Michigan: South Haven to New Buffalo

Day: 66
Travel Time: 5.5 hours
NM Today: 43
NM Total: 1448

South Haven Inlet - now calm

With the arrival of calmer waters on Lake Michigan we pulled out of harbor at 9:30 this morning to head to our next destination.  We had not yet decided whether to head to St. Joseph, MI (closer) or to New Buffalo, MI (further).  Only after we had been on the lake for about 45 minutes or so did we decide that we would travel to the further destination of New Buffalo.  The waters on the lake were not completely calm but were an order of magnitude better than the last few days.

Some time over the last couple of days of wind Clark's favorite hat succumbed to the abuse and the hat brim separated.  I took a look at it and decided that I might be able to fix the hat by sewing the brim together.  It looked as if it was glued and the glue gave out.  As we traveled along to our next destination, I sewed his hat back together.  It looks pretty good now and is much more wearable.

Other than the sewing to occupy my time, today was another boring travel day as we were far enough off the coast that there was nothing to see.  Even the clouds refused to cooperate as they produced no interesting designs by which to pass the time.  We did pass one interesting item sitting in the lake.  The picture below shows one of the monitors positioned on the lake to collect and report out weather data such as wind speed, wave height, temperature, etc.  This guy must have been very busy over the last couple of days.

Weather Monitor in Lake Michigan

We ate lunch on board as we went along and arrived in New Buffalo at 3:00.

New Buffalo

As we looked for our assigned slip at the municipal marina, we spied 3 looper boats already at dock that we recognized.  Reunion and Melinda B were at South Haven with us.  The third boat, Sno-Daz, is one that we have seen various places along our route starting in Brewerton, NY but never met before today.

The big news that we heard from Sno-Daz is that as of the 14th of August they have 'crossed their wake' meaning their Great Loop trip is complete.  They started their voyage in 2012 in New Buffalo, Michigan where they bought their looper boat.  Their boat is now back in New Buffalo and under contract for sale to someone who plans to do the loop in about three years time.  Reunion proudly displays a Gold Looper Flag meaning they have also completed the loop.

Shortly after we tied up at our dock, Carol from Reunion and Melinda from Melinda B came over to invite us to join them for a pot-luck picnic dinner.  We readily agreed that we would attend, and I set to planning what I would make to bring to the picnic based on the supplies on board.  I decided on a dish and then told Clark that we needed to go to the market for broccoli so I could make a summer pasta recipe I found on line.

Town is quite small and it took only a few minutes to walk the entire main street.  At the end of the shopping district, we found Barney's Market which turned out to be a very pleasant surprise as it is a large, well-stocked food market.  The front of the store is an expanded wine / beer store with the grocery portion of the store in back.  I ended up buying more than just broccoli after I saw the quality of the market.  I also made mental notes of other items on the shelves so I know what else I can get next time.

Clark and I enjoyed the picnic get together.  Sharon and Bob from Sno-Daz regaled us with stories of the upcoming river system including some advice on how not to deal with honey bees and a rather scary story involving a very large and pregnant water moccasin snake.  They reassured us that in the grand picture of the Great Loop, we have already conquered the hardest part of the trip, which they believe starts with Cape May, NJ and ends with reaching Chicago, IL.

Picnic fun with Reunion, Sno-Daz, and Melinda B

Clark and Ev with Melinda from Melinda B

After our picnic we hit the local ice cream store for a sweet treat before going our separate ways.  Melinda B and Reunion are leaving here tomorrow.  Sno-Daz is staying until they complete the sale of their boat.  Clark and I are here for a few days as we hang out while getting ready to cross to Chicago for the 27th of August to meet up with our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Bob from Melinda B made sure we realized that we have a weather window tomorrow to leave here, and then after that, we won't be able to leave for several days due to high winds yet again on Lake Michigan.  The next good day appears to be either the 26th or the 27th, so it looks like we will have become quite familiar with New Buffalo by the time we leave here.