August 19, Ludington Mi

August 14-18  Manistee Mi


We had called ahead requesting two slips at the Manistee Municipal Marine and tied up to slips 2 & 3 which were well protected from the forecasted winds. After enjoying a swim on the very breezy beach and stops in town we climbed aboard for the evening. The winds were up to 25-30 knots by midnight and gusty..then we
were awakened by a 42 ft Coast Guard boat trying to get into the slip next to us with the winds directly on his side …Luc and I stood on his bow watching and wondering what the outcome would be…attempt
1, failed and he roared back in reverse back into the channel…attempt 2 failed in another wild attempt..
Sustained and gust winds were exceptionally strong.. The coast guard boat went parallel on a wall and
let two Sailors off to man the lines on the dock on the next attempt to slip in between us and the rock wall. If you have never seen a 42 foot boat enter a slip right next to you in the darkness with roaring
winds at approximately 15 miles an hour then full reverse into the dock…it is a bit scary. We later
learned from them that they were returning from a search in which they were unable to find a person
in the water..(his body was found in the morning).

This stop in Manistee also included a visit to the Casino..a great time was had and we all left our contributions to the slot machines.

After holding for 5 days for the winds to settle, we departed at 7am and left for Ludington approximately 3 hours down the coast with winds forecasted 8-14mph. Well, Tadpole had her roughest ride yet…
We estimate waves at over 6 feet..I’ll summarize by saying we have broken jars in the refrigerator.

Today we are settled in Ludington with winds forecasted at 25mph for the next three days..the good news is....the marina provides cable television and this Saturday's Nascar race is in Bristol. Next week we will continue southward on our journey to Chicago.