @2.99 a gallon). On top of the wonderful service at the fuel dock, we were advised that our daily rate would be cut in half since reduced rates for the remainder of the season began on Labor Day (we had reserved and paid for the already low rate a couple days earlier–so we were given a 50% refund!) $27 a night…inclusive of electricity and water. Wow!

Shortly after our arrival, Mary flew back to So Cal to assist her family with her ill mother. We are all so fortunate that Mary has the flexibility and wherewithal to head out at a moment’s notice–sure glad we weren’t somewhere up in Georgian Bay. While I’ll certainly miss her, she’s needed more on the other end. Can’t wait for her return.

Due to pending lock closures south of Chicago, it will be necessary for me to continue down Lake Michigan and try to take advantage of the September 12-21st window. The Starved Rock and Marseilles locks are currently undergoing maintenance by the US Army Corps of Engineers that will see both locks completely closed after September 21st, through October 5th at the earliest. Getting through both locks is important in that the weather in these parts gets colder and most marinas scale back operations–some closing altogether– this time of year. So on we go.

Forever Friday & sister ship Scaliwag both departed Traverse City on September 4, bound for Northport–an anchorage located about 20 miles northwest of Traverse City. The last few days have been stormy with bouts of extreme rain & wind. Today’s weather promised rain and winds lessening later in the morning–we waited until the water calmed down at about 2 PM. The trip to Northport anchorage was uneventful; arriving and dropping the anchor at 5:20 PM. This anchorage was chosen for it’s protection from north and west winds–and did not disappoint. After a nice, calm night, we departed at first light for Lake Portage. Today’s weather had clear skies , mostly smooth water, and light breeze. A few hours later, the seas had built to 2-4′ and we had 15-18 kts of wind on the nose. Boisterous, but all in all, not a bad ride. While underway, I noticed an AIS “blip” on our radar screen & saw that it was Seabatical, another Looper boat that we had occasionally anchored or docked near for the past few hundred miles. Rick, Seabatical’s captain, took a few photos of us busting through the seas from at least a mile away–must have some camera!

Arriving at Portage Lake at 4:20 PM, we had traveled 76.1 NM. Our anchor was dropped in 14′ of water and 125′ of chain was played out. The crew of FF (that would be me…singular) and Scaliwag enjoyed a nice dinner and game of “Bones” (dominos) aboard FF.

We departed Portage Lake on September 6 after waiting for rain to stop. Winds slacked a bit to 6-7 kts. Pulling up our Rocna anchor caused our windlass to groan a bit & up with the Rocna was about 3 acres of clay mud–a sign that we were hooked up pretty nicely–i’ll take it!

Hoping to make a long day of it, Scaliwag and FF had set a course for Pentwater Lake, a nice sounding anchorage about 50 NM away. Prior to setting out, we always plot what we call “bailout” points along the way–in the event that the conditions become “untenable.” Nice way of saying stuff’s “gone to crap.” Our initially fairly smooth seas turned to lumpy & the west wind-driven waves started building to 5-6 feet on the starboard beam…a very rolly and uncomfortable ride.

Those of you who are boaters will know that it is always difficult to capture the current sea-state either in pictures or video. The above video, for instance, is showing FF bashing into 4′ seas, with a very small “period” (interval between a wave and it’s following brethren). If it wasn’t for the boat visibly hobby-horsing around, you wouldn’t think much was going on.

The waves continued building, and after riding this stuff for 31 miles, we cried “uncle” and bailed out at Ludington Bay (Pere Marquette Lake). The anchorage at Ludington was fairly deep–averaging in the 30 foot range. Dropping the hook in 30 feet, we let out 200′ of chain, plus our 20′ snubber, and things were calm once again.

After spending a restful night in Ludington, we up-anchored and set a course for White River, another well-reviewed anchorage about 38 miles down the coast. Conditions were overcast, dry, and seas consisted of small swells that the boats rode easily over. Nearing our cutoff point for White River, Scaliwag & I discussed the current <mostly> benign seas and it was decided that we would continue an extra 13 miles to Muskegon. Over the last 10 miles or so, the seas built to 3′ but were still comfortable. Entering Muskegon inlet, we continued straight down the fairway for half a mile, then hooked a left in an area called, “Snug Harbor,” and dropped the hook in about 12′ of water. We had traveled 51 NM this day.

Fellow American Tug 34, Heartbeat, with Kent & Heather (and Penny) aboard, had arrived earlier and were slipped in a nearby marina. We arranged to meet up with them later for dinner. After our usual “Anchor Watch Beers,” Scaliwag & Forever Friday’s dinghy’s were dropped in the water and we motored ashore to tour a WW2 submarine that we had passed on our way in. The submarine, the USS Silversides (SS-236) was the center piece of a small museum that was dedicated to the Silent Service of WW2. This highly decorated submarine was wonderfully intact, and we learned that they still regularly start & run the ship’s diesel engines.

Meeting up with Kent & Heather, we were led to an interesting taco shop that was located inside an ice hockey rink. The eatery, named “Rad Dad’s Taco and Tequila Bar,” featured at least 15 different custom tacos, draft beers, and of course–tequila. Tacos (and beer) were wonderful…didn’t take them up on the Tequila.

Fall is upon us & trees are sporting some beautiful colors in these parts!

On September 8, we departed Muskegon Harbor for Grand Haven–a short 15 miles distant. Motoring out of the inlet, we were greeted by very smooth seas and almost no winds. Lovely.

Arriving at 12:45 PM, we tied to the dock amongst some 8 to 10 other Loopers. The town of Grand Haven is a warm, welcoming little place with a population of about 11,000. Here one can find those charming breakfast cafes where a coffee cup will never be far from full. Americana…this is it.

We stayed in Grand Haven for 3 days due to severe thunderstorms that brought heavy winds, rains, and even a bit of hail. Definitely do not want to be on the Lake with this nonsense going on! Gambling on the forecasted weather bearing some semblance of accuracy, we departed on September 11th at 1 PM bound for South Haven, about 42 miles distant. Covering most of our bases, I plotted 3 different “Bail Out” choices along our route. Sticking our noses out into the Lake, we were pleasantly surprised with much better than anticipated seas and winds. Our last 15 miles we encountered 2′-3′ seas with west wind-driven waves on our starboard beam–a bit rolly but we’ll take it!

South Haven was another delightful small town that we probably would have enjoyed spending a bit more time in. We had a decent weather window forecast for the following morning so, alas, our stay here was a brief overnight. We had plotted a very straight course line from South Haven to Hammond, Indiana, Marina. Cutting diagonally across the bottom portion of Lake Michigan, we were hoping to cover the 70 NM distance before unsettled weather appeared. Overnight the wind howled, the rain pelted, and lightning flashed & thundered. Turning in for the night, I thought there was no way that we would be leaving in the early AM. Pulling out of our slips at 7:15 AM, we departed South Haven with light rain that stopped altogether a few minutes later. A quarter-mile outside of the harbor entrance, I placed our autopilot in the “Track” mode, with the cursor a quarter mile outside our destination, and didn’t touch either the autopilot or the wheel for nearly 70 miles. Visibility at times was less than 1/2 a mile, so radar and AIS was carefully monitored.

Initially our seas were nice & calm and we were able to crank up the speed a bit. Thinking that we had caught the Lake in one of her better moods, our fingers were crossed!

You know that can’t last, right? The seas gradually built to 6′-7′ along our route; however, the “period” was long enough that there were no concerns for our safety. We heard one boat a few miles from us advise over the VHF they were in uncomfortable 8′ seas and were bailing out to shelter on the south side.

Arriving at Hammond Marina at 2:45 PM, we visited the fuel dock where we put 148 gallons of diesel ($446.74) in our tanks. Hammond is a pretty large municipal marina with a Casino (Horseshoe) right on the premises…’nuff said.

Friday afternoon I Ubered to Chicago for a dinner date with Gretchen Kurtz, a long time super friend of Mary’s (and mine) who was visiting the City for a few days. I had the privilege of meeting up with her and friend Steve at Kiki’s Bistro, a classic French restaurant that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Meal was fantastic, but ever better was dining with Gretchen and Steve.

On Saturday, Parker, Leslie and I Ubered to Chicago and took the Architecture Tour via boat on the Chicago River. This is the same river that I will be boating down on Monday in FF, so in addition to the informative tour, the route preview was welcomed. The trick to doing this route in your own boat is going early enough to avoid the crazy traffic–so we’ll be leaving extra early.

The Architecture Tour of Chicago is a “must do.” The tour was a 75 minute cruise through the main branch of the Chicago River, up the north branch to the East Bank, and back again. The views were simply stunning.

So…we are finally caught up for a while. Mary is so much better at doing these than me–but I really owe her a break every once in a while. She really works hard on this blog. Me? Meh…I’m a slacker.

Hope y’all enjoyed the trip…will update shortly.

Cheers from FF