Story of Our Summer Cruise 2013

Summer Cruise 2013

This year's summer cruise aboard Sir Tugley Blue (STB) has begun. After a frantic couple of weeks with last minute house jobs, medical appointments, etc. we finally left home on the June 10 with a loaded car and headed for the boat in Whitehall, MI. A brimming cartload of goceries was also purchased on the way. Somehow the boat managed to swallow everything and soon all was in its place and secure. I swear a boat is a bottomless pit and seems to absorb everything thrown at it. Very little ever seems to leave the boat but it doesn't appear overwhelmed and we can still see the bootstripe.

We had a few boat jobs left to take care of before our departure and did manage to get most of them out of the way but, as usual new jobs surfaced faster than old ones were cleared. I think boat owners just have to resign themselves to having a never ending job list but it would be good one day to get to some of the "nice-to-do" jobs.We did manage to get the boat properly trimmed side to side for the first time ever by dumping two sandbags overboard and moving all the heavy "stuff" in the stern lazarette (below stern deck locker) to the port side. An added benefit was we found a few things that had disappered over the past couple of years into this large but generally inaccessible area. A small child like Alexis would be useful sometimes!

Our Plan

Our cruise this summer will begin at White Lake just North of Muskegon, MI and head up the Lake Michigan coastline in early June to the Great Lakes Area Nordic Tug Owners Association Rendezvous that is being held in Elk Rapids on June 19 - 22. From there, we will continue north and east into Lake Huron for a quick trip through the North Channel, continuing down Georgian Bay to the Trent-Severn Canal for a cruise to Lake Ontario.

After a short trip on the Lake, we will head into the Rideaux Canal and work our way up to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. From here we may continue on the Ottawa River to Montreal. The return trip is still up in the air with several possibilities including a trip up the St. Lawrence Seaway to Lake Ontario and then a return via the Trent-Severn Canal to Georgian Bay and home. We are joined on this trip by our friends from Chicago, Dean Raffaelli and Charlotte Keer, on a 32' Nordic Tug, "Carrie Rose".

We have good intentions of keeping a blog throughout our trip so that you can keep up with our progress. How we do on this goal will be, in part, our diigence to a routine update and also our internet access which may be limited at times.

June 12 - White Lake to Pentwater

After a night of rain, we awoke to a dull misty day with a slight drizzle - not the most inspiring way to start our longest trip to date. After the requisite "coffee in bed" ritual to bring life to our bodies we were soon packed up, boat prepared and ready to go. Packing up is not too extensive on STB as we do not have many knick knacks out that are not fastened down in some way. Judy takes care of this while I brew the second pot of coffee for our travels, disconnect shore power and stow the cord, pull and stow fenders, remove and stow most of the dock lines, and set the electrical panel and instruments up for traveling.

After our short course with Ryan Valerio at the end last year, Judy has been taking the boat in and out of slips while I handle the lines. So far this has worked well and we have been lucky with good weather for Judy to practice. She feels much more comfortable at the helm than line handling and I don't mind handling the lines. Towards the end of the season we bought a set of Eartech Simultalk headsets so that conversation between us anchoring and docking did not have to involve a lot of shouting just to be heard. They have proved to be a great tool and we can just talk in normal tones which helps eliminate much of the stress between the "Admiral" and the "Captain."

Judy remembered her skills from last year and we departed to dock around 0830 for the trip to the other end of White Lake, the Channel, and Lake Michigan with a destination of Pentwater about 35 miles away.

White Lake Lighthouse

The trip to Pentwater was much like being on White Lake with dead calm water, no wind but also no sun and very cool (50s) for this time of year. The only interest on the trip was a low voltage alarm from our battery monitor to say we were at 12v and dropping. Since we draw around 30A while underway, mainly for electronics, steering, autopilot, there was some risk of losing our house bank by the time we reached Pentwater. A quick check in the engine room showed the alternator was charging the bow and start batteries but did not seem to be charging the main house battery bank. After finding nothing obviously wrong, I started up the generator to try running the battery charger. Still no charge? Switching over to the charger part of the inverter/charger system, the house bank immediately was taking 80A. Based on this, the problem was somewhere in the circuit from the alternator/charger to the battery bank. (The inverter/charger has its own circuit).

Since we were only an hour from Pentwater, we decided to run with the generator to get the battery back up and troubleshoot further when we arrived.

With no more issues we arrived at Pentwater about 1:00 p.m. at the Snug Harbor fuel dock to top our fuel tanks up and get a much-needed pump out. They must have been desperate for business as they offered a slip at least five times but we were going to our normal slip at the Municipal Marina. The Municipal Marina is right at the south end of the village and has a good view of Lake. The facilities are OK for our needs but are a little spartan (but clean). In hindsight, Snug would have been better albeit more expensive as that night and next day the the wind was out of the North which made our slip very "lumpy". Just as we were fueling, Dale and Kathy Albin, aboard their tug "Albin & Co." appeared at the entrance to Pentwater Lake. We first met the Albins a few years ago and have had their company at the Nordic Tug Rendezvous.

After Captain Pete and his crew welcomed us to our slip as usual, we caught up a bit with Dale and Kathy before "lunch." Our meal schedule when traveling tends to be unusual by most standards as we have breakfast anywhere from 10:00 am to 11:00, with lunch at around 3:00 p.m. Dinner is late, often 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. In port we do tend to eat earlier.

We did a quick walk-around the Village catching up with what had changed since last season. The "dollar store" a good source for inexpensive items, had closed but should be open soon in an updated format. Not much else has changed except the excellent kitchen shop finally sold and was replaced by yet another T shirt shop - something Pentwater does not really need. I am surprised that the economy can support as many such stores but, with T shirts being made in Bangladesh for 50cents, the profit margin must be quite good. Oh well, they will probably last a season or two before being replaced by another T shirt shop. No new restaurants were seen - something that Pentwater lacks.

The combination nautical antique and marine store still survives and is the only real source of marine supplies between Muskegon and Traverse City/Petoskey. (the marine store in Montague appears to be in decline). This is a great little store to browse for both antiques and the odds and ends the boater needs. Prices and selection are relatively good considering the location. I always try to support this store versus "Worst Marine" if I can.

Evening soon came with the weather starting to deteriorate as a "derecho" (Spanish for "straight ahead") moved through the Midwest.

We had never heard the term in a weather forecast before but soon found out that it is a large storm with straight line wind in excess of 58 mph (and up to 100+) covering a large area often up to 500 miles. Definitely something to be in port for! Our insurance company even sent out a warning e-mail to policy holder! At one point, the whole southern Lake Michigan was covered with green, yellow, orange, red, and even purple tones on the radar plot. Fortunately, Pentwater was on the northern edge of the weather pattern and, while we received a heavy rain for part of the night and some thunder and lightning, we were spared the worst of the storm. In Wisconsin, and further south in Michigan some areas experienced significant wind damage. Our granddaughter, weather lady Alexis, was out shooting video of the storm at home and sending it too us with the warning to make sure we had flashlight batteries!!

We slept well!

June 13 - Pentwater

We awoke to strong winds directly out of the north with a good fetch across Pentwater Lake and a forecast of 3-5s on the big lake so it was an easy decision to make to stay in Pentwater for the day instead of battling waves on the bow all the way to Frankfort 65 miles north. Plus we still had jobs to do.

We (I use the term loosely) did accomplish much in the day. The problem with the house battery was simple - a breaker/disconnect that was open. Closing it immediately restored charging from the alternator and the house charger. Sometime the disconnect must have been opened accidently. it. No electrical issues have been seen since closing it, so we will just monitor it. We made another go at modifying our salon table so that it can slide laterally so our plates are not two feet from the seat. Worked out well and it is something that should have been a factory install.

In amongst the boat jobs, I baked the first of the seasons's bread and it soon became lunch.

The other big accomplishment of the day was updating our electronic charts. I had already downloaded about 30GB of updates at home in preparation but they then had to be copied to a 2GB SD card and then installed to our Furuno 3D Navnet system. Each SD card takes about 1 hour to install and it was gone 11:00pm when I finished for the night. I still have about six hours-worth to load but they cover Canada so I have some time left. The updates include new high resolution satellite photographs which show incredible shoreline detail.

 

While the system was doing its work, we managed to watch another episode of "The Killing" on TV. This AMC crime drama, just starting its third season, is set in Seattle and had been centered on the story of a murdered young girl and the work of two homicide detectives to track down her murderer. This season with a new plot promises to be as good as the past. It is based on a Danish television series, "The Crime," and like others of this genre, is very "dark" tone with many complex plot twists. We were very restrained and saved an episode for another day!

We slept well.

June 14 - Pentwater to Frankfort

The wind had dropped overnight and we departed for Frankfort just ahead of Albin and Company. At the end of the Channel on the big lake, the waves had subsided to around 1' out of the North with a clear blue sky - but cool for mid June. Water temperatures are only around 50 deg. F so it often significantly cooler on the lake. At 2:00 p.m. it is only 59 deg.

We had a relatively calm ride to Big Sable Point, just North of Ludington, where we lost some protection of the land and the wave height increased to 2-3'. It was still comfortable enough to write up the last couple of days' blog up with no rolling.

Big Sable Point - Scene of Many Shipwrecks in the 1800s and the Early 1900s

Frankfort came into sight at about 2:30 and we headed in to the Municipal Marina to be welcomed by the dock staff. Right on our heels Albin also arrived. It turned out to be a great evening with the wind dying and 72 deg. at 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow, Frankfort will be a hive of activity with many events going on so it appears we will spend at least tomorrow here before moving on. Another episode of The Killing after a quick shower!

June 15 - Frankfort

We awoke to a cool, overcast day and the sounds of some throaty exhausts as the antique and muscle cars started to arrive and take their places just at the ends of the docks. By 10:00 am, around 50 cars had assembled ranging from a beautiful 1937 Ford Humpback to a rare 1970s Jensen Interceptor (one of six in the US). The Jensen turned out to be owned by a young British lawyer who works for Haggerty Insurance and I spent some time talking to him about his recent acquisition. There was a good variety of makes and models - some were clearly "trailer queens" but most came in under their own power from different parts of the state.

 

A short walk around Frankfort was next on the agenda with some window shopping and chatting with some cyclists from Canada who were participating in the Northwest Tour. Frankfort was the lunch stop for over 200 riders who were based in Empire, just north of Frankfort, and doing daily rides to various parts of the northwest corner of Michigan. The Canadians were familiar with some the areas along the Trent-Severn Canal and promised we would enjoy some great scenery.

A loooong bike!

The bikers outnumbered the regular tourists in Frankfort today but there were a couple of strange ones in town:

Summer has been slow to arrive this year up North but signs of it were evident in the gardens at the start of the main street.

 

Frankfort is a convenient port for us in more ways than one as our son, Barry; daughter-in-law, Nichole; and grandson, Elliot, live about 20 miles away. Nichole was occupied with a bridal shower this evening but Barry and Elliot came over for dinner at Dinghy's, a bar/restaurant in town that serves a good range of food and beers at reasonable prices. Some Moomers famous ice cream at The Scoop topped off the meal.

Elliot loves coming to Frankfort as they have an outstanding kid's play area with multiple slides, climbing frames etc., everything a 2-year old could want. Once he had his fill of activity, it was back to STB where he explored the boat and all the switches, knobs, and other things a boy likes to play with. He was fascinated with the bank of light switches, particularly the one for the bright red step lights, and the helm station where he practiced steering the boat.

The Future Captain

June 16 - Frankfort (Father's Day)

Heavy rain during the night combined with cold water temperatures produced a dense fog overnight with minimal visibility and condensation everywhere.

The Bane of the Boater

Minimal Visibility

Another advantage of being in Frankfort was being able to celebrate Father's Day with Barry, Nichole, and Elliot so we all went out for a very good breakfast at the Bayview Grill restaurant just across the road and east of the marina, highly recommended.

Three Generations

Barry, Elliot, Nichole and ? (due in a few weeks)

After our relatively late breakfast, the fog was still as bad and even though there was a good south breeze, it just kept rolling down from the high dunes south of the Lake. Eventually around 2:00 p.m., the sun broke through and, in less than ten minutes, the fog dissipated to be replaced with a clear, sunny, blue sky. The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up on a few jobs and relaxing - after all it is Father's Day and you have to milk it for all it's worth! I was not the only one relaxing though -

I thought I had finished this for the day but just as we were sitting down to dinner, a short rain shower came through which resulted in a rare sighting - a double rainbow. The other end was also visible behind Albin & Co.

Good night, I am DONE (unless we get some good lightning.......)

June 17 2013 - Frankfort to Northport

Well, we did not get any lightning but did have steady rain for most of the night beginning about 11:30 and ending around 6:00 am. We awoke to a clear sky with bright sun and about 60 deg. Albin and Co. took off just before us and we picked them up on radar at about 4 nm ahead.

Frankfort Lighthouse

We ran at around 8 kts with a light north wind and waves of less than 1 ft. past Big Sable Lighthouse below

until we reached Sleeping Bear Point when, as usual, it became a little rougher and fog moved in. Up to this point, there was very little traffic on the lake, only passing the Mary E. Hanner, a 145' tug

 

pushing a barge south and St. Mary's Challenger, a freighter out of Muskegon, heading north through the Manitou Passage.

The St Mary's Challenger is the oldest freighter in service on the Great Lakes and was launched in 1906. She is now based in Muskegon.

The fog continued with 100 - 200 yd visibility until we reached the Grand Traverse Lighthouse when, in just a few seconds, we emerged into bright sunshine. After being in what seemed like a white bubble for so long it was a relief to have some other visual references. Just a few more course changes to clear a couple of the points at the northern tip of the Lelanau Pensinsula and our goal, Northpoint, was in sight with Albin & Co. just a few miles ahead. Judy docked the boat and we were soon tied up for the night.

The G. Marsten Dame Marina, as it is officially known, is a well protected harbor with about 1/3 of its 150 slips reserved for transient boaters. It has undergone a number of improvements since we were last here in our 32, Sir Tugley Green, with around $2 million being spent to renovate slips, add a wide deck, replace the bathrooms, add a boaters lounge and free laundry, and install some floating docks on the northern wall.

 

Northport is a small village of around 600 people that dates back to the late 1840s and was the first settlement in the Peninsula. The village has a very good supermarket for its size, library, post office and several restaurants worth visiting. With the improvements at the marina, Northport has to rank high on our list of favorite small ports.

Some miscellaneous views in Northport:

End of the Line	Willowbrook Mill
The Millstream	Iris - one of many flowers in bloom in town

 

Our visit to Northport also gave us the opportunity to catch up with two Nordic Tug owners, Sandy and Randy Estes who live on their 42, "D'Este," in the summer in the marina. They have traveled much of the route we will be taking so we spent a couple of hours reviewing their experiences on the Trent-Severn Canal in Canada.

June 18 - Northport

Judy and I spent today in Northport or rather the boat did as we went into Traverse City for the day. Marv at the marina gave us a ride down to Sutton's Bay about 8 miles south and we caught the Bay Area Transit Authority (BATA) bus down to Traverse City. A bargain at $1.50 each (with the old people discount) for a 20 mile trip. They even operate an on-demand service to Northport, if arranged the previous day, for the same price. Thank you Traverse City taxpayers for your support.

We met up with Barry who has been working at a marina on a 1960s 40' Chris Craft for the past year and a half. He has been rebuilding the interior and some of the exterior for the boat owner and has done a great job. Barry is a finish carpenter by trade but is extremely precise in his work and has an excellent ability to work in three dimensions, vital for boat carpentry which may be his new career path. Tim and Annie, the boat owners showed up and were highly complimentary of his work.

Barry took us to lunch at the Bay Bread Company on Randolph just one block form the West Bay. Highly recommended for lunch with a good selection of sandwiches on their own bread. They bake a range of over forty breads with about ten available each day. Judy had made a haircut appointment so while she was being shorn I ran a few errands until she was done and we window shopped in downtown Traverse for a while. Although still early in the season, Traverse was very busy with traffic already creating the summer congestion.The Cherry Festival, one of the major events in TC is only a couple of weeks away.

Our return trip on BATA worked out well with one of the dock boys meeting us at the Casino in Sutton's Bay to drive us back to STB.

We had a relatively late night for us as Jim and Connie Gillette, new owners of a 32 "Patriot," came over and we spent the evening chatting about Nordic Tugs and the North Channel. Jim and Connie will be heading up to the North Channel this summer and next year, in September, will be heading off from Ludington to do the Great Loop, the circumnavigation of the eastern half of the United States. Tomorrow, they are also heading for the Rendezvous in Elk Rapids.