Chicago, IL to Hammond, IN

This 12 mile leg was more of a staging move to prep us for the Cal-Sag Canal. We were going to stay on a can in the middle of the harbor but due to the 2 foot rollers we decided to head out into the 2-6 foot waves to move south. Not our most brilliant move but it all worked out. We left Inconceivable in Hammond to head out to Rock Island, IL to visit with Andrew's parents and Aunt Susie!

Sabastian's entry on Sleeping Bear Dunes

The other day we went to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The people who went to Sleeping Bear Dunes were Keenan, Daria, Michael, Jennifer, Paisley, Sabastian and Elizabeth. We started off by eating a picnic lunch. After that we got in the car to go to a look out of the sand dunes from above. We saw Lake Michigan and where we were going and said that doesn't look like a long walk. So we went to the car and drove down to where you started. The sand was not that hot so we went barefooted. The first hill was a bit high. The next sets got bigger until a breaking point. After one of our breaks we raced up a hill where Paisley and Elizabeth stayed. We went down a small hill then up to where you had a great view and saw Lake Michigan. We went down the 100 yard sand dune and we raced up the next hill to find out we had only finished half of the hills and we had half a water bottle left so we went back thru the hills and met up with Paisley and Elizabeth. After that we drove to the lake where Sabastian was the only person that went in the water and tossed a frisby back and forth until Paisley threw it over my head and it sunk into the water so I went deeper in the water to get it. I came back with it and it was time to go. I had a wonderful time.

Crystal Lake

One of our stops to see the sand dune cliff overlooking Lake Michigan.

Time to tackle the sand dunes.

Glenn Lake from the first sand dune.

We found the shady spots to cool off a bit.

The beach at Glen Haven.

St Joseph, MI to Chicago, IL

Sunday morning was beautiful. The winds were expected to stay under 5 knots so we were expecting an uneventful crossing. As were crossing Lake Michigan we saw several other loopers on our horizon!

 

Chicago is on our horizon and boy does it look beautiful. We were 10 miles out and were beginning to see lots of sailboats out and about.

The other loopers on our horizon.

Navy Pier

Lighthouse for Chicago Harbor

Inconceivable on the wall in Monroe Harbor.

We are ready to explore the city and celebrate Sabastian's Birthday with Dennis and Katie! It should be a great week.

Grand Haven to St. Joseph

The Grand Haven Municipal was full of sailboats getting ready for the big race on Saturday. The race start time was at 9:00am and we were out of the harbor by 8:00am. As we left the inlet we were met with a blanket of fog over Lake Michigan. Our water temps were reading 43 degrees. 

After a few hours of seeing only fog we could see Michigan again!

The fog thickened up a bit so a bow watch was needed. We were bundled up since the air temps were barely 60 degrees and the fog made it seem even colder. After 4 hours the fog lifted and our journey continued until we reached St. Joseph

Inconceivable on the free wall at St. Joseph.

Pentwater to Grand Haven

We finally had a nice forecast on Friday morning with highs in the low 70's and winds less than 5 knots! It was a beautiful day to be on the water. I caught the sunrise over Pentwater as we left.

The inlet at Grand Haven our stop for the night.

The Parrent family came down to the marina for a visit and brought their cute new puppy. It was nice to catch up!  At 9:00pm we headed over to the famous fountain show. I didn't grab photos of either event. :(

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Frankfort to Pentwater

Saturday morning was overcast and cool. We decided to go to the farmers market and then the grocery store instead of getting underway. By 11:00am the sky was looking better and we decided to get underway. We left Frankfort around 12:15pm. The forecast was calling for 1 foot waves or lower and visibility was at 1.5-2 nautical miles. Due to the fog I didn't take many pictures. The fog cleared up by the time we reached the inlet for Pentwater at 7:15pm.

Due to high winds and Andrew traveling we will be staying here in Pentwater for a few days.