On to Frankfort, Michigan

Days on cruise:  136

Distance traveled:  41.3 miles

Travel time:  4 hrs, 10 mins

Total trip odometer:  2,967 statute miles

We checked the weather forecast with our first cup of coffee and found “winds 10-15 knots with waves 2-3 feet in the morning, increasing to waves 3-4 feet in the afternoon” so rushed through our usual morning process and slipped our lines at 7:30.   This was the same forecast as the day we traveled from Mackinaw to Charlevoix, when we actually saw 1-2 foot waves, so we weren’t concerned, but thought we should get a jump on the day anyway.

Those forecasts can fool you!  As soon as we left the harbor we found ourselves in steady 3-4 foot waves, with periodic strings of half a dozen 6-foot waves thrown in just for fun. And we were shocked at one point to see two kayakers out in the middle of the Lake in 4-foot waves, paddling along looking not the least bit troubled (above, at a distance seen through binoculars).

But the tall sand dunes along the shore of Lake Michigan, some as high as 400 feet, are magnificent, and we enjoyed the scenery and sunshine.

And without any threat of thunderstorms or rain, we soon settled into the rocking, rolling and bucking routine:  not frightening, not comfortable, but tolerable.

Midday we turned into Frankfort, MI, another man-made harbor with two jetties protecting the inner harbor leading to Betsie Lake. We pulled into the Frankfort Municipal Marina and walked the docks to see if there were other Loopers were in port.

After ten days without running into any Loopers, we found  Carolyn and Susan on “Sojourner”, friends from earlier days with Gary and Christelle of Time and Tide, who we met in Covered Portage Cove west of Killarney.  So we invited them for cocktails.  They’re from Lexington, Kentucky where they both taught at the University for 30 years (Law and Higher Education Administration) until retiring 4 years ago, buying their first-ever boat and beginning their Loop.  They’ll finish sometime in the next month or two.  We had a delightful evening discussing Looping, politics, family and careers.