Weather was strange this morning. The radar showed all the storms south of Grand Rapids and the NOAA forecasts on VHF called for winds out of the west turning to the north about 15 knots. What we were seeing was no wind and the sky in Pentwater was generally clear with some clouds to the south.
After some discussion with and by the other captains, there was a general exodus of boats from the harbor. We were traveling south to Muskegon the leave the boat and have some work done while we go home for 4 weeks or so.
The lake was relatively flat with some swells out of the southwest but no wind. We travelled behind Humbug for about the first hour or so and we had just passed Off Leash when I decided to pick up the pace in case the weatherman was at least partially correct. We traveled south to Muskegon and the clouds did get heavier and their was almost like a thick mist or fog along the shoreline that limited the visibility. We did get to Muskegon without the wind increasing and there was no rain.
Pentwater was an interesting town with a nice business district with lots of restaurants and souvenir shops. These shops were more up scale than the normal Tee Shirt shop and they were open on Sunday evening. They did have a Farmer’s Market on Monday morning that Hiromi, from Off Leash, went to and was able to get some very nice fresh vegetables. Lenore did not go so we would not have the fresh vegetables to deal with when we pack to go home.
The trip south on the lake was interesting with the large sand dunes along the shore with some people running vehicles over the dunes. You might be able to see that if you magnify the photo some.
The entrance to Muskegon Lake has a Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory right near the lake. There were several Coast Guard boats with a Coast Guard station on the back side. A little further in on the river was a Submarine Museum with the USS Silversides moored out front. I had not heard of the Silversides but it was a submarine with extensive service in World War II. It was in Chicago for a number of years before coming to the Muskegon Museum.
We will be off line for the next 4+ weeks while we are at home. Check back around the mid part of September for the continuation of the 2nd Loop.