Destination:
Sailing Lake Michigan
Guests Onboard:
Kyle & Kara with Mendliks (Ryan, Andrea, Taylor, Bridget)
Departure
Port:
The Moorings in New Buffalo, MI
Date/Time:
07/07/23 @ 9:30 AM CT
Arrival
Port:
The Moorings in New Buffalo, MI
Date/Time:
07/07/23 @ 12 PM CT
Length:
8.9 nm
Duration:
02:30
Weather Conditions:
Perfect weather; beautiful mostly clear skies with a few clouds (more clouds the further from land)
Temperature
78
Wind (speed + Direction)
5 – 9 knots from N with gusts
Wave Height
1 – 1.5′
Notable Places, Experiences & Events
We left the dock with great fanfare – my dad, our oldest niece, Josie, and youngest nephew, Caleb, did not come out with us, so they waved us off. We left the dock successfully with my sister, Andrea, and her husband, Ryan, and their 2 middle children, Taylor (9) and Bridget (5). We probably over emphasized caution (if that really is such a thing) and dwelled too much on all of the things that could go wrong, but we know that this lake is dangerous and we wanted the kids to have a healthy fear of the water.
Kyle reversed out with a north wind, but we didn’t have to do the loopty-loo that we were so accustomed to by now (whew)! After a crazy holiday weekend, there was little traffic in the channel / harbor – only a few kayakers that I needed to gently urge to move to one side or the other so we could fit. They moved with no issues and we’re very gracious about it.
We left the harbor entrance with no other boat traffic, and we really did have the most perfect weather with minimal waves. Unfortunately, as soon as the sail (only the jib) came up, Taylor started crying and wanted to go home. We think she was nervous about being out on the lake – and possibly a little seasick, but she didn’t know how to express what she was feeling.
We pushed on for about another hour or so – during which we ate lunch, drank lots of water and the family went out on deck and enjoyed a relatively calm day on the lake. When we turned around to come home, Taylor sat in the back of the boat next to Kyle, and she calmed down a bit – knowing that we were on our way to land.
Surprisingly the return trip home ended up being faster than going out and it was less wavy (usually it’s the opposite) – this was good because Ryan also started feeling a bit queasy and was glad to be returning back.
Of course, we have a story at the harbor entrance (there’s ALWAYS craziness going on here)! About 5 minutes from the entrance, 2 speed boats came out of the harbor entrance with no problems – except 1 of them decided to turn around and go back in, but didn’t speed up. We had to slow way down because we didn’t want to be first (we’re big and slow). However, they proceeded to pull into the harbor on the shallow side and wait for us to go around them.
What happened next was shocking – there was a rental boat coming around the Lake Michigan Yacht Club channel. He saw us and thought that we were trying to push him aground, so he abruptly stopped, reversed, and floored the engine and sped up directly in front of us! What the…?!? I was in the process of getting our dock lines ready and sort of shocked at what happened. He yelled something at us – couldn’t really hear it or understand what drove him to react so oddly … From what we could conclude, he was a 1-time boat renter unfamiliar with the harbor, he saw our massive boat and our line (due to the depths we had to take) and was concerned that we were going to hit him … he didn’t realize that he could continue to stay to the right and not run aground. Regardless, there was no damage and no insults or words exchanged. We were polite and friendly the whole time 🐕
We made it back to the dock safely with no other issues! A very successful day on the lake with my family! 🙌 Yes, of course, that called for a dip in the pool and a cold beverage – cheers!!! 🍻
