Kind of a short run today with only 45 miles to cover so no rush to leave the dock. We check and re-checked the morning forecasts and except for overcast skies we should have a smooth ride to our next port. Gotta tell you, I would rather run in heavy fog than get beat up in rough water! Oh, and one other thing, in yesterday's rough ride, yes, we only experienced one casualty . The printer got tossed onto the deck and suffered a catastrophic misalignment. Time for a new printer.
The three hour run to Ludington was as planned, a nice day. Our Ludington marina is only a short walk from the Main Street so that made it convenient. Our slip was in a prime location. We docked bow in to the dock with our aft deck facing out to the harbor thus allowing us a nice scenic view. This was so true because every night at 7:00 pm the S/S Badger comes into the harbor returning from Manitowoc,Wisconsin. Quick note on Manitowoc. This is where the Russian Sputnik crashed into the street on May 14, 1960 and is celebrated every year.
Anyway back to the Badger: It is the last coal fired passenger ferry in the USA. It was built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, launched September 6, 1952 (my baby brother was only 2 years old) is 410 feet long and can cruise at 21 knots and carries 620 passengers, 180 vehicle including big trucks and buses. But the best part is when it returns to Ludington Harbor and docks,. As it makes its way to the pier it will drop one of it's massive bow anchors and pivot on this anchor and turn this 410 foot ship 180 degrees then proceed to back alongside the pier all the time dragging this anchor. Each evening folks gather in the park across from the ferry to watch this very unique docking exercise.
M/V The Badger at night. View from our aft deck. Looks like a hotel.
It turns out we stayed four nights in Ludington because the wind just howled for four days and there was no way we were going out with horrible conditions on Lake Michigan. As it turned out we were not alone. In the other marina, just a short walk from ours, there were about 20 other Looper boats also avoiding the rough water conditions on Lake Michigan. So when there are that many Loopers in one place at one time it is surly time for Docktails. At 5 pm Lou Ann and I went to the other marina's clubhouse. We were the first two to arrive and then they just kept coming and coming each with a snack to share and there own beverage. In the end there was about 20 of us. All gathered in this small room we took turns introducing ourselves; name, boat name and home-port. Some of the Loopers we have run into before but most we were meeting for the first-time so exchanging boat-cards was a must. After and even before the introductions the "Tails of the Seas" begin. Turns out in the end we all had a nice time meeting old and new Loopers.
Had to stop at Cops and Doughnuts to try the bakery items.
During our extended stay , Lou Ann got her nails done, I got a haircut, whats left if it. We also, had to get a new printer at Walmart, get my hearing aid fixed (got a little story to tell you later) got Lou Ann's cell phone fixed. We were able to accomplish all these errands with the generous use of our Looper Harbor Host's vehicle. The Harbor Host keeps their boat on the next pier from Zoey's Adventure. The Harbor Host also stopped by our boat the first afternoon and said hello and offered a little welcome bag of goodies. Four days in one harbor was a bit long but we had to wait for the winds to lay down. What we did accomplish during our extended stay was to talk with Loopers and other boaters as to what ports we should consider as we cruise down Lake Michigan and eventually to Hammond, Indiana.
Oh my little back story. When I got my hearing aid fixed the service tech asked me where I was from and next thing I find out he is a boater and looking to cruise the Great Loop in a few years. Needless to say my short service call got stretched out. Often, mostly at the marinas we have been staying at, we run into other boaters looking to do the Loop and asking us questions.
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