We spent Sunday (10/3/04) exploring Manitowoc and recovering from the first sail. Patti and Ruth enjoyed "The Cook's Corner", a large shop with everything for the kitchen. A WWII submarine marked the Wisconsin Maritime Museum adjacent to the harbor. The marina facilities were excellent.

10/24/04 - Monday we headed south again. The wind was directly out of the south so we elected to motor to Sheboygan. It was cold (30's) and sunny. We arrived in Sheboygan early afternoon. We bypassed the marina and drove "Another Adventure" up the river to the bridge, sight-seeing in the recently developed waterfront area. We returned to the marina and checked in for the night.

10/5/04 - Tuesday again dawned sunny and cold with 20+ knot WSW winds. About 10am we set sail for Port Washington. The winds propelled us southward at 8 - 9 knots. Again fowl weather gear was the required to block the wind.

10/6/04 - We arrived in Port Washington about 2pm and were assigned a slip in tall docks (obviously built when Lake Michigan was 4 feet higher). We climbed off "AA" and walked the 2 blocks to the downtown for an excellent lunch at Smith's Fish Shanty. After a little exploring we returned to the boat to find we had a new neighbor - a powerboat. Walt came over to introduce himself and inquire about our boat (turns out he was a sailor motor touring Lake Michigan). He related that he and Connie had headed toward the Illinois River, intending to complete the loop they had started in Fort Lauderdale. Concerns about dockage after the hurricanes had turned them northward, intent on wintering the boat at Marionette, WI. I interrupted Walt, stating "Your powerboat is "Fast Dancin'". He said yes, asking if we'd seen the name when we returned from town. I said "No, but I knew he owned a sailboat named "Slow Dancin'". Walt gave me a "where have I met you before" look before I could relate that a friend we had in common told me of "Fast Dancin'" and asked us to watch for them as we headed south.

10/7/04 - Thursday - "Fast Dancin'" headed north and we headed south. The front had passed, bringing warmer winds from the west. Their 20+ knots drove us toward Milwaukee at 8 - 9 knots in 2 - 3 foot seas. What a change from prior days! We arrived at McKinley marina in balmy Milwaukee feeling like we'd finally reach the sunny south. This was the first marina we'd encountered that had more boats than empty slips. 

Gary helped me build the mast rack for the journey down the river system. We disassembled and stowed the pieces for erection in Chicago. Gary and Patti left us in Milwaukee, heading back to the valley. We're spending a couple of days with our kids and grandchildren before continuing south.

10/8/04 - We've taken a lot of photos and will add an enroute photo gallery when we next find an internet connection.

10/9/04- Saturday - A week already! Another Adventure eased through the harbor breakwater promptly at 9am, heading south to Waukegan, IL. With the winds at 7-10 knots from the north we sailed with a full genoa and main, wing-on-wing at 4.6 knots. Warm air and sunshine made it a pleasant trip. We motor sailed the last 2 hours to ensure a daylight arrival.

At 4 pm we arrived - in the wrong harbor. Seems Waukegan has a north and south harbor nestled on each side of the main breakwater. We exited an entered the south harbor, backing into a high slip (built in the high water era) that require we climb boards to get to the dock.

10/10/04- Sunday dawned sunny, clear, 50 degrees with and easterly wind at 10 knots. We headed south about 9:30 after picking the brains of local sailors for information on Chicago. As the day warmed the wind built to 14 knots and the seas to 4-5 foot waves. The waves were running at about 8 knots so we had a lot of fun surfing south at 8-9 knots on the knot meter (read as relative speed indicator) - the GPS had our speed over ground recorded in the 7-8 knot range.

The winds died later in the day forcing us to motor sail in sloppy seas. We arrived in Hammond, IN to find the marina staff on holiday. Newfound friends helped us find a slip for the night.

10/11/04- Monday - We've elected to remove and stow the mast at Hammond (lower cost). Barry spent the day disconnecting the wiring for the antenna, radar and running lights contained in the mast. We removed the sails and lines, stowing them under the forward berth for the river trip. By late afternoon the stands were assembled and in place to receive the mast.

10/12/04- Tuesday - Happy Birthday Ruth!! Couldn't get Buddy to sing it! Barry helped Bill remove the mast from 4 boats scheduled ahead of "AA". During the process he met a number of nice folks. By 3:30pm we were back in our slip with the mast in the stands and a spaghetti like pile of stays to secure. We celebrated Ruth's birthday with dinner at the Horseshoe Casino ship located at the east end of the harbor.

10/13/04- Wednesday we waited for our charts to be delivered while tidying up the boat, taking on fuel (burned 11 gallons in 11 hours of running from Manitowoc), and pumping out.

Continue to the Upper Illinois Waterway

Return to the Loop Route.

The first legs brought us to the southern tip of the lake.

In retrospect

The sail from Sturgeon Bay to Hammond, IN was a great way to start the trip. Strong westerly winds made for fast sailing with relatively small seas. We started a little late, but met others who started even later. One, a houseboat, did a complete 360 degree roll-over in heavy seas crossing from Holland, MI. They claim the only thing that saved them was that they had latched and duct taped all the hatches because they knew the lake would be rough. Another, a sailboat on the same crossing, had a wave dislodge their mast (lashed to cradles on the deck), smashing lifelines and the bow pulpit.

It was neat to visit the southern lake ports along the eastern WI shore. I'd seen most by driving to them but had never approached the cities from the water.

Guided by Angells... Gary and Patti pilot AA through the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal.