When Last We Spoke....

.....................we were headed south from Sheboygan along Lake Michigan's eastern shore.

Our next stop proved to be a place that earned an entry on the short list we call "Places We Could :Live".  We are talking about Port Washington, WI, where we spent four days moored in their inner harbor.   

A peaceful side-tie in the Port Washington inner harbor

A true "hurricane hole" a block from shopping and dinning, easy access to good walks for fur-Admiral Maggie, friendly locals, and the cheapest diesel we have found this year ($4.44/gal).  And its a popular stop for Loopers where we connected with Rick and Kristi on Inked Mermaid,  Steve and Ruth on Stepping Stones (who had survived the South River Per with us in Sheboygan), Gert and Chris on the Nordic Tug  Patriot, Roland on Y-Knot (a solo Looper on a 22' C-Dory!), and Sarah and Michael on Noah Genda  (sound it out😉).   Irish Lass had the privilege of hosting  host "Docktails" for this congenial group.   

Looper Docktails with new friends

But before we know it, we were underway again.  Southward, ever southward.  This time to Milwaukee and McKinley Marina.   

Our plan was to spend several days in Milwaukee,  But surprisingly, this was NOT so we could peruse the Harley Davidson Museum .  Or to sample "The Beer That Made  Milwaukee Famous".  Rather is was because McKinley Marina was only 15 Uber minutes from the Milwaukee Airport, allowing Wade to make a quick 72-hour trip home for an all-siblings visit with his 97 year old mother who recently entered hospice care.   

In typical boater fashion the locals on "F" dock at McKinley Marina took us under their wing, providing transportation to a grocery store, restaurant recommendations, and a watchful eye over Kathleen and fur-Admiral Maggie during Wade's absence.  We particularly enjoyed Bob and Nancy who own a hand-build 38-foot Diesel Duck trawler designed by George Bueller of Whidbey Island, WA.   We also learned that Milwaukee celebrates its diverse cultural heritage with a series of festivals throughout the summer at a dedicated lakefront fair grounds. Ands that we were just in time for the Irish Fest!   An evening of corned beef and lively Irish music and dancing ensued. Erin Go Bragh!

(Note:  New entry in the Big Book of Lessons Learned:  Keep a marina key with you at all times. 

After United Airlines deposited Wade back in Milwaukee at 1:00 am, (5+ hours lake) he nearly had to climb the wrought iron fence to get back to Irish Lass, except for the grace of a Milwaukee PD officer and a cooperative security guard.  Whew!)  

Our original Plan was to proceed south to Kenosha , WI for a few days , and then to back-track to Racine, WI to welcome visitors aboard for memorial Day weekend.  But an examination of the weather forecast indicated a possibility that we could get trapped in Kenosha and miss our guests.  So extended our stay at Racine to two full weeks and settled in.  Reefpoint Marina proved to be one of the nicer places we have stayed in all our travels thus far, offering a pool, a very nice store, very clean on-dock restrooms, a restaurant and an excellent staff.   

Reefpoint in a small city-owned marina.  A mere 921 slips.  Sheesh!

The boaters  on West 7 dock welcomed us warmly.  They included current and past Loopers, another Cruiser 455 owner, experienced cruisers, and a few "slippers" (as in "never leaves the slip")   They included us in their gatherings, offered advice on local features,  and  tempted Fur-Admiral Maggie with treats.  (And it does not take her long to learn which boats are worth a repeat visit.)

We hosted McKernan cousins Karen, Mary, and Ellie for a day But our weather concerns proved to be correct and we were unbale to cruise with them beyond a dinghy tour of the marina .  Kathleen's brother Terry and wife Carrie (along with their dog Skye arrived for for Labor Day weekend and we found a few hours of clam weather to take the out to meet Lake Michigan up close. .  

A diverse and happy crew. 

Lake Michigan's oldest and tallest

Newly-minted Gold (i.e. completed) Loopers Hal and Wendy on the Grand Banks Patriot shared their experience about cruising the rivers. and Platinum (i.e. 2x or more) Looper John offered wisdom on many aspects if the route through the rivers and around Florida.  We also became acquainted with Ray and Jane on Pura Vida, a Bayliner 5788 out of  Ontario, Canada, with whom we made plans to begin our trip down the rivers in a few weeks. .  Ray (aka The Mad Scotsman) is a very seasoned captain who honed his boating skills on the Isle of Man, so we welcome his knowledge and experience. 

We closed out our time at Racine with a 75 mile run directly south to the familiar  Hammond Marina in Hammond IN.  This time of year Loopers congregate in southern Lake Michigan, either in Chicago or in Hammond.  All to prepare for the voyage down the rivers to the Gulf of Mexico .  

Chicago skyline

We bypassed Chicago in the mists and Nebo showed over 20 Loopers awaiting us in Hammond.  And as we approached Ray, the Mad Scotsman, circled us in his dinghy waving and laughing historically and shouting "No Irish here! No Irish here!".  But we counted with "But we have WHISKEY!" and he relented.   🤣🤣

There Will Be A Brief Intermission

Sadly, we must pause our journey to return to Spokane to memorialize Wade's mother, Gratia Griffith, who passed away on September 2 at age 97 and 10 months.   

Cousin Lauren McLaughln has graciously agreed to look after fur-Admiral Maggie while we are gone and our fellow Loopers with care for Irish Lass. And we will be back to begin our river journey before the end of the month.

Thanks for Following! 

And be sure to track us on NEBO

Wade and Kathleen Griffith and fur-Admiral Maggie