The past 5 days have been quite restless for me. We have been docked in Charlevoix, MI, with my Mom her friend, Sue, and the two dogs visiting. Don’t get me wrong though. It was nice to spend some quality time with my mom and my dog, Finley, and my dad’s dog, Max, before we set sail again. I missed them all dearly. It will be a long while before I see Finn again, but we shall see my mom in a few months when we go through the Trent Severn.
If you have to be tied somewhere, this isn’t a bad place to be. Charlevoix is an incredibly beautiful city both on and off the water. This is my second time to the area, and it truly caters to the marina/boating population quite well. The Harbormaster, Hal, at the city marina where we are docked is phenomenal. Probably one of the best out there. Incredibly personable, outgoing, and dedicated. He makes you feel right at home; whether it’s your first time to Charlevoix or if you’re a seasoned slip tenant. His whole crew is quite amazing too. I guess that’s what happens when you hire the right people. If you have a boat, and the means to get up here. I definitely suggest that you come check out Charlevoix and introduce yourself to Hal. That is, if he doesn’t seek you out first 🙂
We had a nice sail down Lake Charlevoix to Boyne City on Sunday. While the wind and weather did not cooperate with us in either direction, it was still nice to be back out on the water. We had anticipated patronizing a little cafe that my parents both loved the last time they sailed down there.
Unfortunately, Cafe Santé (and their entire block) was suffering from a power outrage due to a blown transformer. They anticipated to regain power in 1-4 hours. Much too long for us to wait to eat. So we meandered down to another restaurant under the same ownership group for some Tex-Mex and margaritas. After lunch Max got a chance to swim in the lake and play fetch with my dad. I tried getting Finn to go for a swim, but he wasn’t too wild about the idea. He’s a landlubber 🙂
The rest of the time here in Charlevoix wasn’t too eventful. I did get to meet up with the Pettit Paint sales rep, Garrett, that helped us along the way in our antifouling paint selection/application project. Really great guy. Plus he just happened to live in town. He was kind enough to take me out to lunch one afternoon and we got to talk boats for a few hours. It was awesome! Thank you again, Garrett!
Well, tomorrow we set sail. The thought makes me happy. We don’t have too much of a sail at 36 miles to Beaver Island, and the weather sounds crummy. But, hey. We’re underway!
Stay tuned as we round the Straights of Mackinac and head into Canadian waters.