Muskegon, MI

(Sunday Aug 12 - Dist: 57.5 mi; Avg Speed: 10 mph;
        Seas: 1 ft; TTT: 4:45 hrs)

It was Sunday, the winds were quiet and boaters were out in full force.  These boaters in the channel between Lake Muskegon and Lake Michigan are in for a shock however.   Although the air and the smaller lake were warm, Lake Michigan was freezing.  I cannot explain it but two days earlier the surface temperature of the water was 72 degrees.  Today the Lake was 49 and I had on 4 layers of clothes.  We were freezing even with all of the canvas and windows up.

On the way in we passed the USS Silversides, a WWII submarine that is now a museum.  The interesting aspect of this museum and the retired Coast Guard Cutter, McLane, is that anyone can make reservations and live aboard for a night or two.  It might be fun for kids but I think that I will stick with Q.

Great Lakes Marina, which was recommended to us by some other Loopers, was a great find.  Loopers only pay $20 per night.  The town of Muskegon is not very close but we were not planning on going into town anyway.  The two packages which I had delivered here were waiting for me.  I can now fix the door handle to the head.  The internal mechanism broke and Forest, from my home marina, found a supplier in Florida.  It was not cheap at $88 but the door is like new.

Jim, the AGLCA Harbor Host here, was at the dock when we arrived and made sure that we had everything that we needed.  He offered to take us into town and answered all of our queations about the area.  We invited him to our Happy Hour and he brought a great box of chocolates which were made nearby.  Jim is hoping to start the Loop in 2 year's time and was keen to hear all of our stories.

Finally, here is the old and the new.  Getting from Michigan to Milwaukee and beyond is a pain because one has to go around the bottom of the Lake and through the city of Chicago.   The Milwaukee Clipper was built in 1904 and worked most of the Great Lakes as a passenger ferry capable of carrying 350 passengers.  In 1940 this steamship was converted to oil and began carrying both passengers and atuomobiles and was capable of doing 18 knots.

 

The new Lake Express was built in 2004 and is capable of doing 40 mph.  It is powered by four 3000 hp engines.  Talk about feeding the twins??  It is only 192 feet long and 57 feet wide.  It costs $82 per adult and $87 for a vehicle.  Pretty reasonable, I think, to get across the Lake in 2 1/2 hours.