Postcript

On Sunday, September 21, 2014, we had a party at Diversey Yacht Club to celebrate our crossing our wake.  Unknown to me, it was also a surprise birthday party for me!!  It was a wonderful event and gave us a chance to talk to our friends and fellow boaters about the Loop.  

 

We were also presented with our Gold Burgee for completing the Loop.  The American Great Loop Cruisers Association also sent us our Baccalooperate Degree for completing the Loop. 

 

 

Everyone asks what our next adventure will be.  We don’t know for sure although we are thinking about returning to northern Lake Michigan and the North Channel next summer.  And the Captain is already talking about cruising back to Florida for the winter of 2015-16.  But he still has to get the Admiral’s approval – we’ll see what Kristin Says!!

Here are some of our final stats for those who want to know:

Miles Travelled: 5444 nautical miles (6265 statute miles -- about the distance from Portland, Maine, to San Francisco and back)

States Visited:  17 (IL, IN, MO, KY, TN, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, MI)

Countries Visited:  2 – The Bahamas (Grand Bahama, The Abacos, the Berry Islands, and North Bimini) and Canada (Ontario)

Locks Traversed: 100 (8 on the Illinois River, 2 on the Mississippi, 1 on the Ohio (on the other one, the wickets were down), 1 on the Cumberland River, 1 on the Tennessee River, 10 on the Tenn-Tom, 1 on the Port Canaveral Barge Canal, 1 on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, 1 on the Hudson River, 22 on the Erie Canal, 8 on the Oswego Canal, and 44 on the Trent Severn Waterway)

Highest Point Above Sea Level:  Balsam Lake on the Trent Severn Waterway – 841 feet above sea level

Average Speed: 12.21 knots (14.04 mph)

Engine Hours: 445.9

Fuel Used:  We don’t talk about that!!!!

Day 164 Welcome Home

Another day, another port; yesterday we woke up in Ludington, today South Haven.  This has been our journey for the past 13 months.  One more port to go on our Loop and that port is home, Diversey Harbor in Chicago.  The Looper boat next to us, Bespoken, was on their way to Hammond by 8:30 am.  From there they would enter the river system to get to Mobile.  It was cloudy and cool as we had breakfast and cleaned up the boat.

To prepare for our homecoming, the Captain took down the masthead light and secured it to the hardtop.  Doing this took 2-3 inches off our height.  A friend of ours from the harbor had removed his radar in order to clear the bridge over the harbor entrance and we thought we would do the same to be on the safe side.  With the assistance of the First Mate (me!) the Captain tried to take our radar down but it would not budge.   It seems there must be more than the 4 bolts holding it to the hardtop, perhaps some silicon sealant or adhesive.  In any event, the Captain did not want use extra force or tools to pry the radar from the hardtop so we re-secured the 4 bolts holding it in place.  We hoped taking down the light would prove to be enough to get us through.

With the radar reattached and secured, we left at 12:45 pm.  At our normal cruising speed, we could easily make the 3:10 pm green light at the Diversey Harbor entrance as planned.  Because the entrance to Diversey Harbor is narrow and twists and turns as it goes under Lake Shore Drive, there is a traffic light both on the inside and the outside to restrict boat travel to one direction.  The light changes every 10 minutes.  The 3:10 pm light would be green on the outside allowing boats to enter the harbor from the Lake.

A passing fishing boat let us know that it was getting rough out there.  He was right.  Once out on the open Lake, we found that the wind was a little stronger than predicted from the south/southwest.  As a result, the waves, which were running 2 to 3 feet, were right on our bow.  The Captain therefore had to slow down to minimize the spray from the waves.  We knew that the Lake would get calmer the closer we got closer to Chicago. 

About 30 miles from home the Captain began to see the outlines of 3 of Chicago’s tallest buildings – the Willis Tower, the John Hancock Building and Trump Tower – on the hazy horizon.  Fifteen miles out, the Captain began talking to some of his buddies who were out fishing.  They were the first to welcome us back to home waters.  At 3 miles out, we could talk to another one of our friends who was on his handheld radio in the harbor.  Once we were less than a mile out, the Captain stopped the boat to lower our antenna.  At this point we noticed a dinghy coming toward us.  In it were a couple of our friends from the harbor who had come out to greet our return.

 

As we approached the harbor entrance, there were two more dinghies out to meet us.  Due to the rough water we thought we might miss the 3:10 pm light.  Not to worry – one of the dinghies went inside the harbor to block out-bound boats for us!  And as we entered the harbor and the light turned red, a “securite” announcement came over the radio asking all boats to let the Loopers through.  As we entered the harbor “on the red,” there, on top of the bridge stood the “official welcoming committee” with a “congratulations” sign and chanting “Loopers, Loopers.”  Cameras were aimed on us from the bridge above and dinghies below; horns were blowing and everyone was waving.  I didn’t know which way to look; then realized I better look up to see if we could make it under the bridge!!  I was about to get the “feeler gauge” but both the Captain and I saw that we would clear it – hooray!! 

 

 

 

 

Once inside the harbor there were more greetings, horns honking, and photos.  I waved at everyone, so glad to see them, but had to hustle to get some lines out as we had not left any on the dock.  More friends were stationed at our slip to help us in and then the Champaign appeared!  I was overwhelmed and hugged all of them, thanking them for the amazing welcome home!  The party continued in the yacht club and though we had been there often when we were in town over the summer, this was different.  Now that our boat was back we were no longer “visitors”. 

 

We loved every minute of our Great Loop adventure (well, almost every minute) and would miss the excitement of planning, preparing and executing our route.  However, we felt a huge sense of satisfaction because we had met and overcome many challenges as we successfully accomplished our goal.  We also felt the warmth and comfort of our friends and our special place on the lake!!!

Day 163 - 77 Miles From Home

Finally, after 3 days of grey skies, we woke up to sunshine.  Yes, there were still some clouds and even some sprinkles, but lots of sun and even a rainbow!  The Badger, an old car ferry that travels between Ludington and Manitowoc, WI, blasted its horn and pulled away from the dock.  After Captain Randy’s scrumptious omelets, we headed for the fuel dock at 10:20 am.  Travelling faster on the lake is great but does drain the tanks quickly.  It was only 49 degrees yet it felt warmer with the sun.

 

 

There were 2 to 3 foot swells on the lake.  Since they were behind us, pushing us, it wasn’t bad at all.  A small storm went by at 11:20 am causing more light rain and a little whitewater, but it didn’t last long.  Soon the sun was back and the rollers flattened out.  We passed a few trawlers that could have been loopers, although most of them were already headed down the Illinois river system.

 

The weather forecast for southern Lake Michigan was not great and we planned to try to make it to Grand Haven.  The actual conditions were better than predicted and we pushed on to South Haven.  The sand dunes are smaller between Ludington and South Haven, and more beach houses dotted the shore.  We passed Holland and its red lighthouse at 2:00 pm.

 

We saw what we first thought was a waterspout off to the south, but as we got closer, it appeared to be steam from a power plant on shore.  We arrived at the South Haven Municipal Marina at 3:00 pm and were the only boat on the south side of the river, tying up on the face dock.  In fact the whole harbor was deserted.  About 45 minutes later a 70 foot boat, Bespoke, pulled up behind us.  It turns out that they were also loopers, from Naples, FL.  Their captain asked us about the rivers going south to Mobile. 

 

 

 

Due to the high water levels this year, we were a little nervous about whether we would fit under the Lake Shore Drive bridge that goes over the channel leading to Diversey Harbor, our home port.  We took some measurements from the top of the boat and planned to use the “feeler gauge” as we approached the bridge on Sunday to make sure we could fit underneath it.

The Idler is an old ship docked in South Haven that serves as a bar/restaurant.  We wanted to go there, but the dock master told us that it had closed for the season shortly after Labor Day.  We walked to a few stores then had dinner at Clementine’s, a popular restaurant that serves local fish as well as a variety of other food.   I had walleye and the Captain had the “Mess of Perch”, enjoying our last night on our Great Loop.

 

Day 162 - Cruising Into Our Home Waters

It was definitely less windy when we woke up, with temperatures in the high 40’s and a partly sunny sky.  We decided to test the waters and left for the fuel dock at 9:30 am to fill up.  Forty minutes later we were on our way and went under the Mackinac Bridge, returning to our home waters of Lake Michigan, at 10:30 am.  I was able to get a picture of the Grand Hotel On Mackinac Island as we went by.  The clouds had returned and would stay with us the rest of the day, making it a cold and gloomy trip.

We saw 2 freighters, one heading northeast and one northwest.  Gray’s Reef light came up on our starboard and soon the town of Charlevoix was on our port.   By 1:30 pm, the tall sand dunes of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park loomed to the port, North and South Manitou Islands (which are part of the park) to our starboard.  Shortly after came Sleeping Bear Point and the huge Sleeping Bear Dune.

 

We reached the town of Frankfort and the Point Betsie Lighthouse at 2:30 pm.  A few years back, we biked from Frankfort to the lighthouse.  There are more and more homes along the shore and up in the dunes as we go further south.  Another lighthouse we biked, then walked along the beach to, is Big Sable Light.  Big Sable Point is several miles from Ludington, our destination for the day.

A light began to fall as we pulled into Harbor View Marina at 4:30 pm.  We were looking forward to dinner at PM Steamers and called for a 6:00 pm reservation.  PM Steamers is on the harbor and always very crowded whenever we had been there in the past.  We trudged over through the rain and were surprised to see only a handful of occupied tables.  Then we remembered it was mid-September, not July or August.  Eventually the place grew busier, including a tour bus full of people that were led to a private room.  No matter, we enjoyed our dinners:  crabmeat stuffed tilapia and shrimp/artichoke risotto.
 

We visited Best Choice Market, a specialty grocery store, for a few things on our way back to the boat.  Unfortunately it was still drizzling.  It had been over a year since we had been in a familiar port and seemed incredible that we had only 2 more days until we would cross our wake.

Day 161 - Exploring St. Ignace

I hate to complain about the weather on a day when all Americans should be grateful for everything we do have and our way of life considering how cruelly it was all threatened on this day in 2001.  That said, the wind had roared all night and temperatures had dropped into the low 40’s, not at all good when you are on a boat.  At least it wasn’t raining!  I had to pull out a warm jacket to walk to the marina office and tell them we were staying another day, then walk into town.  After spending all of yesterday on the boat, we both felt the need to get off for a while.

Main Street runs parallel to the water and has several small inns, the ferry boat docks, small shops and restaurants.  One of the friendly shop owners gave us the town highlights and special discounts for the day.  We made it to the Fort de Baude Museum which features the history of the area, settled for thousands of years by Native Americans, most recently the Ojibwa.  Father Jacques Marquette, the French missionary and explorer, who founded a Jesuit mission here in 1671 and gave the town its name, after St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.

 

We stopped for a bite to eat, and to warm up, at Bentley’s BnL Café, a local family run diner where everything is homemade.  Inside was a real blast from the past, including an old-fashioned juke box.  I had the chili and the Captain had barbecued ribs.  The hot food hit the spot!

 

A Farmer’s Market was setting up next to the marina when we got back.  Considering how cold and windy it was, we doubted there would be many vendors or shoppers.  We decided to have dinner on the boat again rather than go back out.  The wind was starting to die down and we were hopeful about getting out on the lake in the morning.  After dinner we watched a movie in our snug cabin.  I wondered if this was the end of summer or just a foreshadowing of the fall weather to come later.   

Day 160 - Hunkered Down in St. Ignace

When we woke up it was cloudy, windy and cool.  Captain Randy checked the weather and wave reports and they confirmed that we would stay in St. Ignace for at least 1, probably 2 more nights.  It began raining around 10:00 am.

A good part of the day was spent on uploading and choosing pictures for the blog, editing, then posting entries for the last several days.  It was slow working in the BlogSpot/blogger application due to the intermittent internet connection in the marina.  Yes, we were back in US marinas that lag behind their Canadian counterparts when it comes to wireless service.

At 1:00 pm, the rain had stopped and we walked up to the marina office to check in as we had arrived too late the night before to do so.  Marina staff suggested we go to the Fort de Baude Museum if we were looking for something to do (we were).  However, by the time we took our welcome packet back to the boat, it started raining and blowing again, worse than ever.  We decided to stay on board.  I did some cleaning in the cabin and the Captain monitored the wave heights on Lake Michigan – not a pretty sight.  The waves at the North Lake Michigan Buoy were 4.5 feet and climbing (they would ultimately reach 9 feet) and at the South Lake Michigan Buoy they were 7 feet (and also would reach 9 feet).  NOAA’s forecast for gale force winds and large waves was correct.

 

After being back on the boat for a while, we noticed that the wind, which was from the East, was hitting us on our stern and causing our Sun Shade to billow up in the wind like a sail. The Captain went out, climbed on the hardtop and wrapped a line around and around the Sun Shade to hold it down.

 

After “battening” down the boat, the Captain made our dinner:  frozen mussels cooked in a boiling pouch on the stove and shrimp “grilled” on the griddler.  The mussels were especially tasty and we dipped bread in the sauce.

After dinner, the wind shifted and started blowing out of the North.  It was now hitting us on our starboard side and blowing us into the dock.  The Captain went out again and put almost every fender we had on the port side of the boat to keep us from hitting the dock.  Although we heard the fenders “squeaking” all night as they rubbed against the dock, they keep the boat from hitting the dock in the gale force winds.