Day 75: Travel to Leland

September 2023 Summary: 

We traveled 493.6 miles in approximately 67 hours UW. I know the NEBO numbers are difficult to read but I like to post just to see the path we took throughout the month. Adding September's miles to our previously recorded 959.4, we have now cruised 1453 miles.

September travels started when we left the Trent Severn and headed into the Georgian Bay. We took our time through Canada, anchoring in magnificent coves, where we were often the only boats there. Pink granite, crystal clear lakes, strenuous hikes, fishing, campfires and laughs; we had the time of our lives. We left Canada and checked back into the U.S. on September 21 after enjoying a once in a lifetime cruise up the St. Marys River onto Whitefish Bay, boasting how we had conquered Lake Superior! We spent more days on Mackinac Island than we had expected but made the most of this unique experience, relaxing in the laid back atmosphere made even more pleasant by the constant clip-clop of horses, and eating more fudge and ice cream than was probably good for us. We ventured onto Lake Michigan where we have been planning our travel days according to weather. One never wants to get caught on the lake when the west wind kicks up! On to October! 



Day 75: October 1: With unsettled weather predictions we weren't sure whether we would be leaving Charlevoix for Leland or wait out what was forecasted to be some windy and rough days on the lake. The thinking was if we were going to have to wait out some nasty weather, this was a nice and inexpensive place to be. The town was easily accessible with plenty of restaurants, a grocery store and a boatload of fresh fish. In addition, there are 5 other Looper boats here; providing us with lots of opportunities to socialize. Perhaps the best part is the marina's facilities are perfect and as a municipal marina, only costs $38.00 per night. 

Not sure of plans, John decided it was a good time to change the oil. No sooner did he start the project when David texted letting us know he was leaving Petosky, heading our way and then on to Leland. At about 8 knots the trip to Charlevoix would probably take him about 2 hours. In the meantime, friends on Karla B changed their mind from staying to going as it looked like an updated forecast was calling for lighter winds than previously predicted. Decision was made, we would head to Leland. Just as John was finishing up with his project, our other Looper friends Mona and Frank on Summer Fling came over to tell us they were leaving too, once they fueled up and pumped out! 


Summer Fling and we left the dock in time to make the 12:30 bridge opening, an hour after Karla B had bid us adieu. As we exited the inlet I looked on the NEBO app and saw that Zendeavor had recently passed by the Charlevoix inlet; I spotted her up ahead in the distance. Once again our parade of Looper buddy boats was on the move. 



Folks who have not traveled the coast of Michigan are really missing something. The coastline may not be extremely beautiful but it is intriguing. Within minutes it can change from a stretch of sandy beach to high cliffs, looking as though they are ready to crash into the water at any moment. 













We traveled 30 miles in about 4 hours, arriving in Leland around 4:30 pm. We were greeted by the Municipal Marina's dock hands; 2 very nice gentlemen who when John handed them a tip laughed and said "beer money". As expected, there were only a few other boats besides the 4 of us so we had the pick of spots. John chose the end of a T, easy to pull in and easy to leave. 



Leland is located between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula. It is a picturesque town full of charm and history. It is the site of the oldest and largest Ottawa village on the peninsula. European settlement began when the Manseau family moved to Leland from North Manitou Island in 1853. The family built a dam and sawmill, providing the necessary ingredients for the building of a community. Soon more families arrived and houses, docks and stores were built as the town grew. Eventually steamers and schooners frequented the island. With fish plentiful, the fishing industry took hold and Leland soon became known as Fishtown.  


Now for the fun part of the story. A while back, a friend from Westport, Doug Amaral, texted me. He has been following our journey on Facebook and my blog and realized our travels could possibly take us by Leland. He told us his very very good friends own "The Cove", a restaurant within a 2 minute walk from the marina. Being the generous and thoughtful person that he is, Doug encouraged us to stop in Leland and go to the restaurant and share some Westport/Michigan camaraderie. When I texted Doug that yes we would be stopping in Leland he alerted Rick and Sean the father/son team that owns the restaurant, and I assume the marina, since upon our arrival, the dock hands said they had called Rick and told him we had arrived. Wow! did we feel special.

A few minutes later Sean walked over to the dock; we chatted for a bit and told him we would probably get to the restaurant tomorrow night. He gave us his number and we said we would text him for sure! I was really looking forward to a great meal. More fish I'm sure! 

Everyone got situated and we chatted on the dock for awhile before heading to our own boats to watch the magnificent sunset from our perfect unobstructed observation decks.



























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