Day 402-403 August 29-30 Anchor's Way Marina St. Joseph and Benton Harbor MI

The weatherman predicted thunderstorms and winds around 15-20 mph.....Think he is on target this morning.....
Late morning the rain went away.....so we can go to the Benton Harbor Farmer's Market

Over the bridge Pat and I go

 

 

Friendly folks.....found peaches and tomatoes

 

The afternoon is spent studying the charts, studying the weather, reading the guide books and making a master plan to get to Chicago before the snow comes.  Docktails at Pat and John's, a plan is formulated......now if Mr. Weatherman cooperates.....

 

 

 Let's take the dinghy and go to dinner

 

 

 

Spanky.....they say this is Whirlpool's headquarters

 

 

Wolf's Marine docks....they even gave us the gate code

 

 

Excellent dinner

 

 

Sunset

 

 

Let's take a ride and go to the new Condo-hotel

 

 

Worth a picture

 

St. Joseph was settled in 1828 on the site of Old Fort Miami.  A credible report has Father La Salle building his first boat on the Great Lakes at this point. 

 



 

Lighthouses are the theme to St. Joseph

 

 

Farmer's Market on Saturday at Lake Bluff Park

 

 

Silver Beach Complex

 

 

Music on the Bluff

 

 

Great place to watch the traffic on Lake Michigan

 

 

Craft Fair also happening....worth our 6 block walk (one way)

 

 

St. Joseph is a major tourist attraction in Southern Michigan

 

 

John and Pat joined us for dinner on the bridge

 

 

Pretty skies......wind settled.....rain gone.....looking good

 

 

It has been a nice visit to Benton Harbor and St. Joseph MI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 401 August 28 52 mi Anchor's Way Marina St Josephnand Benton Harbor MI

We are OK to move on down Lake Michigan....departure time is 9:15AM...... 55 degrees on the bridge this morning.  The sun is shinning.......winds are ESE @ 5mph
Holland has been an interesting town to visit.  A place to return.....

Crossing Lake Macatawa

 

 

Coast Guard Station

 

 

Lake Macatawa is 5 miles long

 

 

Looking at fine scenery

 

 

One of my favorite homes

 

 

Too big for me

 

 

Beach is empty and no boats today

 

 

Big Red is impressive

 

 

Wonderful if there will be another "Red"

 

 

Good-bye Holland MI

 

 

Headed south about 1 mile off shore

 

 

Nuclear Plant

 

 

If that's all I'll see.....I'll sleep

 

 

Freighter headed north in the shipping channel

 

 

Still lots of sand on the eastern shore

 

 

Our entrance to St. Joseph and Benton Harbor

 

 

You want me to look at what?????

 

 

This one needs help

 

 

Beach is busy today

 

 

Follow Satisfaction in today

 

 

Art Sculpture

 

 

Coast Guard Station

 

 

Swing Railroad Bridge....One long and one short

 

 

Blossomland Bridge.....37 feet

 

 

Harbor Shores Marina.....brand new but full

 

 

Bicentennial Bridge.......19 feet

 

We are staying at Anchor's Way Marina.....guess I forgot to take pictures....tomorrow....

New owners in 2014 and they are working hard to bring the marina back to life.....Would say...they are happy to have us stay with them a few days....

 

 

We have to walk across the bridge to Benton Harbor

 

 

On our way to Wolf Marine....5 blocks away....large marine store

 

Labor Day weekend.....hard to find a slip and thunderstorms are scheduled for the weekend.....playing it by ear...but we will be in Chicago next week....



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 399-400 August 26-27 Yacht Basin Marina Holland MI

Looks like a wonderful sunny day in Michigan......pink and blue jobs.....Garmin.....and Michigan cousins visiting today.....

Mr. Sun

 

 

 

 

Phil from Garmin comes to FIX the auto-pilot.....the pump is leaking fluids and it needs to be cleaned with new fittings and there is an improper thread compound plus a few other things....but that's the simple story....

When it comes time for the sea trial......that is where we go out in Lake Macatawa and make circles.......the thunderstorm with lighting arrives....Phil will be back in the morning to finish the job.....

 



 

 

 

During this thunderstorm....Tom and Sandy arrive for their visit.  We are at the end of C Dock so wait or you will get wet.....

 

 

Itty Bitty Bar.....the local hangout

 

 

 

And our place for dinner

 

Today is sunny but cool from the storm we had yesterday.  Wind is down so we will conduct the sea trial and make sure the auto-pilot is working......

 

 

Out we go into Lake Macatawa

 

 

No boat traffic so we can make our circles here

 

 

Sandy and Tom join us

 

 

Captain and Phil

 

 

Saddi is right in the middle of the action

 

 

Everything works......the Auto-pilot is fixed

 

 

Our neighbors Island Girl is the committee boat for the sailboat races

 

 

Sailboats from our marina going out to race this afternoon

 

We are ready to leave tomorrow morning and so are our friends......Boats are fixed and its time to head south.  Weather looks good for tomorrow.  This being Labor Day Weekend we were not able to find a slip in Saugatuck or South Haven so we are off to Benton Harbor.......