18 AUG 2021 LELAND, MICHIGAN
FROM THE FIRST MATE (aka Annie)
We arrived at Spring Lake, MI (west of Grand Rapids, near Grand Haven) on August 3, where our boat had been “on the hard” since early June for various survey repairs, maintenance and some upgrading. We’d planned to take a few days to get things in order, but lots of rain, lightening and some monstrous thunderstorms delayed us, so we had plenty of time to get everything in its place and settle in. We finally left on Friday the 13th (always a lucky day for us since my birthday, my grandson Ty’s birthday and Gary’s 2 children’s birthdays are all on the 13th!).
AND, our 41’ boat is amazing! I had never seen it before. [Gary and grandson Eldon did the “shakedown/training” cruise in late May from Grafton, IL where we bought the boat (just north of St. Louis), taking it up the Illinois River through Chicago to Spring Lake.] I was excited to see the boat and quickly became ecstatic at how spacious it is—lots of living spaces, roomy sleep spaces and plenty of storage. The galley is fabulous and easy to work in. The whole boat is in beautiful condition inside and out for a 1995 Cruisers 395 and the décor is inviting and comfortable.
Even better, the boat handles beautifully in both the rough (1 day) and calm waters of Lake Michigan, which locals call “The Big Lake.” Best of all, we both LOVE being on the water and find it both exhilarating and soothing while fully enjoying the… S…L…O…pace. The boat can go up to 35 knots (at 25 gal. per hour per engine), which is nice in an emergency, but its best cruising speed is around 8.8 knots (about 10 mph), using just 2.5 gal. per hour per engine. Not only is this much easier on our pocketbooks, but it gives us time to really take in all the beauty as we cruise along. We’ve even seen a few monarch butterflies fly by!
The eastern shore of Lake Michigan is amazing, with dense green forests growing right down to sand dunes and shorelines, charming houses tucked in among the trees and friendly marinas right off the Lake that often lead up rivers to small inland lakes. There are also lots of lighthouses, which we also enjoy. Pictured here is the Little Point Sable Light, located between Muskegon (1s night) and Manistee (2 nights)—a sweet, restored Victorian port with a beautiful River Walk.
We are now in Leland, MI on the northeastern shore of the Lake en route to one of our favorite places—Mackinac Island (at the top of the Michigan “mitten” and the northwest corner of Lake Huron, pronounced “Mackinaw”). That’s where we plan to officially start our America’s Great Loop adventure. So from there we’ll head west across the top of Lake Michigan and travel down the western shores of Wisconsin and Illinois. When we get to Chicago, we’ll start river cruising down the Illinois River to the Mississippi and beyond. We look forward to all of it—one day, one port at a time—as we continue our S.L.O. dance. Thanks for dancing with us!
P.S. Most of our blog posts will be much shorter, but we wanted to share a bit more with you about our journey & its beginnings! We are already loving it all!
Cruising with Gary & Annie 