Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Thursday thru Saturday August 23-25. After a night of strong wind, we were pleased when the Thursday morning forecast called for a break in the storms. Second Wind and Happy Destiny said a fond farewell to the Lillys and the vibrant city of Holland, and we headed south again. We hoped to make it all the way down to St. Joseph in Benton Harbor, Michigan, but big swells became mighty tiresome after just a few hours. South Haven (only 26 miles from Holland) is considered another excellent “harbor of refuge,” so we happily pulled in.

As it turned out, the South Haven Municipal Marina was our stopping point for three days because a nasty weather front came through, wreaking havoc on Chicago and adding more rain to the already flooded Illinois rivers. While we were exploring the town Thursday afternoon, a shop keeper told us that a super strong thunderstorm was heading our way. We ran back to the boat and started adding additional lines. The first gusts blew off a large seat cushion that was snapped and velcroed to our back bench. Fortunately, it caught on the railing, and Bob retrieved it. From our boat I watched a tree blow down (no damage), and we both watched a canvas bimini blow off from a boat across the river. This storm screamed through with winds in excess of 60 mph. Second Wind handled it well because we were securely tied up.

Unstable weather and high waves continued for the next two days. On Friday we rented a car from a dealership and drove to Saugatuck, MI, described in Skipper Bob’s guidebook as “a small but popular art community that has become a tourist Mecca near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River.” It was colorful, fun, and filled with tourists, even though dark clouds threatened rain. On our way back to South Haven, we stopped at a produce market. Fresh corn and peaches for supper!

We spent a good bit of time Saturday planning our next run. Another break in the weather is forecast for Sunday, but we have two hurdles ahead: crossing Lake Michigan over to Chicago, then dealing with the rivers south of there, which are still above flood stage. As I write this, our plan is to make a long run to Chicago tomorrow (Sunday), staying there a few days until the floodwaters recede. We had a mini-Looper rendezvous at the marina tonight (Saturday), where we caught up with old friends that we haven’t seen in a while and visited with new ones. We all brought food, (including enchiladas and Pronto Pups), then Phil from the 49-foot Gulfstar Wonderland gave us a great “chalk talk” about the rivers south of Chicago. The fellowship was great, the food delicious, and the talk informative!

# posted by Second Wind @ 9:31 PM