Log 5; Day 7; May 28, 2008; Getting ready to head to Chicago

Log 5
Day 7
May 28, 2008

5:50 EST
Location: In the slip at South Haven, MI municipal marina

Great first week on the boat. Still here in South Haven. In a non retirement mode spending this many days in one area would be unheard of...but now it’s just kind of relaxing.

Monday night/morning about 3:30 am, Deb and I both jumped out of bed as the boat hit (hard) against the dock. Those north winds they predicted finally got here and the lines I had set up on the boat were not enough, so I went out and added extra lines. It was not really the winds that were the problem...it was the swells on Lake Michigan that the winds were really kicking up (10 feet as reported by NOAA) which were causing swells in the South Haven channel and really rocking the boat. After adding a few more lines I thought I had it...until we hit hard again about 30 minutes later. So the rest of the night and early morning and most of the day was spent adjusting and re-adjusting lines (because they would stretch). The harbor was really a mess as all the boats were tossed in the growing swells. It’s now over 24 hours later and the boat is still rocking...but only about 20% of what it was. I just checked the waves on the lake (on the internet) and they are 3 feet...as opposed to the 10 feet they were yesterday at this time.

Tuesday morning Deb did laundry at the marina and I fixed the last couple of maintenance items on the boat. I got the transmission gauge working again (loose wire behind the panel) and fixed the chart plotter by working through the menu and trouble shooting and then fixing the video feed problem we had. I think everything on the boat works again.

On Tuesday afternoon we were joined by Rome and Teresa, some friends from when we lived in Bourbonnais, IL. (We lived there from 1988 to 1995). We had a great time laughing (could have been the margaritas or cosmos?) and catching up on old times and planning new ones. Also walked up town to Clementine’s restaurant for a very good dinner, and they spent the night on the boat. Good day.

At this point is still early so no one is up yet. I’ve checked the weather about 10 different ways and it looks like it is going to be a cool but very nice day. It’s only 42* now...but predicted to get to about 65 and bright sun. The weather also looks great for crossing Lake Michigan tomorrow (predicted very light winds out of the east and 1 foot or less waves). I’ve got a slip for 3 nights in DuSable harbor...right downtown. Looking forward to getting back to Chicago...it’s been a few years since we have been there by boat...and it is a wonderful place to be on the water.

The sun is just starting to peak over the buildings and on the boat, so it’s time to get going and make some breakfast (or maybe I’ll walk up town and let them make it for me)...man these are tough decisions I have to make.

I’ll keep you posted...

BK.