Destination:
New Buffalo, Michigan
Guests Onboard:
Kyle & Kara
Departure
Port:
South Haven Municipal Marina
Date/Time:
06/17/23 @ 5:45 AM CT
Arrival
Port:
The Moorings
Date/Time:
06/17/23 @ 12:40 PM CT
Length:
42.5 nm
Duration:
6:55
Weather Conditions:
Full sun but hazy so it was difficult to see long distances
Temperature
48, but warmed up closer to NB
Wind (speed + Direction)
5 – 8 knots from N, but died down to 1 – 4 knots
Wave Height
1 – 1.5′
Notable Places, Experiences & Events
I set my alarm for 4 am, but never heard it go off and eventually woke up ~4:45 am. We were able to get things together, packed up, bikes loaded and eat breakfast within an hour.
Fortunately, Mark came down to help us with the bow line, and Kyle backed up slowly – we avoided our neighbor (Arcadia’s) dinghy, which was sticking out in the marina and left very smooth. I was able to get all of the dock lines rearranged and tied up before we hit the rocky channel, which didn’t feel too bad. We had to watch out for a few fishermen, but they were farther north and out in the lake. Again, there wasn’t enough wind to sail, so we motored the whole way home. Kyle was nervous about the engine cutting out, but she kept chugging along!
The 1st time we passed another boat was ¼ into the trip home. There was some boat traffic near Saint Joe and the dredgers were in the channel so that was fun to see.
Boat traffic definitely picked up near NB but we didn’t pass anyone in the channel – whew! There was a very large boat just partying it up toward our dock, but we were able to slow down and not pass them. Bruce “helped” us dock, and we were in the dock smoothly with a few watchers.
We needed a quiet night at home, a shower and a good night’s sleep on our stationary king bed!