The Trip from Muskegon to Pentwater

Our internet connection in Pentwater was extremely slow so we are a bit backed up with posting. We hope to catch up by Monday or Tuesday evening

We heard Pentwater can get very crowded, so we called ahead on Thursday night to the Snug Harbor Marina. We were told it would be packed the next day, but if we called and confirmed at about 9 am they’d hold us a spot – at worst along the wall by the fuel dock, or by the haul-out crane.

Because of that, we wanted to get a really
early start on Friday morning. Unfortunately, when we woke up at 5 am, we were greeted by dense fog (or as we had recently learned, “Light Haze”). So we made our preparations and waited for it to brighten up a bit. By 7:30 it was still pretty foggy, but you could see that the sun was trying to break through – so we unhooked the lines and headed out into the lake. Moving very slowly.

It was still very foggy on Lake Muskegon, but it eased up a bit on Lake Michigan, and visibility gradually improved. We eventually increased our speed to the lightning fast 10 mph that has become our typical cruising speed. (Gas prices, you know.)

Once again, the lake was extremely calm, and it was a very pleasant trip. We stayed about ½ mile off shore, and once the fog cleared, we could see the sand dunes pretty well. They are truly amazing along this stretch of the lake.

As we passed the entrance to White Lake it was still a bit hazy, but we took a picture for Di.

Upon reaching Little Sable Point, it had become sunny and warm. We got a really nice view of the lighthouse.

It was also nice to finally be able to look behind the boat and see a wake that wasn’t silver.

We then motored along past the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. This area is different from the other dunes we’ve passed along the shore, in that they are not covered with trees and vegetation. Just really large mountains of sand. From the lake, we could see dune buggies crawling up and down the sides. You could also see lots of boats anchored and people on the beaches.

We reached the entrance to Pentwater Lake at 12:40 pm. As you can see, the weather was very different from when we set out in the morning! We then reached Snug Harbor Marina at about 1:00 pm where they had us tie up on the wall near the gas dock, helping us with the lines as we approached from a weird angle. It’s actually a great location, located right up against the sidewalk in a park-like setting. As with the other Michigan marinas, the staff was very helpful, gave us great directions, and were right there to help us at the dock with whatever we needed.

And finally, here’s our favorite picture of the day, taken as the sun was starting to burn off the fog, and the lake was still extremely calm.

Stopover in Muskegon

After two full days in South Haven, it's on to our next stop. This evening we are in Muskegon, which is about 60 miles north of South Haven.

The trip up here was generally uneventful. We gassed up at the South Haven Yacht Club in South Haven before leaving - ouch! Over 200 gallons at $3.69. It took over 45 minutes to pump! Still, gas cost less than we expected.



Before leaving South Haven, we had a nice omen. While preparing to loosen the lines and leave the slip, we looked up and saw the largest, most complete rainbow either of us have ever seen. Right over the harbor exit!! It was much too large to fit on the camera lens, but we did the best we could.


Once again, the lake was extremely calm. During most of the day it had that glassy look to it, with only one foot swells - hard to even call them waves. It was very overcast though, and drizzled every now and then, so we once again got used to the "silver" look. At least this time we never lost sight of shore - which, by the way, is pretty impressive over here. This side of Lake Michigan is lined with large sand dunes. From the water, you really get a feeling for how massive - and unending - they are. Unfortunately, we were too far out to get good photographs of them. Hopefully we'll have many more chances.

There's one thing you don't escape out on the water: BUGS! We were well over 5 miles out but there they were - gnats, mosquitoes and spiders. How do they get out there and how do they survive? Believe it or not, eucalyptus oil, as a spray, worked great for us in keeping the mosquitoes completely off of us and the gnats from sticking around too long.

There was a little incident as we neared Holland, Michigan. Holland is the city in which Meridian was "born". She became rather excited and did a little dance as we passed the Holland Harbor entrance.

Upon nearing Muskegon,the wind picked up and the lake got a little choppy. It also started raining a bit harder. All in all, though, it was still relatively calm - nothing like some of those autumn runs we've had up to Waukegan that some of you have been "fortunate" enough to experience.




After entering the channel to Muskegon Lake, you pass the USS Silversides, a WWII submarine, and the USCGC McLane, an old Prohibition era Coast Guard cutter.













We're spending the night at Hartshorn Municipal Marina. At first glance, it appears to be a pretty basic marina and is not in the same parklike type of setting that we're used to . However, we recommend it to anyone coming this way. It's located on Muskegon Lake about three miles in from Lake Michigan. As we were making our way to the marina, the wind picked up and it started raining. The folks from the marina, without being asked, showed up at the dock and helped us tie up. (Also, when we were making arrangements to come in, they let us know which side we'd be tying up on -- we'll be spoiled by the time we get back to Chicago if this keeps up.)

Hartshorn is relatively small compared to many marinas we've seen, but it has a really nice character to it. Lots of picnic tables close to the slips. And each slip appears to have at least one - probably two - parking spots that are also right by the slip. Bike racks are also available for slip holders. There are covered picnic areas, and grills scattered around. A good percentage of the slip holders decorate or personalize their slips. A bicycle trail runs beside the marina and takes you to Lake Michigan (one way) or all the way to the other side of Muskegon Lake (the other way) The staff, as well as the other boaters we met, were all extremely friendly.


Hartshorn is located close to Heritage Landing, where they are currently holding the Unity Christian Music Festival. We hear the music clearly from here, and it adds a pleasant effect to the evening.

By the way, we don't talk about it here, but there's a pretty good Inept Boater Blog story that will come from today