Picking Up.......

 Where We Left Off….

 Frankfort,  MI was a nice port of call.  It offered…..well…..a nice port of call.  Truth be told, we have few specific memories (and almost no photos) of it.   Was it boring? Are these charming little towns too much alike?  Are our memories failing with age?   Let’s move on……

From Frankfort, we moved further south to the port of Ludington, MI.  Once a very active ferry terminal for cross-lake commerce, Ludington is still the home port of SS Badger, the last coal-fired, steam-powered passenger vessel plying US waters.  Watching it approach its landing is a master class in ship handling.  With only a single screw and a bow anchor, her captain spun her 180 degrees in a crowded harbor with brisk crosswind and backed her into her landing like it was child’s play.  Wow.

It had been our plan to cross Lake Michigan from here to Milwaukee, a course that offers the shortest run (83 miles) across the lake.   We had marina reservations lined up that would take us to Chicago for a visit from some Spokane friends and then back to Racine, WI for Labor Day with  McLaughlin cousins.  

But………

Lake Michigan’s weather makes its own decisions, and the prognosticators would not offer a  decent weather window for an open-water run.  Call us cautious, but the east and west side of the lake have distinct weather patterns and once you begin to cross there is no “bail out” option if conditions deteriorate.  Without a good forecast all the way across, we chose not to chance it.   So, once again, Commadore Kathleen got out her cruising guides, charts, and phone and re-set our itinerary to keep us heading south on the Michigan side of the Lake. 

South from Ludington, we made our way to Muskegon, MI.  Wade had a special desire to see Muskegon.  Yes, really.   Here there is the LST 393 museum.   LST 393 is a WWII Landing Ship, Tank of the same design and vintage as the ship (LST 779) on which Wade’s father served during the final two years of the War on the Pacific.  

These 310-foot vessels were designed to land infantry and vehicles on a hostile beach.   To accomplish this task, they were given unique design characteristics (flat bottom, shallow draft, shrouded props) that also made them less suited for open water.  This, combined with a maximum speed of maybe 11 knots, earned them the moniker Large Slow Target.   But they made the invasions of Europe and the Pacific Islands possible and were considered pivotal in the Allied victories over Germany and Japan.   It was fascinating to wander inside the ship and image how it was for 21-year-old Ensign (later Lt. jg) Griffith and his shipmates.

Our stay in Muskegon got extended by a storm front 

 that roared thru but also afforded time for Commadore Kathleen to visit a hair salon and to lounge by the marina pool in between weather events.

The next stop in our revised itinerary was Grand Haven, MI, a seasonal resort community on the Grand River.  Here we were to meet Spokane friends Mark and Adrienne Parcher, who graciously shifted their rendezvous from Chicago when we were forced to forego the western side of Lake Michigan.

But,

Our chosen marina near downtown Grand Haven was unavailable for our first night, so we docked Irish Lass at North Shore marine across the river.   With Admiral Maggie’s assistance, we made the acquaintance of a group of local boaters who gathered at a self-built dock pavilion and enjoyed a pleasant evening.

Our plan the next morning (Sunday)  was to move across to the Municipal Marina before our guests arrived.  But the Irish Lass had other ideas.   Regular readers will recall that our starboard starter has been “reluctant for some time.  And that we acquired a replacement back in 2020 against the need to replace it.  But it is EXTREMELY difficult to access and we had hoped that, as long as it was responsive to love taps with a hammer, we could wait until we put the Lass in winter layup to address it. 

Well, so much for hope as a strategy.  The starboard starter stubbornly refused to respond.  Not to love taps, not to friendly nudges, not to pleas, not to angry curses.   While Wade continued to “negotiate” in the engine room, Commadore Kathleen asked our new dock friends for advice.  They recommended we stay put, as North Shore Marine should be able to help us.   They even texted the manager and the service manager to alert them to our plight.

On Monday morning, Wade walked across the marina to speak with Scott, the service manager, expecting the “we’re-booked-out-three-weeks worst”.  Instead, Scott was apologetic that he could not free up a mechanic until after lunch.  After lunch as in TODAY!  OMG! Can I get a HALLELUJAH!?

Within two hours, technician Tom was aboard to assess the task.   As his physique was, shall we say, inconsistent with the service clearances provided, he recruited young, lanky, flexible, strong, technician John to do the dirty work under Tom’s supervision.  They quickly determined that the tight fit required some reduced-size tolls and made a couple of trips to the shop to make modifications.By mid-afternoon, the swap was made and about 4:00 PM we had a successful test start.  By 4:30, we had a couple of dozen.  Can I get TWO HALLELUJAHS!!?

Mark and Adrienne arrived in the midst of this and graciously accommodated the unplanned activity.  Using their CAR (Oooooo 😊) we were able to explore Grand Haven a bit, including a nice dinner at a wonderful beach-front club.  The parking lot was full and there were folks waiting but half the tables were empty.  We cut the line by agreeing to eat in the bar, where the owner told us he was short 10 staff and had to keep 1/3 of his tables empty in order to be able to maintain service standards.  A sad sign of the times.  Sheesh.

With renewed ease of starting, we headed out on Wednesday for the port of St. Joseph, MI where we found a home at the West Basin  Marina.   There we encountered Loopers Quite Nice and Sea-Batical ( pair of DeFever49 trawlers) and enjoyed a Docktail gathering.  It tuned out we were all headed for Hammond, IN the next day.  The weather forecast was a little ambiguous, and as the faster vessel, we agreed to lead the charge south and then west and to keep the others informed on conditions.

Departing St Joseph at first light, we turned first south the Michigan City. (Located in  Indiana, interestingly enough, this seems another example of that state’s well-earned inferiority complex, forced to name this place for the superior state next door.  Sheesh.)    With weather conditions in our favor, we gave Quite Nice and Sea-Batical the all-clear and turned west toward Hammond and the eponymous marina that would be our home for over two weeks.  Why you may ask?  Just stay tuned and see!

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