DAY 88 TUES. AUG, 30 2011
WIND SW 5K TO 10K SUNNY , COOL WAVES 1’ TO 4’
DEP GRAND HAVEN 08:10 ARR. SAUGATUCK 12:00
D. 30.58 SM / 1607.3
The forecast called for winds out of the south at 5k to 10k which is usually not a problem. We always try to leave early because the wind usually picks up as the day goes on. When we started there were no whitecaps. By 09:30 we started to see whitecaps and the waves built to 1’ to 4’ with an occasional 5’ to 6’ thrown in to keep things interesting. The good news is that they were just off the starboard bow, and were much easier to take than they if they were abeam or further aft of the bow. By 10:30 the wind backed to the south and because we were now somewhat in the lee of the shore, the waves diminished. At 11:30 we cleared the Saugatuck breakwater after what turned out to be not such a bad ride. We had to travel about a mile up a very scenic river to Saugatuck Lake, a very shallow lake surrounded by beautiful houses. The river reminded me of the Childs River except that as we got closer to the lake there was a lot of waterfront stores and restaurants lining the shore. As we entered the lake the channel was very close to the marinas, and the lake was very shallow outside the channel. We were met at the dock by “Spark’ it used to be Sparky till I reached adolescence.” Spark was a venerable old codger who was quick to share his knowledge with us. It was only after we tied up that we discovered we could not use their electric as it was only a single 30A. 110V line. Spark was quick to point out that he “mentioned” that to us when we called and there would be no discount or refund. Fortunately, the weather was cool and we didn’t need the A/C. The other thing Spark forgot to mention was that the slip was too narrow for our boat and we had to power spread the pilings in order to squeeze in. Saugatuck is called “The Cape Cod of Michigan.” Like most other towns along the Lake, it is a tourist area, and the town is mostly art and gift shops with a lot of restaurants and no supermarkets. Old restored buildings, but not much history. At around 3PM Grand Isle delivered my chain and I proceeded to splice my line onto it and install it thru the windless. Something was wrong. It went thru the wildcat but made a lot of noise and jammed up every couple of feet. More on that later.
WIND SW 5K TO 10K SUNNY , COOL WAVES 1’ TO 4’
DEP GRAND HAVEN 08:10 ARR. SAUGATUCK 12:00
D. 30.58 SM / 1607.3
The forecast called for winds out of the south at 5k to 10k which is usually not a problem. We always try to leave early because the wind usually picks up as the day goes on. When we started there were no whitecaps. By 09:30 we started to see whitecaps and the waves built to 1’ to 4’ with an occasional 5’ to 6’ thrown in to keep things interesting. The good news is that they were just off the starboard bow, and were much easier to take than they if they were abeam or further aft of the bow. By 10:30 the wind backed to the south and because we were now somewhat in the lee of the shore, the waves diminished. At 11:30 we cleared the Saugatuck breakwater after what turned out to be not such a bad ride. We had to travel about a mile up a very scenic river to Saugatuck Lake, a very shallow lake surrounded by beautiful houses. The river reminded me of the Childs River except that as we got closer to the lake there was a lot of waterfront stores and restaurants lining the shore. As we entered the lake the channel was very close to the marinas, and the lake was very shallow outside the channel. We were met at the dock by “Spark’ it used to be Sparky till I reached adolescence.” Spark was a venerable old codger who was quick to share his knowledge with us. It was only after we tied up that we discovered we could not use their electric as it was only a single 30A. 110V line. Spark was quick to point out that he “mentioned” that to us when we called and there would be no discount or refund. Fortunately, the weather was cool and we didn’t need the A/C. The other thing Spark forgot to mention was that the slip was too narrow for our boat and we had to power spread the pilings in order to squeeze in. Saugatuck is called “The Cape Cod of Michigan.” Like most other towns along the Lake, it is a tourist area, and the town is mostly art and gift shops with a lot of restaurants and no supermarkets. Old restored buildings, but not much history. At around 3PM Grand Isle delivered my chain and I proceeded to splice my line onto it and install it thru the windless. Something was wrong. It went thru the wildcat but made a lot of noise and jammed up every couple of feet. More on that later.
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| IF IT SWIMS LIKE A DUCK..................... |
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| ONE OF SEVERAL MARINAS |
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| EVER PRESENT CHANNEL DREDGING |
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| THE SAUGATUCK CABLE FERRY |
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