Weather: Sunny and warm. Winds brisk, steady S.
55 miles to South Haven. Did not raise the main. But with no spinnaker, I used the two head sails, screecher and genoa in a wing and wing configuration. This technique I'd read about from another blog, allows for quick furling enabling fast depowering if required. Wonderful 7 hour sled ride over doing 7-8 kts.
Late departure from New Buffalo as I was intimidated by the cross current at the marina. Watched another boat depart and then figured out a better way from what they did. Used a single line, from stem to stern, hooked over a piling as a sliding yoke holding HR on the dock. Kelly at the helm and me on the pier with an additional line just in case, we backed out with little effort, releasing the yoke once safely past the pilings.
Arrival in South Haven was painless and we moored in the Municipal Marina on the south side of the river. Beautiful facilities, on par with Waukegan. After walking the dogs, we started looking for a restaurant. Arrived just before Venezia Pizza closed. While Kelly continued to walk the dogs, I chatted with the staff and learned a new phrase as two girls there described themselves as "cool, like the underside of a pillow."
After the pizza, ice cream was required and we soon discovered Kilwins, a chain with original recipe ice cream and locally made fudge shops! Awesome! And conveniently, their locations are printed on their napkins. Future ports of call: Saugatuk, Ludington, Frankfort, Mackinaw etc!
Arriving back at the marina, we met a bedraggled couple, clearly on a budget, on the dock. Following the coast route, they were attempting to bring a 24' sloop to Muskegon from Milwaukee (I think). The were in their second week. Found out they were having problems with a shaft seal and the bilge pump wasn't reliable. We gave them our left over pizza.
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